PDAs

Sophos is unveiling software for securing PDAs and smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Mobile software.

Sophos Mobile Security, available for sale today, is designed to provide real-time protection for Windows Mobile 5.0 based devices against viruses and spyware threats. It's also set up to enable IT administrators to implement and lock down security policies for the devices, like PDAs and smartphones. Microsoft is expect to issue a new version of Windows Mobile, version 6.0, soon.

he OpenZaurus Project has released a new version of its Linux-based software stack for Sharp Zaurus PDAs. OpenZaurus 3.5.4.1 is based on a 2.6.16 Linux kernel, and includes some 13,000 "ready-to-install" packages. Nine Zaurus models are fully supported, while others can be updated selectively.

Major features of the new release include:

Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. unveiled a new smart phone on Tuesday, aiming to cement its leading position in the market ahead of the impending launch of the popular BlackBerry device in Japan.

Canada's Research in Motion said last month that it would bring the BlackBerry to Japan this autumn, potentially breathing new life into Japan's relatively small smart phone market while also causing headaches for entrenched players like Sharp.

Smart phone is a term referring to handsets with computer-like functions such as e-mail.

A third of professionals using mobile devices such as PDAs and smartphones don't use passwords or any other security protection and yet three out of ten of these users store their PIN numbers, passwords and other corporate information on them. That's according to The Mobile Usage Survey 2005, conducted for the fourth year by Pointsec Mobile Technologies and SC Magazine. The results are even more staggering considering the survey was conducted amongst IT professionals, who should be more knowledgeable about security than the average employee.

Handhelds aren't as open to attack by hackers and crackers as regular PCs are, but there are ways that Pocket PCs can be attacked.

In the latest issue of Insecure Magazine, Seth Fogie explores this topic extensively.

This article discusses essentially all the ways that a Pocket PC can be attacked, from viruses and trojan horses to DoS attacks.

Fogie is a VP at Airscanner, a company that makes anti-virus software for Pocket PCs.

As was noted in PDAs make a comeback, personal digital assistants (PDAs) have returned to sales growth after a few years of modest growth or even decline. After a period where innovation came in small doses, the sector now finds itself dealing with an issue that must have looked very small indeed during the good times of the late 1990s - security.

The No. 1 handheld maker will introduce LifeDrive Mobile Manager on May 18, according to sources familiar with the company's plans. The $499 device will come with a 4GB Hitachi Microdrive and two flavors of wireless networking--Bluetooth and 802.11b Wi-Fi.

Combined with organizer features, the music-playing handheld could compete with Apple Computer's $199 4GB iPod Mini.

By now I'm sure we are all aware of the potential risks of wireless networks, and the threat to both corporate and home users from hackers, crackers, worms, viruses, spammers and the like. Whether it be corporate espionage, simple mischief or malicious script kiddies, the damage is quickly done and the consequences can be far reaching and long lasting.

PDAs are moving toward irrelevance, a new study by In-Stat released this week says.

Other studies in the last two years have shown flat sales for PDAs, the new study says the devices are entering a stage of serious decline. In-Stat reported that PDA shipments in 2004 were only 8.7 million, compared to 10 million in 2003.

Global mobile device sales grew by 51 per cent in the last quarter of 2004 compared to the year before, according to analyst firm Canalys.

But growth was found to be uneven; while sales of smartphones and connected data devices including the Blackberry doubled, unconnected PDA sales rose just five per cent for the year.

Nokia increased its market leading position with strong sales for its Symbian products.