Vodafone has just announced its price plans for the Palm Treo 500v - the smartphone is available from stores today. The 500v is free for pay monthly customers, or £220 on pay-as-you-go. 

There seems to be some confusion about the date of the 15th anniversary of the Lenovo (née IBM) ThinkPad. We (and everyone else) thought it was back in July, but we received an press release this morning saying that it's "today" -- then the release then goes on to say it's actually 4th October (which was yesterday). Anyway...

Whether your laptop is fresh from the box or a few years old, to get the most from it you need to treat it with a little care and attention. A new laptop that's set up properly from the start will run smoothly for years, but older models that are starting to show their age can be given a new lease of life with a few simple tweaks. So, if you want to wring more from your battery or simply cut the time Windows takes to load, you'll find the advice you need right here.

It's not quite the usual take on a mobile computer, but In-CarPC has launched its second generation (yup, you guessed it) in-car PC.

All systems are built and installed to order and run either Windows XP or Vista. You can get voice recognition, remote desktop access, 3G internet access, sat-nav and hands-free telephony, all built into the car's sound system. Storage comes courtesy of a hard disk with capacities up to 160Gb, and there's even an optional printer.

Designed to meet the needs of senior executives who are on the road a lot, the systems enable drivers and passengers to remain fully in-touch and productive, before, after and, occasionally, even during meetings.

There's no mention of prices in the press release, but we're guessing it's one of those "if you have to ask" situations...

[www.in-carpc.co.uk]

The next version of Palm OS won't be ready until the end of 2008, according to Palm CEO Ed Colligan. In a conference call with investors, Colligan stated that the Centro (a new Palm OS smartphone recently launched in the US, similar to the Windows Mobile-based Treo 500v) systems team and all Foleo engineers (it's not like they have anything else to do) are now focused on delivering the long-awaited new version of the operating system.

Opera has released a new version of its mobile browser for Windows Mobile. Opera Mobile 8.65 is available as a free 30-day trial, after which it costs $24.

New features in this version include:

• Support for Macromedia Flash Player 7 for Pocket PC
• FlashLite 2.1
• Grab and Scroll (only applicable to Pocket PC)
• Web search in address bar
• Save image
• Copy text
• Send link as e-mail, SMS, and MMS
• Import bookmarks from Pocket Internet Explorer
• Desktop Mode as default viewing mode

See the full list of changes here.

Smartphone manufacturer HTC announced four new models today, including the Shift and a version of the Touch smartphone with a slide-out keyboard.

The Shift is HTC's long-awaited take on the UMPC. It runs Windows Vista Business, weighs 800g and has a near-A5 form factor (207 x 129 x 25mm). The design, similar to that of the TyTN II, allows the Shift to be used both in tablet and laptop modes - the 7in touch-screen has an 800 x 480 resolution and the slide-out keyboard, while small, is still very usable.

More info on the other handsets and lots of pics after the cut.  

If you don't fancy springing £480 for an unlocked everything-but-the-kitchen-sink HTC TyTN II, it'll be available as a subsidised handset from T-Mobile from 28th September. T-Mobile has dubbed it the MDA Vario III, but it's otherwise the same model as the one we recently reviewed. The smartphone isn't listed on the T-Mobile site just yet, so there's no word on pricing, but we do know that it'll be free on the £45/month Flext 50 tariff.

It's been a long wait and the price has crept up and up, but the "$100 laptop" will finally be available this Christmas - and not just to developing countries. For two weeks from 12th November, the OLPC 'Give 1 Get 1' program will let you buy one XO laptop for $400 and your purchase also pays for a second laptop to be sent to a developing nation.

It's taken a while, but manufacturers are finally realising that smartphones don't just appeal to business users. Mobile email is a killer application for consumers too, but complex and costly hardware is a big disincentive for anyone looking to dabble.

HTC was the first to figure out that a sexy, streamlined smartphone might catch on with consumers, but its Touch turned out to be a touch too simplistic for our liking. Now Palm is having a go and given its track record for coming up with user-friendly handhelds, the new Treo 500v should have something of a head start.