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Following are the main features of Palm's key asset, its Linux-based webOS operating system, into which Kaufman Bros estimates Palm has invested $600 million.
INFORMATION INTEGRATION
The underlying principle of webOS is the concept of "information everywhere", using its Palm Synergy feature to gather data from multiple locations, from PCs to Internet-based e-mail accounts, social networking sites and corporate servers.
The address book is linked so contacts that contain information from multiple sources (such as Google and Facebook) are presented in a single listing. This capability also extends to calendar and messaging functions.
The messaging function enables users to track conversations in a single view and reply using SMS, MMS, e-mail or instant messaging, regardless of the format of the original message.
TECHNOLOGY -- MULTITOUCH, MULTITASKING
With support for multi-touch and multiple input mechanisms it is one of the closest rivals to Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone in terms of hardware flexibility and user interface.
Differing from the iPhone, webOS has highly capable multi-tasking environment -- like Nokia's (NOK1V.HE) N900 model -- enabling the user to multitask with several open programmes.
WebOS is fast and responsive. Palm's Pixi model uses relatively modest hardware but it is fast and highly responsive.
Innovative user interface incorporates gestures to execute basic tasks -- like throwing an application off the screen to close, and a backwards swipe along the gestures panel to move back through an application."
Via Reuters .
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/16/2010 11:52:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/16/2010 09:50:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Alternatives include the pursuit of additional capital investment or an attempt to reach a licensing agreement for its WebOS phone operating system software, the source said.
News that Palm had hired Goldman and Qatalyst was first reported by Bloomberg, and followed several days last week when the company's stock swung wildly on takeover rumors. For the week, Palm shares were up 32 percent." Via Reuters .
This wouldn't be the first time for Palm licensed its own operating system to other manufacturers. Back in the day Palm licensed Palm OS to a handful of big companies while still selling PDA's running Palm OS. Palm did very well with licensing, and there were some big names in the list. Sony, Acer, Garmin, Fossil (watches running Palm OS), Handera, Handspring (original creators of Palm OS and Treo smartphones), IBM, Kyocera, Lenovo, and Motorola to name a few. Here's hoping Palm bounces back.
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/12/2010 06:00:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
2 7,694,313 Terminating device and a method of operating a terminating device configured to communicate availability status directly between terminating devices
3 7,693,546 Compact removable voice handset for an integrated portable computer system/mobile phone
4 7,693,500 Panoramic display for a wireless device
5 7,693,484 Dynamic networking modes method and apparatus
6 7,692,667 Handheld computer having moveable segments that are interactive with an integrated display
7 D612,846 Housing for a mobile computing device
8 7,688,581 Enclosure system for a portable electronic device
9 7,688,315 Proximity input detection system for an electronic device
10 7,685,608 Data processing apparatus and a method of operating data processing apparatus for generating representations of availability status for application programs
11 7,681,146 Multi-context iterative directory filter
12 7,680,513 Contact-centric user-interface features for computing devices
13 7,680,067 Peer-to-peer data synchronization architecture
14 7,676,556 Method and apparatus for configuring information for multiple network access providers
15 7,675,933 System and method for enabling radio operations on a wireless computing device
16 7,672,993 Method and apparatus for wirelessly networked distributed resource usage for data gathering
17 7,672,225 Swapping an operational networked electronic system for a nonoperational networked electronic system
18 7,671,839 Mechanism for electronic display devices
19 7,668,535 Notification infrastructure for sending device-specific wireless notifications
20 7,665,043 Menu navigation and operation feature for a handheld computer
21 7,659,830 Method and apparatus for visual silent alarm indicator
22 7,650,147 Integrated personal digital assistant device
23 D607,459 Housing feature for a portable computing device
24 7,636,079 Application access and activation system and method
25 D605,648 Handheld device
26 7,630,780 Frequency expansion for synthesizer
27 7,626,582 Method and apparatus for automatic power-up and power-down of an electronic device
28 7,623,892 System and method for enabling a person to switch use of computing devices
29 7,623,118 Actuation mechanism for use with keyboards on mobile computing devices
30 7,620,834 Battery voltage sag avoidance algorithm for a wireless handheld device
31 7,620,431 Methods and apparatus for controlling applications of a mobile device by using a pivoting input switch
32 7,620,407 Handheld threading
33 7,617,220 Sharing access to content items using group information and item information
34 7,616,197 Method and apparatus for user selectable display mode for intelligently enhancing battery life
35 7,613,428 Resource location through location history
36 7,613,427 Resource location through location history
37 7,612,989 Segmented keyboard for portable computer system
38 7,612,762 Method and system for navigating within an image
39 7,612,761 Mechanism for displaying paginated content on electronic display devices
40 7,610,445 System and method for improving data integrity and memory performance using non-volatile media
41 7,610,176 Technique for collecting information about computing devices
42 D602,004 Paired set of a personal audio output device with surface ornamentation
43 7,603,435 Over-the-air device kill pill and lock
44 7,602,742 Control of multi-channel scan for re-establishing connections in a wirelessly networked device
45 7,599,712 Apparatus and methods for providing directional commands for a mobile computing device
46 7,594,059 Multi-interfaced accessory device for use with host computing systems
47 D600,245 Computing device
48 7,591,020 Location based security modification system and method
49 7,590,436 Slider mobile telephone comprising a bending wave loudspeaker
50 7,587,671 Image repositioning, storage and retrieval
These patents should sweeten up any acquisition deal. Via Yahoo Finance .
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/12/2010 02:10:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
April 11 (Bloomberg) -- Palm Inc., creator of the Pre smartphone, put itself up for sale and is seeking bids for the company as early as this week, according to three people familiar with the situation.
The company is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Frank Quattrone’s Qatalyst Partners to find a buyer, said the people, who declined to be identified because the sale isn’t public. Taiwan’s HTC Corp. and China’s Lenovo Group Ltd. have looked at the company and may be potential bidders, said the people. Dell Inc. also looked at Palm, though it decided against an offer, according to two of the people.
Palm shares surged 32 percent last week on renewed speculation that the Sunnyvale, California-based company would get a takeover bid. Before the rally, the stock had plunged more than 60 percent this year, dragged down by disappointing sales of the Pre and Pixi phones. Chief Executive Officer Jon Rubinstein, who developed Palm’s latest operating system, was counting on the devices to attract customers and restore its status as an industry pioneer.
Via Bloomberg .
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/12/2010 12:11:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
You know that old saying about the month of March? It comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Well, in the case of LAPTOP Magazine’s March Smart Phone Madness, the Palm Pre Plus went in like a lion and came out like a champion. (And technically, March Smart Phone Madness didn’t end until April 5, but that’s another story.)
Palm Pre Plus went up against worthy rivals in its first three rounds to face the Motorola Droid in the finals -- where it prevailed this morning with a 30% margin.
