PalmOS
Latest
Palm Pre now available from Sprint online, activity avoided
Hey, it's hot out there. While you could lather-up into a deep dish of epidural man-gravy by trucking on over to the nearest brick-and-mortar, why not kick back on-line with Sprint for that new Palm Pre purchase? Sure, you'll still have to mail-in the $100 rebate, but last we checked, licking a stamp won't break a sweat.
Classic emulator for Pre adding HotSync support
The original Palm Pilot is readily associated with several things: Graffiti, pocketability, and one of the first implementations of painless (well, relatively painless, anyway) synchronization to a PDA. So yes, while Classic for the Pre has been a really awesome parlor trick so far, its lack of HotSync capability has left it feeling a bit neutered in the eyes of many Palm OS purists and enthusiasts -- but not for much longer. MotionApps has announced that they've heard the pleas for HotSync support and have gotten it working in their labs; there's no ETA right now for when an update will be available, but when it comes, it'll be free to existing Classic users. Even if this means you can give Palm Desktop one more whirl for old times' sake, we say it's worth it.
Palm Pre in cahoots with Dutch provider Hi?
The GSM version of Palm's Pre looks all set for a UK announcement next week on O2. Now we get this, a Pre spotted on the support site for Dutch carrier Hi in The Netherlands. Fine, but what you may not know is that O2 and Hi (part of KPN) are also deeply intertwined with Telefonica -- O2 being owned by Telefonica and KPN being an "integrated carrier" with a long history of Telefonica courtship rumors. So, putting two and two together might equal a September launch if that previous Telefonica rumor was true.[Via Tweakers, thanks Harm H.]
Palm Pre: $138 to build according to iSuppli
With the economy in the tank (still) and the heat on, cost and profit margins are more important than ever to companies hoping to stave off the inevitable, apocalyptic doom of recession. Well, iSuppli's released an estimated report of how much its costing Palm to cobble together the Pre -- about $138, as it turns out. iSuppli has positively identified just two of the Pre's suppliers thus far -- that Texas Instruments OMAP chip, which runs Palm $11, and Qualcomm's wireless chip -- but they've formed a general picture of what's under the hood for the estimate. That price is about 46 percent of the $300 iSuppli suggests Palm will be charging Sprint for the Pre (a number that's completely unconfirmed at this point). To put it in perspective, the BlackBerry Storm costs about $203 to make and was sold for $199 initially, the G1 clocked in at $144, while the iPhone 3G costs Apple an estimated $174.33. Of course, we have no way of assessing the accuracy of the estimate yet, but if it's in the neighborhood of correct, Palm's profit margin should be pretty healthy.
Palm OS looking to go out with a bang, unlocked Centro launches in two new colors
Say what you will about Palm OS, but the idea of a new smartphone -- regardless of platform -- for under $200 unlocked is still a somewhat novel (and extremely attractive) concept. The Pre might be garnering 99.999 percent of the attention being thrown Palm's way these days, but the lil' ol' Centro -- the phone that helped popularize the concept of a low-end consumer smartphone and kept the money flowing at Palm headquarters just long enough to get webOS ready for launch -- is still on sale, and it's ready to make one last splash before riding off into the long-overdue technological sunset. Along with the previously available Glacier White, you can now help yourself to the unlocked GSM version of the device in your choice of Ruby Red or Cobalt Blue, a color that had previously launched in Latin America. For $199.99, it's a tough deal to beat; just be mentally prepared to get emulated into oblivion in a few weeks. Nothing personal, we promise. [Via Palm Infocenter and TreoCentral]
New Pre Classic emulator video shows off 3D gaming prowess
The last time we saw the Pre's Classic Palm OS emulator in action, we had a few lingering questions in our mind, chief among them being how well can it game? From the looks of this latest video, released by Motion Apps to answer that very question, pretty well so far. In addition to confirming sound support for the latest build, we also get a brief glimpse of the software handling 3D driver GTS World Racer. Of course, seeing this makes us even more curious about the gaming potential for the native webOS, but alas, we're in the cold there. In the meantime, check out some classic 3D racing in the video after the break.
Palm Pre Classic emulator demoed on video
Longtime Palm fans are gonna want to lock the doors and turn down the lights -- our friends at PhoneScoop just got the first demo of Motion App's Classic Palm OS emulator for the Palm Pre. Palm OS apps can be installed by just dragging the .prc files over the Pre in mass storage mode, and they're run as though they were on an SD card. There's no tethered HotSync, although there's a compatibility mode of some kind and apps will be able to pull data down over the air. Check the video after the break, including a demo of ePocrates, which we know a lot of potential Pre owners are interested in.
