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Sprint confirms Pre and Pixi webOS 1.4 update coming tomorrow (update: full changelog!)
Just hours after we wrapped our mitts around what looked to be Palm's official webOS 1.4 changelog, along comes this: confirmation from none other than Sprint itself. According to a post on the carrier's official forums by Sprint Admin 'izzyks,' both the Pre and Pixi will see the long-awaited webOS 1.4 update hit sometime tomorrow evening. As always, users will see an OTA alert when the new files are ready for consumption, and you can find a full list of the fixes and changes just beyond the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Seems the post was yanked! The message, in its entirety, is after the break. Update 2: We just snagged the full changelog from an internal Sprint document, which is also tucked below. For the spec hounds, the webOS version will be 1.4.0, while the Sprint Configuration will sit at 2.3 and the Build at 195.
Palm sales 'lower than expected,' revenues to miss targets
Ruh-roh. Palm just confirmed what we heard from analysts yesterday: sales aren't going so well. The company's updated its third quarter financial guidance to say that consumer adoption of its products is "taking longer than expected," leading to lowered order volumes from carriers and deferral of some orders to "future periods." That certainly puts that "Chinese New Year" Pre / Pixi work stoppage in a slightly different context, doesn't it? Looking at the new numbers, Palm says it expects non-GAAP Q3 revenue to be about $300m, or about the same it pulled in Q2 before the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus launched on Verizon. That's not a good sign, but we'll see if that kicks someone at Verizon or Palm into realizing they might need a new, less-stupid ad campaign focused on capabilities, not stereotypes.
Analysts turn sour on Palm stock, cite weak sales on Verizon
It's unclear how the data's being collected, but a handful of analysts have started backing away from Palm this week on some information that the phone's webOS debut on Verizon has proven something less than bombastic at the sales counter. Of course, it's no secret that Verizon has poured less money, time, and energy into its marketing of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus than Sprint has with the original versions, but Palm and the market analysts following its progress may have been banking on the unspoken "if only this were on Verizon" factor to counteract that a bit. The biggest concern seems to be that Palm's on the cusp of being washed into irrelevancy by a massive Android push, with a couple stock downgrades and price target cuts making their way into the hearts and minds of the market makers. Again, it's not clear exactly where the Verizon sales figures are coming from -- and we'd be remiss in thinking that analysts always (or even usually) know what they're talking about -- but this could be an early sign that the tide is turning. Come on, Palm: more carriers, more hardware, more features.
ZTE's Smooth Android slider is a not-so-smooth Pre knockoff
We hate to yell "Pre!" at the top of our lungs here, since we'd really like to see further exploration of the portrait QWERTY form factor for Android, but it's hard to avoid the form factor and stylistic comparisons. The new "Smooth" phone from ZTE is a low-end handset running Android 1.6, with a 2.8-inch QVGA screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and a love for Palm industrial design. The phone, which is being shown off at MWC, should retail under 1000 Yuan (about $146 US) and be released in August of this year as a low-end smartphone contender.
iPhone devsugar: App Store approval in...one hour?
Approximately one hour after uploading his new application update to iTunes Connect, Bristol-based iPhone developer Rob Jonson of Hobbyist software got the surprise of his week: an official Apple green light. His latest update to his VLC Remote application had been approved and was ready for sale. VLC Remote allows you to control a Mac- or Windows-based VideoLAN playback client from your iPhone, basically duplicating many of the features you'd get from a standard Apple Remote. His update wasn't complicated. "It was a simple problem," he told me over the phone this morning. "One of the buttons stopped working because of a stupid error. I missed a break in a case statement." So he uploaded his bugfix at about 11 PM local United Kingdom time. Just before midnight, he checked his e-mail before heading off to bed. The Apple approval was sitting in his in-box. A recent update, submitted last week, had taken only a day to receive approval. "With 24 hours, I was very impressed. But one hour? I couldn't believe it. Clearly Apple has changed the game." Update: This picture speaks a thousand words. Courtesy of Tom Harris of InsiderApps. This is a different app from Jonson's
Palm says long taps are 'meta-taps,' impresses Solaris admins worldwide
What do you call a long press in the gesture area on a webOS phone? Well, it doesn't matter, because unless you said "meta-tap" you're wrong. That's what Palm has decreed such a touch will be called and so it shall be called -- at least officially. A long press in that area plus a key, like X, C or V to cut, copy, or paste, has been given this moniker by Palm in something of a nod to the concept of a UNIX meta key, a keyboard modifier that works like the Apple Command key or Windows Alt and Ctrl keys. Why bother with the clarification? Well, for one thing, "meta-tap X" is a heck of a lot easier to type than "hold your finger in the notification area and then press X on the keyboard," and that's the sort of efficiency we can get behind.
FCC paper trail suggests AT&T getting Pre in May?