Thanks to LAPTOP for hosting the event. And thanks to our amazing community of customers, fans, and developers for helping to make Palm webOS a great platform. As one comment over at LAPTOP said about the competition:
“Not only were webOS fans organized and enthusiastic, but they were articulate in WHY the Pre makes everyday life better for practical tasks. Not searching for stars in the sky…but practical stuff like integrating address books and multitasking email/txt/web/facebook in one fluid motion….I learned more about my phone from others, and I learned things that confirmed my decision to get the Pre+.” Via
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre plus
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/07/2010 10:15:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
I thought I might regret not waiting for the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G because I know that I always like to have a data connection without depending on Wi-Fi. I paired up my Palm Pre and my iPad and I'm happy to report that my Pre has turned into the best accessory I could have for my iPad. The speeds are pretty impressive, and I didn't have to wait until the end of April, pay AT&T, and spend the extra money of getting a 3G radio in my iPad. It's nice to see Palm and Apple working so well together ;)
Labels: apple, att, iPad, palm, palm webos, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/03/2010 03:32:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
* Version: webOS 1.4.1.1
* Release date: 31 March 2010
Feature changes to existing applications
Bluetooth Camera Contacts Doc View Messaging PDF View Sprint Football Live System Touchstone charging dock Videos Web
* This release fixes an issue so that the phone now correctly connects with supported BMW car kits.
* This release corrects a lag in the shutter sound when you take a picture.
* This release fixes an issue so that newly taken photos and videos do not overwrite existing ones.
* If you crop a picture before adding it to a contact, the picture appears cropped correctly in the contact entry.
* If you previously assigned either the Z or the B key as a speed dial, you can now continue to create speed dials.
* If you open a file and perform the back gesture, the app now returns to the file list screen.
* Pinching in/out to zoom out/in now works correctly.
* If you try to attach a video to an outgoing multimedia message, the list of available videos now displays only videos you recorded.
* If you open a file and perform the back gesture, the app now returns to the file list screen.
* Pinching in/out to zoom out/in now works correctly.
* The app previously named NFL is now named Sprint Football Live.
* This release fixes an intermittent issue so that the volume slider no longer appears onscreen incorrectly.
* When the phone is on a Touchstone charging dock, the screen now consistently turns off correctly (displaying the lock icon and the time) after the shut-off interval.
* If you record a video, upload the video to YouTube, and send a link to the video via email, the email recipient can click the link and view the video. Previously, clicking the link displayed an error message.
* This release fixes an issue so that when you upload a video to YouTube, the file always includes both video and audio.
* The forward gesture now works correctly in the browser.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/31/2010 09:30:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pixi plus, pre, pre plus
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/31/2010 02:40:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Here's another example of the kind of commercial Palm needs to make. Hopefully they'll get the message before it's too late.Via Engadget
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/26/2010 09:29:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/24/2010 03:22:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: att, palm, palm webos, pixi plus, pre plus
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/22/2010 11:45:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"In a way, it really isn't fair to Palm," our source says. "People would come in and look at the Palm Pre Plus, but our Verizon salespeople would show them the Droid. The Palm Pre really is a nice device." Via The Examiner.com
I really hope this is only a rumor for Palm's sake.
Labels: palm, pixi plus, pre plus, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/22/2010 10:47:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Jon and his team have built the best mobile operating system available today and they are now working through short-term execution challenges with Elevation's complete support."
Via PreCentralLabels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/22/2010 08:44:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/20/2010 04:40:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
“Beyond generally lacklustre handset sales in the current quarter, which are already reflected in our previous estimates, we have recently learned that AT&T has delayed the planned launch of the Pre and Pixi on its network from April to June/July,” Misek writes.
“Moreover, we believe that this is more than just an ordinary delay,” the analyst adds, “as AT&T has cited a long list of technical issues with the Pre and Pixi. Furthermore, the carrier has decreased its initial order size and has decided to sharply reduce its marketing budget for the launch.”
So: A delayed launch on another major carrier, a smaller first order and a soft marketing budget. On top of these issues, Misek cites a mysterious “list of technical issues.” I’m not quite sure what he is hinting at; my sources tell me there are no problems with the devices on AT&T’s network–but perhaps Misek knows something they don’t.
Leaving the mystery list aside, this is bad news all around for Palm, which clearly needs the additional distribution it will get through AT&T sooner rather than later. Misek is slashing his February quarter unit shipment forecast to 670,000 from 720,000 and his 2011 forecast to 3.58 million units from four million." Via AllThingsDigital .
Labels: att, palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/18/2010 12:00:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Palm has released a new ad for webOS titled "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing.". Hopefully Palm will get around to actually releasing a commercial showing what webOS can do. This commercial improves on the past, but is nowhere near the "rough drafts" a Pre user made himself.
Here's to hoping Palm moves fast!
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/15/2010 03:37:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"On the heels of the release of Facebook 1.1, comes the first Facebook Beta application with some cool new features such as Facebook video support – play Facebook videos in your stream, Shortcut keys – jump to sections by holding down the SYM key and : N = news stream, P = photos, S = search, I = inbox, U = your profile, E = events;Facebook comments stand out colored Facebook blue and access updates and joining messages and Sent mail, along with a bunch of bug fixes and enhanced error messages."
Labels: facebook, palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/13/2010 03:55:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
SAN FRANCISCO, Mar 09, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Game Developers Conference (GDC) - Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today announced that a public beta version of the Palm(R) webOS(TM) Plug-in Development Kit (PDK) is now available at the Palm Developer Center (developer.palm.com). Palm is demonstrating new games from early PDK developers in its booth at GDC (No. 2016).
The PDK complements the Palm webOS Software Development Kit (SDK), letting developers use C and C++ alongside the web technologies that power the SDK and mix them seamlessly within a single app. The PDK enables new functionality, including immersive 3D graphics, and gives developers who have built games for other platforms an easy way to bring their titles to the webOS platform. Developers can download the beta PDK and start developing today, but distribution of games built with the beta PDK will require functionality provided in an upcoming Palm webOS update.
"Palm webOS is the go-to platform for great games on two of the three leading carrier networks," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. "We have both the developer tools and the hardware necessary for a world-class gaming experience, and an impressive portfolio of webOS game titles from top-notch developers to show for it."
At CES in January, Palm introduced 12 games built by four leading developers with early access to the PDK:
* "Asphalt 5" (Gameloft)
* "Brain Challenge(R)" (Gameloft)
* "Glyder 2" (Glu Mobile)
* "Let's Golf!" (Gameloft)
* "MONOPOLY" (EA Mobile(TM))
* "Need for Speed(TM) Undercover" (EA Mobile)
* "SCRABBLE" (EA Mobile)
* "Sudoku" (EA Mobile)
* "Tetris(R)" (EA Mobile)
* "The Oregon Trail" (Gameloft)
* "The Sims(TM) 3" (EA Mobile)
* "X-Plane" (Laminar Research)
Since then, more than 20 exciting webOS titles have been launched by these early-access developers:
* "Apollo" (Laminar Research)
* "Assassin's Creed(TM) - Altair's Chronicles" (Gameloft)
* "Brothers In Arms(R): Hour of Heroes" (Gameloft)
* "Castle of Magic" (Gameloft)
* "Deer Hunter 3D" (Glu Mobile)
* "Dungeon Hunter" (Gameloft)
* "Earthworm Jim" (Gameloft)
* "Gangstar: West Coast Hustle" (Gameloft)
* "Giant Fighting Robots" (Laminar Research)
* "Guitar Hero 5 Mobile" (Glu Mobile)
* "Hero of Sparta" (Gameloft)
* "Real Soccer 2010" (Gameloft)
* "Real Tennis" (Gameloft)
* "World Series of Poker: Hold'em Legend" (Glu Mobile)
* "X-Plane Airliner" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Carrier" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Extreme" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Glider" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Helicopter" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Racing" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Space Shuttle" (Laminar Research)
"The Palm webOS PDK is extremely powerful and far-reaching, as evidenced by the number of titles we've been able to bring to the webOS platform in a very short time," said Baudouin Corman, vice president of publishing, Americas, Gameloft. "It's quite difficult to make a great phone that's also an outstanding gaming platform; Palm has been successful delivering both."
