Several readers have noted IBM's announcement that they will be releasing a PowerPC-Linux based reference platform.
IBM says it will make its blueprint easily accessible to a wider range of developers by charging a low price for it--allowing the company to pit its PowerPC-Linux combination as an alternative to operating systems like the Palm OS and Motorola's processors or Microsoft's Pocket PC software and Intel's Xscale processors.
Of interest, the reference platform will not seem to have very strict requirements (no logo is required, no specific screen size). According to the article, IBM hopes to encourage small businesses and even individuals to be able to purchase the design for use.
The significance of this announcement in the relatively small PDA world could be remarkable, and will certainly spawn discussion and speculation about future Apple involvement. No hints at official Apple involvement have surfaced... though even without Apple's involvement, the emergance of a relatively "open" platform may be very interesting.
Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device.
This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time.
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Thursday September 3, 2026 3:41 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Less than a week before Apple debuts new iPhone 18 Pro models, research firm TrendForce has estimated the prices of the devices based on the latest hardware cost environment.
TrendForce's price estimates compared to last year's models look like this:
Model
Starting Price
Model
Starting Price
Change
iPhone 17 Pro
$1,099
iPhone 18 Pro
$...
Thursday September 3, 2026 7:33 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Ahead of Apple's event on Wednesday, September 9, where it is expected to unveil its first-ever foldable iPhone, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today outlined the device's estimated price range, features, and some other key details.
In the U.S., TrendForce estimated that the foldable iPhone will have a starting price of $2,099 to $2,299 and said the highest-end configurations could...
