• blackberry,  rim

    Getting Ready for My BlackBerry Curve

    November 24, 2008 /

    I’ve been a long time customer of Palm’s PDAs and Treo smartphones. The time has come for me to receive a company issued phone; a Palm Centro.

    Rather than carry a personal Treo 755p and a Centro, I have decided to take this opportunity to play around with a new personal day-to-day device. (The Centro will be a business only device.) Later this week I will be switching to a RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 on Sprint’s EVDO network.

    I’m not sure what to expect, but I do know that I will be looking forward to learning the finer details of these popular business devices.

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  • Uncategorized

    Palm Layoffs Confirmed

    November 22, 2008 /

    On Friday morning I saw a post over on PalmInfoCenter.com reporting that Palm was rumored to have started yet another round of lay offs. I was told by my Palm contact that Palm was not releasing any information about the rumored layoffs.

    By Saturday morning, Reuters had reported that Palm did in fact layoff a portion of their workforce.

    “Struggling smartphone maker Palm Inc said Friday it is cutting its workforce, a move the company takes as it loses market share to rivals Apple Inc and Research in Motion Ltd.

    Spokeswoman Lynn Fox said the layoffs began this week, but she declined to say how many jobs would be cut.

    Palm, which employs 1,050 workers, makes the Centro and Treo smartphones. The company’s market share has been shrinking, with RIM’s BlackBerry becoming the device of choice for the business set and Apple’s iPhone a consumer phenomenon.

    “The goal is to consolidate resources and focus our efforts more effectively,” Fox said.”

    I feel sorry for the people who lost their jobs as we head into the 2008 holiday season. This is not the first time that Palm has had a reduction in headcount in the final months of the year and the current economic situation is not helping anything.

    I know Jon Rubinstein is a former disciple of Apple chief Steve Jobs and secrecy is paramount. Since Rubinsein’s arrival at Palm, there has been an air-tight seal around the company preventing any leaked information about their it-will-get-here-eventually next generation mobile operating system Palm OS II/Nova. For a long time I supported the company’s decision to keep a tight lid on things until they where ready to launch the OS and the first mobile device that would be powered by it.

    With the current state of the company being what it is, I think it is time to start leaking details on their new hardware and software sooner rather than later. Assuming that Palm has laid off 200 additional workers, the company is now employing about 850 people worldwide. On Friday, Palm’s stock closed at $2.24 after dipping to under $2.00 earlier in the week. And, in a second statement found on TreoCentral.com, Palm indicates that:

    “The global economic downturn continues to dampen demand for consumer goods around the world, and the impact on the economic environment is worsened by our maturing Centro line and the length of time it is taking to ramp our new Windows Mobile products.”

    I love using Palm’s products and I really do want to see them succeed with Palm OS II/Nova and their next round of hardware. It would seem that now, more than ever, everything is working against Palm. I’m really concerned that mid-2009, seven months from now, is too long of a wait. It’s time to start showing the world what Palm has been working on in their labs.

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  • astraware,  blackberry,  iphone,  windows mobile

    Astraware My Little Tank for iPhone/iPod Touch, Updates

    November 18, 2008 /

    Astraware has announced that My Little Tank, a casual-style arcade game, has been updated and enhanced for Palm OS and Windows Mobile and has released a three new versions of the game for iPhone/iPod touch, BlackBerry, and Symbian S60-based phones.

    My Little Tank is a fun arcade blaster in which players can navigate through the original 60, and now 20 additional, action-packed, increasingly challenging levels as they shoot enemy tanks, defend their base, and destroy enemy radar stations and bases. Lovingly crafted miniature terrains include snow, swamp, plains, and deserts. The game also includes a range of power-ups to aid players in winning each mission.

    The new edition of My Little Tank for iPhone/iPod touch, includes a choice of control options including an onscreen virtual d-pad, swipe to move the tank, and accelerometer-based directional tilt.

    A demo video of My Little Tank for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch can be found here. My Little Tank can be purchased from the Apple App Store for $4.99.

    In addition to the new iPhone/iPod touch edition, Astraware has also released new versions of My Little Tank for BlackBerry and Symbian S60 phones similar to the versions for Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices.

    For more details about My Little Tank, check out the Astraware website.

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  • centro,  dataviz,  treo

    Documents To Go 11 for Palm OS Now Available

    November 18, 2008 /

    Yesterday, DataViz released the latest edition of Documents To Go for Palm devices running Palm OS.