More information about the beta PDK is available at the Palm Developer Center (developer.palm.com). More information about games for Palm webOS is available at www.palm.com/applications .
Labels: gaming, palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/09/2010 08:27:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"Apps that currently run on Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone, for example, can be ported over in a matter of days, sources close to the company tell me, and they don’t really suffer any degradation in performance.
That’s a compelling proposition for developers looking for additional distribution channels. And if enough of them take Palm up on it, we may see the current paucity of third-party webOS apps quickly head toward abundance."
"If you’re tempted to raise an eyebrow over that statement, consider this: Since Palm announced the PDK at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, its early access partners–EA, Gameloft, Glu Mobile and Laminar Research–have cranked out close to three dozen games."
“The webOS experience has been smooth and user friendly,” Baudouin Corman, VP of Publishing, Americas, for Gameloft told me. “We’ve been pretty aggressive thus far with the number of games hitting the App Catalog, so it’s safe to say that we plan to continue this momentum for the remainder of the year….We’ve seen strong interest from Pre consumers for the kind of games we are releasing. WebOS is going to bring a lot of value and competition to the mobile space.”
Labels: iphone, palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/06/2010 04:36:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Here's two more examples of the kinds of commercials Palm should be doing to show the strengths of webOS in commercials. They show off webOS 3D gaming, multitasking, messaging, notifications, etc. all in a way the creepy Palm girl or mom never could. Palm listen to your users, we're just trying to help!
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/04/2010 10:38:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Facebook for webOS has officially arrived on webOS. It's a great update and is almost on par with Facebook on the iPhone. Palm lists the new features as:
* Enhanced Inbox – Now, your inbox lets you compose, send, and reply, so you can always access your Facebook messages.
* Photo albums – Now you can view photo albums from all your friends, not just the photos in their news feeds. Uploading photos is easier as well, and includes the ability to add captions.
* Profiles – The new app lets you view users' profiles, whether they are your friends or not. View and post to their walls, view their information, and see their photo albums (subject to privacy settings, of course).
* Events and birthdays – Now you can see upcoming birthdays from your friend list as well as upcoming events.
* Friend search – Easily find your friends using the Friend Search feature. This takes you to their profile, where you can see and post to their wall, view their information, and look at their photos.
Our friends over @ PreCentral posted the above video showing off the latest version of Facebook for webOS.
Labels: facebook, palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/03/2010 10:34:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
A webOS user created this "rough draft" of what a Palm commercial should be. Palm take note. One of, if not the best feature of webOS is the way it multitasks. No other platform comes close to the elegance and simplicity Palm has created in the way webOS multitasks with its card view, but most people don't know this because none of Palm's commercials point this out. Sometimes simple and to the point is the best way to relay a message, this "rough draft" is that message!
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/03/2010 10:25:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
""Let's take a look at the chronology here: On February 11, rumors began to circulate that Palm's Chinese manufacturing partner had suspended work on Palm's Pre and Pre-Plus smart phones," Goldman reports. "When asked about this, Palm released a statement saying that because of the Chinese New Year, and because of the new deal with Verizon, the company was ramping up ahead of the holiday, and then would resume manufacturing afterward. Palm also made a passing reference to trying to keep manufacturing in line with customer orders. But it was its casual connection to the Chinese New Year that made a suspension in manufacturing no big deal."
Goldman reports, "So, when did Palm know about that? A source at Palm confirmed to me this morning that the company did in fact know three weeks ago that Verizon and Sprint had halted new orders of the company's phones... Analysts I'm talking to are furious. Management has a serious credibility issue, I'm told, and this only makes it substantially worse."
Goldman writes, "The company seems to be playing fast and furious with the truth. Analysts are wary. And judging by the company's continuing plunge, investors are throwing in the towel. Difficulty competing in the marketplace is one thing; losing trust is quite another."
We all know Mr. Goldman has a love for Apple, but he makes a great point. Why did Palm try to blow off the cut in production of devices due to the Chinese New Year if they had already known that Sprint and Verizon halted new orders? The problem wasn't just going to go away. What's worse is that people inside Palm are now leaking what's been going on at Palm, and accusing the company of not being honest. This new revelation does not bode well for Palm. This will just draw more attention to Palm's choices as as a company, and once news of mistrust enters you're going to be fighting a lot more than expected earnings, or lack there of. Let's hope somehow Palm can regain composure and get back to focusing on the company that was so innovative and brought itself back as a serious player and major contender in the mobile world it did back at CES in 2009 when Palm showed the world the Pre and Palm webOS webOS. Here's hoping...
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/01/2010 09:07:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/01/2010 09:16:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
The ability to capture, edit, and share video: Not only can you easily shoot video footage from your Palm webOS phone, but you can also make quick edits and upload your footage to YouTube or Facebook (or send them via email or MMS) with just a couple of taps. See the video capabilities in action in the video be
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/27/2010 03:01:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/26/2010 12:17:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
The last couple of days of Palm news wasn't good news to say the least. Jon Rubinstein sent all employees of Palm a letter of encouragement and explained what's going on @ Palm.
Team,
This morning we announced preliminary results for our 2010 third quarter. Since the quarter has not yet closed, it is too soon to offer exact numbers, but we stated that we expect to report revenues for Q3 between $300 and $320 million. We also announced that we expect our revenue for this fiscal year to fall below the guidance we gave to Wall Street, which ranged from $1.6 to $1.8 billion. As we mentioned in our press release, our softer than expected performance is due to slower than expected customer adoption of our products, which in turn has prompted our U.S. carrier partners to put additional orders on hold for the time being. On a positive note, we expect to exit the quarter with over $500 million in cash on our balance sheet. We're scheduled to announce our full financial results in March.
I realize this news is difficult to swallow. We made this announcement today to prevent a surprise for Wall Street when we announce quarterly earnings in March. In the meantime, the entire executive team has been working extremely hard to improve product performance, and have implemented a number of initiatives to increase awareness and drive sales.
Dave Whalen and I just returned from a very successful meeting with Verizon Wireless, where they acknowledged that their execution of our launch was below expectations and recommitted to working with us to improve sales. To accelerate sales, we initiated Project JumpStart nearly three weeks ago. Since then, nearly two hundred Palm Brand Ambassadors, supplemented by Palm employees from Sunnyvale, have been training Verizon sales reps across the U.S. on our products. Early results from the stores have already shown improvement on product knowledge and sales week over week. You may have also seen a growing number of Palm ads on billboards, bus shelters, buses, and subway stations-all getting the word out about Palm.
All of these efforts are examples of how we are working to accelerate adoption and grow distribution of webOS. In the next few weeks, your management will work with you to make sure your priorities are laser-focused, primarily on helping to increase sales, improve product quality and differentiate the Palm product experience.
Our goals are taking longer than expected to achieve, but I am still confident that our talented team has what it takes to get the job done.
We'll schedule an all-hands meeting after our earnings announcement in March, and I'll be happy to answer your questions.
