• centro

    Preliminary Reports, Centro Selling Well

    October 24, 2007 /

    Even though we are still months away from Palm’s next quarterly earnings statement, early indicators are that sell through of Palm’s latest Centro smartphone is good.

    James Faucette, an analyst for Pacific Crest, recently wrote, “Our retail sell-through checks for the first weeks of availability indicate solid sell-through. We also believe that Centro cannibalization of the higher-ASP Treo is around 30%, versus our previous expectation of 50%.”

    Unofficial reports are also coming in from conversations with retail sales associates from Sprint stores. To summarize one poster on the Yahoo! Finance discussion board Centro sell through is higher than expected and that Centro is popular with high school and college students.

    Both of these reports bode well for Palm. I’ll be looking forward to seeing official sell through numbers at the end of the current quarter.

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  • Uncategorized

    FileMaker Mobile Discontinued

    October 23, 2007 /

    I received an email from FileMaker, Inc today notifying me that FileMaker Mobile will be discontinued at the end of the 2007 calendar year. FileMaker has sited “technical innovations” of “Internet-enabled devices” such as the Apple iPhone that ship with sophisticated web browsers as being the main reason for Mobile being discontinued. The statement sent out by FileMaker, Inc reads:

    “Why is FileMaker, Inc. discontinuing the sales and development of FileMaker Mobile 8?

    Technological innovations and the availability of Internet-enabled devices are rapidly changing mobile computing. Apple has introduced the iPhone and FileMaker, Inc. has invested in several technologies to enable customers to publish live data to the Web, most recently PHP. For more information on FileMaker PHP technology, visit: http://www.filemaker.com/support/technologies/php.html

    For offline use, a number of 3rd party solutions have emerged that help people move data back and forth between FileMaker Pro and mobile devices.

    December 19, 2007 will be the last day to place an order for FileMaker Mobile 8.”

    FileMaker has been working hard to move their application platform to the web, and FileMaker Pro 9 and FileMaker Server 9 make putting FileMaker applications on the web even easier. So I’m not really surprised by this move. Further more, I’ve never been a big power user of FileMaker Mobile because I never really got the sense that FileMaker was really supporting the product from the beginning. For example, you couldn’t store a FileMaker Mobile database on a SD card, and it wasn’t until very late in the product cycle were you able to sync to a database that was being hosted on a FileMaker server.

    FileMaker, Inc will stop selling FileMaker Mobile 8 at the close of business on December 19, 2007. Technical support for FileMaker Mobile 7 and 8 will continue on until June 18, 2008.

    Additional information on alternative solutions and FileMaker Mobile can be found at: http://www.filemaker.com/support/fmm_eol.html

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  • 1src,  centro

    Centro: For the Rest of Us

    October 19, 2007 /

    I have posted week’s 1SRC editorial has been posted and talks about some of the advantages that the new Palm Centro has over Apple’s much talked about iPhone.

    “The Centro can’t stand up to the Apple iPhone. And it doesn’t have to.

    Focus on the Differentiation

    The iPhone and the Centro are both being marketed to people who use regular old cell phones. In the United States alone there are millions of people up for grabs. Centro is intended for people who wouldn’t otherwise consider purchasing a $500+ phone from Palm, Apple, or High Tech Computing (HTC).

    The Centro offers a better user experience when trying to type out a text message or short email to your friends. There is also a large selection of software to choose from. (Apple is planning on releasing the tools to create native iPhone/iPod Touch applications early next year.) Regardless of what you want to do or what interests you, there is likely an application for you that will run on the Centro. When you compare the ease of use of the Centro to feature flip phones you see that it is possible to obtain a better mobile experience for a comparable price for all but the cheapest cell phones given away free with new service agreements.

    You also can’t over look the ease of use of the Palm OS platform. Despite its age, Palm OS 5 is still a very capable operating system. At the heart of the Palm platform are the core 4 personal information management (PIM) applications: Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, and Memos. These applications are straightforward and easy to use. It is this ease of use and straight forward approach to PIM tools that has kept me coming back Palm every time I thing about upgrading my phone.

    Messaging Matters

    If you accept that the Centro is intended for 20 and 30-somethings, then you also must agree that it offers a better messaging experience over feature phones. Cento comes bundled with an IM, test messaging, and, email applications. Using Centro’s built-in keyboard improves up on the process of typing out messages to friends and coworkers.

    The Centro is also cost competitive with the iPhone. After carrier discounts and mail in rebates the Centro can be purchased for the low price of $99. The Centro ends up being $300 less expensive than the iPhone and has almost all of the same features. Centro is also cheaper than the consumer oriented BlackBerry Pearl and the T-Mobile Sidekick. Furthermore, Sprint’s voice and data plans are slightly cheaper than AT&T’s. If you are on a budget, the Centro just makes sense.