    With Documents To Go Premium edition 11.00, DataViz has added:

    • View tracked changes in word processing files
    • Apply and view Styles in word processing files
    • View border and wrapped text in spreadsheets
    • Ten starter Templates included for creating Word and Excel files

    In addition to these new features, customers can view, create, and modify Microsoft Office documents on their Palm OS Centro, Treo, or handheld PDA. (PDA users are encouraged to check to see if their device is on the compatibility list found on the DataViz website.)

    Pricing & Availability

    Documents To Go Premium Edition for Palm OS retails for $49.99 and is available directly from DataViz as well as many retail and online stores including Handango.com, and the network of DataViz resellers and distributors worldwide. Upgrade pricing of $29.99 is available directly from DataViz for previous Documents To Go customers, including those who received Documents To Go as bundled software with a Palm handheld or smartphone.

    My long time readers know that Documents To Go is a core requirement for any mobile device that I consider for my personal and business use. The InTact Technology seamlessly keeps the document’s formatting regardless of whether the document was last created or modified on a desktop or mobile device, meaning I save not having to re-edit a file when I get back to the office.

    For more information and to download a free evaluation, visit www.dataviz.com/palm2008 .

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  • apple,  dell,  palm,  treo

    Off to Orlando

    November 16, 2008 /

    In about 10 hours I’ll be boarding a plane bound for Orlando, Florida. I’ll be attending this year’s Open Text Content World user conference.

    This trip will be a little bit different than my last business trip in that I won’t be bringing my Dell Latitude D630 or my Apple MacBook. This time out, I’m traveling relatively light for me. Tucked away in my carry on bag will be:

    • Dell Inspiron 910 (aka “Mini 9”)
    • Palm Treo 755p
    • Apple iPod touch

    As for accessories, I’ll only be taking along the power adapter for the Mini 9, a 1GB USB flash drive, a wireless notebook travel mouse, and a JAVOedge Portable Battery Charger with tips for my Treo and iPod.

    Compared with some of my other trips, I’m hardly carrying any gear at all! We’ll see how this trip goes. I have another one coming up in about a month and I’m looking forward to reducing my tech load.

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  • treo,  windows mobile

    Palm Treo Pro Bluetooth Update

    November 11, 2008 /


    Palm has released a Bluetooth update for unlocked Treo Pro customers. The brief description of the patch on Palm’s website reads:

    “If you are in an active call using bluetooth car kit or bluetooth headset and you receive a second incoming call and you let it ring or you ignore the incoming call, the call will be diverted to Voicemail. The first call remains active but you can no longer hear the caller (the caller can still hear you). The audio has been lost. If you answer the call and swap between calls or reject the call, the issue is not seen.”

    The update can be downloaded and installed from a microSD card or installed over-the-air at:

    www.palm.com/850u-bluetooth-ota

    Since this update is a patch, and not a full ROM software upgrade, the patch will need to be reapplied if the Treo Pro is hard reset.

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  • microsoft,  rumors,  windows mobile

    Rumor: Pocket IE 6 Update

    November 11, 2008 /

    WMExperts has an interesting little article posted today about the next version of Pocket IE 6 for devices powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Professional.

    “An anonymous tipster has sent in some screen shots and impressions of the upcoming Internet Explorer 6 browser that’s coming to Windows Mobile in the very near future, the vaunted ‘6 on 6.’ The bad news — it’s not at all clear that Microsoft will make this an independently-available download. We do know for sure that it will be baked-into the ROMs of many future smartphones. That leads us to the good news — the screenshots we have here are from an upcoming WinMo device. Square Screen, 320×320 resolution, and the black theme are your clues as to what we’re looking at.”

    While I’d like to see Microsoft release the next version of Pocket IE 6 as a stand-alone update to existing Windows Mobile 6.0 devices, I’m not at all sure they will. Palm has had a “no-upgrades” policy for a long time. On the desktop side, Microsoft would release a new version of the browser outside of a major OS release, so I’m still hopeful that Microsoft will release the upgrade as a free download from their Windows Mobile software site.

    [Via WMExperts…]

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  • microsoft,  windows mobile

    Microsoft Confirms Windows Mobile 6.5

    November 9, 2008 /

    WMExperts via TechRadar.com is reporting that Microsoft’s skipper, Steve Ballmer, has confirmed that the company will be releasing Windows Mobile 6.5 to fill the void between here and Windows Mobile 7.0.

    “Ballmer said “With releases we’ll make this year – releases we’ll make with 6.5 next year, Windows Mobile 7, I think we have a pretty interesting roadmap.”

