• pre,  rumors,  sprint

    Rumor: Palm Pre Going On Sale for $149

    September 7, 2009 /

    The Palm Pre Labor Day, or should I say “Leak Day”, weekend continues. This time, PreCentral.net is reporting that they have received word that Palm will be cutting the price of the Pre from $199 to $149 for qualifying buys when you purchase a Pre from an indirect Sprint retailer.

    “From September 8 to October 31, 2009, “indirect partners” will be able to sell the Pre for $149.99 after mail-in rebate. This information applies only to these indirect Sprint retail channels, though it seems reasonable that identical price cuts will take place via Sprint’s own channels (retail stores, telesales, and Sprint.com). And as usual, the price of admission comes with an Everything Data or Simply Everything plan attached.”

    At this point in time we can only speculate that this price cut is partly in response to the Android-powered HTC Hero coming to Sprint on October 11, 2009.

    [Via PreCentral.net…]

    Read More
  • safety,  smartphones

    Accidents 23% More Likely When Texting While Driving

    September 5, 2009 /

    I was reading the latest issue of MacWorld magazine (October, 2009 cover date) which had an interesting statistic on page 26: accidents are 23% more likely when you are driving. It was an interesting statistic to be sure; however, the statistic was not documented.

    A few minutes and Google searches later, I discovered that the statistic was taken from a July 27, 2009 paper from the VirginiaTech Transportation Institute.

    “Several large‐scale, naturalistic driving studies (using sophisticated cameras and instrumentation in participants’ personal vehicles) conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), provide a clear picture of driver distraction and cell phone use under real‐world driving conditions. Combined, these studies continuously observed drivers for more than 6 million miles of driving.”

    In the provided table was the statistic that was reported in MacWorld: Text messaging – 23.2 times as high as non‐distracted driving.

    The bottom line on this one: DON’T DO IT!!

    You can read the report that I found on the VTTI website (includes a PDF download link) or you can read an article that was published in the New York Times.

    Read More
  • pre,  web os

    More Info Revealed About webOS 1.2

    September 5, 2009 /

    The folks at PalmInfoCenter.com have done some more sleuthing around the recently leaked Palm webOS 1.2 update for the Palm Pre.

    PalmInfoCenter.com is reporting the discovery of two new features: blinking notifications and remote application removal.

    “Good news first: LED notifications are on the way! The much-requested feature has been discovered within the “securityconfig-scene.html” file, which contains the following info-text: The gesture area blinks when new notifications arrive.”

    “And now the other, not-so-good thing: apparently webOS 1.2 will give Palm the ability to remotely remove apps from your device, and you won’t have much of a say in the matter. In the file “usr\lib\luna\system\luna-systemui\app\controllers\apprevokedalert_scene.html”, we can see this info-text: ‘Palm had to delete this application from the App Catalog and your device. If you paid for this app, your money will be refunded.'”

    I’m not so sure that the app removal function is completely a bad thing. Apple has implemented it. Palm appears to be ready to implement it. I’m sure Microsoft, Google, and Research In Motion have the feature in their phones as well. And with the recent George Orwell 1984 Amazon Kindle disaster, people are more than little bit sensitive over the issue. It is kind of ironic that Amazon deleted the digital version of 1984 from people’s Kindles.

    There are some benefits to having the app removal feature on the Pre. Consider what would happen if a really poorly functioning application gets into the App Catalog and starts causing Pre’s to crash to the point of not being able to be used. It would be kind of hard to use the Pre as a “business tool” if the phone can’t connect to a corporate Microsoft Exchange server. What happens if a virus or other web-bases malware gets injected into webOS. Not good.

    If the app removal feature is used for the greater good, not to the benefit of Palm or one of their carrier partners, it can be a good thing. The same is true for Apple and Amazon.

    [Via PalmInfoCenter.com…]

    Read More
  • att,  iphone

    AT&T Tries to Reach Out to iPhone Owners

    September 5, 2009 /

    As a follow up to yesterday’s story that AT&T will finally bring MMS support to the iPhone as an update from Apple which will be made available from their iTunes software, AT&T has posted a video on YouTube to try and reassure their iPhone customers that the company is working hard to address the complaints that people have been leveling against the company.

    Of the video, AppleInsider.com writes:

    “Standing in front of a picture of the iPhone, the AT&T spokesman says, “we’re proud that we’ve enabled the smartphone revolution.” At the end of the segment, he adds the assurance, “we have heard you, we are on it, and we will use this hard won experience to lead the industry into the future.”

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

    Read More
  • astraware,  iphone

    Astraware Solitaire Updated for iPhone, iPod touch

    September 5, 2009 /

    Handmark’s game division, Astraware, has released a new update to Astraware Solitaire for the iPhone and iPod touch.

    The maintenance update includes some stylistic enhancements and bug fixes; including:

    • New shiny card backs and backgrounds
    • Swishing sound when card piles are moved around
    • Four bug fixes
    • Graphical tweaks

    The Astraware Solitaire for iPhone and iPod touch update is free to previous owners of the game and can be downloaded from the desktop or directly on your device. You can learn more about Solitaire for the iPhone and iPod touch on the Astraware website.

