For the latest 1SRC Podcast, the show’s original host Jeff Kirvin joins me, along with 1SRC member Rick Cartwright, as my special guests to discuss the Palm Pre smartphone and the new webOS mobile operating system.
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BlackBerry OS 4.5 Update Report
I installed Sprint’s specially formulated BlackBerry OS 4.5 update on my Curve 8330 last night. The process when smoothly using BlackBerry Manager 4.7 on my Windows Vista Business SP1 PC.
So far things look good and appear to be working well. The one thing that I didn’t like was that the pre-installed photos, one of which I liked as my wallpaper, are no longer on my device after applying the update. I haven’t had a chance to follow up with other Sprint 8330 users yet to see if they have had similar experiences or not. All in all, it isn’t a big deal. I’m sure somone posted the photos on the Inetnet. If I find them, I’ll post the link. I’ll also try and see if Sprint can confirm the missing photos.
Otherwise, email, the browser, and Documents To Go are all working well. I’ll have to spend some more time playing with the new software over the weekend.
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Astraware Launches Bubble Shuffle
Astraware has released what appears to be another great word puzzle game for Palm OS, Windows Mobile Professional, and iPhone/iPod touch.“Astraware(R) – the Handmark(R) Games StudioTM has today released a fun new word game featuring ever-friendly, fishy host, Wordsworth Smartygills. Bubble ShuffleTM follows on from Bubble Babble in the ‘Bubble’ word game series.
Bubble Shuffle is a simple undersea-themed word-building game that challenges players to create words from a given set of bubble letters. Perfect for adults and children, the game begins with 4 letters to work from and increases over multiple levels to 7 letters. To progress from level to level players must create at least one word from all of the letters. Players can shuffle the bubbles as many times as they want, to help them find more words.
The game features 4 fun game modes – 2 timed, and 2 more relaxing untimed games, each with a variation on the basic gameplay. Wordsworth Smartygills guides you through how to play, and can provide hints and clues throughout the game just by tapping him. Bubble Shuffle includes 4 levels of difficulty, and advanced anagram-anglers are rewarded for finding more unusual and esoteric words, with the option of requiring rare words from the inbuilt extended dictionary!
Players can earn a collection of colorful seahorse pets for Wordsworth by various achievements, from reaching new difficulty levels to the challenge of finding all of the possible words within the time limit.
Bubble Shuffle is available for Palm OS(R), Windows Mobile(R), iPhoneTM and iPod(R) touch. For more information, visit http://www.astraware.com/bubbleshuffle.”
Fans of Astraware’s games will recall that game host “Wordsworth Smartygills” first appeared in Bubble Babble, another undersea word game which is currently available for Palm OS, Windows Mobile Professional, and Windows Mobile Smartphone.
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BlackBerry 4.5 Update: Don’t Forget Documents To Go
I’ve started the upgrade process to BlackBerry OS 4.5 on my Curve. Before you get started, you will want to download and install BlackBerry Desktop Manager version 4.7 from BlackBerry.com.
While preparing to install the OS 4.5 update on my Berry, I was given the opportunity to select which options I wanted to install (or not install) on my device. First to go where the Spanish, French, and Korean language support. And then I noticed that by default, Documents To Go was not an installed option (see below).
Don’t forget to turn Documents To Go on as an install option!
And when you are done with the update, don’t forget to head over to the DataViz website to download the free update to Documents To Go 1.005.
The BlackBerry OS 4.5 update for your device includes a Standard Edition of Documents To Go® v1.000 that lets you open, view and edit native Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files and attachments.
Free Update to v1.005 Available!
Register with DataViz® and download an update for Documents To Go with the following new features.- New Sheet To Go application to open, view and edit Microsoft Excel 97-2008 spreadsheets
- Support for Microsoft Word 2007/2008 documents
- Support for Microsoft PowerPoint 2007/2008 presentations
- Improved rendering speed for PowerPoint slides
- View tracked changes in word processing documents
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BlackBerry OS 4.5 Update Posted
Sprint has make good on their word to post the BlackBerry Curve 8330 and Pearl 8130 OS 4.5 upgrade on their website before the end of the day Friday. BlackBerry users rejoice! Sprint has packed in some very nice goodies for their customers who are using older Berries.Software Feature Enhancement with 4.5:
- Send Multi-Media Messages (MMS) which enables sending of text messages with picture and other file attachment.