    In Conclusion

    The new Palm Centro is an effort by Palm to reach out to customers who would otherwise not consider buying a smartphone. When talking about sales figures it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing sort of thing. There are more than enough cell phone users for both Apple and Palm to market to. In recent years Palm has lost their leadership position in the smartphone market. The Centro is a good start in working back to that coveted spot. If Palm is serious about getting back on top of the smartphone heap, than future phones will need to be more innovative, look good, work well, and have the marketing muscle behind it to really generate some buzz in the industry. If you are in the market for a new phone and want to have the empowering features of a smartphone without the bloated price tag, the Centro is the device for you.”

    Via 1SRC.com…

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  • centro

    ComputerWorld Reviews the Centro

    October 16, 2007 /

    ComputerWorld has published a review of Palm’s new Centro smartphone.

    “Go back five years when Palm handhelds ruled the mobile device market, before smart phones began their ascendancy. It’s easy to imagine that Palm’s new Centro — the company’s first smart phone not named Treo — is the device Palm envisioned as the future of handhelds.

    That’s not damning by faint praise, either. Centro is far smaller than those old handhelds. For that matter, it’s significantly sleeker than Palm’s Treo, yet it provides most of the Treo’s capabilities and, at $99 (with a two-year contract from Sprint plus rebates) is quite inexpensive.”

    Keep reading…

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  • centro

    Palm Centro Goes On Sale Today

    October 14, 2007 /

    Palm’s latest smartphone, the Centro, goes on sale starting today.

    Centro is a new consumer oriented smartphone that packs all the power of Palm’s Treo 755p smartphone in a smaller footprint. Centro runs the Palm OS (version 5.4.9), has 64MB of user storage space for applications and data, includes a 2.2″ color touchscreen, and a microSD card slot supporting up to a 4GB expansion card. The Centro also features a 1150mAh replaceable lithium-ion battery.

    Centro goes on sale for $99 when purchased with a new two-year service agreement and the $25 Sprint Power Vision pack and after a $50 mail in rebate. If you extend you existing service agreement with Sprint, you can take home the Centro for $199. Or you can buy the Centro without a service agreement or extending your contract for $399.

    The Centro is a Sprint exclusive for the next 90-days. Once the Sprint exclusive is over expect the Centro to start appearing on other wireless carrier’s networks.

    The Palm Centro can be purchased at Sprint or Palm retail outlets or online at www.palm.com/store.

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  • astraware

    Astraware Boardgames Released

    October 9, 2007 /

    Astraware has a new boardgames game back available. I know that my kids are going to love the fact that I’m going to be able to carry a copy of Tic Tac Toe with me when we are waiting at the doctor’s office, the diner, or at a restaurant.

    The best part about this, for a limited time, you can pick up Astraware Boardgames for $9.95.

    Astraware Boardgames – 8 classic boardgames in one fun pack!

    KEELE, UK – October 9th 2007 – Astraware(R) is excited to announce the release of Astraware Boardgames – a collection of 8 classic boardgames including Chess, Backgammon, Reversi and more!

    Astraware Boardgames includes 8 games, each with user-customizable rules and a range of difficulty levels, but designed with casual players and non-experts in mind. If you’re a new player or an old hand who enjoys a fun traditional board game, then Astraware Boardgames is just for you.

    “We wanted to come up with a range of fun games that everyone knows, and everyone can enjoy playing,” said Howard Tomlinson, Astraware’s CEO. “I love being able to pick up any of the boardgames, know that I stand a chance of winning, and have fun playing. Sorry, Mr. Kasparov, Astraware Boardgames is for regular folks only!”

    Astraware Boardgames offers 3 levels of gameplay that everyone can enjoy, even complete beginners, If you’re new to board games, you can play a nice easy game to begin with and when you’re winning those regularly, select a harder difficulty.

    The game features plenty of options so that you can choose to play it your way – against the computer, or alongside other players, and with your choice of rules, so whether you like huffing in checkers, flying in nine men’s morris, want more ladders or less snakes, Astraware Boardgames lets you play it your way!

    The gameplay and graphics are designed to evoke the feel of classic board games, played on wooden boards, with traditional playing pieces and satisfying piece movement. Astraware Boardgames includes Chess, Backgammon, Ludo, Checkers, Reversi, Nine Men’s Morris, Snakes and Ladders, and Tic Tac Toe.

    Astraware Boardgames is packed with standard Astraware features, such as user profiles, appropriate sound effects throughout, and automatic saving when you exit or receive a phone call. Available now for PDAs and smartphones running Palm OS(R) 5.0 and Windows Mobile(R) 2003, 2003SE, 5.0 and 6.0, it includes support for all resolutions. The game offers a choice of control methods and is optimized for play with 5-way navigation across all devices, but also works perfectly with a stylus if you have one!

    Astraware Boardgames is available now priced $19.95, but with an introductory discount for a limited time. To try or to buy, visit the Astraware website: http://www.astraware.com/boardgames.

