Sitting on my desk is a very cool smart phone. It’s sleek and sexy, with intuitive software you control using your fingers on a brilliant touchscreen. It is easily one of the most compelling tech products of the year.

But no, it’s not an iPhone. This is the Palm Pre, currently only being sold through Sprint ($199 with rebate and two-year contract), and it’s the first real challenger to Apple’s product in terms of innovation and user-friendliness.

On Monday, I asked readers to tell me about their experience with the Palm Pre, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Not surprisingly, the Palm WebOS received most of the accolades for its multitasking abilities and integration of contacts and calendars from various accounts. Others mentioned good call quality, fast performance, and sleek user interface, and the list goes on.

NEW YORK (AP) — Move over, iPhone. You've had two years on top of the smartphone world. Now there's a touch-screen phone with better software: the Palm Pre.

In a remarkable achievement, Palm, a company that was something of a has-been, has come up with a phone operating system that is more powerful, elegant and user-friendly. The Pre, which goes on sale Saturday for $200 (after a mail-in rebate) at Sprint stores, makes it easier to do more things on the go.

NEW YORK (AP) — Palm said Thursday that its much-awaited new smartphone, the Pre, can connect to Apple's iTunes software and download music and photos just as if it were an iPod or iPhone.

The feature might be unique for a device not made by Apple, though third-party software is available that lets some digital music players masquerade as iPods in iTunes.

On April 10, the psoriasis drug Raptiva was pulled from the market after it was linked to a rare and potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Within hours of the drug withdrawal, healthcare software firm Epocrates alerted the 225,000 doctors who were active users of its mobile and online alert service. The news was disseminated at a pace that would not have been possible without wireless technology and highlights the emerging role wireless alerts are playing in the healthcare industry.If the use of mobile alert technology becomes widespread, news of disease outbreaks and unanticipated drug safety issues can fly around the world in a flash.