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Labels: centro, palm, palm os, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/23/2008 09:32:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
I received a Sprint Treo 800w review unit from Palm today and wanted to post some unboxing pics. Stay tuned for 1st impressions.
Labels: palm, sprint, treo, unboxing, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/16/2008 03:57:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Earlier today, Palm has launched the Treo 800w smartphone for the Sprint wireless network with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 802.11g Wi-Fi, and GPS capabilities.
"Palm is adding a unique stamp to the Windows Mobile experience with the Treo 800w," said Stephane Maes, vice president, product marketing, Palm, Inc. "It's an easy-to-use feature-packed smartphone that will keep users happy, empowered and productive."
The complete list of Treo 800w product specs can be found on the Palm Treo 800w website. A downloadable PDF datasheet for the Treo 800w is also available.
The Treo 800w can be purchased for as little as $249.99 with a qualifying service plan and after instant and mail in rebates. Without a service agreement, the Treo 800w sells for $599.
You can purchase the Treo 800w from Palm's online store or Sprint's retail outlets and online store.
Labels: palm, sprint, treo, windows mobile
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 7/14/2008 05:17:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Starting today, Sprint has begun selling the Palm Treo 800w smartphone. According to the Sprint website, the Treo 800w has the following product specifications:
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
- Autonomous and simultaneous GPS using Sprint Navigation for turn by turn directions, and points of interest searches
- Stereo Bluetooth lets you listen to your music on the go
- Embedded Wi-Fi
- 2.0 Megapixel camera/camcorder
- MicroSD card support
- 320x320 TFT display capable of displaying 65K colors
- 256MB of user memory, 128MB of program memory
- Incoming call alerts when a data session is in progress, avoid sending callers directly to voicemail
- Phone as a modem support
Palm has yet to issue a press release officially announcing the Treo 800w. Additionally, the Palm website and online store have yet to be updated. I expect Palm's official launch of the Treo 800w to come on Monday morning.
Make sure you tune into this week's 1SRC.com Podcast for more details on the Treo 800w.
For more details, or to purchase the Treo 800w now, visit the Sprint website.
[Via FoleoFanatics...]
Labels: palm, sprint, treo, windows mobile
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 7/13/2008 05:29:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
PalmInfocenter is reporting that Palm has announced that it will be closing the MyPalm online Portal.
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/10/2008 05:27:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
I just received an email from Palm that they will be launching an Electric Blue Centro for AT&T this Friday, July 11th. The Electric Blue Centro will join the Glacier White, and Obsidian Black Centro in AT&T's lineup. The email also stated that Palm will be making the Centro more affordable than ever.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/08/2008 02:00:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Engadget is reporting that Palm has hired well known software interface designer Matias Duarte. The company has confirmed that Mr. Duarte has been working for Palm since September 2007.
Mr. Duarte's title at Palm is listed as Senior Director, Human Interface and User Experience and is likely working on the new user interface for Palm's next generation Linux operating system, Palm OS II/Nova.
Bringing in Mr. Duarte is likely the work of Jon Rubeinstein who is leading an internal revolution at Palm with the intention of making the company relevant in the mobile computer market.
What I find interesting about this is that Palm has stated that Palm OS II/Nova is due to have the core OS completed by the end of this calendar year. Once the core is complete, the work on the interface would begin. It sounds like Palm has an entire team already working on the interfaces for the next generation Treo and Centro smartphones.
Is this yet another piece of evidence that suggests that Palm OS II/Nova will be ready before the middle of 2009? I think so.
Read the full Engadget article...
[Thanks to all the folks who sent in this tip.]
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 7/06/2008 11:11:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
I noticed while reading the July 1 posted SEC Form 4 filing for Palm Founder Jeff Hawkins today that he is now listed as "Former Officer." This is in stark contrast to the listing of "Founder and Member of the Exec" that was listed on the Form 4 that was posted on June 16.
What Does This Mean?
A quick trip to the Palm website still lists Mr. Hawkins as being part of the Palm management team with the title of "Founder". I attempted to contact Palm's public relations department earlier today to obtain a clarification as to Mr. Hawkins' relationship with the company. As yet, Palm has not responded to that email.
As you may recall, Palm isn't the only business that Mr. Hawkins is involved with. In 2005, Mr. Hawkins started a new company called Numenta to "apply neuroscience research to computing problems." It is entirely possible that Mr. Hawkins is simply putting more time into this other passion, the study of the human brain.
