[GadgetRatty] category: Smartphone

Palm Pre

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:39:26 +0000

I've been hooked on Palm for a very long time. My first device is a Tungsten T3, then i switched to a Lifedrive that serves as my last PDA that runs on Palm OS. My last Palm device is a Treo 680 that up until now I still carry with me whenever I go. But I always been thinking of dumping the Treo and find some alternative smartphone that would caters some of the features Treo don't have and sad to say, current Palm products don't posses it either.

I always wonder when Palm can deliver a mind-blowing devices that could penetrate and leave some marks to people especially to a Palm fanatic like me. Palm finally gave in and unleashed a new beast out of the cage. The Palm Pre.

It is a slider-phone that has a multi-touch capability, a Wi-Fi enable, a new web OS.

Soon to be released.
Source

Messaging made simple - the Nokia E63 heads to the United States

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:50:00 +0000

This affordable QWERTY smartphone to be made available with US 3G optimization Las Vegas, NV, USA - At the Consumer Electronics Show today, Nokia announced it will bring a US optimized version of the Nokia E63 to the North American market. The Nokia E63 will be available in the coming weeks for the estimated retail price of USD 279.00 allowing consumers the ability to own this great messaging

CES: Palm Event

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:46:34 +0000

We are currently in line for the event and waiting for registration to begin…

… [visit site to read more]

CES: First Look- The Palm Pre

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:53:21 +0000

This year's CES is noticeably more subdued, smaller in scale, but... I don't care, I've just been waiting to hear what Palm was announcing. I've been using the Palm OS for so long, been through so many Treos and Centros that I refused to believe that there wasn't a cool smartphone left in Palm that would outsmart the iPhone. Maybe, just maybe, they've done it.

The Palm Pre. There's a big beautiful touchscreen, and a slider QWERTY keyboard. A brand new OS, the webOS. 3 megapixel camera with flash. There's a "gesture area" which eliminates buttons and lets you touch-scroll through apps and menus. EVDO-REV A (meaning this will be on Sprint, most likely, and on their fastest 3G network), and GPS (probably with Sprint Navigation, which is full turn-by-turn).

The OS keeps your contacts organized in a new way- all your texts, emails, calls, web searches (cyber stalking, anyone?) with someone is consolidated into one conversation.

Very exciting. This is probably THE product of CES 2009. Details still breaking, so updates will be coming with full release information, and pricing and availability.

Photo from Engadget's always top-notch coverage.

Posted by Mia Category: CES 2009
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Nokia announces three phones for the U.S. market (1006, 7510 Supernova, E63 NAM) and a new Bluetooth headset

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:56:29 +0000

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) announced three new phones for the U.S. market. Let’s briefly go through each one of them:

First comes the ultra-low-end, CDMA-based Nokia 1006, which was developed in Nokia’s San Diego product creation center for AWS carriers. It’s an entry-level device with basic phone features that will be available most probably for free on a contract, in blue and silver.
Then there’s the Nokia 7510 Supernova which we already caught on Nokia’s website. The stylish clamshell is UMA compatible, allowing flexibility between using the cellular and Wi-Fi networks for calls. In addition, the 7510 boasts exchangeable frond and back covers, which are available in “Fatal Red,” “Espresso Brown” and “Emerald Green.” The device is set to hit the T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) USA’s offering later in the month.
Finally, Nokia announced “ready-for-the-States” version of its E63 messaging phone. It’s a Symbian S60-based smartphone with full QWERTY keyboard, WiFi connectivity, 2 megapixel camera, and much more. No carrier partners have been announced yet, but an unlocked device will be available for $279 through Nokia Flagship Stores in Chicago and New York, and via retail partners.

In addition, the Finnish giant also unveiled a new Bluetooth headset - BH-904, which is capable of separating a user’s voice from ambient noise, ensuring good speech quality in noisy environments. It can also maintain two active connections between the headset and another device at the same time. The BH-904’s battery allows up to five hours of talk time after only 15 minutes of charging.

Only three devices from Nokia? Kinda sad. I guess they’re preparing to rock the Mobile World Congress. Can’t wait!

Related News from IntoMobile:

Slacker radio for BlackBerry available now

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:56:11 +0000

An announcement from CES 2009 today that Slacker Mobile is available for BlackBerry smartphones. Slacker is a radio service available in both free and premium versions. Users can create a nearly unlimited number of music stations similar typically based upon favorite artists. These stations can be managed on the web. In addition the BlackBerry version offers station caching on the device:

Slacker station caching, an exclusive feature for BlackBerry smartphones, enables mobile listeners to store favorite stations on a memory card, allowing Slacker music service to play without a network connection while boosting battery life up to 5 times that of streaming playback and enhancing application performance. In addition, BlackBerry smartphone enthusiasts can enjoy Slacker Personal Radio while doing other tasks such as emailing, instant messaging or web browsing.