Go team!!!
jon
Via Engadget .
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/26/2010 12:01:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
“Palm webOS is recognized as a groundbreaking platform that enables one of the best smartphone experiences available today, and our work to evolve the platform and bring industry-leading technology to market continues. However, driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated,” said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our carrier partners remain committed, and we are working closely with them to increase awareness and drive sales of our differentiated Palm products.”
The Company expects to close its third fiscal quarter with a cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments balance in excess of $500 million.
Notes for Palm Investors
Palm will announce its third-quarter fiscal year 2010 financial results on Thursday, March 18, shortly after 4 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Pacific), followed by a conference call for the public at 4:30 p.m. Eastern (1:30 p.m. Pacific). The conference call will be hosted by Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer, and Doug Jeffries, chief financial officer. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to listen to the call via audio webcast at Palm’s Investor Relations website (http://investor.palm.com). Investors wishing to listen to the conference call via telephone may dial 877-278-9658 (domestic) or 763-488-4651 (international). There is no pass code required for the live call. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available through April 1, 2010. The dial-in number for the replay will be 800-642-1687 (domestic) and 706-645-9291 (international). The pass code 58326338 is required for the replay. An archive of the audio webcast of the conference call will be posted on Palm’s Investor Relations website at http://investor.palm.com.
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/25/2010 05:05:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Nokia had 46.9 percent of the market with about 80.9 million sales, and Research in Motion had 19.9 percent with 34.3 million sales.
Cupertino-based Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) had about 14.4 percent of sales in the total mobile operating system market, Gartner said.
In 2008 Apple had 8.2 percent of the market with about 11.4 million units.
Apple sold a record 8.7 million iPhones in the last quarter alone, a growth rate of 100 percent over the year-ago quarter.
Another big gainer was Mountain View-based Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG). Its Android moved up to 3.9 percent in 2009 from less than a 1 percent share in 2008.
Sunnyvale-based Palm Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) Web OS had 0.7 percent of the global market with about 1.2 million units sold."
Labels: blackberry, iphone, nokia, palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/23/2010 03:25:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Palm Inc. shares fell Tuesday as analysts raised concerns that the smart phones the company recently released through Verizon Wireless are not selling well.
The stock slid 66 cents, or 7.2 percent, to $8.45 in afternoon trading. In the past year, the stock has traded between $5.85 and $18.09.
In a client note Tuesday, Macquarie Research analyst Phil Cusick downgraded the stock to "Neutral" from "Outperform," citing "weak" sales checks at Verizon and increasing operating expenses resulting from higher-than-expected spending on promotions.
Verizon began selling upgraded versions of Palm's Pre and Pixi smart phones -- the Pre and Pixi Plus -- in late January. The original Pre and Pixi went on sale last year through Sprint Nextel Corp.
The phones use Palm's latest operating system, webOS. They are the company's latest attempt to regain share in the fast-growing smart phone market. Palm, which was a smart phone pioneer, has struggled for years as Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry have grown increasingly popular among both consumer and business users.
Cusick wrote that sales at Verizon are improving, but "off a very low base," and that checks show Palm's sales at Sprint haven't improved since Verizon started selling the new phones.
Labels: palm, pixi plus, pre plus, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/23/2010 03:20:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, rumors
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/18/2010 12:37:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
PreCentral posted the above video showing Adobe Flash running on webOS 1.4. Palm has also added splash screens when launching applications in webOS 1.4. Apple already does this with the iPhone, it's more of a visual trick to make applications appear to open faster.
Labels: adobe, palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/17/2010 02:25:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The Palm Pixi is the Palm's low-cost, consumer friendly Palm Centro replacement. I have been test driving the Sprint Palm Pixi for the last two weeks. The following are my impressions of Palm's new webOS powered smartphone.
[Editor’s Note: Starting today, January 25, 2010, Verizon Wireless will begin selling the new Palm Pixi Plus. The Sprint Pixi and the Verizon Pixi Plus are identical phones with the exception that the Verizon edition hardware includes a Wi-Fi 802.11b/g radio.]
The Hardware
I was really impressed by the size and weight of the Pixi when compared with other phones from Palm. The difference is noticeable as soon as you pick it up. The Pixi seemed much lighter than my Palm Treo 755p. I was also impressed by the thickness of the Pixi. Compared with my 2G Apple iPhone, the Pixi was the same height and thickness. The Pixi is slightly more narrow than the iPhone. The physical keyboard on the Pixi is completely usable, however, I found the Palm Pre’s keyboard to be more roomy and also felt more sturdy. The Pixi keyboard’s tactile feedback was good, and you know that you pressed a key, which is something you don’t get from an on screen virtual keyboard. If you plan on sending a lot of email or text messages, you will appreciate the Pixi’s hardware keyboard.
The Pixi’s 320x400 pixel screen measures 2.63-inches. I found the screen to deliver a sharp, crisp image and I had no trouble reading the screen. Viewing photos, watching video, or even surfing the web was easy on the eyes.
Starting with the Pixi, Palm has chosen to remove the center button that appeared on the Sprint edition Palm Pre. If you have never used a Palm Pre before, you will never miss the center button. To zoom out of the current application card on the Pixi, simply flick your finger upward from the gesture area to the screen. To zoom back in, tap the card you want to bring to the foreground.
For the Pixi, Palm included an EVDO Rev A CDMA cellular radio, a GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR and A2DP support, 8GB of storage space (about 7GB is available for use), and a 2MP camera with LED flash. The You won’t however, find Wi-Fi or an microSD card slot in the Pixi.
The Palm Pixi has an 1150mAh removable battery. During my test period, I was able to use the Pixi for about 14-16 hours before I started to think about where I could plug in the phone to charge up. I had the Pixi checking 5 different email accounts on varying schedules, I referred to my personal and business calendars frequently, snuck in the Smartphone Fanatics Facebook page and Twitter accounts, and surfed the web. During my day, I don’t spend much time talking on the phone. Mileage will vary with your usage pattern. In my opinion, if you like to talk, send a lot of text or email messages, or surf the web constantly, you will want to carry a charging cable or a spare battery with you. (I recommend the same thing for Pre owners.) I did like the rubber microUSB port cover. I am always concerned that I am about to break the door off my Palm Pre each time I connect my Pre to my MacBook to access the USB storage partition. Thanks to the Pixi’s rubber door, I wasn’t worried that I would break the phone.
The Software
The Palm Pixi is the second smartphone from Palm to run their new Palm webOS operating system. My demo Pixi was delivered to me running Palm webOS 1.3.5.1, the same version of webOS that I am running on my Palm Pre.
Palm webOS is a modern mobile operating system that retains all of the ease of use that made Palm OS devices so easy to use. Synergy, the data synchronization technology built into webOS, keeps all of your data organized and in sync on your phone. You will be able to easily access your corporate Microsoft Exchange account, Google Gmail account, Yahoo account, as well as your Facebook account and standard POP/IMAP email accounts.
Universal Search is another major improvement over the search feature in Palm OS. Universal Search will not only sift through your contacts, but also searches your email, the applications on your phone and offers to continue the search on Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia, or Twitter if the search term can’t be located on your phone. Universal Search is a powerful feature that I use every day to quickly locate information on my phone or to launch applications.
For those folks who like to have all of their stuff with them all the time, the Pixi comes preloaded with useful applications for taking pictures, playing music and audio files, accessing Facebook, and viewing Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat documents. Today you can only view Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on the Pixi, however, I understand that DataViz is working on a full version of Documents To Go for Palm webOS. Palm has done a good job writing the Synergy interface with Facebook. When you login to your Facebook account after downloading the client from the Palm App Catalog (think Apple’s App Store), Synergy downloads your contact information in the Pixi’s local contacts database. I’m hopeful that a more feature rich version of the Facebook application will be released by Palm soon. While the Facebook contacts integration does work well, and the status feed is OK, there are many other features of Facebook that you simply can not access from the webOS client. Heavy Facebook users will want to access the mobile Facebook site, x.facebook.com, if they want to do more than just update their status or comment on their friend’s status.
Conclusion
After spending a few weeks with the Sprint Palm Pixi, I am convinced that it is a good, low cost, consumer smartphone that can do double duty as a business phone. The Pixi’s small candy bar form factor means that you will carry it with you all the time. The lack of Wi-Fi on the Sprint edition Palm Pixi shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most people as the Sprint EVDO network is fast enough in most cases. Depending on how you use your phone, battery life could be an issue.
Pricing and Availability
The Sprint Palm Pixi is available now for $99.99 when you purchase it directly from Sprint after a $200 instant savings and a $100 mail in rebate when you also sign up for a qualifying 2-year service agreement. The Sprint Palm Pixi costs $399.99 when you purchase it without a service plan. You can save yourself some extra money if you shop around for the best deal on a new Pixi. For example, Amazon is selling the Pixi for $24.99 when you sign up for a 2-year service plan.
For more information about the Palm Pixi for Sprint, visit the Palm website.
[Via SmartphoneFanatics.com...]
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Alan Grassia, Editor @ 1/25/2010 08:33:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
But first: frankly, I can’t fathom why the Pre and the Pixi haven’t proved to be more popular. The polish and panache of both phones are phenomenal.
Both phones feature Palm’s Web OS software, a fine, fluid operating system that, in many aspects, out-iPhones the iPhone. Among other pluses, the software multitasks, so you can put on Pandora radio as you process your e-mail. These are multitouch phones, too, meaning that two-finger gestures (like pinching to shrink a photo or Web page) work perfectly." Read the full review here .
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi plus, pre plus, review, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/21/2010 10:57:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"An unboxing and quick look at the the new Palm Pixi Plus for Verizon, including the new Mobile Hotspot app that lets you share the Pixi's 3G connection with other devices over WiFi."
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi plus, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/20/2010 10:51:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The good:
The Palm Pixi Plus brings the addition of Wi-Fi and the ability to use the smartphone as a mobile hotspot. The sleek handset also offers Bluetooth, 3G, and GPS. The multitasking features of Palm WebOS continues to be one of the highlights.The bad:
The smartphone can be sluggish. The camera lacks editing options, and picture quality is pretty poor. No expansion slot.The bottom line:
While not a major overhaul, the Palm Pixi Plus adds built-in Wi-Fi and gives customers making the jump from a feature phone to a smartphone even more functionality without breaking the bank.Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi plus, review, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/20/2010 10:35:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The good: The Palm Pre Plus offers double the storage capacity and double the RAM. The smartphone also ships with an inductive back cover and features an improved QWERTY keyboard.
The bad: The bottom line:
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre plus, review, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/20/2010 10:28:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"The Palm Pre Plus upgrades the Palm Pre in almost all the right places and has a bright future with new features coming via software updates. It's a cliché to say this, but: the Palm Pre Plus is the best phone Palm has ever made. That's exactly how it should be and it's gratifying that we can expect this kind of quality from Palm now. Let's just hope that it's enough to keep them in the smartphone game for years to come."
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre plus, review, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/20/2010 09:58:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Our good friends over @ PreCentral have posted the above video with tons of information about the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi plus, pre plus, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/20/2010 09:54:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi plus, pre plus, review, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/20/2010 09:27:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi plus, pre plus, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/20/2010 09:00:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
I saw this cool post over @ The Official Palm Blog . One of the best features of Palm webOS is Universal Search. Universal Search makes finding all sorts of information on your Pre or Pixi simple and fast.
"There are also some special keywords you can use to bring up popular applications on the phone that just make sense -- “sms” finds the Messaging app and “vid” finds both Videos and the YouTube application.
Here are a few other keywords (some of which can be shortened as indicated in parentheses). And there are a few more -- leave a comment if you’ve found ‘em.
* store: App Catalog
* pic(ture): Photos
* sms or text: Messaging
* time: Date & Time and Clock
* add(ress): Contacts
* todo: Tasks
* eve(nts): Calendar
* note: Memos
* net: Wi-Fi
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pixi plus, pre, pre plus
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/20/2010 03:46:00 PM 1 comments links to this post
I caught the above Verizon Pre Plus and Pixi Plus ad in the Wall Street Journal over @ PreCentral . It's great to see Verizon putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to Palm and their smartphones.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi plus, pre plus, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/19/2010 09:21:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: bluetooth, gsm, palm, palm webos, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/12/2010 02:03:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
“Avie and I worked closely together at Apple for many years and I have always admired his engineering talent and leadership, his strategic vision for how software can transform businesses and his ability to execute on that vision,” Elevation co-founder Fred Anderson said in a statement. “We are proud that he has decided to join Elevation and believe he will be a huge asset as we explore new investment opportunities.” Via AllThingsDigital.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/12/2010 12:56:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Palm unveils new phones, new carriers, developer programs, and video capabilities at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show.
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/07/2010 10:05:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/07/2010 06:43:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
LAS VEGAS, Jan 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 3D gaming has landed on the Palm(R) webOS(TM) platform. Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today introduced several graphics-intensive game titles for webOS, from leading game developers EA Mobile(TM), a division of Electronic Arts Inc.; Gameloft; Glu Mobile; and Laminar Research. Demonstrated at Palm's CES event, the games will be available today in the Palm App Catalog for Palm Pre customers.
"We are very excited about the potential of webOS as a platform for mobile 3D gaming," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. "This is a key application category, and we've worked closely with some of the leading game developers to deliver a great game experience for our customers."
Seven 3D games were introduced today in the Palm App Catalog for Palm Pre customers:
* "Need for Speed(TM) Undercover" (EA Mobile)
* "The Sims(TM) 3" (EA Mobile)
* "MONOPOLY(TM)" (EA Mobile)
* "Asphalt 5: Elite Racing" (Gameloft)
* "Let's Golf!" (Gameloft)
* "Glyder 2" (Glu Mobile)
* "X-Plane" (Laminar Research)
Five other mobile games were also introduced: EA Mobile's "Tetris(R)," "Sudoku," and "SCRABBLE(R)," and Gameloft's "The Oregon Trail" and "Brain Challenge."
"Recent improvements to Palm webOS represent major advancements in enabling world-class mobile gaming," said Travis Boatman, vice president of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile. "These innovations have allowed us to quickly bring our best IP to the platform."
Labels: app catalog, palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/07/2010 06:30:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
LAS VEGAS, Jan 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Palm(R) webOS(TM) developer program is now open, Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) said today. Any developer can now go to the Palm Developer Center (http://developer.palm.com), sign up, and start developing and distributing applications for webOS devices. Palm showcased its developer program and tools at CES today, and announced a $1 million developer Hot Apps bonus program for the rapidly growing Palm webOS developer community.
"We're thrilled to open the doors of a program that offers mobile developers unparalleled freedom and choice in how they distribute and market applications," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. "The combination of our highly accessible web-based platform, groundbreaking integration opportunities and open, flexible distribution program makes Palm webOS the best place for developers to create the next generation of innovative mobile applications."
To kick off the official opening of the Palm applications ecosystem, Palm is launching a $1 million Hot Apps bonus program for webOS developers. The program, which runs Feb. 1 through May 31, 2010, is open to developers worldwide and will award $1 million to the most successful applications distributed during this timeframe. The developers of the top free and paid applications each will earn a $100,000 bonus; in addition, 40 developers will receive $10,000 (20 each for free and paid), with 400 developers awarded $1,000 (200 each for free and paid). Awardees will be notified in June. Details are available at http://developer.palm.com.
The Palm developer program is designed to promote a thriving environment for all developers to create, distribute, promote and monetize the delivery of valuable applications to Palm customers. It extends the unique web orientation of Palm webOS, providing innovative opportunities for developers to grow their businesses by leveraging the web as a promotional channel for applications.
Labels: palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/07/2010 06:27:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
LAS VEGAS, Jan 07, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Today at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show, Verizon Wireless and Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) announced the Jan. 25 availability of Palm® Pre™ Plus and Palm Pixi™ Plus, bringing the Palm webOS™ experience to customers on the nation's largest and most reliable wireless 3G network.
Palm Pre Plus has a large, vivid touch screen; high-performance processor; and slide-out keyboard. The Pre Plus keyboard makes for quick and easy typing, while the unique gesture area provides a sleek look and intuitive navigation. Pre Plus also comes with the Palm Touchstone™ Back Cover, making the phone compatible with the revolutionary inductive Touchstone Charging Dock (sold separately). Verizon Wireless Pre Plus customers will also get 16 GB of storage (approximately 15 GB user available) for applications and media.
Feature-rich, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus offer Verizon Wireless customers greater flexibility for access to the Internet with Wi-Fi. In addition, the all-new Palm mobile hotspot, a webOS app that can be downloaded from the Palm App Catalog, gives customers the option of creating a personal Wi-Fi cloud capable of sharing the reliability and high-speed Internet connectivity of the Verizon Wireless 3G network with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as notebooks, netbooks, cameras, gaming devices or portable media/MP3 players.
Social communicators and first-time smartphone buyers who want an affordable and customizable phone and instant access to messaging and Web content will love Pixi Plus. Customers have a host of options for personalizing their phones with the separately-sold Palm Pixi Artist Series Back Covers (www.palm.com/artistseries) and new color Pixi Touchstone Back Covers, which will be available in pink, blue, green, orange and black.
"The Palm experience is all about helping our customers stay connected so they never miss a thing," said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. "We're constantly enriching this experience with new features and innovations. The Verizon Wireless launch of Pre Plus and Pixi Plus is the next phase in delivering this unique Palm experience to more people."
"The Palm webOS family is a great addition to Verizon Wireless' robust line-up of smartphones," said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. "The outstanding capabilities and functionalities on both Pre Plus and Pixi Plus give customers a wealth of customization options to help them manage their lives. Customers get the latest technology from Palm along with the nation's largest and most reliable 3G network for an unsurpassed mobile experience."
Labels: palm, pixi plus, pre plus, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/07/2010 06:09:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/06/2010 07:51:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Palm's App Catalog has reached a major milestone. There are now 1000 apps available to download from the App Catalog. Palm launched the App Catalog on June 6, 2009 when it began selling the Palm Pre with Sprint, and there were 18 applications available. Congrats to Palm !
Via Wikipedia .
Labels: app catalog, palm, palm webos, pixi, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/02/2010 12:52:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/30/2009 06:09:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
* Version: webOS 1.3.5
* Release date: 28 December 2009
Software update information for Palm Pre Sprint p100eww
Article ID: 50607
webOS 1.3.5
* Version information
* New applications
* Feature changes to existing applications
Version information
* Version: webOS 1.3.5
* Release date: 28 December 2009
Software update information for Palm Pre Sprint p100eww
Article ID: 50607
Version information
* Version: webOS 1.3.5
* Release date: 28 December 2009
Feature changes to existing applications
App Catalog
* App Catalog significantly improves the application download experience.
* A user can now download multiple applications simultaneously.
* Downloads continue in the background if the user moves away from the download screen.
* A user can manually pause, resume, and cancel downloads.
* A user can also download all available updates for the user’s downloaded applications with a single tap.
* App Catalog automatically resumes downloads in cases where a download was pussed because it was interrupted—for example, if a user moves out of network coverage and then moves back into coverage.
* Users can now take advantage of the full storage capacity of the phone for downloading applications. This gives the user more control over how to allocate the phone’s storage space across applications, music, photos, and other media. Downloaded applications are now stored on the phone’s USB drive.
* App Catalog lists search results based on an improved search algorithm.
* Locations from which users can purchase paid apps from App Catalog now include U.S. territories.
Calendar
* In Day view, switching between days happens more quickly.
Date & Time
* When the user has network time zone enabled, a city and country are no longer displayed.
Device Info
* A user can perform a full erase by pressing and holding Sym + the orange/Option key + power for 10 seconds.
Email
* A user can now edit forwarded text for all email account types.
* When the user sets up more than one Yahoo! email account, the account names displayed in Account List view include the associated email address so that the user can distinguish them.
* If an account mailbox is too full to send messages, after the user frees up space in the mailbox on the server, the user can send the messages successfully.
* The default email signature no longer includes the macron over the “e” in “Pre,” so that the product name shows correctly on a recipient’s phone.
Messaging
* If a user deletes a conversation with a contact, new conversations with that contact are now correctly displayed in Conversations view.
Screen & Lock
* When the screen is locked, the time displays in a new font.
Sprint Navigation
* A user can launch Sprint Navigation from an address in an open contact entry in Contacts.
System
* Users can now take advantage of the full storage capacity of the phone for downloading applications. This gives the user more control over how to allocate the phone’s storage space across applications, music, photos, and other media. Downloaded applications are now stored on the phone’s USB drive.
* This update improves battery life in areas of poor wireless network coverage.
* If the user is working in an application that supports landscape mode (such as Web or Videos), notifications now appear at the bottom of the landscape screen.
* After a user signs in to an existing Palm profile, applications the user installed from App Catalog are restored in the background. The user can use other features of the phone while the apps are being restored.
* Swiping to delete a list item that contains a link no longer causes the link to open in the web browser.
Updates
* After taking the 1.3.5 update, users can download future updates over a 2G (1xRTT 1x title bar icon, GPRS 1x title bar icon, EDGE 1x title bar icon) data connection by opening Updates and tapping Download Now.
Web
* The web browser now supports the display of animated GIFs.
* Audio files with a .3g2 extension play correctly as audio files, not video files.
Security
* This release includes a security fix to the dev portal. Credit to Kris Siegal for reporting the issue.
Individuals interested in contacting Palm to report suspected security issues can find more information at palm.com/security .
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/28/2009 09:39:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
WebOS – 1.3.5
Build 194
Sprint Config – 2.0
12/28/2009
This update includes enhancements to the following:
* Improvement in battery life optimization when in marginal coverage areas.