I will provide updates as more information is made available.
[Via FoleoFanatics.com]Labels: palm
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 7/03/2008 12:55:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"This software update is a tune-up that improves the phone application, stability and device usability."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/02/2008 12:27:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Engadget has gotten hold of the official Sprint Treo 800w spec sheet and training manual. Palm has added some of their "special sauce" adding a physical WiFi button (no need to dig through menus to turn on/off WiFi). The strangest thing according to the overview is that MMS is NOT supported. Are we moving backwards??? Expect to pay $249.99 on July 13th with a new 2 year contract.
Labels: palm, sprint, treo, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/30/2008 08:00:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"We continue to invest in Palm's future and remain focused on building long-term value," said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer for Palm, Inc. "Centro is a tremendous hit, we are gaining market share, and we believe with this momentum, and the launch of new Windows Mobile products, we will turn the corner and return to revenue and margin growth."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/26/2008 06:11:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The shares fell 7.6 percent after Research In Motion reported first-quarter profit of 84 cents a share, trailing the 85 cents predicted by analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Earnings this period will be as little as 84 cents, compared with the 92- cent average prediction.
Co-Chief Executive Officer James Balsillie boosted selling and marketing expenses by 84 percent in the quarter to counter the buzz of the iPhone and new handsets from smaller rival Palm Inc. Apple will release a faster iPhone next month that costs $199, cheaper than some BlackBerry models. That may hinder Research In Motion's expansion beyond its corporate stronghold."
Labels: blackberry, iphone 3G, palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/25/2008 07:05:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 23, 2008 – Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced that the popular Palm® Centro™ smartphone is now available unlocked for U.S. customers. Now offered on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon Wireless – the nation’s three largest carriers – and in an unlocked GSM version, Centro gives U.S. customers the ability to choose the mobile phone that’s right for them.(1) Palm also announced that Google™ Maps for mobile with My Location on Centro is available for Centro starting tomorrow, giving customers faster access to local maps and driving directions.(2)
The unlocked Palm Centro retains the smartphone’s compact, modern design and is dressed in a new white color with grey accents. Centro offers customers more choices to stay in touch with friends, family and co-workers by using voice, text messaging, email or the web. Also available in 25 countries worldwide, Centro is Palm’s smallest and lightest smartphone to date.
Google Maps for mobile with My Location makes it easier and faster for Centro customers to get mapping and direction information by approximating the user’s current location on the map. This saves time and keystrokes for people trying to find where they are, what’s around them, and how to get there.
In addition to My Location, Google Maps offers:
• Comprehensive information on traffic conditions in more than 30 U.S. major metropolitan areas, and partial information in many others;
• Detailed driving directions with traffic estimates to avoid congestions;
• One-touch recall of favorite locations and routes;
• Integrated search results for business locations, including directions and contact information;
• Ability to scan and drag maps using Centro’s touch screen for a PC-like experience; and
• Satellite and aerial views.
Pricing and Availability
The unlocked Centro smartphone is available online at http://www.palm.com/centro for $299.
Google Maps for mobile with My Location will be available tomorrow free of charge for Palm Centro smartphones at http://www.google.com/gmm . Please check the site for details on the download process and carrier availability.
Labels: centro, google, gsm, palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/23/2008 05:35:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
WMExperts is reporting that Sprint will launch the Treo 800w on July 13th based on a Sprint scanned inventory sheet. Expect to pay $249.99 for the Treo 800w when you sign a new 2 year contract, or $599.99 without.
Labels: palm, sprint, treo, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/23/2008 03:17:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Later this summer, it would appear that Palm is planning on releasing some ROM upgrades for their devices.
Of particular note is the Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional for the Verizon Treo 700wx. Note that this is not a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional upgrade and it will not be made available for the Verizon Treo 700w. (The Treo 700w has 32MB of RAM versus the 64MB on the Treo 700wx.) Palm is also reportedly working on two minor upgrades for the Sprint Centro and Treo 755p for Verizon that will likely be released later this year.
