• blackberry,  rumors

    Rumor: BlackBerry Compatible Palm Products?

    January 5, 2009 /

    I was just reading an article on the New York Post’s website titled, “A Peek At This Year’s Hottest New ‘Toys'” and they mention Palm. Author Damon Brown writes:

    “And there is so much more: portable digital TVs, wireless headphones, new BlackBerry-compatible products from Palm, more iPod accessories and even a waterproof TV.”

    I’m not sure what “BlackBerry compatible products” means, except maybe a new version of the BlackBerry Connect software that was used to connect some older Palm OS Treo smartphones to a corporate BlackBerry Enterprise server. We’ll have to wait and see what becomes of this. Personally, I’m not sold on this one, so I’ll file it under “rumors” for now.

    [Thanks to James for the tip.]

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  • editorial

    Palm CES Predictions

    January 4, 2009 /

    With Palm’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) invitation-only press event less than a week away, I figured it was time to make some predictions about what the Centro maker might unveil.

    Palm OS “Nova”

    I fully expect Palm CEO Ed Colligan to unveil their next generation mobile operating system, codename “Nova.” Company officials have stated that the next generation products will be “game changing” and now it is time to see if the proof is in the pudding. The road from Palm OS 5 to what we’ve called “Palm OS II” for so many years is finally coming to an end.

    Nova will have, thanks to its Linux origins, the modern foundation upon which new applications can be built. Nova will have the ability to run multiple applications at once, address more memory than previous Palm OS devices, and will be able to support and use multiple radio technologies including: Bluetooth and A2DP, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, GPS, and the HSDPA and EVDO cellular radio standards. The real question is whether or not Nova will include support for the fledgling WiMAX network being rolled out by Sprint and Clearwire. I also expect that Nova will be able to support more screen resolutions than the standard Palm OS 160×160 and 320×320 formats. Additionally, I expect that Nova will also be able to run legacy Palm OS 3/4/5 applications in their own memory space to preserve customer’s software investments.

    The technical specifications for Nova, by themselves, won’t be able to carry Palm back to a mobile computing leadership position. For Palm to be successful, Nova has to mesh with the next generation of hardware that Palm will be releasing in 2009. I don’t believe that Palm will introduce any new smartphones this week. Rather, I expect Palm will focus almost exclusively on the software. We’ll learn about Nova’s new user interface, it’s multitasking capabilities, and the core applications that will ship pre-installed on new devices. I expect Palm to show off their revamped PIM applications, web browser and email client. An intuitive interface with Palm’s easy to use applications will help drive adoption of their new platform.

    I also expect that Palm will release a preview software development kit (SDK) and software simulator to professional and hobbyist developers so they can begin to develop new software for Nova and update existing software so that it can run natively under Nova.

    Information Synchronization

    Keeping with the software theme, I expect Palm to announce the replacements for Palm Desktop and the HotSync Manager. As I have stated in past 1SRC editorials and podcasts, I believe that USB drivers for data synchronization will be replaced by an Internet cloud solution. Your data will live on your computer and your Palm device and the data will be synchronized through the Internet. The seamless integration between desktop, mobile device, and Palm’s data center should reduce the complaints about not having 64-bit Windows Vista drivers, Transport monitor errors on the Mac, and other common problems that people have when trying to synchronize their phones.

    Launch Partners

    Lastly, I expect that Palm will have some of their Nova device launch partners on hand to talk about what third-party software will be ready to go live when Nova devices start shipping.

    At the end of the day, it will be of utmost importance that Palm not only deliver on the promise of People, Design, and Platform, but to deliver on an entire Palm ecosystem. Software a lone is not enough to lift Palm out of their current rut. Palm needs to demonstrate that they have innovative software that differentiates them from everyone else. Palm also needs to have sleek and functional hardware choices that appeal to consumers and “prosumers” as well as corporate customers. And, finally, Palm needs to ensure that they have a strong developer community to help write applications for Nova. This includes a robust development environment, useful documentation, and a certification and support network to help ensure that applications run smoothly on the new operating system.

    There will be a lot of people hanging on every word that is said at Palm’s CES press event this year. The media, investment analysts, and the Palm user community will be looking to Palm to produce the next big thing and prove that the company that brought us the Palm Pilot and Treo can still be a leader in the mobile computing space.

    What do you think Palm will be showing the world on January 8th? Let us know by clicking the Comments link below.