    Read More
  • pre,  rumors,  sprint,  web os

    Palm webOS 1.2 Leaks Out to Pre Smartphones

    September 5, 2009 /

    PreCentral.net is reporting that at least two people managed to download and install the Palm webOS 1.2 update on their Pre smartphones.

    The leak apparently came by way of the last resort reset option for a Pre that is not working correctly, called the “webOS Doctor“. When the customer ran the Palm utility that reloads the OS on the phone, surprise surprise, Palm webOS 1.2 was loaded!

    Looks like some webOS 1.2 goodness is on it’s way to us soon. Let’s just hope that Palm has taken the time to address the numerous Bluetooth issues with hands free links in many popular vehicles.

    Check out some screen shots over on PreCentral.net.

    Read More
  • apple,  iphone,  pre

    Consumer Reports: Palm Pre vs. Apple iPhone

    September 5, 2009 /

    The September 2009 edition of the Consumer Reports magazine has a 1/3 page “mini review” of the Palm Pre as it compares against the Apple iPhone 3G S. There is even a video review of the two phones on the Consumer Reports website.

    As readers of this blog know, the iPhone and the Palm Pre have a lot in common and the decision as to which one is right for you will end up coming down to personal style and preference. I like the ease of use of the iPhone, however, the primary use for my smartphone is email, and for that I want a physical keyboard and so the Pre wins.

    The article in Consumer Reports is short, you can read it while in the check out line, you’ll want to pick this issue up at your favorite newsstand because the issue also contains a good review of portable GPS units and reviews of the best drugs for allergies, colds, and the flu – a must for anyone who has kids heading back to school.

    For more details, check out the Consumer Reports website.

    Read More
  • sprint

    Android Powered HTC Hero Coming to Sprint, 10/11/09

    September 4, 2009 /

    Sprint has announced that it will be launching their first Google Android device, the HTC Hero on October 11, 2009.

    “The arrival of HTC Hero and the Android platform to Sprint’s network is an important milestone for our customers and the U.S. wireless industry,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product development for Sprint. “With the dependability and coverage of Sprint’s 3G network, HTC Hero users will appreciate a much better experience than is possible now with any other Android phone operating in the United States. They will enjoy the robust potential to personalize their wireless experience as well as the best value in wireless with a Simply Everything plan from Sprint.”

    “Sprint and HTC are helping to drive openness and innovation in the mobile industry with the introduction of the Android-powered HTC Hero,” said Andy Rubin, vice president, mobile platforms at Google. “As the world’s first truly open mobile platform built with the Internet in mind, Android provides to consumers the same Internet services they have become accustomed to on their desktop PC. Offering access to thousands of applications, a suite of Google services, and unique personalization features, the HTC Hero offers a compelling mobile experience.”

    The HTC Hero will be an EVDO Rev. A device and will feature built-in synchronization support of Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube as well access to additional applications that are available from the Android Market.

    Beginning on Oct. 11, customers will be able to purchase HTC Hero through all Sprint retail channels including Web (www.sprint.com), Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and our national retail partner Best Buy for $179.99 (excluding taxes) after a $50 instant savings and a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year service agreement. Pre-registration begins today at www.sprint.com/hero.

    I’ve always liked the looks of HTC’s hardware, and the press photos of the Hero make it look like another cool looking phone. I’m interested to see if the Hero will come bundled with DataViz Documents To Go, my “gotta-have-it” application for smartphones. I’m also wondering how the launch of the Hero will impact sales of the Palm Pre. Echoing the comments about the Pre vs. Hero consumer showdown, I think that Palm best be getting read to get the Pre shipping on more carrier networks besides Sprint and Bell Canada (Big Red, anyone? AT&T?) sooner than later. I personally expect that the Hero and the Pre will be considered by the same group of customers who don’t want an iPhone or a BlackBerry. Worse yet, after rebates, the phones will be similarly priced and have access to many of the same Google features.

    [Via GadgetsOnTheGo…]

    Read More
  • apple,  att,  iphone

    MMS Coming to iPhone 3G, 3GS – 9/25/09

    September 3, 2009 /

    It’s official! AppleInsider.com is reporting that AT&T will be bringing MMS – multimedia messaging – to the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS on September 25, 2009.

    “It was important to give our customers a positive experience from day one,” AT&T said. “We support more iPhone customers than any other carrier in the world so we took the time necessary to make sure our network is ready to handle what we expect will be a record volume of MMS traffic. We truly appreciate our customers’ patience and hope they’ll understand our desire to get it right from the start.”

    According to AppleInsider.com, the new feature will come in the form of iTunes downloadable update for 3G and 3GS owners. Unfortunately, owners of the original iPhone will be left out in the cold as they will be locked out from getting the update. I guess that is a subtle hint from AT&T that you need to upgrade.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

    Read More