According to the latest rumor, the Windows Mobile 6.0 update for the Treo 700wx is no different than the already released update for the AT&T Treo 750. Also like the Windows Mobile 6.0 update for the Treo 750, there are some important things to consider before applying the upgrade:
- You can not revert back to Windows Mobile 5.0
- The update will be available for free from the Palm website
- The upgrade can only be downloaded once. You are advised to burn the installer to a CD before applying the upgrade
- Any Treo 700wx sent in for repair service will automatically be upgraded
- The upgrade can be installed either from the desktop computer or by running the upgrade directly off of a SD card
[Thanks to Ain't No Snitch for the tip.]
[Via FoleoFanatics...]
Labels: palm, palm os, rumors, windows mobile
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 6/14/2008 10:15:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Facebook® for Palm
Stay connected to your friends on Facebook right from your Centro™ & Treo smartphone. Respond to messages, upload photos and video, and receive status updates just like you’re on the Facebook website. You can browse your friends' profiles and send out new friend requests.1 Download the application directly to your smartphone by typing mobile.palm.com/facebook into your smartphones’ web browser.
Features
• Send and receive Facebook messages, and respond to friend requests.
• Capture video using your smartphone and post it to your Facebook profile.
• View and post photos right from your smartphone — or snap and send off new ones.
• Check out your friends’ photos and post a comment or two.
• Receive News feeds, change your status, and get friends’ status updates on the go.
• Browse friends' profiles, post messages to their wall, and send friend requests or search for old friends through Facebook.
• Open your Contacts and dial your friends with just one touch. It’s that simple.
Labels: centro, palm, palm os, treo
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/12/2008 06:28:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Palm has announced that the Palm Centro is now available for Verizon Wireless customers. You can purchase the "Cobalt Blue" Centro for $99.99 when signing a new 2 year contract.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/12/2008 06:22:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
WMExperts has a picture of the Sprint Treo 800w in the wild and offers up some new details.
Sprint will begin offering the Treo 800w July 13th.
Sprint will offer the Treo 800w for $249.99
Dedicated WiFi button, and the infamous "Ringer switch" on the top.
Head on over to WMExperts for more details.
Labels: palm, sprint, treo, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/06/2008 09:00:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Being the Palm fan boy I am, it makes me happy to see Palm increasing their market share. I've watched Palm go from being the market share leader in terms of PDA's and smartphones. As everyone knows the last few years have been a struggle for Palm. So it's great to hear they are finally gaining market share, and not losing it.
" June 2 (Bloomberg) -- Palm Inc. had the biggest jump in six weeks in Nasdaq trading after a researcher said its Centro e-mail phone won sales in the U.S. from Apple Inc.'s iPhone.
Palm had 13.4 percent of the market for advanced phones in the first quarter, up from 7.9 percent in the previous period, according to Framingham, Massachusetts-based research firm IDC. Apple's share fell to 19.2 percent from 26.7 percent. Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry dominated the market with 44.5 percent, up from 35.1 percent.
The Centro, which sells for $99 with a carrier contract, debuted last year in a bid to lure more cost-minded consumers to Palm. The price is a quarter the cost of the iPhone. Anticipation that Apple will release a new iPhone with faster Web browsing also hurt sales of that device, said IDC analyst Ryan Reith. Analysts expect a new iPhone to go on sale this month, he said.
"The Centro's been a success because it's very attractive to someone who doesn't want to pay $300 to $400,'' Reith said in an interview. "This summer, competition in this market will be as intense as it's ever been." Via Bloomberg.com .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/02/2008 10:34:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
RIM jumped from 35.1 to 44.5 percent between the fourth and first quarters largely through further expansions of its BlackBerry range into the high-end home user market, which is still relatively new to the originally business-oriented company. Palm in turn raised its share from 7.9 percent to 13.4 percent based largely on sales of the Centro, which is considered one of the least expensive new smartphones on sale in the US and is targeted at first-time as well as price-conscious users trading up from comparatively limited devices." Via Electronista .
Labels: blackberry, centro, iphone, palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/02/2008 12:02:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Palm's CEO, Ed Colligan has done an interview with APC and we're finally starting to hear what Palm has in store with their next generation operating system.
"So let’s talk about the future – and specifically the forthcoming all-new Palm OS, which is codenamed Nova and said to be built around Linux. Colligan calls it “Palm OS” and later “Palm 2.0”, both times his fingers drawing quotation marks in the air as he speaks. Palm 2.0, as in Web 2.0, although he makes it clear that “I’m not coming up with the branding right now – whether it’s Palm OS 2.0 or Next Generation, we’re not coming up with the branding right now. But this is something different to this” he says, pointing to the Centro.