… [visit site to read more]

Is the Pre Smartphone Enough To Make Palm a Serious Competitor Again? [Question Of The Day]

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Today was the first time the world got a look at Palm's new Pre smartphone. It looks promising, but is it good enough to make Palm a serious competitor again?

Palm Pre first hands-on with live updates!

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:18:00 +0000

This is it! Our first go-round with Palm's newest entry to the smartphone field -- the pre. Watch this page for updates on our first impressions, a live stream of photos after the break, and observations on the company's rebirth into the marketplace.

1:19PM - First photos are up. They're running us through a demo of the phone, so we haven't gotten to touch it just yet -- the tension is killing!

1:38PM - They let us play with it a bit -- while they held the other end, of course. The keyboard is Centro-esque, with shallow presses and cramped spacing. The actual keys are rubbery and easy enough to find with the fingernails of our massive man hands, other folks might have better luck using the pads of their fingers. The touchscreen isn't quite as responsive as the iPhone or G1 -- or it could be the OS, there seems to be a tiny lag between a tap and an action -- but it's still pretty great. We spent mere seconds toying with the OS, but all the actions seem ultra-intuitive.

Update: You can watch some video after the break!

Gallery: Palm Pre hands-on: hardware

Continue reading Palm Pre first hands-on with live updates!

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pre first hands-on with live updates! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm rocks CES 2009!!

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:55:48 +0000

The Palm New-ness has been revealed, in the shape of a new smartphone, called the Palm Pre running on their new OS, now called WebOS. The whole UI has been overhauled, and there is a “silkscreen” area (like the old Graffiti days) below the main screen which allows one to use “gestures” instead of buttons to control apps. There’s no stylus needed. It’s very iPhonesque but beneath the hood it looks like everything - calendar, contacts, email, IM, browser has been revamped.
It’s quite possible that there will be a steep learning curve for existing Palm users but this is the way forward.
My concerns on the things that have not been revealed yet:

- how well will legacy Palm apps run? For medical users with a large number of important applications, this will be a key issue. I think with the new UI, and lack of stylus use, those apps which depend heavily on the old PIM will not work e.g. Agendus. Standalone apps like Medcalc, Epocrates etc hopefully will.
- how good is the battery life (this is oh so important for a phone)
- when will a GSM version be released (that is basically 80% of the smartphone world) - how long will the Sprint exclusive deal be?
- pricing?

Anyway the specs look cool. Palm may have hit a home run with this thing.

4.8 ounces
OMAP CPU.
Stereo A2DP
EvDO, 802.11b/g, GPS, Blutooth, 8GB storage,
3 MP camera with flash
Slideout keyboard
USB Mass storage support. 3.5 mm jack
Accelerometer, proximity, ambient light
320×480 lcd with multitouch gesture area under the screen

Even the charging accessory (or will it be bundled?) is cool - Touchstone wireless inductive charging base!!

If you would like to follow the live coverage, check out these links:

Palminfocenter
Engadget
Treocentral
Crunchgear
Gdgt Live

The new Palm SDK - Palm Mojo - is very webcentric and will certainly influence developers. Indeed I have plans in this area for the future development of Haemoncrules.

Palm, you rock!

from the Palmdoc Chronicles

Palm rocks CES 2009!!

Palm Pre: First Look and Details [Palm]

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:03:20 +0000

Palm just announced the multitouch Palm Pre smartphone with the completely new Web OS at CES 2009. It's a full touchscreen phone that slides open to reveal a keyboard.

It has a 3.1 inch 480x320 screen that slides vertically to reveal a keyboard. The slider action is curved, sort of like the SE Xperia X1. It also has 3MP Camera, LED Flash, EVDO rev.A, WiFi, bluetooth, a gesture area on the screen for navigation and use, a removable battery, micro USB, USB mass storage support, a 3.5mm Headphone Jack., plus a very cool wireless charger.

It weighs 4.8 ounces and can be used easily with one hand. The phone runs on a new platform named Web OS, which is designed to seamlessly integrate all your web content into one interface. It's going to release the first half of 2009 on the Sprint network, but pricing details were not discussed.

The phone itself reminds me of the Treo 680 in shape, except all there is on the front is a screen and a button.

One of the big new features is something called Synergy, which can pull contacts from all your sites (Facebook, Gmail, AIM, etc...), gather and organize them into one coherent list on the Palm Pre. It has dupe checking so you don't have the same contacts listed multiple times. It does the same thing for calendar events.

Web OS has been designed to work with your finger. All the demos are being done without a keyboard and stylus. Synergy can easily go from checking email, to scheduling meetings in a calendar, to IMing someone in your contact list.

The music UI is cool—go from one "card" to the music UI, selected a song, then quickly switch back to email screen. It's super smooth, and lets you keep all your data in front of you.

[If you want to know what its like to use the Palm Pre, and get more details, check out our preview and full coverage.]