Handspring Releases Palm Desktop 2.6
Handspring, Inc. has released Palm Desktop 2.6 for the Macintosh, which is compatible with the Visor handheld device, and also fixes a USB synchronization problem introduced in Mac OS 9.0.4. Previously, Visor owners were limited to using Palm Desktop 2.1, instead of version 2.5 which Palm, Inc. released in October 1999 (see "Palm Desktop 2.5 Expands HotSync & USB Support" in TidBITS 501). Palm Desktop 2.6 introduces features available in the 2.5 release, including integration of HotSync functions within the Palm Desktop application, enhanced USB support, and easy switching between users. The update also fixes a USB problem under Mac OS 9.0.4 that prevented complete HotSync operations. Although Handspring has the new application available, its documentation and appearance suggests this is a Palm, Inc. update as well (Handspring licenses the Palm OS and Palm Desktop from Palm). In our testing, the update functioned correctly with a Palm V as well as a Visor. However, as of this writing Palm has not made the update available on their Web site, and you need to enter the serial number from your Visor in order to download the file from Handspring. Palm Desktop 2.6 is a free 12 MB download.