Colligan speaks of this as being a “next-generation operating system with much more capabilities, driven around the Internet and Web-based applications”. It reminds us of a very modern take on the original OS, as well as a revisiting of the strategy which saw Palm create everything from the OS to the handhelds. It worked fine for Palm in the early days, and it’s working pretty well for Apple too.
“We’re focused on executing our own system, mostly because we really believe that to create the most compelling solution it should be an integrated package much like we started with the Palm OS and doing the original Palm Pilots: we did the operating system, we did the hardware and we did the whole synching architecture and the desktop tie-in, which is equivalent to the Web these days. One of the things we wanted to do is to make sure that we had an end-to-end solution we really controlled and could deliver the end-user experience we want to deliver. We think it’s going to be stunning and breakthrough in its execution, and we’re working on some very exciting new devices to go with it”.
And for at least the short term, that OS will continue to be offered in low-end devices typified by the Centro. “Centro is our consumer line of products, the start of a product line to hit that demographic and price point” Colligan says. “Centro will be strictly Palm OS”.
At the same time, Palm will continue to promote the Treo line of Windows Mobile smartphones to business customers. “Microsoft is the de facto standard in corporate email, and I think they should be the de facto standard in mobile email. If you have an Exchange server today you can already get mobile push email without installing a single other piece of third-party equipment, so it’s pretty easy to deploy. I don’t believe we could ever create a position in the business community that competes with Microsoft, it just wouldn’t make any sense.”
That ‘next generation’ Palm OS will slot in between the Centro and Treo lines under a new ‘prosumer’ brand that’s yet to be decided, Colligan explains. “We’re going to continue to look at those three line areas – consumer, prosumer and enterprise. Treo is today more of our mainstream prosumer product which is extended into the enterprise, but over time you’ll see some branding work done on the top two to make sure they’re really well delineated.”
Labels: centro, palm, palm os, treo, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 5/28/2008 12:08:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
WMExperts is reporting a possible release date of July 22nd for the Sprint Treo 800w. The Treo 800w is shaping up to be a very powerful device in terms of features. This will be Palm's first Windows Mobile Treo to feature a 320 x 320 resolution screen, WiFi, EvDO Rev. A, GPS, and 256MB of memory.
Labels: palm, sprint, treo, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 5/06/2008 11:07:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Engadget has posted images of the unannounced Verizon Centro. According to Engadget, Verizon will be releasing a blue Centro very soon.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/21/2008 09:12:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Finally some great news from Palm!! Palm has announced that they've reached a major milestone with the Centro smartphone. Palm has sold its one-millionth Centro. Congrats to Palm on the success of the Centro, today is a proud day for all Palm "fanboys" (including myself) out there.
Centro Now Attracting New Smartphone Customers in 10 Countries Worldwide
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced that it has sold its one-millionth Palm® Centro™ smartphone, demonstrating the $99 product’s mass appeal to customers ready to get all the power of a smartphone at the price of a traditional mobile phone.(1) Palm is now shipping Centro in 10 countries worldwide, including Hong Kong, Singapore, India, the UK, Germany, Spain, Ireland, France and Italy, and its already-rapid momentum is set to grow as Palm debuts the product in additional countries around the globe.
“The Palm Centro is flying off the shelves because users who want to step up to a smartphone see it as the perfect first choice,” said Brodie Keast, senior vice president of marketing for Palm, Inc. “It has everything a person needs to stay organized and connected with everyone who is important to them. We’re very excited about the Centro’s near-instant popularity in the U.S. and think it’s going to be a huge hit as it continues to make its way across the globe.”
First introduced in the United States last September exclusively with Sprint, and more recently introduced on AT&T in February, the fully featured Centro smartphone is available from both carriers for $99.99.(1) Centro has reached more young adults and women, as well as a broader range of household income, than any prior Palm smartphone. It offers customers an affordable, simple and fun option for staying connected and doing more with their mobile phones.(2)
“Smartphones are certainly not new to business professionals; however, now more than ever we are seeing consumers migrate toward these types of devices as form factors have become more appealing and price points are now competing with traditional mobile phones,” said Ryan Reith, senior research analyst with IDC. “Palm’s Centro plays right into the hands of the consumer looking for a more robust experience on their mobile phone. We definitely expect to see this trend continue worldwide.”
