(Updated, with confirmation statement)
PalmInfocenter has received a couple of unconfirmed reports that Palm Inc. has had a round of layoffs this week. One report from a reliable source claims as many as 200 people were let go from the US team on Thursday. Most of the cuts are claimed to be in the sales and marketing departments. Sources also postulate that Palm will be closing some offices in Europe and Asia as well.

The news comes during a rather rough week for Palm's stock and the US stock market in general. Shares in Palm closed at a new all time low over continued uncertainly about the general economy and Palm's long planned turnaround. The last major round of layoffs came around this time last year when around 250 people were cut. Palm's last reported head count in August was around 1,050 employees.

While certainly a slim and sleek device, the Treo Pro's smaller formfactor is a major factor in its reduced battery capacity compared to its older Treo brethren. Despite the substantial improvement made in the new Treo Pro's stock battery over the meager 1150mAh offering found in the Treo 800w and Centro, many power users have still been clamoring for a higher-capacity battery alternative.

Fortunately, longtime accessory specialists Seidio have come to the rescue once again with the surprising release of a new 1650mAh extended OEM-size battery for the Treo Pro. The new Seidio 1650mAh Innocell battery is identical in size to the stock 1500mAh Treo Pro battery yet offers 10% more capacity (or, 150mAh, though Seidio strangely calls it 15% more). As with all of Seidio's OEM-sized batteries, the stock black battery door does not need to be replaced and the physical dimensions of the Treo are not increased.

Since its announcement in August rumors have been about of a CDMA variant of the Treo Pro smartphone. A good three months later and still all we have is speculation and more rumors. Today the Boy Genius Report is throwing another one out there, this time claiming the Treo Pro will debut on Sprint in early 2009. The BGR report does not name any sources or provide any supporting evidence, thought they do claim to have a release date of January 11th (a Sunday).

Nevertheless, there has been some recent evidence to support a upcoming Treo Pro release on Sprint. In late October a log entry showed up on a mobile speed test website that seemed to indicate a new version of the Pro was spotted being tested on the Sprint wireless network. Coincidentally, the Treo 800w was outed earlier this year in similar fashion, approximately two months prior to its actual release.

Palm's stock price dropped another 21% today to close at 1.76. It nearly goes without saying that the todays price represents a new all time low. On a day where the Dow closed below 8,000 and the Nasdaq under 1,400, Palm ended the trading day with a $192 million market cap.

Like most other equities in the past couple of months, the stock has seen sharp declines since the current economic crisis emerged. Just over two weeks ago the stock received a double dose of downgrades from financial analysts on account of slowing sales and uncertainty surrounding Palm's long planned turnaround.

Bapsoft has released a new version of its Bubble Pop game for Palm OS. Bubble Pop is a colorful puzzle game with a simple yet highly addictive design. Your goal is to empty the bubble tank by popping bubbles in groups of three or more. You'll have to be quick to complete each level before your time runs out. The latest version features improved graphics and sound effects as well at the ability to auto-save your game so you can return at any time and pickup where you left off.

Bubble Pop v2.0 is available now for $14.95. A free trial period is included. The game is compatible with devices with a 320x320 pixel screen running Palm OS 5 and above.

Mark/Space has released a new update for its Missing Sync for Windows Mobile product. The latest release of The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile offers full Entourage support so that users can sync directly with Entourage 2008 and 2004. Benefits include synchronization of Entourage contacts, calendar events and tasks with categories. This update also offers improved device mounting. Other features of The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile include syncing music, photos, video, files, and much more with support for iCal, Address Book, iPhoto and iTunes.

The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile v4.04 is available now from Mark/Space for $39.95. The update is free for registered owners of v4.0, owners of earlier versions can upgrade for $29.95.

Celio Corp, the company behind the Redfly mobile companion, today unveiled two new models: the Redfly C7 and C8N. The Redfly is billed as a smartphone terminal that utilizes your Windows Mobile smartphone over USB or Bluetooth to give you a larger keyboard and display.

The Redfly C7 is a more affordable model with a power-saving 7-inch display, lighter five-hour battery, and weighs in at just under 1.5 lbs. It will be sold for $229. The Redfly C8N is billed as the next generation design and features a 8-inch screen and a new media port that can link up with the iPod and digital audio/video players. It will retail for $299.

Astraware has released a new update to its My Little Tank game for Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices. My Little Tank, has been updated with new levels and is additionally now available for three new platforms (iPhone, s60 and BlackBerry). My Little Tank is a fun arcade blaster in which players can navigate through the original 60, and now 20 additional, action-packed, increasingly challenging levels as they shoot enemy tanks, defend their base, and destroy enemy radar stations and bases. The update for Palm OS and Windows Mobile also adds support for newer devices and new resolutions.

My Little Tank v1.10 is available now for Palm OS and Windows Mobile. It has also received a new, lower $9.95 price tag. The update is free for registered owners and it comes with a free trial period. You can read our review of the game here.

Dataviz has released a major new version of Documents To Go for Palm OS devices. Documents To Go version 11 brings track changes support, and other advanced formatting features to its mobile office suite. Docs To Go continues to be the only application to support viewing, editing, and creation of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 files on Palm OS devices.

v11.00 brings the ability to view tracked changes in word processing files, new apply and view styles in word documents, view borders and wrapped text in spreadsheets, 10 new starter templates for Word and Excel files and an assortment of bug fixes and optimizations.

Metaview has released a new version of their most excellent ehnanced Keyguard for Palm OS smartphones. Nexave replaces the standard Treo or Centro keyguard, with a much nicer looking animated transparent slip that displays the time and various system settings. You can unlock the device with the usual center button click or simply swipe your finger across the screen. New additions include a new built in help manual, and a number of cosmetic and under the hood changes made since the last release. The app can now also show weather conditions with a kMeteo plugin.

Nexave v1.6 is currently available as freeware. Its source is also available under the GPL. It works with all high-res Palm OS 5 devices including the Centro and Treo.

Palm's online store is currently running a $25 off promotion on all orders over $100. The store is also throwing in free shipping on purchases of $49 or more for an additional added bonus. The promotion is running from now until November 23rd and is good on any accessory, handheld or smartphone purchase.

To take advantage of this discount, just enter the coupon code: 25OFF when you get to the shopping card and your savings will be deducted from the total.

Handydev has released an update to its Address XT software for Palm OS devices. Address XT is an enhanced contacts application that can give you a "high density" contact list that shows 100% more info than usual. It also provides additional functionality and features such as Tasks, Memos, Appointments linkage, birthday lists, configurable colors and numerous sorting options. This latest version adds a new touch mode option, a returned scroll by pages feature and various bug fixes.

Address XT v1.72 is available now for Palm OS 5 and higher. It comes with a 30-day free trial period and costs $11.95 to register.