• centro

    Rumor: New Centro Details – Updated

    September 9, 2007 /

    (Updated 9/9/07 @ 4:15pm)

    Palm InfoCenter has some new rumored details about the upcoming device rumored to be launching on October 14th on the Sprint network.

    Kris Keilhack writes:

    “Based on the preliminary specifications, strong software bundle, and rumored $99 price point, the Centro appears to be a far better value proposition than its pricier 755p sister device in the Sprint lineup. Even if the Centro lacks Documents To Go, PTunes Deluxe is a superb choice to be bundled the device, especially if Palm is targeting the media-savvy youth market with this release. Previously leaked photos have confirmed that the Centro uses the updated Phone app first seen on the Treo 680 and not included on the Treo 755p. Earlier reports also indicated that the Centro will have EVDO Rev. A but this has not yet been confirmed at this time.”

    If this is true, I’m glad to see Palm including a full version of Pocket Tunes (pTunes) Deluxe with this new device. It is something that I have been advocating for a while now. All indications are that the Centro is intended to be a consumer device and not one targeted for business customers. In this context, I support the move to remove Documents To Go from the preinstalled applications list. I do wonder if the Documents To Go Viewer application will be loaded on the device. The Documents To Go Viewer application was a special read-only viewer that appeared on the Treo 600 to allow customers to view Word and Excel attachments from inside VersaMail.

    Read the full PIC article…

    Update:

    The website PhoneNews.com appears to be corroborating the information from the Palm InfoCenter article.

    More details via PhoneNews.com    …

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  • centro,  foleo

    The Inquirer Talks about Foleo

    September 8, 2007 /

    The Inquirer has a new article posted that talks about the Centro and the “not-Centro-smartphone” coming to Europe next week, and the fate of the Foleo Mobile Companion.

    The Inquirer writes:

    “The new product is not, contrary to much chatter on the web, the Centro, of which little is known other than what can be gleaned from the usual murky shots snapped by PDA-obsessed sites. Instead it’s a Treo that will be launched with partners Vodafone and Microsoft at a London press conference next Wednesday.

    Unless the new Treo is something very special, however, it won’t stop the chatter on Palm-stalking blogs and websites where some of the big questions being asked include:

    Will there be availability of product on auction and other sites?

    Did the mewling of fanbois kill a good product?

    and,

    Could the Foleo rise phoenix-like from the ashes?”

    Oh ya and Foleo Fanatics was mentioned in the article too.

    Read New Treo loom as Foleo lives on in blogosphere…

    [Thanks to the tipster who sent this in.]

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  • foleo

    Thank you

    September 5, 2007 /

    Yesterday’s news that Palm has canceled the Foleo was, to say the least, a little bit surprising. As you know, the Foleo was very close to being completed and released.

    I was reviewing the traffic logs for Foleo Fanatics this morning and discovered that September 4th was the single busiest day for the site. Thank you for your continued support. As I stated yesterday, I will continue to cover the news and provide analysis on the Palm community.

    I would also like to thank all of the folks who emailed me and left comments here on Foleo Fanatics. I know many of us were looking forward to being able to use a Foleo, either as a companion to the Treo or as a stand alone computer, in the coming weeks.

    For Palm, their immediate priorities should be to complete the work on “Palm OS II”, complete the work on the first smart device (be it a Treo or Centro) that will run that operating system, test it, and deliver a stable product platform for their customers. As I stated in last week’s 1SRC.com Editorial, Mobile Linux – The Key to Device Interoperability, it is important for Palm to have synergies between devices. The decision by Palm to move resources off the Foleo I project and on to a new Linux OS and smartphones is a signal that Palm understands their the current marketplace and is now executing a plan to realign their business with the market.

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  • foleo

    Palm Cancels the Foleo

    September 4, 2007 /

    In a Palm company blog post earlier today, CEO Ed Colligan announced to Palm’s customers, partners, and developers that the Foleo mobile companion project was being canceled. Mr. Colligan writes:

    “As many of you are aware, we are in the process of building our next generation software platform. We are very excited about how this is coming together. It has a modern flexible UI, instant performance, and an incredibly simple and elegant development environment. We are working hard on this platform and on the first smartphone that will take advantage of it.