Increasingly, consumers are making the shift from traditional mobile phones to smartphones, motivated by the desire to do more with their phones and the arrival of lower-cost devices. Smartphones accounted for 11 percent of all mobile phone sales in 2007 in the United States, and this is expected to increase to 35 percent by 2011.(3) A recent Palm survey of Centro customers highlighted this trend, indicating that 70 percent are first-time smartphone users. When compared to other Palm smartphones, Centro also is reaching almost double the number of women, more than double the number of customers under age 35, and nearly three times as many customers with a household income of less than $75,000.
Centro’s full QWERTY keyboard and color touch screen make it easy to quickly type text messages, respond to emails, start instant message conversations, browse the web and more. It offers all of the great organizer functionality for which Palm is renowned, such as a detailed and integrated contacts list and a simple and handy calendar for juggling business meetings and get-togethers with friends.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/31/2008 09:36:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"Palm is adding new hands-free capabilities to its smartphones as a result of an agreement with Nuance Communications.
Palm will use VSuite applications from Nuance for to hands-free, one-step access to mobile applications and content. VSuite's speech-based user interface will be included on the Palm Centro from AT&T (NYSE: T), and on the Treo 755p from Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless. VSuite is also supported on all Palm OS-based Treo smartphones, Nuance said Wednesday.
VSuite works with simple one-step commands that Nuance said requires no training. Sample voice commands include name dialing from any name on a phone's contact list; digit-dialing a phone number ("Call 7815550000"); or message addressing for text, picture, and video messages ("Send text to John Smith mobile"). Voice prompts can also be used to look up contacts as well as open any application or menu on the phone, Nuance said.
n addition, Nuance also offers Voice Control, a subscription-based service for Palm users to connect to the mobile Web with voice commands. The service also allows users to dictate and send e-mail or text messages, create calendar entries, or do Web searches." Via Information Week .
It's great to hear that Palm will be adding this feature, I use Nuance Vsuite on my Sprint Treo 755p and swear by it.
Labels: centro, palm, software, treo
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/26/2008 08:13:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Palm has created a great resource for owners of their smartphones. The Palm Self-Paced Learning Guides is a great place for any new Palm smartphone owner to learn how to do things with their smartphone. You'll get to know your smartphone, send email, tips & tricks, and a lot more.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/23/2008 02:53:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Palm is running a new promotion , if you buy a Palm TX you'll also receive get a Z22 handheld free. Palm is running this promotion until the end of February. Via PalmInfocenter .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/22/2008 08:10:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Palm has launched the Centro smartphone for AT&T. The AT&T Centro is pretty much the came version of Sprint's Centro minus 3G, you'll have to put up with EDGE.
Overview
The Palm Centro is a compact QWERTY smartphone offering a full range of features. Transfer data or go hands-free with USB, Bluetooth® and infrared connectivity. Keep up with work and friends via email, Instant Messenger and Push-To-Talk. Enjoy the sounds of AT&T Music and XM Radio. Snap pictures and record video with the 1.3 MP camera, and store it all comfortably with up to 4 GB microSD¿ expansion memory. Included Features
* 1.3 MP Camera with video capture
* Picture and video messaging
* EDGE class 10 for rapid data transfers
* Bluetooth v1.2 and Infrared connectivity
* Supports MicroSD(TM) expansion memory - up to 4 GB
* Full QWERTY keyboard and 2.2" touchscreen display
* AIM®, Yahoo!®, and Windows Live® Messengers
* Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync email support
* Support for Good Mobile Messaging
* XM Radio, AT&T Music and MusicID
* Support for Xpress Mail
* Push-To-Talk
AT&T's Centro is available now in Glacier White, and in a month you can pick up an Obsidian Black version. AT&T is offering the Centro for $99 after signing a 2 year contract.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/19/2008 08:00:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Just because Palm and AT&T haven't "officially" announced the AT&T Palm Centro doesn't mean it's not available in stores. A TreoCentral Forum member purchased his at a Denver AT&T store Friday morning. Expect an "official" announcement from Palm and AT&T shortly;)
Labels: att, centro, gsm, palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/16/2008 12:11:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Palm is using RIM's BlackBerry nationwide outage to their advantage by placing these full page ads in newspapers, as well as Palm's home screen .