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  • ces

    CES on the Web

    January 1, 2009 /

    The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off in Las Vegas in just 7 days (Jan 8-11, 2009). If you can’t make this year’s show, you can still get the inside scoop on all the electronics goodness when you surf to CES on the web.

    I’m really looking forward to this year’s show as Palm is expected to give us our first glimpse at Palm’s next generation operating system, Nova.

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  • blackberry

    Living with My BlackBerry Curve: The Hardware

    December 30, 2008 /


    It has been a little more than a week since I swapped my trusty Palm Treo 755p for a BlackBerry Curve 8330, both for the Sprint EVDO wireless network and it has been an interesting experience so far.

    I’d like to start off by talking about some of the hardware differences between my BlackBerry and Treo.

    The Curve is about a third thinner than my Treo. Eyeballing them both on my desk, the Curve and the Treo are the same width and height, although the Curve is a tiny bit shorter. As far as weight is concerned, the Curve is also a lighter when I’m holding both in my hands, but that so much that I notice a difference when carrying the BlackBerry in a belt case.

    I miss the Treo’s ringer switch with the BlackBerry. And I like the Treo’s keyboard better. The keyboard on the Curve is usable and I am getting along with it OK, however, the Treo keyboard just felt better and more sturdy. The trackball on the BlackBerry is easy to get use to. I like it as much as the 5-way navigator on the Treo because it allows you to hold the device in either hand and use it. That wasn’t the case with older BlackBerry devices that only had a scroll wheel on the right side fo the device.

    Probably the biggest thing that I miss on the BlackBerry that I used all the time on my Treo is the touch screen. It was really easy to just reach up with a thumb or pointer finger and tap an object on the screen.

    Some other welcomed changes wtih the BlackBerry include a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, built-in (assisted) GPS, a mini USB port for charging and data synchronization (which is now the standard on new Palm devices), and a 2.0MP digital camera with a flash. Palm’s Treo 755p ships with a 320×320 display. The Curve has a 320×240 display. The difference in display resolution has turned out to not be as big of a deal as I expected it would. I have found both displays easy to read. That said, the BlackBerry has an auto adjusting screen brightness feature where the screen brigthness goes up in well lit rooms making it even easy to ready in a well lit room in the office or at home.

    Voice call quality is good on the BlackBerry and I was able to pair my Bluetooth headset with it. The speaker phone option is loud which is good when your home with the kids, however, my not be so good if you are in your office. You will need to adjust the call volume to meet your needs and environment.

    All in all, the BlackBerry Curve offers the same hardware features that I like about my Treo. I prefer a full Qwerty keyboard over on screen keyboards like the one found on the Apple iPhone and the multi-function keypad on devices like the BlackBerry Perl. The track ball is as easy to use as the nav pad on the Treo. Both devices fit nicely in my hands, however, I do miss the soft touch paint that Palm has ben using on the Treo 750, 755p, and the newest Sprint Centro smartphones.

    For more information about the BlackBerry Curve 8300 series devices, check out Research In Motion’s BlackBerry website.

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  • Uncategorized

    Opera Front End 1.1

    December 29, 2008 /

    If you like to use Opera’s Mini Java browser on your Palm OS smartphone (or PDA) Opera Front End 1.1 looks like the app for you.

    “Opera Mini is the outstanding mobile browser from Opera which also works on Palm OS devices. Unfortunately, it doesn’t behave like a default browser, URL’s can’t be transfered from other apps and access to special characters is limited.

    OperaFrontEnd is made to change all this: Opera Mini is now your default browser, URL’s are enqueued into Opera Mini and the access to the build-in keyboard makes it possible to enter every single character your Palm can display.

    OperaFrontEnd v1.1 even allows you to fall back to good-old Blazer whenever you need it for downloads or compatibility issues.”

    Opera Front End is on sale for $2.95 at MobiHand until December 31, 2008. For more details, visit the MetaViewSoft blog.

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  • blackberry,  rumors

    Where Have I Seen This Idea Before?

    December 26, 2008 /

    BoyGeniusReport.com has a picture of a Research In Motion BlackBerry keyboard patent that shows a drawing of a BlackBerry Pearl-like device with a fold out keyboard.

    Interesting that this photo surfaced. Didn’t we see an “unidentified” smartphone that transforms to allow you to use a hidden keyboard? I wonder if these transforming phones are all the rage in smartphone OEM developer circles?

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