    In the course of the past several months, it has become clear that the right path for Palm is to offer a single, consistent user experience around this new platform design and a single focus for our platform development efforts. To that end, and after careful deliberation, I have decided to cancel the Foleo mobile companion product in its current configuration and focus all of our energies on delivering out next generation platform and the first smartphones that will bring this platform to market. We will, of course, continue to develop products in partnership with Microsoft on the Windows Mobile platform, but from our internal platform development perspective, we will focus on only one.”

    While this decision is hard to accept, especially here at Foleo Fanatics, I can understand Palm’s decision to move forward and put all of the company’s available resources into developing “Palm OS II” and the new smartphone hardware that it will run on.

    Later this week, I plan on addressing this issue in my weekly 1SRC.com podcast. I will post more details as they become available.

    Foleo Fanatics – Moving Forward

    Foleo Fanatics was launched earlier this year to cover the Foleo Mobile Companion product and the smart devices that would have worked with it. Since the introduction of the Foleo this past May, Foleo Fanatics has enjoyed a fair amount of traffic from Palm enthusiasts around the world. Because of the community we have built around this site, I intend to continue to bring you the news and analysis from the Palm community, including the upcoming Centro smart device, “Palm OS II”, and Palm’s future developments around future plans for the “Foleo II” project.

    I would like to thank all of my readers who have been visiting Foleo Fanatics over the last few months and look forward to continuing to provide you with your Palm community news.

    Alan Grassia
    Editor, Foleo Fanatics

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  • treo,  windows mobile

    Windows Mobile 6 Update for Treo 750v

    August 30, 2007 /

    Palm has released a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade, officially named Treo 750/750v Updater 2.18, for European-based Vodafone Treo 750v smartphones. This English-only update is available for immediate download if you own a Vodafone UK, Netherlands, or Ireland Treo 750v. According the the Palm website, a generic non branded update for the Treo 750 is “coming soon.”

    What the Update Does

    This update installs Windows Mobile 6 Professional on the Treo 750 and installs an update to address loss of system sounds. According to the Palm website, it also includes the following enhancements:

    • Improved Calendar management with enhanced User Interface
    • Enhanced E-mail messaging, HTML/Smart Filtering, SharePoint access and more
    • Voice command via Bluetooth
    • USB cable charging

    Important Safety Considerations

    Before you apply this update, there are some important things you need to know before you start. Ensure that you read and understand the following:

    • You can only download this update once. As soon as you download it to your computer, strongly consider burning the download to CD or making a backup copy or two. (You will be prompted to enter your device’s serial number to begin the download.)
    • There is no way to revert back to Windows Mobile 5.
    • If you are using the BlackBerry Connect (BBC) software on your Windows Mobile 5 Treo 750v, DO NOT install this update. Palm’s implementation of Windows Mobile 6 does not support BlackBerry Connect.
    • This upgrade is only being made available to customers until October 31, 2008.

    System Requirements

    To install this update, you will need to be running Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, or Windows Vista. You will also need Microsoft ActiveSync 4.5 if you are not running Windows Vista. Vista customers will use Windows Mobile Device Manager to synchronize their Treo with the computer.

    More Information and Downloads

    You can read the full documentation for this update and access the download links from the Palm website.

    What About US Treo 750 Customers?

    Brighthand is reporting that Treo 750 customers who use AT&T will have to wait until September for the update to become available. No further details were made available.

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  • foleo

    Companion or Stand Alone Product

    August 29, 2007 /

    Ever since Palm announced the Foleo back in May they have been fighting an uphill battle to try and convince people that the Foleo is not a sub-notebook or Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC).

    So while I’m waiting for my chance to buy my Foleo, I have to wonder if Palm should just go with the flow as it where and market the Foleo for what is is being perceived as: a light weight Linux notebook.

    Palm wouldn’t have to take anything away from the Foleo being a great companion product for the company’s smartphones. What they would be gaining, after some shoring up in the software department, is a new market of customers who would use the Foleo as a mobile computer.

    What do you think? Click the Comments link below and let us know.

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