    [Via TechRadar.com…]

    Related Articles:

    Rumor: Microsoft Working on Windows Mobile 6.5
    Microsoft Delays Windows Mobile 7

    Read More
  • astraware,  iphone

    Astraware Releases New iPhone, iPod touch Games

    November 5, 2008 /

    Handmark(R) today announced its ‘Glyph(R)’ puzzle game for iPhone and iPod touch is available on the Apple App Store. Glyph is a puzzle game, developed in partnership by Sandlot Games and Astraware(R) – the Handmark Games Studio, in which players try to save the dying world of Kuros by reassembling ancient glyphs hidden beneath layers of rock and glistening stones. Using the unique iPhone multi-touch interface, players can touch groups of like-colored gemstones to break through ancient layers of rock and reveal the glyphs.

    Glyph is available worldwide for the introductory price of $1.99 (regular price $4.99) from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at http://www.itunes.com/appstore.

    For more information and to view a demo video, visit http://www.astraware.com/iphone/glyph.

    GTS World Racing Updated

    Handmark has also updated GTS World Racing to include support for head-to-head racing against a friend over a local Wi-Fi connection. Details can be found on the Astraware website.

    Read More
  • blackberry,  dataviz

    DataViz Releases Documents To Go Premium Edition for BlackBerry

    November 5, 2008 /

    Earlier today, DataViz released Documents To Go Premium Edition for BlackBerry. The latest version of Documents To Go includes support for the AT&T BlackBerry Bold, which also went on sale today.

    Documents To Go is my one “must have” application on my Palm Treo 750 and 755p. I use the software everyday. If you want to turn your phone into a productivity powerhouse, you will want to have this page on your device.

    Here is today’s press release and some screenshots from the new BlackBerry edition of Documents To Go.

    DataViz®, Inc., a leading provider of mobile office compatibility solutions, today announced the availability of Documents To Go® Premium Edition and PDF To Go® for BlackBerry® smartphones. The award winning mobile Office suite Documents To Go enables a full set of features for viewing, editing and creating native Microsoft® Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® files and attachments1 including support for Office 2007, on BlackBerry smartphones. DataViz is also introducing PDF To Go, which allows users to view native PDF files on their BlackBerry smartphones. Documents To Go Premium Edition offers advanced functionality over the Standard Edition, which was selected by Research In Motion (RIM) to be included on BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry® Device Software 4.5 or higher, including the BlackBerry® Bold™, BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip and BlackBerry® Storm™2 smartphones.

    The native PDF viewer, ‘PDF To Go’, will be offered as a free bonus application for customers who purchase Documents To Go Premium Edition. The PDF viewer provides a clear and crisp viewing experience (rendering stays true to the desktop file) and contains multiple zooming, word wrap for easy readability and support for password protected files. PDF To Go together with Documents To Go Premium Edition, enables BlackBerry smartphone users to gain immediate access to Adobe® PDF and Microsoft Office files as it does not require a desktop or server conversion to take place. In addition, users can edit their Office documents with confidence as DataViz’s acclaimed InTact Technology™ will ensure that all original file formatting is retained once a file has been edited on their BlackBerry smartphone and forwarded on.

    Documents To Go Premium Edition – Key Features

    Below is a partial list of features available with Documents To Go Premium Edition for BlackBerry smartphones. For a complete list and to view a comparison chart between Standard Edition and Premium Edition, visit www.dataviz.com/dtgforbb.

    • Create new Word, Excel and PowerPoint files
    • Spell check
    • Advanced formatting for character, font and paragraph
    • Advanced track changes including accept/reject changes, track new changes
    • Insert and edit comments
    • Password protection support
    • Charting
    • Table support
    • Hyperlink support
    • Bookmark support
    • Edit and create auto bullets & numbering

    Pricing and Availability

    Documents To Go Premium Edition is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and can be purchased as a non-expiring license for $69.99 USD or as a one year subscription for $49.99. Previous and new customers who purchase Premium Edition will receive PDF To Go as a free bonus application. Current owners of Documents To Go Premium Edition for Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian Series 80 or Symbian UIQ can cross-grade to a non-expiring license of Documents To Go Premium Edition for $49.99. Volume licensing is available for 5 or more users with discounts starting at 10 users. Customers can purchase directly from DataViz, Handango.com and the network of DataViz resellers and distributors worldwide.

    For more information on Documents To Go Premium Edition and to download a free 30 day trial, please visit: www.dataviz.com/dtgforbb.

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