Palm announces webOS SDK availability, Palm OS emulation for Pre, new cloud services
Well, it's not quite the release date and price you were hoping for, but it's definitely something. Today Palm -- via a short keynote at the Web 2.0 Expo -- announced that the company would begin taking names and numbers on the webOS dev site for potential developers who will receive an "early look" Mojo SDK. And that's starting right this moment... as in now. That news alone would be big, but reps we spoke with said that the SDK would be made available to developers that the company will be cherry-picking as early as tomorrow. So if you were looking to get into the Pre app game, here's your first big chance.In addition to the SDK news, Palm is introducing a new set of "integrated cloud services" for developers (called Mojo Messaging Service) which will use a standardized publish / subscribe system to allow data to be bounced from the "cloud" to devices. Basically, it looks like this is Palm's play for some of that push buzz -- though the indication is that this service can and will be used for bigger tasks as well.Finally, the company announced that third-party developer MotionApps will be making a Palm OS emulator available for purchase to coincide with the launch of the Pre. The application will be utilize the mass storage mode of the device to allow for drag-and-drop of PRCs, though according to the press release, the emulator "won't be able to leverage core webOS functionality," meaning that you probably can't expect pure bliss across all of your applications, particularly those with roots that go deeper into phone databases and the like. What's interesting to note about this app is that it's being built on more than just the standard webOS SDK -- an event which Palm called "unique." They went on to assure us that this was a one-off to allow for emulation, but we're thinking they might want to reconsider that policy by factoring in the clamor for serious gaming on a device like the Pre. You can check an image of the emulator after the break.So, no pricing, no release date, but lots of movement on the developer front -- which is big news if you're a company trying to launch a completely new operating system. Still, we're getting a bit antsy with all this waiting... it might be time to throw everyone a bigger bone than that tired "first half of 2009" line, guys.Read - Palm developer siteRead - MotionApps Palm OS emulator
Palm OS emulation coming to the Pre and webOS?
Dedicated Palm OS users, it looks like your long, solitary walk through this world might not end in tragedy or violence. According to Dieter over at PreCentral, during a new video demo of the company's forthcoming phone, an icon of what appears to be an older Palm device with the label "Classic" below it can be seen within the webOS launcher. Since we know they've got a forthcoming announcement today at the Web 2.0 conference -- and we can be pretty sure Palm won't be dropping price or release date information without Sprint around -- it looks like this might be what all the fuss is about: support for legacy Palm OS apps in the new operating system. Of course, right now this is speculation mixed with hopefulness, but we should know in a few hours when Palm's SVP of application software and services Mike Abbott gives a keynote at the conference. Until then, just hold tight.
Sentimental fanboys bid Palm OS farewell at Hong Kong meetup
The arrival of webOS might be long overdue, but while Palm OS has certainly become a tad long in the tooth over the past few years, there's no overstating the importance of the OS -- particularly in its earliest incarnations -- in defining what a handheld and smartphone OS can and should be. Plus the incredible quantity of devices it spawned makes for quite the photo-op, as these folks discovered at a Hong Kong "farewell party" for the deprecated OS. There's a video after the break.[Via Palm Infocenter]Read - Pics thread 1Read - Pics thread 2
Gartner posts worldwide mobile OS numbers for 2008
This table pretty much speaks for itself as a snapshot of the year in smartphones that was 2008 (according to Gartner) -- a breakout year for the category particularly in the US. As you'd expect from the smartphone device tallies we saw yesterday, RIM and Apple have the momentum largely at the expense of Symbian's declining market share and the stagnation of Windows Mobile in an otherwise growing market segment. Palm's also a bit of a surprise showing 42.2% growth for the year. With any luck, Palm could turn this table upside down in 2009 with a successful global launch of WebOS. Regardless, you can bet that developers are paying particularly close attention to these numbers as they decide where to best align their resources for maximum financial gain.
TealOS hands-on video... with a Treo 650
So, we thought we'd fire up the old, old, old Treo 650 and see what TealOS looked like on it. The results are recorded above. The launcher actually hits a bunch of the basic webOS functionality pretty decently; swiping cards away, the wave launcher, reshuffling the deck, the transparent launcher. Of course, there's no deeper integration (like webOS's contact aggregation, etc.), and the animation is fairly jagged, but it still does an admirable job of copying the UI. The app is a nice effort from the Teal folks, one which might help you wait out the Pre launch a little, but ultimately it's window dressing more than anything else.