Palm still won't really fess up to it, but AT&T was more than happy to drop the bomb back at CES that it's picking up webOS for the first time in 2010 -- and a little creative connecting-of-the-dots gives us some idea of when we might see the gear hit the streets. The company's Pre with North American 3G -- model number P100UNA -- is already in use by Telcel in Mexico, but confidentiality in its US FCC filing doesn't expire until mid-May. Why does that matter? Historically, Palm's US releases have come very close to their FCC confidentiality lifts, meaning that we could see this thing on AT&T by the time Summer rolls around. Of course, in light of the Pre Plus, it'd be pretty sweet if AT&T just moved on to the next big thing in Palm's pipeline, but we certainly wouldn't put it past 'em to launch outdated equipment.
webOS 1.4 hitting Sprint's Pre and Pixi on February 15th?
Good news for nonplussed (in more ways that one) Pre and Pixi owners: come the day after Valentine's, it looks like you'll be able to capture your loved ones in moving pictures format! This comes from an alleged Sprint technician who reportedly took the above screencap promising a firmware update with all the features we've heard debuting as webOS 1.4, except for Flash support on the Pre. Note our use of "alleged" and "reportedly," though -- we can't independently confirm this image, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, February was the previously-mentioned release date, and when better to release than just after the halfway mark of the month?
WebOS homebrew MyTether app updated, brings WiFi hotspots to Verizon Palms w/o the extra subscription
Since the last time we mentioned it, the MyTether app for WebOS phones has gone up in price from a requested $10 donation to $14.95, but that's still considerably cheaper than Verizon's $40 per month Mobile Hotspot plan. We're still leery about what usage/overusage could mean for your contract & bill, but a new beta version has been posted that officially supports the Pre Plus and according to the developer "makes use of the API calls behind MHS" to let it work more smoothly. Even with the Pre's openness to hackery we had some issues getting the beta installer to operate on our Windows 7 machine but once it was installed it worked as promised, giving comparable speeds to a dedicated EV-DO card on the same network. Other new features include automatic tracking of data usage and the ability to manage connected devices directly on the app. Other than some compatibility issues with WebOS updates there hasn't seemed to be any blowback from Sprint or Palm on this app so far, we'll see if Verizon has any issues with its premium priced turf being encroached upon. %Gallery-84629%
DirecTV DVR Scheduler quietly arrives in the WebOS App Catalog
Just a few days after making debuting on the Android Market, DirecTV has unleashed its DVR Scheduler app for WebOS phones. No surprises here, the usual program guide searching (for everyone) and remote DVR scheduling features (DirecTV customers with the right set-top boxes only) are in effect for the rock bottom price of $0. We've got a few additional pictures of the app here, but it's just as simple to get on your Pre or Pixi so why not roll over to the App Catalog and hit that download button? %Gallery-84325%
VisualBoyAdvance turns your Palm Pre into a Game Boy emulator
A certain UK bank operates a delightfully dorky advertising campaign whose slogan is "we give you extra." Well, in the case of mobile software communities, that's exactly the case. From jailbroken iPhones to PS One-emulating HD2s to multitouch-enabled browsing on the Nexus One, the one group of people we know we can truly rely on are other geeks. So let's salute those heroes once more, in recognition of the VisualBoyAdvance -- a webOS-based emulator for Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games. The former two categories are said to play smooth as you like, whereas the Advance stuff suffers from slight slowdown at present. We've only seen it playing on a Pre, but there should be no reason why your Pixi wouldn't be allowed in on this party. A quick video demo awaits after the break, and the source link has all the installation details you'll need.
Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus now on Verizon's site
Congrats, Palm, you're now officially on a second US carrier. Yep, the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are now up for sale on Verizon's website -- you've read the review, are you taking the plunge? Update: Just noticed that the limited time, buy one get one offer that promised a free Palm Pixi Plus with your purchase of a Pre Plus isn't active -- it's only being offered along side the Pixi Plus. But let's give VZW a few hours to get their system up and running before burning down the village. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Bell's Palm Pre now free -- in exchange for three years of your life
How long does it take for a smartphone to go from two hundred bucks on contract all the way down to a big, fat goose egg? If you're Bell -- and the phone is the Palm Pre -- the answer is right around five months, apparently. Following its August release and a couple of mid-course pricing corrections, Bell's now making Palm's first webOS-based device available for free just as long as you're willing to commit to three years at a minimum spend of CAD $50 (about $47) a month. The move likely comes on the announcement of the Pre Plus, perhaps as a preemptive strike against any of its competitors planning on carrying it -- and if we were Sprint right now, we'd be paying very, very close attention to these guys.