Labels: blackberry, palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/14/2008 03:12:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Engadget is reporting that AT&T and Palm will be making the GSM version of the Centro available next Tuesday February 19th. The Centro should be available for $99 after signing a 2 year contract.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/14/2008 03:07:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Palm has announced an unlocked GSM Centro for Europe. It will be available on February 14th from Palm's Europe Store .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/07/2008 03:00:00 PM 0 comments
links to this post
The action shutters all but one of its nearly 36 stores, the San Jose Mercury News reported Friday.
The majority of the closures will be at Airport Wireless spots; just 8 of the stores to be shut down are Palm retail locations.
Earlier this week, Palm also announced it will pay between $50 and $75 to Treo 600 and 650 owners who had the handsets repaired at least twice since September 30, 2005. The rebates are part of a class-action settlement." Via AHN .
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/25/2008 12:54:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
A TreoCentral member is reporting that Palm will be closing all the Palm Retail Stores except airport based stores. Stay tuned for an official statement on this matter.
UPDATE- A Palm spokesperson has confirmed that Palm will be closing its retail stores.
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/24/2008 10:07:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
According to the Palm company blog, a new VersaMail client update has been made available for Centro customers.
The latest update, VersaMail 4.0.7, adds enhancements to VersaMail's support for IMAP compatibility with Google's Gmail service. Palm has also rolled in an update for customers who use automatic data synchronization with Microsoft's Direct Push technology when using the Exchange ActiveSync feature in VersaMail.
VersaMail can be downloaded directly to a Centro over the air (OTA) by tapping the following URL:
http://www.palm.com/versamail407
This update is intended only for the Palm Centro, and will not work on other Palm OS devices, including, the Treo 755p, 700p, or 680.
You can read the upgrade directions on the Palm website.
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 1/17/2008 05:02:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
For the past month I have been road testing the new Treo 755p from Verizon Wireless for Gadgets On the Go. The following is my review of the newest Palm Treo smartphone to debut on the Verizon Wireless network.
Body Style
The single biggest improvement that the Treo 755p has to offer over the model it replaces, the Treo 700p, is its redesigned body. The 755p now has an internalized antenna bringing it in line with many of the other competing devices on the market today. For many customers, this will be a welcomed and long awaited change.
Palm has also worked to improve the way the Treo feels when you are holding it in your hand. To achieve these improvements, Palm used soft touch paint and changed the contours along the sides. Rather than a convex edge, the sides of the Treo 755p are concave. As a result, the Treo 755p is much easier to hold as you are rushing about your busy day. The Treo 755p is also slimmer and lighter than the 700p, though it is hard to notice the change even with the two devices sitting side-by-side.
Owners of previous Palm OS devices from the recent past will be happy to learn that the Treo 755p uses the same multi-connector data port as was used on the Treo 650, Treo 700p, and the Palm TX. Customers upgrading from those devices will be able to reuse many of their existing accessories. For example, I was able to use my Treo 650/700p HotSync Cradle kit, spare HotSync cables and chargers, hard and soft carry cases, and vehicle mount with the Treo 755p. Regrettably, some accessories won’t work on the Treo 755p. The Treo 755p includes a miniSD card slot. If you have used full high Secure Digital (SD) or Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) cards with earlier devices from Palm, they won’t work with the 755p. A change in card formats was necessary to accommodate the internalized antenna. The good news is that the miniSD card slot on the 755p does support the newer miniSDHC card formats.
Software Enhancements
The Treo 755p is noticeably more stable than the Treo 700p. During the entire month I was using the 755p, the device did not reset once on me. Google Maps is now bundled on the device and has been integrated with the Contacts application. To use the feature, look up an address in a Contacts records, and tap the Map button. You can now quickly obtain directions to locations that are in your contacts database. (If you plan on using this feature, or others that require a connection to the Internet, you will want to purchase a Verizon Wireless data plan in addition to the voice plan.)
For the most part, the software on the Treo 755p felt snappy and responsive. I was able to quickly jump between the preinstalled and third-party applications that I installed on the device. While over-all performance has been improved over the Treo 700p, the Blazer web browser still had a little bit of a lag starting up and closing down.