- View emails in HTML email format. Users can easily change their email format setting to HTML for emails to appear just like they do on your PC. Will work automatically for BlackBerry Internet Service customers. Requires BES 4.1, Service Pack 6 for BlackBerry Enterprise Server customers (verify with your company’s IT department).
- Free/Busy Calendar Lookup for BlackBerry Enterprise Server customers immediately lets you know all attendee’s availability. Not available to BlackBerry Internet Service customers. Requires BES 4.1, Service Pack 5 for BlackBerry Enterprise Server customers (verify with your company’s IT department).
- Remote search for email for BlackBerry Enterprise Service customers creates more access to emails that are not stored on your device but remain stored remotely on your email server. Not available to BlackBerry Internet Service customers. Requires BES 4.1, Service Pack 5 for BlackBerry Enterprise Server customers (verify with your company’s IT department).
- Word completion for SureType keyboards allows for faster typing on BlackBerry Pearl 8130.
- Automatically generate a music playlist with specific criteria based on artist, albums or genre.
- Video recording attachment view supported.
- Create a Voice Note and attach to an email or Multimedia Message(MMS). Or record a voice note and save for playback when needed.
- Dataviz Documents To Go Application gives you the ability to download and save a file to your BlackBerry to view or edit later. Requires Visit the DataViz® website to register with DataViz and download an update for Documents To Go that includes Sheet To Go.
I know that many Sprint BlackBerry customers have been vocal in asking for MMS support on their devices. I’m also glad to see Sprint roll in support for HTML email and going the extra mile to include DataViz Documents To Go.
Be sure to check back over the next few days as I do plan on posting my experiences with the upgrade process and with the new software features.
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Sprint Releases BlackBerry OS 4.5 for 8130, 8330
For Sprint’s BlackBerry customers, it has been a long wait for the certified version of BlackBerry OS 4.5 for the 8130 and 8330. For the last few months, Sprint Berry owners watched as fellow addicts on other carriers received their updates before us. Today, Sprint has announced that the wait is finally over!On the Sprint customer service forums, BuzzAboutWireless.com, the comapny writes:
“Sprint is pleased to inform you we have approved final software for upgrade 4.5 on BlackBerry Pearl 8130 and BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphones. Although we are getting this to you later than hoped, we are confident our extra testing and evaluation will deliver a better experience.
Upgrade 4.5 software should be available at www.sprint.com/downloads later this week. When you arrive at the Web site, please select the BlackBerry device you use (Pearl or Curve), and our Web site will outline all the new and enhanced features with software version 4.5, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to update your smartphone. As mentioned previously, among other great features offered by the BlackBerry software 4.5, you will also now have MMS functionality with your BlackBerry.
If you have loaded 4.5 software directly from the RIM Web site, we recommend you re-register your smartphone (go to Options>Advanced Options>Host Routing Table>select the menu key and choose “register now” )to ensure all software has loaded properly.
Software versions of 4.5 for 8830 and 8703e BlackBerry models will be available very soon. We will update you as they become available.”
I just checked the Sprint software downloads page for the BlackBerry Curve 8330 and it still has the link to OS 4.3, however, a Sprint representative on the BuzzAboutWireless forums has indicated that the OS 4.5 software download link will be made available soon.
“I just finished speaking with the team responsible for posting the update on sprint.com/downloads and they assured me that it would be done later today or tomorrow.”
This is great news for people who are addicted to their BlackBerry and who have been waiting to turn their email device into a real work horse by adding DataViz’ Documents To Go to their device. I was surprised to learn that by switching to a BlackBerry as my everyday device that I would no long be able to have the rich document editing capabilities that I had grown used to with Documents To Go on my Palm Treo 755p.
Check the Sprint downloads page to get the update as soon as it is posted. You can discuss the update on BuzzAboutWireless.
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BGR: Sprint Smartphone Line Up Leaked
BoyGeniusReport.com has gotten then hands on some upcoming handset changes coming to Sprint over the next few months. Take the list with a grain of salt, as I agree with Mr. Epstein that it will likely be “later” than “sooner” for the Palm Pre to launch, especially if Sprint is sitting on a large inventory of blue Treo 755p handsets.
