When Nokia first released the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, many Linux geeks could not resist a hackable handheld computer, even if they had no use for it.  With the subsequent releases of the N800 and N810 versions, the devices gained even wider appeal.  One of the problems I have always had with it, however, is that it has no default PIM (personal information management) software, and the free options available for it were always rather slim.

Nokia advertises it as an “Internet Tablet” rather than a PDA, so perhaps they expect you to rely on cloud services, such as Google Calendar.  Very well, we will, but we will do it with style.  mCalendar is a small application for the Maemo operating system that allows you to have an appointment calendar on your tablet and also sync it with your Google Calendar.  It is finger-friendly and easy to use.  It is available for Maemo/Tablet OS2007 and OS2008 and should work on Nokia 770, N800, N810, and N810 WiMax models.

Ever seen those black and white checkered boxes on Android web sites? They’re QR or “Quick Response” codes, and they can be read from your phone using the Barcode Scanner application from the Android Market. You can scan the codes that are published on web sites and use the results for all kinds of things. QR codes can be encoded with any short piece of text. This application will allow you to browse to a URL, save a contact, or copy the text to use in another application.

Installing applications and tools on to a Windows Mobile device can be a little bit daunting at first, particularly for newcomers to the platform.

Prior to the actual act of installing the application, there are several things you need to check. These are:

• operating system version
• framework
• spare memory
• hardware functionality

Each of these elements of a Windows Mobile device can make or break an installation. A suitable comparison with a desktop device would be trying to install a game that requires a light gun but you don’t have one attached. On a PC, the game will simply be useless – you might be able to run the game, but won’t be able to interact with it. On a Windows Mobile device, the handset will be looking for the peripheral or hardware and if it can’t find it the application won’t run.

Viigo for Windows Mobile brings enhanced RSS feed management to your Windows Mobile device, resulting in regular updates from your favourite RSS feeds whether they be news, blogs or stocks and shares.

Available as a free download from www.viigo.com, this superb RSS feed reader can be downloaded and installed in a matter of minutes via a multitude of different options.

Cupcake is the internal Google nickname for the latest version of the Android operating system  (There will be a Doughnut version next). Google engineers stumbled on a great marketing tool similar to Ubuntu’s Hardy Heron, Intrepid Ibex, Jaunty Jackalope scheme. Who doesn’t like dessert?

Unfortunately, Cupcake is quickly becoming known as the update that didn’t show up after the recent announcement and then retraction by T-Mobile. It was officially announced that the random Over the Air (OTA) updates would begin late last week at the rate of about 15% of users each day, but it never came. Reports surfaced that it would be delayed until Monday and then “Early June.”

If you are wondering what version of Android is your phone running and whether it have been updated to the latest version, here is a quick and easy way to check the version on your Android phone: