Palm Pre Evangelist

Palm responds to iTunes / Pre statement, defiant and unfazed

2009-06-18T04:14:00.000+05:30

We're still not 100 percent clear what Apple's next move is, but we do know they're a little more than nonplussed about Pre's ad hoc iTunes syncing methods. Despite Cupertino's update to its support site last night, Palm seems unconcerned, as relayed by a spokesperson to Digital Daily. In a statement, the company said disabling the sync "will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience" and that "there are other third-party applications we could consider." In other word, it'd be Apple's loss. We're not quite sure we agree there, nor would we really think "stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre" method is really the best suggestion, but hey, we're not the multimillion dollar phone manufacturer here. We anxiously await to see if and when this cold war is turned up a few notches.

Pre hackery brings some fancy VNC action

2009-06-18T04:13:00.000+05:30

They certainly weren't kidding when people declared the Pre a very hackable OS. Nebula from the #webos-internals IRC channel has done it again. Not too long ago he mad history by porting running a native linux Nintendo emulator on the Pre, full controls and all. Well, he's back and this time he's gotten a native linux VNC application running on the Pre. (That's Virtual Network Computing, if you're unfamiliar, which basically means the Pre is can view and control your desktop.)

This is merely a proof of concept, like running the NES emulator, though this one has much less functionality (due to the lack of a mouse, etc.). Nebula has written up a handy guide if you have a rooted Pre and would like to try it yourself. If you have any questions about setup, feel free to pop on by #webos-internals on freenode IRC. One thing that should also be noted is that the VNC app (like the NES application) is ran from your SSH connection and is not in any form integrated into the WebOS interface, though that could change in the future.

Still, it's a very impressive feat and really helps to show the strength and versatility the WebOS and Pre can come to represent.

From precentral.

Palm Pre to take Europe by storm this September at around 400 euro

2009-06-17T03:14:00.001+05:30

Palm have been pretty secretive about their European domination plans obviously aiming at getting us by surprise with the Pre embarking on our shores out of the blue one sunny day. While we like that idea, we're glad that information about the actual availability is already leaking out.

The Palm Pre WebOS is one of the most exciting mobile OS lately. If you haven't seen a demo of it, you've missed so many things. Fans of Palm's latest device are already able to get it via the CDMA-operating Sprint network carrier. However, the European availability of a GSM-enabled Palm Pre is something that has not received due attention by the Palm PR.

Yes, we know there is a GSM version of Palm Pre, since we saw it ourselves at this year's Mobile World Congress. We even know that O2 is getting it as a part of an exclusive deal for the UK. But how about a timeframe - why not something more substantial on actual availability dates and pricing?

As it seems the Romanian newspaper Ziarul Financiar is that one of the Romanian Palm importers I.R.I.S. have shared juicy details on those two things that we have been missing on.

According to Palm distributor I.R.I.S., Palm Pre should be hitting the Romanian market (as well as the rest of Europe) in the end of this September for a price that's pretty much the same as the one in the USA (around 550 US dollars or 400 euro) without a contract.

That's a bit of really nice news there and we really hope that Palm people would step up and announce the release schedule themselves.

And if you've really missed out on seeing the Palm WebOS in action, here's the full demo on video (quite long, we know, but it's worth it):

[Originally Posted at gsmarena.com]

No Skype For Palm Pre Yet

2009-06-14T00:11:00.001+05:30

Palm's Pre smartphone has received generally positive reviews since its June 6 launch, but one complaint is that its application store lags behind the competition. It's unclear how quickly developers will embrace the webOS platform, and the VoIP-calling company Skype said it will be taking a wait-and-see approach.

Skype has been trying to expand its presence beyond the desktop for years and has developed applications for Windows Mobile-, Android-, and Java-powered phones. The recently released version for the iPhone and iPod Touch rocketed up the most-downloaded list of the App Store as well.

"If someone has a cell phone, we want them to be able to use Skype on it," a Skype spokesperson told GigaOM. "As things are evolving quickly in this space, we will continue to keep our eye on Palm's Pre and webOS platform, which seems to be getting good traction in its first weekend. But we have nothing to announce at this time."

Palm's App Catalog is hoping to replicate the success Apple has had with its App Store, which has seen more than a billion downloads in less than a year. Palm may be facing a chicken-and-egg situation, though, as developers will flock to platforms with large audiences, but audiences like platforms with lots of applications.

To alleviate some of these problems, Palm has made it easy for content creators to make software for webOS using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other standard Web technologies. Palm said this means Web developers can quickly make programs for the Pre, even if they don't have experience in the mobile app space.

[Originally Posted at informationweek.com]

ARM A9 Dual Core Arm Chipset Coming to Palm Soon

2009-06-14T00:08:00.002+05:30

ARM the makers of smart phone chips said they will deliver the new chipset which contains more than one core, will be delivered in the next generation devices very soon. We are speculating that this could be in the next version of Palm's webOS handset and may soon also contain the same design for iPhone. Who will see the chipset in the first handset remains to be seen. But from Palm's aggressive strategy with Palm Pre and working with app developers which I met Friday night in San Francisco, Palm is certainly moving in the right direction, as their stock price had indicated.

"The A8 is just a single core while the A9 will be dual-core, all the way up to quad-core to give smartphones an even bigger performance boost," Bruce said.

He said the move to dual-core phones should happen relatively quickly. "It's very aggressive. It's only going to be in a year's time that you're going to get these phones," he said.

"You'll definitely see handsets shipping with a dual-core A9 in 2010," James Bruce, wireless segment manager for ARM, said in a phone interview earlier this week, referring to the next-generation Cortex-A9 processor from ARM.

"You're getting a 2X increase (over the previous ARM design). "And actually the A9 takes that even further, It's a superscalar design but it's also an out-of-order design as well. There is some out-of-order aspects with the A8 but the A9 is a very aggressive out-of-order processor," he said. The ability to process instructions using an advanced out-of-order architecture typically results in better performance.

And graphics will follow suit. The upcoming multi-core OMAP 4 processor from Texas Instruments (the OMAP 3 is used in the Palm Pre) is based on the ARM Cortex-9 and will boast graphics that support 1080p video and high-definition record and playback, larger screen resolutions, and "digital SLR-like performance with 20 MP (megapixel) imaging," according to TI documentation.

[Originally Posted at prethinking.com]

Indications of Pre coming to Telstra and Optus in Australia

2009-06-14T00:07:00.001+05:30

Crikey mate, that ROM is chock full of interesting stuff! Edoan on our forums uncovered something quite interesting for our Australian friends: evidence that the Pre will be landing not just on Telstra as we reported last month, but that it may very well also be coming to Optus (via Singapore-based parent Singtel):

wap.cingular?ISP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
10.1.1.180http://mmsc.telstra.com:8002
http://mms.singtel.com:10021/mmsc#
wap.voicestream.comyhs_nullhs_null
10.128.1.69http://mms.gprs.rogers.com

At this rate, it looks like everybody’s going to be getting the Pre at some point, which can only be a good thing for you and me (more users equal more apps) and for Palm. It is worth noting that the iPhone is also available on Telstra and Optus (and Vodafone and Virgin Mobile) in Australia.

[Originally Posted at precentral.net]

How to: Rearrange and Delete Apps in your Launcher, Plus Shortcuts

2009-06-14T00:04:00.002+05:30

The Palm Pre’s launcher is good, and it’s also okay. The best description is a melding of the iPhone and Palm launchers, giving you a scrolling application list like Palm, but with no categories or auto-arranging - just like the iPhone. Granted, with Universal Search you probably won’t be visiting the launcher often, but for those of us engrained in the ways of Palm OS and the iPhone, it’s going to be a hard habit to break. So that leaves us with how to manage your launcher.

First up we’re going to cover rearranging the icons in your launcher. If like me you’re obsessive about the organization of your digital information, or like others simply want this app and that app at the top of the list, you’ll want to switch up the order of your launcher icons. To move an app, all you have to do is tap and hold on it until glowing rings appear around it, and then drag it to where you want and release. Thankfully due to the scrolling nature of the launcher it won’t be nearly as frustrating as the iPhone (where apps seem to randomly switch pages when you try and move something). If you want to move the app to a different one of the three pages (Three? Come on Palm!), all you’ve got do is move it to the edge of the screen and wait a second for the page to slide over. You can quickly gauge which page you’re on by the little white bars at the bottom of the launcher - they indicate how many pages are to your right and to the left.

One of my favorite applications from the Palm OS days was SharkLinks; it let me add websites to my launcher as if they were applications. You can do the same in your browser, just open the menu, click on Page, and then select Add To Launcher. Just like in Bookmarks you can rename the site, change the URL, and reposition/resize the icon snapshot. Once you click the Add To Launcher button it will throw a link onto your launcher at the bottom of the first page (and then you can rearrange it to wherever you like).

You can do the same in Contacts. Just open the contact you want to add to the launcher, open the menu, and then click Add To Launcher. They’ll appear just like an application, and clicking on the icon will open that contact. Using Universal search any links or contacts you’ve added to the launcher will appear as applications (at the top of the list) and as the original contact (or not at all, in the case of web bookmarks). To remove a contact shortcut from your launcher, just open the contact and in the menu select Remove From Launcher (which will have replaced Add To Launcher).

But what about removing a web page? Since they aren’t technically applications, nor are they bookmarks, you can’t delete a web page link through the List Apps option in the Launcher menu, nor can you get rid of it through the Bookmarks menu in Web. To delete a launcher web link, or any third party application for that matter, all you have to do is hold down the Orange/Option key and tap on the icon. This will bring up a dialog with the app name and version, plus the option to Delete or just hit Done and get out of there. Tapping Delete will give you a Delete or Cancel confirmation and then you’re done. Easy as pie, and if there’s anything that we at PreCentral like, it’s pie. And webOS.

[Originally Posted at precentral.net]

Homebrew Pre firmware just a button, cable away?

2009-06-14T00:01:00.002+05:30

If you were to put the Pre on a scale of hacker friendliness from 1 to 10, where 1 is the iPhone (remember how long it took for the first jailbreaks back in the day?) and 10 is, say, OpenMoko, we're starting to get the impression that Palm's latest effort falls somewhere way past the 5 mark. We got out first hint that they're being good sports about letting developers play with the Konami code access to developer mode, and now we've got news that it's easy -- nay, trivial -- to run whatever firmware you'd like on the phone.

It seems all you've got to do is hold down the volume up key when connecting the Pre to your computer via USB, then you can flash the phone 'til you're blue in the face; even better, the enterprising dev who found the trick says that it's mega simple to modify the stock build and he'd wiped out the activation check with minimal effort. This can only be good news for tweakers and anyone wanting to walk off the App Catalog's beaten path, and if this ultimately means we're a few solid steps closer to a Pre running WinMo 6.1, sign us up. Way up.

[Originally Posted at engadget.com]

Font Bureau takes credit for Palm's custom 'Prelude' fonts; our hearts melt

2009-06-13T23:57:00.002+05:30

Normally we're just happy to be able to read a bit of legible text on a mobile device -- maybe with a bit of anti-aliasing tossed in -- but we really have to hand it to Palm for the truly stunning and readable set of fonts in webOS. Apparently we have Boston-based Font Bureau to thank, who developed the all-new "Prelude" sans serif font family for the device, along with a related "Apres" set for print and marketing. The project was lead by Font Bureau co-founder David Berlow, who has also developed fonts for Microsoft and Apple in the past.

[Originally Posted at engadget.com]

Texas Instruments: The New Force in Palm's Cellphone Chips

2009-06-12T03:51:00.003+05:30

TI, which has decided to exit the market for baseband chips, seems to be the big winner in the new device. The company provided Palm with a chip called the OMAP 3430, which has an application processor design called the Cortex A-8 from ARM Holdings that is two or three times more powerful than its predecessors, estimates Jeff Dougan, a TI director of product management.

TI’s OMAP line also contains other speciality blocks of circuitry, known as cores in industry parlance. One is a digital signal processor to accelerate high-quality video capture and playback. Another core manages three-dimensional graphics. Still another manages photographic images.

But Palm didn’t go the single-chip route with the Pre, iSuppli notes in a report issued Wednesday. It did choose Qualcomm for baseband technology, but broke from a common pattern by choosing alternative suppliers for the application processor (TI) and power management chip (Maxim Integrated Products).

[Originally Posted at prethinking.com]

Rooting the Palm Pre and the webOS

2009-06-12T03:45:00.003+05:30

This has been a long day full of Palm Pre webOS rooting news. Many of the contributors over at precentral and others around the world, have been up half the night and most of the day working with the Root system of the Palm Pre. The guys over at http://predev.wikidot.com/ have already posted a YouTube video of how to exactly Root the Palm Pre.

The written procedures are below:

Windows:

1.Download the WebOS image
2.Rename this file to .zip, and extract it
3.set the Konami code on your pre (upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart), and put it into dev mode. Plug it into your windows laptop after it's booted
4.Run the driver installer from the extracted file, it is: webosdoctorp100ewwsprint/resources/NovacomInstaller_x86.msi
5.Install Python 2.6
6.Get the rooter from subversion: http://svn.saurik.com/repos/webos-dev/trunk/rooter/
7.Run talk.py inside of the rooter in subversion, it'll output a bunch of lines. If you see an error, join the irc (irc.freenode.net #webos-internals)
8.Turn on the wifi on your pre. Get your pre's IP address, and you can telnet into it (username: root)

Mac OS X:

1.Download the WebOS image
2.Rename this file to .zip, and extract it
3.untar resources/NovacomInstaller.pkg.tar.gz (tar -xzvf)
4.run NovacomInstaller.pkg
5.click through the installer
6.put your Pre in dev mode following instructions above
7.connect to your mac via USB cable ( no need to select a mode, doesn't seem to matter )
8.cd /opt/nova/bin
9. ./novaterm
10.At this point you should have root

[Originally Posted at rethinking.com]

Total cost and feature chart: iPhone 3G S vs. Palm Pre vs. Android G1

2009-06-12T03:38:00.004+05:30

Many original iPhone adopters have their contracts ending this summer and many others are simply looking to take the plunge on a new smartphone. There’s never been as many solid choices in smartphone market than there are right now with the new Palm Pre and iPhone 3G S, plus the Google Android G1, the Nokia N97, the BlackBerry Bold, and the BlackBerry Curve 8900.

BillShrink.com, which runs a Web site dedicated to helping consumers save money on their every day bills, has put together an excellent chart (see below) comparing the features and total cost of the iPhone 3G S, Palm Pre, and Google Android G1.

This comparison is based on unlimited data, unlimited voice, and unlimited text messaging. The iPhone comes in as the most costly device at $3800 over two years. The Palm Pre was the cheapest at $2600, with the G1 falling in the middle at $3150.

It should be noted that the Palm Pre really shines because of Sprint’s All-Everything plan, as Sam Diaz recently noted. If you don’t need unlimited voice or texting, but just unlimited data, the wireless costs of the three phones (and the different carriers) are actually pretty close in cost.

IT departments that buy any of these phones in bulk will get better pricing on both hardware and group plans, but this chart is still useful for individuals and small businesses that purchase smartphones at retail.

See Chart Inside...

Click to Enlarge

[Originally Posted at blogs.zdnet.com]

My top 5 wish list for the Palm Pre

2009-06-12T03:34:00.001+05:30

For a first-generation device, the Palm Pre is quite impressive. Palm has developed a strong operating system in WebOS, beating the competition in certain areas and laying a solid foundation for future devices. However, as with any product, there's always room for improvement.

Earlier this week, I listed five of my favorite things about the Palm Pre and as promised at the end of that post, here are five things that I dislike about the smartphone or would like to see in future updates/devices. Fortunately, some of these issues, as well as others not mentioned here (voice dialing, video recording, Bluetooth tethering), can be resolved through over-the-air updates, but here's my Top 5 wish list based on the smartphone as it is now.

Improved battery life: While the overall reviews (from both tech journalists and Pre owners) have been positive, there's been one universal complaint about the Pre and that's battery life. Palm has already identified a bug with the AIM client that is sucking more power than it should be and has promised a fix for it. There are also ways to optimize the battery life and the smartphone has a user-replaceable battery, so you can always carry an extra with you. However, it's not a completely unlikely scenario that I might be using the device heavily and have no access to an outlet or perhaps forgot an extra battery and inevitably end up with a dead Pre on my hands. Again, an issue that can be dealt with, but from an out-of-the-experience, it's still a drag.

Enhanced contact management: As I said in my post from Tuesday, overall, I really like the Synergy feature of the Pre and how it seamlessly imports all my contacts and calendar appointments from my various accounts. However, as I also pointed out, there needs to be a better way to filter or group contacts. This really became an issue when I synced my Facebook account, since I don't necessarily know every "friend" or keep in constant contact with them, so it'd be nice to assign them to have some sort of filter or easier way to manage them. Universal Search helps when you've got a specific contact, but if you're simply viewing your address book and have to sort through a long list, it can get pretty unwieldy.

Better Universal Search: The Pre's universal search works well, but right now, it's limited to just contacts, applications, the Web, Google Maps, and Twitter. The Palm Pre holds a lot of information, especially with the Synergy function, and its incapability to search e-mails and calendar entries is a bit of a head-scratcher for me.

Soft keyboard: As I've said many times before, a physical keyboard is a must for me (just a personal preference), but that doesn't mean I think a soft keyboard is completely useless. In fact, the Pre needs one. When viewing Web sites in landscape mode, there's no way to enter text into search fields without having to flip the smartphone back to portrait mode and using the physical keyboard. Does it take a huge amount of effort? No, but it's still inconvenient. We had similar issues with the T-Mobile G1, RIM BlackBerry Storm (lacked portrait keyboard), and Apple iPhone (lacked landscape), all of which eventually resolved the problem with updates, and hopefully Palm will do so sooner rather than later.

More memory: This can't be fixed on the current Pre, but hopefully something Palm considers for its future WebOS smartphones. It might be that 8GB of memory is enough for some people, but I would still like the option of an expansion slot. If not that, then higher-capacity devices. I happen to think that the Pre has a pretty decent-sounding media player and a beautiful screen for viewing videos, so I'd like to load up the phone with a bunch of media without having to worry about the remaining storage. Plus, I like what I've seen so far in terms of applications, and as more become available, I imagine I'll download more. Not that apps take up a lot of memory, but still.

Those are my big-ticket items. Now, once again, it's your turn. I've already received a number of e-mails with wish list items and other issues, such as limited Microsoft Exchange support (specifically PIN service and remote wipe), soft ringtones, limited copy/paste, and not being able to forward text messages, but if you've got the same concerns or new ones, share them below.

[Originally Posted at news.cnet.com]

Palm Pixie leaked as follow-up to Palm Pre

2009-06-12T03:31:00.000+05:30

According to the data buried within the webOS structure, Palm has two new handsets in the pipeline, code-named Pixie and Castle. Although there are no details about when these devices will be launched, the Pixie is expected to have around 4GB of storage, compared to the 8GB capacity of the Pre, and a two-megapixel camera, compared to the Pre’s three-megapixel snapper.

The Castle, which is also known as the Palm Eos, is expected to be shaped like a BlackBerry, and have a 2.6in touch-screen, 4GB of storage, integrated GPS and a two-megapixel camera.

The Palm Pre was launched in the United States at the weekend to rave reviews. It has won praise for its innovative operating system and ability to run multiple applications simultaneously. The Pre is exclusive to the Sprint network in the US, and the operator reported steady sales over the opening weekend. However, the Pre may soon find itself overshadowed by Apple’s new handset, the iPhone 3GS.

Palm has not yet announced a UK release date for the Pre, which some are viewing as a competitor to the iPhone. However, the device is expected to go on sale by the autumn, and O2 – which has the exclusive carrier rights for the iPhone in the UK – is widely expected to be chosen by Palm as its preferred operator.

In separate news, Palm announced that Jon Rubenstein, who joined the company from Apple as executive chairman in 2007, has been appointed chairman and chief executive. Rubenstein was widely credited with helping to create the Pre, and the new operating system webOS.

[Originally Posted at precentral.net]

Palm knows EAS support is lacking, fix due within 60 days

2009-06-12T03:29:00.001+05:30

There are a few areas that Palm could stand to improve webOS and the Pre. One of the most glaring are the holes in their implementation of Microsoft Exchange Active Sync. As undoubtedly many of you have discovered when attempting to hook your Pre up to your corporate EAS server, the Pre does not support EAS remote wiping or EAS pin locks (though such features do exist via your Palm Profile and on the device, respectively). Without those security features that many corporations demand, the Pre simply won’t connect, meaning the investment was for naught.

Thankfully, we’ve received word from Jon Zilber, Director of Online Communications at Palm, that they’re working on it:

Palm understands that some business customers need support for specific Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) policies. We are working to develop support for EAS PIN and password enforcement, as well as EAS remote wipe, for webOS and hope to announce these new features within the next 60 days. We will deliver the features through our over-the-air update system, which Palm has already started using to bring new updates to Pre users as they become available. Until then, Palm Pre customers can enable a PIN or password directly on a device, and can also remotely wipe a device via a Palm profile.

We’ve also heard from a source within Palm that they are aware that many are having problems with SSL connections (in that their server doesn’t support it but the Pre demands it anyway) and are working on a solution that should hopefully be out in the near future. These changes should hopefully fix the vast majority of Exchange server issues we know that many of you have encountered. Just hold on tight, the fix is coming!

[Originally Posted at precentral.net]

The Missing Sync for Palm Pre arrives

2009-06-12T03:26:00.001+05:30

Less than a week after the Palm Pre landed in thousands of eager palms nationwide, the first local desktop synchronization solutions are coming. Perennial saver-of-Mac-Users Mark/Space has released the first beta of The Missing Sync for Palm Pre (with a PC version on the way). The Missing Sync creates a new Synergy profile for Calendar and Contacts and will sync with iCal and Address Book, or Microsoft Entourage if you so desire. The Missing Sync will also make it easy to sync music (via iTunes), photos, documents, movies, and more. It also comes with a Safari component that will send your bookmarks to a new bookmarks app on the Pre (which will then launch the links in Web).

The Missing Sync for Palm Pre also comes with proximity sync of your Synergy information over your Wi-Fi network, meaning you never have to think about syncing with your computer - it just does it. For a limited time, The Missing Sync will be available as a free beta application and can be found in the App Catalog on your Palm Pre, and the desktop component is up on Mark/Space.com. When The Missing Sync for Palm Pre comes out of beta, it will be available for $39.95.

[Originally Posted at precentral.net]

Jon Rubinstein takes over as Palm CEO

2009-06-11T03:28:00.003+05:30

You sort of knew this was coming after he shepherded the Pre to launch, but Palm just announced that Jon Rubinstein is taking over as CEO, replacing Ed Colligan after sixteen years in the top spot. After a short break, Colligan will join the very vocal Roger McNamee at major Palm investor Elevation Partners, so he won't be totally out of the loop, but the shuffle is still somewhat unexpected -- and the Palm / Apple bloodlines just got even deeper with the Rubinstein, the ex-head of the iPod and Mac divisions, now totally in charge.

[Originally Posted at engadget.com]

Enter Palm Pre Developer Mode with Konami Code

2009-06-11T03:16:00.002+05:30

Ah yes, the Konami Code. This was the wonderful series of button presses that provided me with 30 lives in Contra. Since then, we’ve seen the Konami code implemented on a series of websites, but it turns out that the code works on the new Palm Pre smartphone as well. Dive back a few years, enter the Konami Code, and you’ll enter Developer Mode on the Pre.

For those of you who weren’t obsessed with Contra back on the original Nintendo Entertainment System (these people really exist?), the Konami code is: up up down down left right left right B A Start. For multiplayer, it ended with Select Start, but that’s beside the point.

In any case, if you open up your Palm Pre and enter the legendary Konami Code (typing it in), you unlock a secret Developer Mode Enabler. From here, you can reset your smartphone and, while connected to a machine running the Palm Mojo SDK for webOS, you can do fun development things.

For people who are interested in coding or just want to experience a unique Easter Egg on Sprint’s hottest new phone, be sure to give the Konami Code a try. If you don’t have a Pre (like me), watch the video embedded below and live vicariously.

[Originally Posted at mercurynews.com]

Palm's Pre goes head-to-head with newest iPhone

2009-06-11T03:13:00.002+05:30

The smart phone wars have heated up over the past few days with the release of Palm's new Pre and Apple's announcements of a new iPhone, a cheaper price for its existing phone and a new operating system for users of all iPhones.

The Palm Pre, which hit stores on Saturday for $199 after rebate (and a two-year contract with Sprint) is a worthy competitor for Apple. Unlike the iPhone, it has a physical keyboard which, while small, is quite good. The Pre also has a touch-screen that you can use to launch programs, zoom, shrink or move windows and dial the phone, although there's no virtual keyboard for entering text.

One of the things I like best about the Pre is that you can wirelessly synchronize it. Rather than physically connecting it to a PC or Mac to move over contacts and calendar items, you sign into existing accounts through the Sprint network. It works with Google's calendar and Gmail, Yahoo and other Web-based services as well as for businesses with Microsoft Exchange servers. Apple does this through its MobileMe service for a annual fee of $99, but Palm does it for free with a variety of services.

Like the iPhone, the Pre has a media player for video and music and comes with a cable to move files. But rather than write their own synchronization software, Palm encourages users to synch their media files with Apple's free iTunes software. When a Pre is connected, iTunes thinks it's an iPod or iPhone. I'm not sure what Apple's legal department will have to say about that, but if Palm can get away with it, it makes life easier.

I also like the way Palm organizes programs. The device's Web OS operating system is multitasking, so you can run several programs at once. To make the most out of the Pre's small screen, each program runs in a "card," and all the cards become visible when you press the Pre's physical button below the screen. You use your finger to flick from card to card and just touch the card you want to make full-screen.

You can dial the Pre's phone by punching numbers on the on-screen keypad or typing them from the physical keyboard. However, you're more likely to just start typing the name of the person you want to call so the phone can look up and dial the number for you.

I like the Pre a lot but I do have a few complaints. It's a little sluggish, and it's not as user-friendly as the iPhone. I find myself having to think about what to do and occasionally having to type "help" to bring up the cheat sheet. I don't recall any learning curve with the iPhone, aside from getting used to the virtual keyboard, which I'm still not comfortable with.

Both the Pre and iPhone have pros and cons. If you had to buy a smart phone today, the Pre and the iPhone are pretty much neck and neck.

But wait — Apple isn't sitting still. Not only did the company on Monday announce a new iPhone, it also announced free software that'll be released on June 17 to upgrade existing models.

The iPhone 3G S (which I haven't yet tested) is said to be faster than the existing 3G, have much better battery life and come with a 3 megapixel camera that can also record video. It will come with twice the memory for the same price: $199 for 16 GB and $299 for 32 GB, up from 8 and 16. The Palm Pre comes with only 8 GB. Also, Apple announced that the price of its existing 3G phone would be now $99.

Apple says that the phone will load applications faster and take advantage of upcoming planned speed improvements in AT&T's 3G network. Apple also says the new phone will have better battery life — up to 5 hours of 3G talk time or 12 hours if you're on the 2G network.

Based on memory configuration, the iPhone hardware is now less expensive than the Pre, but it might cost you more to use it. Sprint has aggressive pricing, including a $99 "Simply Everything" plan to covers unlimited voice, data and texting. AT&T has a $99 "Nation Unlimited" plan for voice and a mandatory $30 fee for the data plan and an optional $20 plan for unlimited texts.

The new iPhone will be available June 19. Expect long lines at Apple and AT&T stores. The Palm Pre is available now, and retailers are experiencing shortages but no long lines.

[Originally Posted at mercurynews.com]

First Palm Pre homebrew app arrives

2009-06-11T03:11:00.000+05:30

What was that, 4 days? The Palm Pre only went on sale in America on Saturday, but already one Pre owner has hacked into WebOS and made his own Pre app. Read on to see how it’s done!

Last night, a rom of the WebOS Palm Pre operating system leaked out online, and Palm Pre fanatics familiar with coding were all over it in an instant. So much so, that by this morning, the first homebrew Palm Pre app had been made, a simple screen that pops up with the message “Hello World!”.

The current workaround involves editing another Palm Pre app already on the phone (The hacker in question wisely chose to scrap the Nascar application), and hilariously, part of the process to hack the Palm Pre and start tinkering with the apps involves tapping in the legendary Konami cheat code (Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A) in order to enter developer mode.

It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for Palm Pre owners, as Palm has yet to release its WebOS SDK for all third parties. Expect plenty more ingenious hacks on the way for the Palm Pre before the App Catalog hits.

[Originally Posted at mirror.co.uk]

Palm Pre reaches stores with Cellufun Social games

2009-06-11T03:07:00.002+05:30

Palm launched its recent Pre smartphone, with the App catalog in its beta stage. Consumers of the smartphone will have inadequate privileges to use third-party games, applications, and other software offerings. However, one of the exceptions is current chartbuster, Ponzi scheme game, ‘Made Off’ by Cellufun.

Cellufun claims to be the largest mobile virtual community in the world. Millions of people play wide range of social games and bond with each other via this community. The Pre’s web browser will now provide access to Cellufun games, mobile blogging applications and mobile commerce prospects. It is one of the non-Palm applications accessible to early users of this new smart phone.

“When married to the right mobile application, smart phones like the Pre allow consumers to have an engaging and fun experience for every day things like gaming, social networking, and commerce. The Pre looks to be a runaway hit for Sprint, and we believe that the millions of Pre buyers will sprint to Cellufun.com to play our social games and tell their friends about it.” stated Neil Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of Cellufun.

“There is a reason why Cellufun has been a top 10 download on the BlackBerry App World since its launch. We turn smart phones like the Pre into a social and entertainment network for consumers,” he added.

The Palm Pre is already available to the public via the Sprint stores across the United States.

[Originally Posted at mobiletor.com]

Five of my favorite things about the Palm Pre

2009-06-11T03:03:00.002+05:30

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

It's been almost a week since I've been using the Pre and some of the newness has worn off. Yet, there are still times where I say "wow" and see where the smartphone stands out from the crowd, so I've rounded up five of my favorite things about the Pre. These are features that I personally find the most useful. Obviously, everyone has different uses and needs for their smartphone, so I'll be asking you to share your list at the end of the post but for now, here's my top five.

Multitasking: This is an obvious one, but really, how can you not mention the multitasking abilities of the Pre? While there are ways to switch between apps on other devices, such as Windows Mobile and Google Android smartphones, it's not as sophisticated or as easy as the Pre. Having programs running in the background while working in another and being able to easily switch between them is huge and the Pre's killer feature. It just comes down to a better user experience and smarter device management.

Synergy: In one of my previous blogs, one reader commented about how the name Synergy is complete marketing speak. Agreed (and it's one word that makes me particularly cringe when used in the corporate world), but damn if I don't love this feature. I always thought of myself as an organized person, but turns out, I'm not really. Over the years, I've created numerous e-mail accounts so I have contacts all over the place. The Pre helps me bring them all together in a couple of easy steps, gets rid of duplicates, and imports contacts photos.
I understand there are some who don't want this type of mass integration (I ran into this problem myself when syncing my Facebook contacts), and I think Palm needs to find a better way to filter or "unlink" contacts, but overall, I found more value in this feature than not. Plus, I think Synergy is most useful in calendar synchronization. I don't put personal appointments in my Outlook calendar so having my Google and Outlook calendars merged into one and color-coded by account has been wonderful.

Camera: Despite the lack of editing options and video recording, the Pre's 3-megapixel camera is really impressive. I've tested numerous camera phones with 3.2-megapixel cameras or higher and have been disappointed by the image quality. Either the colors are washed out or there's some orange hue or hazy effect that softens the sharpness. However, I have none of those complaints with the Pre. Images were sharp and colors were vibrant; plus there's very little shutter lag.
Taken with the Palm Pre

Web browser: I don't own an iPhone, and until Apple adds a physical keyboard, I will never own an iPhone. That said, I'd be lying if I said I haven't been envious of the Safari browser. The easy navigation and page management and the benefits of the multitouch screen made the iPhone stand apart from the competition, but guess what? The Palm Pre's browser does that now too. You lose a bit in screen size, but I experienced better browsing speeds on Sprint's 3G network than AT&T's and I'll take that over a few tenths of an inch anytime.

GPS: I don't drive much during the week, but on weekends, I like to head out of town. Lately, I've had to travel to some unfamiliar places for various events and whatnot, so the Pre's GPS capabilities and Sprint Navigation have really come in handy. I was impressed by its speed and accuracy, and I also like how the location services are integrated into some of the applications, such as Citysearch and Fandango. The fact that real-time turn-by-turn navigation is native to the Pre and the use of Sprint Navigation is included in the data plan is a bonus.

So those are just a few of my favorite things. What are yours? Also, in the next couple of days, I'll write about five things I dislike about the Pre, or features I would like to see pushed out in an update or in future Palm WebOS devices. So think about your list for that as well.

[Originally Posted at news.cnet.com]

Sprint achieves weekend record sales of the Palm Pre

2009-06-11T03:02:00.002+05:30

The most awaited smartphone received a humungous response within hours after its release in the market. Sprint introduced the Simply Everything plan with the Pre, enabling users to save $1200 as compared to AT&T’s plan and save even more as against Verizon’s smartphone and PDA.

Pre brought about an important breakthrough for Sprint by redefining wireless crossover devices. The device is designed for business and consumers and is offered by Sprint’s Now Network. Pre makes most out of Sprint’s 3G network by providing faster and more reliable downloads.

Dan Hesse, president and chief executive officer remarks, “Sprint is a very different company than it was 12 months ago. Palm Pre is the coming out party for the new Sprint. It is the perfect device that highlights all of the positive changes in our company, including our revolutionary Ready Now retail store experience, greatly improved customer care, unmatched value pricing plans and America’s most dependable 3G network.”

Pre is apparently exceptional in delivering wireless services. Geared with multitouch functionalities, support for collection of contacts and calendars being organized in one place, it claims to be a must have for any multi tasker. Moreover it has a handy keyboard and is supported by the latest operating system, webOS. With this system users can open many applications at once similar to a PC.

The Ready Now capability is the latest feature of Sprint provided an impetus to the sales of the Pre. This feature is designed so that the Sprint retail stores connect with consumers and provide them with services that personalize their phones.

The Pre launch provided a platform to move ahead with Sprint’s perception of positive customer experience. Call resolution and customer satisfaction on the whole with Sprint’s customer care experience has enhanced for 15 consecutive months. The Pre launch epitomizes the improvements that have take occurred at Sprint which was represented by customers’ happiness with the product.

Sprint is now gearing up to make ways for Pre to reach the far and wide markets as fast it can.

[Originally Posted at mobiletor.com]

PALM PRE - PALM POOP! Great Joke

2009-06-10T04:14:00.002+05:30

Check out the video Greatest Joke she acts well!!!!!

Slider crashes inspire MacGyver solution

2009-06-10T03:55:00.002+05:30

A number of Palm Pre phones seem to be afflicted with an unsettling issue: closing or opening the slider causes the Pre to reset. Considering that the slider is a fairly major component of the phone, this is a big problem. Several users on our forum reported this issue and we’re happy to report that both cause and solution have been discovered. The battery on some Pre phones is loose/slightly too small, and any sudden jars (such as snapping the slider shut) cause it to disconnect for that millisecond of time it takes to kill the phone and force a restart.

Obviously, that’s a problem, but the solution is surprisingly simple and just shines with MacGyver brilliance (ToolkiT, you rock!): make the battery fit more snuggly by sticking a tiny bit of paper (only a few layers are necessary) in along the top of the battery compartment. Several users have tested this solution with resounding success, and now knowing the solution can head off to their local Sprint store and demand a replacement battery, instead of the much harder to find replacement Pre.

[Originally Posted at precentral.net]