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  • astraware

    Astraware announces their BIG Fall sale

    October 3, 2007 /

    For a limited time you can get 25% off on over 90 titles from Astraware for the Palm OS and Windows Mobile platforms. I’ve been playing games from Astraware for a long time and this is a perfect time to pick up some of their games like Bejeweled, My Little Tank, and Solitaire at a reduced price. Astraware’s press release appears below.

    KEELE, UK – October 3rd, 2007 – Astraware is pleased to announce The Astraware BIG Fall Sale which offers 25% off a huge selection of games on their website.

    The Astraware BIG Fall Sale runs from 3rd – 18th October 2007 and offers a fantastic 25% discount off over 90 games and packs! Brain-teasing word games and puzzles, epic adventures, exciting action games, and compelling card games are all included, so there really is something for everyone.

    As well as enjoying these special low prices, Club Astraware members can also earn points on any games they buy in the sale – 1 point for every cent they spend!

    To take advantage of this massive offer visit the Astraware website at http://www.astraware.com.

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  • nypc palmpilot

    NYPC PalmPilot SIG Meeting This Wednesday

    October 2, 2007 /

    NYPC PalmPilot SIG meetings are held the 1st Wednesday of the month and start at 6:30 PM. All user levels are welcome.

    NYPC membership is not mandatory, but highly recommended to Palm SIG members.

    Location: Meetings are held at NYPC’s offices in the New Yorker/Ramada Hotel, 8th Avenue & 34th Street, Suite 551.

    Directions: Take the A, E, or C trains to 34th Street.
    (Map: http://tinyurl.com/yavrxj)

    October 3rd meeting: Ted just got a Bluetooth GPS receiver (it’s amazing how inexpensive they are now). It works on the streets of Manhattan!!

    Come to the meeting this Wednesday, Oct 3, and explore mapping, navigation and other fun GPS stuff on your Palm. Many of the programs are freeware.

    See you on Wednesday!

    Best,
    Ted and Grace

    ===================
    NYPC PalmPilot SIG
    Grace Lee & Ted Cohn, Co-Chairs
    email: nypcpalmpilot@gmail.com
    URL: http://nypc.org/palm.php

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  • Uncategorized

    Palm Q1FY08 Results Wrap Up

    October 2, 2007 /

    Palm released the full financial details today for the quarter that just ended for the company.

    By now I’m sure that you have read that when all is said and done, Palm has lost money this past quarter, something that the company hasn’t done in over two years. It also seem that the current quarter will be about the same. I want to leave the financial analysis to those folks who have a better understanding of how it all works. Brighthand‘s Ed Hardy has written a good summary of today’s financial earnings statement. I would like to spend the next few minutes talking about Palm and where they are going.

    Elevation Partners

    Palm is moving forward with their recapitalization plan which will bring three members of the Elevation team to the Board of Directors at Palm. The arrival of Jon Rubinstein at Palm is generating a lot of buzz. Mr. Rubinstein is a former Apple, Inc. executive who was in charge of the iPod division. Analysts, investors, and customers alike are hoping that he will be able to bring some of that Apple magic to Palm and help then bring new products to market in a timely manner. According to Palm, the deal with Elevation Partners is expected to wrap up by the end of this month (October 2007).

    Solutions Choices

    With the introduction of the Treo 500v and Centro smartphones, Palm is indicating that they hare better positioned to meet the needs of customers at price points that make sense. The Palm smartphone line up is now positioned with the Treo 750 and 700wx at the high-end for enterprise customers. The Treo 500v, 680, and 755p hold the middle ground for the “prosumer;” while the new Palm Centro rounds out the consumer level category. With the Centro, Palm is clearly looking to grow their marketshare by drawing in new customer whom would have otherwise purchased a standard feature phone that is $99 or less with a new subscription.

    Still to Come

    Palm’s senior executives are still tight lipped about the company’s future plans, but it seems that they are committed to moving forward with their plans to release a new version of the Palm OS based on a Linux core. While Palm has yet to name this new software development effort, many, including myself, have taken to calling this new operating system, “Palm OS II.”

    As far as the timing goes, Palm will only state that Palm devices running the new Linux operating system will be made available to customers by the end of the calendar year 2008. I would like to see Palm offering Palm OS II-based Treo smartphones by May of 2008.

    And what about the Foleo? While it would seem that Palm is trying to divert attention away from the Foleo, there is a still a dedicated following who would like to see Palm deliver on the promise of the Foleo. Palm OS II is the key to finally bring the Foleo to market as any new Foleo product will likely run Palm OS II in place of the operating system that was to be included in the recently canceled device. If Palm OS II devices arrive at the end of 2008, then I would expect we won’t see a new Foleo product until mid-2009.

    Related Articles:

    Brighthand: Palm Takes a Loss for the Quarter…
    Palm InfoCenter: Palm Reports Q1 FY08 Results…
    TreoCentral: Palm Reports Q1 FY08 Results…

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