* QCELP capability fix to allow play and audio of video sent via MMS.
* Launch Google Maps or Sprint Nav when tapping an address from contacts.
* Minimized package of MR size through binary difference. Customers can now download over 2G connections if necessary.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/28/2009 11:03:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/18/2009 09:50:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Introducing Project Ares
Project Ares is the first mobile development environment hosted entirely in a browser, lowering the barriers for web developers to jump into mobile development.
Like webOS, Project Ares embodies Palm's belief that the future of mobile will be built on the web. Project Ares aims to enable a next-generation mobile development workflow, in which developers move quickly and seamlessly from editing in a browser, to debugging on a device, to selling applications in Palm's App Catalog or on the web.
Project Ares is now available to all developers as a public beta. We invite you to join us in Project Ares – try it out, build apps, and give us your feedback as we work to make the Ares vision a reality. To get started, just sign in with your Palm developer account
Features
* Complete integrated development environment
o Drag-and-drop interface builder
o Code editor
o Visual debugger
o Log viewer
o Source control integration
* Fingertip access to the full library of Mojo UI widgets
* Push-button project & scene creation
* Drag-and-drop file upload
* Instant project upload & download for seamless desktop/cloud workflow
* Preview apps in the browser
* Run apps directly on the webOS emulator or device (requires SDK installation)
* Use Ares in Safari, Chrome or Firefox
Labels: ares, palm, palm webos
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/17/2009 07:13:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
To facilitate comparisons to Palm's historical results, Palm has included non-GAAP adjusted measures, which exclude the impact of subscription accounting, stock-based compensation and other items detailed later in this release. The company believes this information will help investors better evaluate its current period performance and trends in its business.
Non-GAAP Adjusted Revenues in the second quarter totaled $302.0 million, non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Profit was $77.3 million and non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Margin was 25.6 percent.
"We are continuing to execute strongly against our long-term strategy with the delivery of Palm Pixi, the new carrier launches completed this quarter, and the upcoming opening of Palm's full developer program," said Jon Rubinstein, Palm's chairman and chief executive officer. "We're still in the early stages of a long race, and we're energized by the opportunity to compete in this exciting market. We remain confident that Palm's innovative product design capabilities, integrated cloud services and the differentiated and delightful Palm webOS experience will provide the foundation for our sustained success."
The company shipped a total of 783,000 smartphone units during the quarter, representing a 5 percent decrease from the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 and a year-over-year increase of 41 percent compared to the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. Smartphone sell-through for the second quarter was 573,000 units, down 29 percent from the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 and down 4 percent year-over-year.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/17/2009 07:06:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Verizon has begun training employees on Palm and webOS just in time for the expected CES announcement from Palm on a new partnership with Verizon. Via phonearena .
Labels: palm, palm webos, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/16/2009 06:16:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The Palm Pixi is a more-than-worthy successor to Palm’s previous low-end smartphone offerings, capably offering an enticing mix of features for consumers or enterprise users looking to move up from a more basic mobile phone. However, occasionally sluggish performance and weak battery life with automated data services engaged detract from the Pixi’s overall experience.
Palm created the Pixi to replace the old PalmOS-based Centro, positioning the Pixi as an affordable yet feature-packed upgrade for the low-end consumer market." Via EWeek.com .
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/16/2009 08:24:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Palm sent me this invite only to join them in Vegas for some new Palm news. Last year Palm took CES by storm with the announcement of Palm webOS and the Palm Pre. Get ready for some newness from Palm ;)
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/15/2009 09:49:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Palm is getting into the holiday season. Hannukah begins at sundown today, and they were kind enough to leave a Palm Pixi, Pixi Touchstone Back Cover, and a Touchstone for review on the site.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint, touchstone
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/11/2009 02:27:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Most innovative new platform; $299.99-$549.99 direct
Palm has returned with the coolest handheld device we've seen in a long time. The Palm Pre has the same exhilarating sense of possibility as the iPhone—and it's even worth switching to Sprint for. The Pre is the start of something genuinely new: Palm's webOS, an innovative operating system that's benefited a lot by what the company has learned from Apple's smartphone successes.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/09/2009 09:33:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Gadget Pr0n has reviewed the Palm Pixi, and they LOVE it. Palm is going to sell a lot of Pixis, especially now that it can be had for $25.00 with a 2 year contract.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/04/2009 12:00:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
PreCentral is reporting that Palm has released webOS 1.3.2 for the Palm Pixi. Palm hasn't updated their support site to show the changes in the 1.3.2 update yet. Stay tuned.
UPDATE
Palm has posted the details of the 1.3.2 update:
Feature changes to existing applications
Phone
* Answering or hanging up calls using a wired headset button now works more reliably.
Security
*This release addresses several security issues with Palm webOS software.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/02/2009 11:07:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Can your smartphone do this? ;) That's 22 apps running on my Pre before I get the "Sorry too many cards opened", pretty impressive! The ability to do this comes from the great webOS developer community over @ PreCentral for making things like this possible!!
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/19/2009 11:47:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Engadget is reporting that Amazon is currently selling the Palm Pixi for $24.99.
Labels: amazon, palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/18/2009 12:58:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
If you have a Sprint Palm Pre you might want to tap the update button because Palm has released Palm webOS 1.3.1 for the Sprint Palm Pre.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/14/2009 12:36:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
EverythingPre spotted this great offer if you're jonesing for the Palm Pixi. Walmart is selling the Pixi for $29.99 instead of Sprint's price of $99 (after rebates). Kinda crazy price for a phone that hasn't been officially released yet, and most likely the price the Pixi should be compared to the BlackBerry's, iPhone 3G's, and HTC's currently on the market.
***UPDATE***
Walmart is no longer listing the Palm Pix on their site. Congrats if you were able to order one before they pulled it.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/12/2009 02:32:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The Pixi, the Palm Pre’s diminutive smart-phone sibling, arrives at market a few days from now (Nov. 15), and despite some potential pricing confusion with the Pre, analysts expect it to be another catalyst for the company’s comeback. In a note to clients today, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch (BAC) analyst Vivek Arya said Palm (PALM) is well-poised for growth in 2010.
“Despite increasing smartphone competition, Palm can maintain differentiation and remains well-positioned to launch its products with multiple new Tier-1 carriers in early 2010 by which time it should have a robust apps catalog,” Arya wrote. “While we expect the stock to remain volatile, the recent sell-off creates an interesting buying opportunity, in our opinion, for a company with an attractive platform, selling into a high-growth market, and at a compelling valuation.” Via AllThingsDigital .
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/12/2009 02:10:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Management meeting reinforces Merrill's positive views
Firm notes they had an encouraging meeting with Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein, CFO Doug Jeffries and IR head Teri Klein. Their key takeaway: despite increasing smartphone competition Palm can maintain differentiation and remains well positioned to launch its products with multiple new Tier-1 carriers in early 2010 by which time it should have a robust apps catalog. While they expect the stock to remain volatile, the recent selloff creates an interesting buying opportunity, in Merrill's opinion, for a company with an attractive platform, selling into a high growth market, and at a compelling valuation. (<1x CY10E EV/S, <11x PE on $1/sh in EPS power). Next catalyst is next week’s (15-Nov) launch of Palm's Pixi smartphone at Sprint.