TealOS brings Pre experience pre-Pre
When we saw those bizarre images of a Centro seemingly running webOS a few days ago, we declared that it could've been someone "hard at work on a webOS skin for Palm OS." Turns out that's exactly what was going on -- and after watching a video of just how thorough the makeover is, we're pretty blown away. Anyone either in love with the hardware of their Palm OS 5-based device or made physically ill by the thought of switching to Sprint to get the Pre might want to seriously consider TealOS' $14.95 asking price, because it'll get you quite a bit of the visual dazzle webOS promises -- cards (which don't appear to be live, but show you where you left off when you minimized), the wave launcher, translucent app menu, and more. Follow the break for the video of TealOS doing its thing.[Via PreThinking, thanks Philip]
Engadget Podcast 133 - 02.13.2009: Pre-MWC edition
You know it people. It's the Engadget Podcast, back on the most terrifying Friday in February (or any month for that matter) -- the 13th. This week you get to hear the dudes discuss the Kindle 2 / Stephen King encounters, new offerings from Garmin on the mobile front, predictions for Mobile World Congress (which starts next week), and so, so, so much more. Settle in and get ready to glide on the gentle sounds of Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, and special guest host Chris Ziegler. We guarantee you'll love it. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel Special guest host: Chris Ziegler Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Friday the 13th theme 00:02:00 - Kindle 2 first hands-on! 00:07:25 - Know Your Rights: Does the Kindle 2's text-to-speech infringe authors' copyrights? 00:16:33 - Palm's done with PalmOS, plans to get Pre on other carriers in 2010, speaks to patent issues 00:22:27 - Sprint Treo Pro getting delayed into a bleak, uncertain future? 00:31:45 - Data tethering is a go on Palm Pre 00:37:40 - Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20 00:38:50 - Garmin slips out a few more nuvifone G60 details 00:50:15 - An Engadget adventure with TeleNav's G1 GPS software: hands-on, impressions, and video 01:00:30 - Samsung Acme i8910 gets caught flashing its S60 5th Edition 01:05:25 - MWC predictions Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Palm's done with PalmOS, plans to get Pre on other carriers in 2010, speaks to patent issues
In a talk with investors Palm CEO Ed Colligan dropped a whole ton of previously undisclosed facts about Palm and the Pre. First off, he mentioned that other than the Centro making its way to other carriers, there will be no more PalmOS devices from Palm; they're concentrating completely on webOS and Windows Mobile. They also clarified that they have partnerships with carriers in Canada, Latin America and Europe for the Pre, and that they plan on expanding in the US to carriers outside of Sprint in 2010. As far as patents go, Palm doesn't sound too worried, citing 15 years of patents in the bank, a desire to respect intellectual property, and the fact that no action has taken place between Palm and Apple in that department.
Better late than never: Bell launches Palm Centro
OK, we learned that the Centro was coming to Bell a couple weeks back, we griped and moaned about it in the podcast, and here it is. Pricing's been revealed, specs have been known forever, so there's not much left to get excited about here. Also noteworthy is the absence of any type of "new" signage on the product page -- which is very evident on other recently launched sets on Bell. Don't get us wrong, the Centro was is a fine handset, but is it $49.95 on a 3-year contract good?[Via mobilesyrup]
Bell Canada setting the table for Palm's Centro?
Word is that Bell Canada's going to be getting the Palm Centro come February 2nd -- but of course the word is all we have to go on right now. Pricing is rumored to see it launching at $49 on a 3-year special launch price, $199 once that expires, $249 on 2-years, $349 on 1-year,and $399 completely contract-free. We've been all over the Centro in the past on Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and even Rogers. So feel free to peruse any or all to get the important details, mkay?
StyleTap's Palm OS emulator officially coming to Symbian OS
Not as exciting as an NES emulator, perhaps, but all the more useful, StyleTap's Palm OS emulator for the Symbian OS has finally been released, for real, for real -- if you rely on one of the 30,000-some apps that run on the OS (or all of them, for that matter) brace yourself for some righteous productivity. If that weren't enough, this bad boy includes enhanced display scaling, meaning that apps should look pretty good -- even scaled up to 320 x 320 resolution. And not only does StyleTap do the emulation thing, it handles most of your phone's hardware features -- including screen rotation. Are you totally psyched? We thought so.[Via Symbian Guru]
Palm's pre gets its own spot on Sprint's website
Merely minutes after Palm shook up the mobile realm with the introduction of the pre, Sprint -- its exclusive launch partner -- has already hosted up a dedicated website for what will unquestionably be its flagship device. Currently, all the site offers is a way to get informed of when it'll be out, but that's all you really need at the moment, now isn't it?[Thanks, MTW]
Unconfirmed details flow about Palm's CES-bound Nova phone
Bear in mind that this could be complete rubbish, but unconfirmed reports from "trusted sources" have reportedly stated that Palm's first Nova-based handset will tout a full QWERTY keyboard that slides down beneath a touchscreen (is your imagination running wild yet?). Moreover (and more importantly), the fresh operating system is being described as "amazing," and we're also told that "a ton" of software will be pre-loaded to provide multimedia playback as well as traditional functions such as calendar, email, and contacts. We can't help but say that we're pretty jazzed to hear positive vibes flowing just before CES really gets in gear, but we'll attempt to remain placid until something a touch more concrete is revealed.Update: Ricky from MobileBurn wrote in to tell us that his sources are pegging the first device to be a Sprint exclusive -- for how long, no one knows -- and will feature a high-spec cam of some sort. It's all rumor and speculation at this point, but yeah, we're definitely still stoked.