Device Name – Projected Warehouse EOL – Replacement (if available)
Palm 755P (blue) – Late May – Palm Pre (target in-stock 3/15)
Palm Centro (berry) – June
Palm Centro (green) – July
Palm Centro refresh (black) – July
Palm 800W – April – Palm Treo Pro (target in-stock 2/15)
RIM BlackBerry 7100i – August – RIM BlackBerry 8350i
RIM BlackBerry Pearl (red) – May
HTC Touch Diamond – July
LG Rumor (blue) – Mid February – LG 265 Rumor II (target in-stock 2/15)
LG Rumor (green) – Mid March – LG 265 Rumor II (target in-stock 2/15)
LG Rumor (black) – Mid April – LG 265 Rumor II (target in-stock 2/15)
Samsung M520 Lumina – Mid April – LG LX370 (slider)
Sanyo 6750 Eclipse (pink) – June
Motorola Q9C – Mid June
Sierra 597E – July – Sierra 2-in-1 Aircard
Motorola VE20 – July[Via BoyGeniusReport.com…]
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Palm Centro Comes to Bell Mobility
Today, Palm launched the Centro in Canada on the Bell Mobility EVDO network and is available in the same midnight blue color that was previously released in Mexico and here in the United States on Verizon Wireless.“Centro is the best example of a user-friendly smartphone that’s both fun and easy to use,” said Brodie Keast, senior vice president of marketing for Palm, Inc. “Centro’s sleek and lightweight design makes it perfect for first-time smartphone users who want voice, text, email, web, contact and calendar capabilities all wrapped into one compact device.”
“Bell Mobility is pleased to add the Palm Centro to our industry-leading lineup of smartphones, all of them with access to the fastest and largest network across North America,” said Adel Bazerghi, Bell Mobility’s senior vice president of Products. “Clients who choose the affordable Palm Centro will love the instant access to great mobile applications like Facebook for Palm and Google Maps.”
The Bell Mobility edition Centro will sell for $49.95 (Canadian Dollars) with a 3-year service agreement. Bell customers can purchase a Centro for $399 without a service agreement.
For more details, visit the Bell Mobility website.
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Changes to Palm’s Board of Directors
Palm is reporting, by way of a SEC Form 8-K filing, that Donna Dubinsky has left her post on Palm’s Board of Directors. Ms. Dubinsky has been replaced by Rajiv Dutta, who was designated by private investment firm, Elevation Partners.“Under the Agreement, Elevation has the right to designate an additional director for election to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”).
On January 26, 2009, and in light of the Board’s desire to maintain its current size, Donna Dubinsky offered to resign from the Board immediately in advance of the election to the Board of a director designated by Elevation. Ms. Dubinsky’s offer to resign as a director was not the result of any disagreement with the Company.
On January 30, 2009, Elevation designated Rajiv Dutta for election to the Board. Mr. Dutta retired as the President of eBay Marketplaces and Executive Vice President of eBay Inc. in October 2008 and as a member of eBay’s board of directors in July 2008. The Board is expected to meet shortly to consider Ms. Dubinsky’s offer to resign from the Board and Mr. Dutta’s election to the Board.”
The full Form 8-K report can be found on Palm’s Investor Relations website.
In addition to working at eBay, Mr. Dutta has also recently worked at PayPal (June 2006 – January 2008) and at desktop VOIP pioneer Skype (October 2005 – June 2006) according to an executive profile on Forbes.com.
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The President Gets to Keep His Berry
In the grand scheme of things, there are more important things going on both here in the United States and abroad, but being a technologist, I’m excited that our new President, Barack Obama, will get to keep his beloved BlackBerry. Cool!
I like the article that appeared on BlackBerryCool.com:
“Want Obama wants, Obama gets. Scoring the first major victory of his nascent term, the White House announced today that President Barack Obama will indeed keep his BlackBerry (eat it, Sectera Edge). President Obama will use the BlackBerry to keep in touch with “senior staff and a small group of personal friends.” As we’ve mentioned previously, Obama’s decision will have significant effects on the transparency of his communications.
Gibbs said the presumption from the White House counsel’s office is that e-mails will be subject to the Presidential Records Act, the law that requires the National Archives to preserve presidential records. But he also said that some exemptions in the law allow for “strictly personal communications.” He did not say how that classification would be determined but made clear that the device could be used for both business and personal communication.
How did Obama get the deal done? By turning the NSA loose on his BlackBerry:
On Monday, a government agency said that the Obama administration — but that is probably the National Security Agency — added to a standard BlackBerry a super-encryption package…. and Obama WILL be able to use it … still for routine and personal messages.”
Rock on, Mr. President!