There are two changes in the factory default software package that I would liked to have seen Palm make. The first is the inclusion of VersaMail 4.0, rather than VeraMail 3.5.5 with the device. VersaMail is Palm’s email client. (Requires manual installation using the MyPalm application on the Treo.) VersaMail 3.5.5 is functional, however, it would have been nice if Palm had added VersaMail 4.0 to the 755p for it’s background synchronization feature. The Palm representative that I spoke with suggested that Palm was not planning on releasing an upgrade to VersaMail 4.0 for devices that did not ship with it. Disappointing. The second change that I would have made would have been to make the Voice Dial software the full version rather than a 14-day trial. Treo smartphones that are based on the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system, like the Treo 750, come bundled with a voice dialing application and Palm OS Treo smartphone customers deserve no less. (If you wish to keep using the Voice Dial software after the initial 14-day trial, the cost is an additional $16 dollars.)
During my trial period, there where four applications that I either upgraded or installed to enhance my personal productivity. These items are subjective and will vary from user to user. I started off by installing Treoware’s LEDOff utility to over ride the constant blinking of the Verizon Treo’s LED since I prefer the LED to only blink when I need to be alerted to an event. I also installed Tyler Faux’s LudusP utility; which I used to remap the Menu button to the green send button. For me, it is a more natural movement to press the green send button to open a menu when my thumb is on the 5-way navigator than reaching down to the Menu button located in the lower right of the keyboard. Since I use my Treo for writing and note taking, I upgraded the bundled version of DataViz Documents To Go from version 9 Professional to version 10 Premium for Microsoft Office 2007 compatibility. And lastly, since I like to listen to music while I write, I upgraded Normsoft Pocket Tunes from version 3 to version 4.
In Conclusion
The Treo 755p is a solid device for both business and consumer oriented users alike. Unlike the Sprint edition, the Verizon Treo 755p is only available in an Azure Green. (It looks better in person than it does on the web.) Palm has made some positive changes in the areas of hardware and software. The refined body of the Treo 755p makes it easy to work with through out the day. The software improvements have added a welcome level of functionality and stability to the product.
To use the Treo 755p, you will need at least one free USB port on your computer and be running either Windows 2000 Professional SP4, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, or Mac OS X 10.2 or later. At this time, there is no support for 64-bit versions of Windows XP or Windows Vista, which is something I would like to see Palm address before the end of the year.
For more information, including details about how to by the Treo 755p, visit the Palm website.
Labels: palm, review, treo, verizon
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 1/14/2008 12:57:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
The pink Palm Centro when public today on the Palm website. As expected, the pink Centro from Sprint has the same product specifications as the previously released black and red Centro smartphones released last year.
I'm glad to see Palm releasing a pink smartphone. Over the last year, I have seen more women toting around smartphones and this phone should help keep sales of the Palm Centro at a brisk pace.
You can order the new pink Palm Centro directly from the Palm online store, the Sprint online store, or from a local Palm or Sprint store.
[Via FoleoFanatics.com]
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 1/13/2008 01:56:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
One of the Palm OS software packages that I use every day is Passwords Plus from DataViz. Earlier this month, DataViz released a Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard update for Passwords Plus 1.006 customers.
The latest update to Passwords Plus is compatible with both Palm Desktop 4.2.1 and Mark/Space The Missing Sync (you'll need version 6.0.2).
The Passwords Plus patch download link and full installation directions can be found on the DataViz website.
I'm happy to see that DataViz is still actively supporting their software on both the Palm OS and Macintosh platforms. It shows that DataViz is still committed to their customers who are part of the Palm and Apple user communities. By making this upgrade available, DataViz has helped make my transition back to the Macintosh (from Windows XP) a little bit easier.
Labels: apple. mac, dataviz, os x, palm
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 1/13/2008 11:42:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Did Microsoft's Bill Gates "out" Palm's rumored Treo "Drucker"?
Over the weekend, Gadgets On the Go covered a leaked product roadmap from Vodafone that showed two slides of upcoming Windows Mobile-based Palm Treo smartphones. The high-end device, code named "Drucker" did not have an image. Did Bill Gates, accidentally give us a sneak-peek at the new device rumored to be due out by mid-year?
"Drucker", if the leaked information is to be believed, will include a built-in Wi-Fi radio (a first for Palm), Windows Mobile 6.1, a 320x320 display, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 2.0MP camera.
Photo Credit: Engadget.com
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Staff Writer @ 1/07/2008 03:17:00 PM 0 comments links to this post