New Year's Resolutions

I've posted this week's 1SRC editorial, New Year's Resolutions.

"With all eyes on Palm Executive Chairman Jon Rubinstein and his senior management team in 2008, here are some New Year’s resolutions the company might take under consideration.


Closing the Books on 2007

2007 was a tough year for Palm. Earnings were down for two consecutive quarters. The Treo 755p failed to meet the target delivery date for the crucial holiday shopping season for carrier partner Verizon Wireless. The Foleo mobile companion was cancelled just weeks before it was due to begin shipping. No new handheld PDAs were shipped. And Palm CEO Ed Colligan suggested that the new Linux-based operating system, “Palm OS II” as I call it, would not appear on devices until 2009.

There have been a few successes for Palm. The new Centro smartphone has been a hit. Currently available only from Sprint and in black onyx and ruby red, there are rumors of the imminent release of a new pink Centro on Sprint and the launch of a white GSM Centro on AT&T Wireless. And Palm sold about 27% of the company to private equity firm Elevation Partners.


Looking Ahead to 2008

This New Year, Palm should consider the following resolutions:

1. Drive “Palm OS II” to completion

The single largest liability for Palm right now is the age of its Palm OS 5 operating system. The current code base that powers the Treo 680, 755p, and Centro was never really intended to power smartphones. The new Linux operating system needs to be completed this year and certified by Palm’s major wireless carrier partners.

Some of the features that customers will be looking for in Palm OS II include:
• a true multitasking operating system (voice and data at the same time)
• an updated modular user interface that still preserves Palm’s ease of use
• robust file management tools that will interact with other Palm devices
• robust web browser and email client
• support for multiple active wireless radios (cellular, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi)"

Keep reading...

Merry Chirstmas from GrassNet

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings from your friends at Foleo Fanatics!

Treo 750 Update 2.25 Recovery Tool

I don't know how many people have seen this or not, so I wanted to mention it here. I'm a Palm OS user, and I carry a Treo 700p. That said, I try to keep up on what is going on over on the Windows Mobile side of the Palm house.

While researching the Treo 750 Updater 2.25 (the one that adds Windows Mobile 6.0) for a customer over on the Palm Community Help Forums, where I'm a moderator, I ran across the directions for using the Updater 2.25 Recover Tool.

I'm actually excited to see that Palm has packaged this tool into the upgrade kit. While I don't have a Windows Mobile device to test this on, the tool appears to give customers a second chance to recover from a Treo that was "bricked" by a failed upgrade.

AT&T and Cingular Wireless customers can download the 2.25 Updater here. The directions for using the recovery tool can be found here.

Astraware Casino Review

Astraware’s latest game, Casino, brings all the fun an excitement of a trip to the casino without the risk of losing your shirt.

Last week saw the release of yet another high-quality game for the Palm OS and Windows Mobile platforms: Astraware Casino. Astraware Casio is a collection of eight popular casino games: Texas Hold ‘Em Limit Poker, Baccarat, Video Poker, Craps, Video Keno, Slots, Roulette, and Blackjack.

I enjoy playing card games in a casual setting when friends stop by to visit, but I’ve never been one to spend much time at the casino. After downloading and installing the demo, I was happy to learn that Astraware Casino is geared for the casual gamer. When you start the game, you are given $1,200 ($1,000 in your wallet, $200 in the bank) and all the games start off in “Tourist” mode. This mode is intended for the casual casino game player and there are limits on the minimum and maximum bets. For example, the Blackjack table has a minimum bet of $1 and a maximum bet limit of $250. In the third gaming level, “Regular”, the table limits are changed with the minimum bet set to $100 and the maximum bet set to $5,000. New modes of play are unlocked based on how frequently you play and win at the games in the Astraware Casino.

Playing Astraware Casino is a breeze. As with other recent games from Astraware (Solitaire and Boardgames) you move around the game board with the 5-way navigator, or if you prefer, the stylus. The first time to select to play a game that you have not previously played, the game’s rules are displayed in a How to Play window. The directions are well written and easy to understand. You can always view the game directions by tapping the Menu button and selecting Instructions from the menu. (I am still having trouble with the Craps game. I may have to get my book of Hoyle games out and read up on game play strategies.) Moving between the different games and the bank is easily done. Just select Bank or Choose Game from the menu and you will be back to the high stakes action in no time. Adding to the fun are unlockable souvenirs that you win while playing the game. So far my favorite souvenir is the Hawaiian Shirt, with the Ace of Spades a close second.

Astraware Casino is available for both Palm OS handhelds and Treo smartphones, and Treo smartphones running Windows Mobile 5 and 6. This includes the newest Palm smartphones, the Treo 500v (Europe) and the Centro (United States). I tested the game on the Palm TX, Treo 650, and 700p and the game experience was good. Astraware has made a time limited trial available for download. That is a great way to try the game out before you buy and the make sure your hardware is supported. Astraware Casino for Palm OS and Windows Mobile is available now from the Astraware online store and sells for $19.95.

Regardless of weather you are a casual card player or an adrenaline junkie who likes to live life on the edge, with Astraware Casino loaded on your Palm you will be able to take a little piece of the Las Vegas thrill with you wherever you go.

For more information or to download the demo, visit the Astraware website.

Alex Pruss Freeware Software Archive

When the "new" PocketGear.com went online recently, I discovered that I was unable to find NVBackup in the catalog of software. I figured that I was doing something wrong and started poking around the PocketGear site thinking that I was looking in the wrong place.

The PocketGear.com Developer Guide shed some light as to what was going on. The following are excerpts from that document.

"Affiliate relationships associated with PalmGear, however, have ended with the exception of the existing Palm.com partnership. Motricity will cease support for the existing PalmGear platform and infrastructure. As a result, the classic PalmGear site will redirect in the near future to the unified new PocketGear. This move to the new platform and site will limit our ability to support existing affiliate locations. We are preparing to launch a new affiliate program in the near future, and look forward to presenting our partners with new opportunities for distribution and sales."

This includes the software store that was being hosted for ACCESS, formerly known as PalmSource. Jim Della, ACCESS Software Store Manager, writes on the ACCESS website:

"The ACCESS Software Store will officially close on November 27th. We thank you for your patronage.

You will still be able to review and purchase Garnet OS (formerly Palm OS) applications at www.pocketgear.com, an exciting new online store launched by Motricity, the ACCESS partner formerly hosting the ACCESS Software Store."

The Palm online software store is still very much running and open for business.

My problem is with the following passage from the PocketGear Developer Guide:

"We have taken careful steps to ensure that the new PocketGear is populated to the fullest extent and reflective of our prior catalogs at the 'legacy' sites. While we have eliminated much of the outdated and freeware listings, actively selling current titles have been migrated to the new PocketGear. Please note that listings at the new PocketGear have been assigned new product ID's as well as new urls."

Way back when I first got started in the Palm user community, great sites like PalmGear helped me learn about my new Palm IIIx, but introduced me to a world of great commercial, shareware, and freeware applications for my device.

The elimination of freeware from the new PocketGear and the shuttering of PalmGear is clearly a business decision that Motricity is free to make, but I don't have to like it.

That said, I have decided to do something about this situation. I have obtained permission from Alexander Pruss, who is a well known and respected Palm OS application developer, to host his freeware applications here on FoleoFanatics. Over the coming weeks I will grow the catalog of software that is available for download.

It is this spirit of community that really is one of the best rewards of being a member of the Palm user community.

Enjoy!

Alan Grassia
Editor, FoleoFanatics

Visit the Software by Alex Pruss archive...