Substantial channel expansion in 2010
The current pressure on Palm stock is due to limited distribution of its products at just 5 carriers led by relatively weak Sprint. However they expect this situation to change substantially in early 2010 as several new tier 1 carriers (including VZ) launch Palm's smartphones. This channel expansion supports their expectations for nearly 80% HoH ramp in 2HFY10 sales that management still seems comfortable with, in Merrill's view. They note that in the past Palm has sold products via 100 carriers.
All about the ecosystem
While Palm has a breakthrough operating system, its ~350 apps catalog pales in comparison to multiple thousand apps of RIM, Android and Apple. However Palm is adding 50-100 new apps to its catalog (still in beta) every week, and they expect new e-commerce features and mid-December formal opening of the apps store to all developers. Merrill highlights here a new capability that Palm is building that will enable customers to download apps by just clicking on a web URL (as opposed to going to an app store). They believe this will dramatically improve discovery of apps and attract attention from developers. They also note new tools that will let developers integrate apps with other device functions such as the calendar. Palm also recently hired few people from Mozilla to further its apps effort.
Merrill likes Palm's new Pixi
The firm had a chance to play with Palm's new Pixi smartphone that Sprint will launch this weekend (for $99 retail) along with new advertising campaign. Pixi retains all the cool features of Palm's webOS and user interface but in a smaller, cheaper and lighter package. Despite the small size the keyboard was surprisingly easy to use. They expect the product to target a younger demographic compared to the power powerful and fully featured Pre product.
Strong balance sheet for investing in marketing campaigns
With its recent secondary offering Palm now has over $570mn to co-invest with carriers in marketing programs and accelerate R&D of new products and applications. While cash burn could persist for another 1-2 quarters they believe the company has the required resources to execute on its current business plan.
Labels: palm
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/11/2009 09:39:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Since the Palm Pixi is targeted at a younger demographic ($99), Palm has decided to leave the unemotional girl from the Pre ads back in the "bin". The ad really shows off the Palm Pixi as well as features of the Palm webOS. Pretty cool ad. Via PreCentral .
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/11/2009 09:21:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
PreCentral came across a video showing the Palm Pixi running a new version of webOS, 1.3.1. The latest version of webOS running on the Palm Pre is webOS 1.2.1. Word on the street is Palm will be releasing webOS 1.3.1 for the Pre sometime this week, one of the biggest features is expected to be a snappier UI.
The Palm Pixi will be available this Sunday, November 15th for $99.99 when signing a new 2 year contract.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/10/2009 09:50:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint, unboxing
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/07/2009 05:28:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"On ease of use, multitasking has been great; UI latency is still an issue even though the hardware is comparable to 3GS. The problem is the path to the GPU didn’t exist, but now with CSS transforms, that will be solved in the immediate future."
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, pre
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/04/2009 10:01:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
If only Sprint's bullet point claiming the Pixi was WiFi capable were true... It's not, even though it should be.
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/03/2009 02:32:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Admob Mobile has put out their monthly mobile metrics report and things are looking pretty good for Palm and WebOS. Last month we pointed out Admob's statistics and how WebOS already had 4% of the web market share only two months after the Pre's debut. WebOS came out in June 2009 and already showed a significant gain in web market share. Android, which debuted in October 2008 and has multiple handsets in the U.S. (G1 and MyTouch) had 8% web market share and Windows Mobile had 6%. Well the numbers are still increasing in Palm's favor."
Via preThinking Read full details @ PreThinking .
Labels: palm, palm webos, pre, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/02/2009 12:01:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 10/27/2009 04:17:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: palm, palm webos, pixi, sprint
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 10/27/2009 11:24:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Application Development For Palm webOS Devices Powered by America’s Most Dependable 3G Network Will Be a Leading Topic at Sprint’s Open Developer Conference Starting Today
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 2009-- Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced Nov. 15 as the first day of nationwide availability for Palm® Pixi™, exclusively available on America’s most dependable 3G network1 from Sprint2. It will cost just $99.99 with a two-year service agreement, after a $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate and be available at Sprint stores, online at www.sprint.com, through telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1, and at Best Buy, RadioShack and select Wal-Mart stores.
“We are excited to offer the new Palm Pixi to our customers in time for the holiday season, and it’s a great addition to Sprint’s industry-leading device portfolio,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Simply put, this phone is fun and easy to use; with its multi-touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, it’s a great device for messaging and social networking at a price everyone can enjoy, and delivers so many of the great features people love about Palm Pre™ in a fantastic new form factor, making it a huge hit for consumers.”
Running the Palm webOS™ mobile platform, Palm Pixi lets the user keep multiple activities open and move easily between them, like flipping through a deck of cards, using natural gestures. This allows for easy movement between messaging and email or searching the Web while listening to music, and items are rearranged simply by dragging them. Universal search also makes finding things easy, providing results from both the device and the Web.
Palm webOS brings together the user’s most important information from their phone, at work or on the Web into one logical view. In addition to linking information from Google™, Facebook®, Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® and LinkedIn®, Palm Pixi adds Yahoo!® integration to Palm Synergy™3. Palm Synergy offers:
* Linked contacts – A single view that links contacts from a variety of sources, so accessing them is easier than ever.
* Layered calendars – Calendars can be seen on their own or layered together in a single view, combining work, family, friends, sports teams or other interests, and the user can toggle to look at one calendar at a time, or see them all at a glance.
* Combined messaging – See all the conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, including MMS, even if it started in IM and switched to reply with text messaging. The user can also see who’s active in a buddy list right from contacts or email, and start a new conversation with just one touch.
A new Facebook application will be available with Palm Pixi, so users can see and comment on all the latest news from friends and easily update their status. Palm Pixi features an exposed full QWERTY keyboard, multi-touch screen and a durable, removable rubberized back cover.
While Palm Pixi comes with a charger included in the box, Palm recently introduced the Touchstone™ charging dock, the first inductive charging solution for phones. Touchstone, along with the Touchstone compatible back cover (both sold separately), allows Palm Pixi to be set on top of the dock without worrying about connection, orientation or fit. The device remains active while charging, allowing access to the touch screen, movies or video, or the speakerphone option. Touchstone is available in Sprint stores nationwide for $79.99 and includes a Touchstone charger and USB wall charger. The Pixi Touchstone back cover is also available for $19.99 (plus taxes).
Palm Pixi requires activation on a pricing plan including unlimited data, such as Sprint’s Everything Data plans with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM, which give customers unlimited mobile calling on the Sprint network to and from any U.S. wireless carrier, unlimited nationwide texting, email, Web browsing and much more, starting at just $69.99. The Simply EverythingSM plan from Sprint offers a truly unlimited experience for only $99.99 per month, a savings of $1,200 over two years versus a comparable AT&T iPhone® plan4. (All price plans exclude surcharges and taxes. Other exclusions apply.)
Customers who subscribe to an Everything Data plan are also automatically enrolled in Sprint Premier, the industry-leading loyalty program. The Premier program provides customers with great benefits such as annual upgrades, discounts on accessories, anniversary rewards, rate plan checkups and “first to know” information about the latest at Sprint.
Palm Pixi will take advantage of the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming), which reaches more than 269 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports. The Sprint Networks (inclusive of data roaming) have more than twice the coverage of AT&T’s current 3G network and more than 15 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, both based on square miles5.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 10/26/2009 10:08:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Contact Jimmie Geddes here: gadgetsonthego at gmail dot com.