Palm's Pre Plus and Pixi Plus slipping into Best Buy locales everywhere
Officially speaking, the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus still have a weekend ahead of 'em before they can be sold, but if you know the right person in your local Best Buy, you could very well be playing with one hours before your contemporaries. An anonymous tipster beamed over the image you see above via our handy iPhone app, noting that both of Palm's first entries onto Verizon's network were in stock. Granted, neither are for sale per se, but what's stopping you from moseying on down and giving it a shot? Nothing, that's what. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Engadget Podcast 180 - 01.22.2010
Plug into the latest Engadget Podcast for the lowdown on all the hottest, dirtiest, nastiest Apple Tablet rumors! Too hot for text! If you don't get down with the Crowd from Cupertino you can also feast your ears on sultry Finnish imports, steamy webOS reviews, and yeah, even some wild and wooly Windows Mobile wishes! FREE for a limited time only. Featuring Chris "Zazzle" Ziegler. Void where prohibited.Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul MillerGuest: Chris ZieglerProducer: Trent WolbeSong: Electrodreams - Where It's AtHear the podcast01:50 - Nokia N900 review13:40 - Nokia Ovi Maps with free turn-by-turn navigation hands-on13:49 - Nokia offering free turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones globally (updated)19:32 - Palm Pre Plus (and Pixi Plus) review29:40 - Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)31:10 - The Engadget Show - 005: Google's Erick Tseng, CES wrap-up, WiDi, AR.Drone, and more!31:15 - Next Android version will be called Froyo, says Erick Tseng31:37 - Windows Mobile 7 megarumor: LG Apollo and HTC Obsession running flagship '720p' specs, Zune Phone Experience32:40 - Microsoft's Twitter chatter suggests Danger is up to something -- Pink drawing near?34:10 - It's on: Apple holding January 27th event to show off its 'latest creation'36:00 - Apple rumor roundup: pipe dreams, Lala's role and Verizon's iPhone 4G38:00 - WSJ: Apple tablet to have books, games, music, TV, will make sandwiches40:00 - Apple Tablet rumor roundup: summer 2010 edition42:00 - Apple rumor roundup: future of media edition45:00 - WSJ: Apple and HarperCollins negotiating e-book deal for tablet47:40 - Next week's Apple event to be iLife / iPhone OS 4.0 / tablet trifecta?56:30 - Apple rumor roundup: iPhone patent 4.0 edition 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 MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcast1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Verizon prices Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus -- offers a free Pixi Plus for limited time
In case you missed it in our review, Palm has gone and spilled its Verizon pricing info on its official blog. The Pre Plus is hitting shelves at a cent under $150, closely followed by the Pixi Plus at $99.99 -- both after $100 mail-in rebate and on two-year commitments. Available to buy from this coming Monday, the new handsets are also incentivized with a free Pixi Plus coming with every purchase -- a limited offer running until February 14. That's after yet another mail-in rebate, meaning you'll probably be shelling out a cool $450 to get your webOS fix on Verizon, but we can't argue with the final tally after all the paperwork has been done, filed, triple-checked, lost, recovered, and your money's finally reimbursed.
Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)
Yea, you read that right -- fifty apps loaded side by side by freaking side on the Pre Plus, and the thing just kept on ticking. The chaps over at Pre Central decided to test out specifically how much of an improvement the doubling of RAM and storage in the new handset delivered, and they were not disappointed. Opening up the same apps on both phones, they found the original Sprint Pre (sporting a mere 256MB of RAM) ran out of puff at the 13 app mark, whereas the Pre Plus soldiered on until a nice round fifty was reached. Go past the break to see the video evidence for yourself -- long live multitasking!
Palm suddenly means business with games, heading to GDC this year
That was a quick turnaround, wasn't it? Palm wasted no time in retailing 3D games that are as visually engaging as the best the iPhone has to offer just as soon as it made the big announcement back at CES, and now it's taking things to the next level by heading out to GDC in San Francisco this March. The Game Developers Conference is -- as gaming goes, anyway -- what you'd call a Big Deal, so the fact that Palm is leading a session there to educate interested parties in its Plug-in Development Kit is a promising sign that these guys are taking the concept of webOS as an entertainment platform very, very seriously. Of course, it would've been nice to see this kind of drive about a year ago -- but better late than never.
Palm's webOS 1.3.5.2 for European Pres adds Bluetooth tethering
webOS version 1.3.5.2 for Euro-spec GSM Pres just hit over the last handful of hours, bringing a host of changes -- but the biggest, perhaps, is the addition of Bluetooth tethering capability. The move is particularly interesting in light of Palm's announcement last week that it'll use its Mobile Hotspot app to enable tethering via WiFi, but it's unclear how much (if any) crossover there'll be between units that support one technology or the other. All things considered, which would you rather have?
webOS 1.3.5.2 hitting European Pres
We don't yet know what's new here, but GSM-flavored Pres are starting to get hooked up with webOS version 1.3.5.2 this evening -- a whopping 0.0.0.1 more than the latest and greatest build floating around North America. So what do you get out of the update, exactly? Against 1.3.1, a whole bunch, actually, including a revamped App Catalog with support for multiple simultaneous downloads, speed improvements, better support for prepaid SIMs, OTA update support on 2G networks, and a whole lot more. Hit up Palm for the full changelog -- or do what we do, kick off the download now, and just experience the new build for yourself.
