What's Up with Palm on AT&T?

I was just looking at the AT&T website, and I noticed that there are no Centro or Treo 750 smartphones available for sale. I'll admit that both devices, the Palm OS 5 Centro and the Windows Mobile Treo 750 aren't new devices by any definition, but you would expect that AT&T would still have some units in stock.

I have read some Internet rumors that said that the Palm webOS powered Eos smartphone would be arriving on the AT&T network sometime around the end of the year, but nothing specific. I have also not read anythign that would indicate that Palm is halted the sale of the AT&T smartphones.

Windows Mobile customers can still get the Palm Treo Pro as an unlocked device and use their existing AT&T 3G SIM cards with the device if they wish.

I'll have to keep an eye on this one.

People Love Their Pre Smartphones

We tend to get a little fanatical about mobile technology around a site like Smartphone Fanatics. That said, people really love their new Pre smartphones! One example is a review from Jenny Levin, a librarian in Chicago, IL.

Ms. Levin has posted a review of the Pre on her blog, The Shifted Librarian, which has been written from the point of view of a Palm Treo or Centro owner who is considering the jump from Palm OS 5 to webOS.

"When I picked up my new Palm Pre smartphone last week, one of the store employees said, “You must have been waiting for this phone for a long time.” He could tell I was excited about it. I told him I’d been waiting for this phone for nine years, six of them on Palm Treos and a Centro, waiting for the next leap.

And now that I finally have it, I can say that while it’s quite clearly a first generation device, I love it. This post will explain why, but it won’t be a comparison of the iPhone versus the Pre. I’ve only played with an iPhone a couple of times, so it wouldn’t be fair, plus everyone knows I’m not a fan of Apple, so I can’t really be objective about this. So instead, this will be a review of the Pre from the perspective of a Treo/Centro owner wondering if she should upgrade, because that’s the question I’m getting asked the most. Back in 2003, I started a popular page called What’s on My Treo 600 that listed all of the apps I used and as a result, I heard from Palm owners for years (and occasionally still do), so this is an area I know well.

In fact, a lot of my issues with the Pre come from features the Treos/Centros did better, but I’ll also describe what’s new, both the good and the bad. As a result, this will be a long review, so skip this post if you’re not interested in smartphones or the Pre."

Keep reading...

Ms. Levin and I share many of the same views about the Pre. Long time Treo users will find that some of the nice little refinements from Palm OS 5.4.9 didn't make it into webOS 1.0.2; however, the big wins like multitasking and Synergy really make it all worth while. And yes, there have been issues with webOS 1.0.2 and the Pre including the erratic signal strength issue, weirdness with the Touchstone charging base, and Exchange and Gmail syncing issues. The good news is that Palm is aware of all of these issues and is working to resolve them. (There are some perks to be a Palm discussion forums moderator.)

You can read the full review over at The Shifted Librarian website.

Thanks to Geri for this tip.

Palm Pre First Impressions

What a day June 6, 2009 has been! Today is the day that the totally new Palm Pre smartphone began shipping. The Pre is truly an amazing phone and it’s heart and soul is Palm webOS.

The Good

I’m not the first to say it and I won’t be the last. Throw everything you know about Palm the company, Palm OS, and the the old non-Windows Mobile Treo smartphones out the window. This is not your father’s Palm, Inc. There is an entirely new management team at Palm and it comes shining through with the Pre and Palm webOS.

The Pre is smaller than the Treo 750/755p, though the most recent Windows Mobile phone from Palm, the Treo Pro, is thinner and taller. The Pre feels great in your hand. I found it much easier to hold than my Apple iPod touch. When compared with my recently deactivated BlackBerry Curve 8330, the Pre is almost the same size when the keyboard is closed. (When the Pre keyboard is open, the Pre is about an inch to an inch and half taller than the Curve 8330.)

I was completely and totally blown away by the phenomenal screen on the Pre. When I picked up the demo unit this morning at the Sprint store I thought that it was one of those plastic display shells...until the Quick Launch bar moved! Even now, some 12 hours later, I’m still amazed by how bright and vivid the screen is! My Saturdays are often filled with lots of family activities and today I found myself outside for most of the afternoon. Direct sun light shouldn’t be a problem for most people. During a t-ball game, I was able to work with my recently imported Google contacts, read email, and review some Word document attachments. All in all, the screen is just fantastic and is every bit as good as the screen found on the iPhone and iPod touch.

The Pre, like some of it’s distant cousins the Tungsten T, T2, and T3, has a slider that reveals a full, hardware, Qwerty keyboard. The keys are very similar to those used on the Treo Pro and Centro smartphones. I found the keys on the Pre to be about equal size across the BlackBerry Curve 8330, Treo 750/755p, and the Treo Pro. I like the Pre’s keyboard because the keys are big enough for me to type on and they jelly-like keys keep your fingers or nails from sliding off the key caps. Some of the early reviews warned of a problem pressing the keys on the outside of the keyboard because of the ridge around the keyboard. I can see why some people have written that about the Pre. After typing out text messages, emails, and updating my address book, I can say that I’m not going to have a big problem with it. Results will vary, obviously. As for the sliders itself, I’m OK with it for now. The jury is going to be out on the slider easily for 6-12 months. The slider is firm and snaps open and closed. But the thirty or so times I opened and closed the slider is no indication on how it will work over the long haul of daily usage. For now, I’m satisfied with the slider and this is coming from someone who is not a fan of sliders.

The 3.0MP camera and speaker phone work well, however, I only played with them for a few minutes. Since I find myself spending at least a quarter of my work week in meetings, I’m glad to see that Palm has kept the ringer switch that has been so popular on the Treo and Centro on the Pre. Folks who like to use their phones as media players should also be happy to learn that the Pre uses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack which is located at the top of the device.

Palm webOS looks great! The graphical elements embody the user interface that Palm OS fans have been demanding for years. The fonts used in Palm webOS are stunning! The fonts are as crisp as you would expect on the printed page. Palm’s web browser is just as good as Safari on the iPhone/iPod touch.

People who have used the iPhone and iPod touch will be able to use the gestures built into Palm webOS with a minimal learning curve. The gestures that you are familiar with in Safari for the most part work the same way in webOS. Transitions from portrait to landscape mode is fluid and responds well.

Palm has paid tribute to Palm OS in webOS. One such way is the inclusion of the Quick Launch bar that I mentioned briefly already. People familiar with Palm’s older Palm OS handhelds and Treo smartphones will quickly realize that the the Quick Launch bar is the digital version of the old hardware keys. Since the Pre only has the center button on the face of the device, Palm felt it was important to customers to have a speedy way to access their most used applications. Like the old hardware buttons, the digital buttons are also customizable by dragging icons out of and into the Quick Launch bar. You are limited to four buttons; the fifth button, the Launcher button, can not be changed out.

There are lots of other cool features in webOS that I haven’t yet really played with including the Backup application, Bluetooth devices, Media Sync with iTunes support, and Palm Desktop data migration. (There is a one-time, one-way migration option for Palm Desktop and Outlook users to push data into their Pre phones. Stay tuned for more on that later on.)

The Not So Good

The Pre is Palm’s most eagerly awaited smartphone. But it is not without things that I find really annoying. First up is the case itself. This is probably the worst Palm phone of all time (at least of all the Palm devices that I’ve owned or used; and that is over 30) for collecting finger prints and other smudges. You will want to find a nice soft cloth to keep at home or in your office so you can clean down the phone’s display area. I’m going to seriously consider getting a screen protector for the Pre when they become available from third-party accessory makers.

The door on the microUSB port used to charge and connect the Pre to your computer as a USB mass storage device is really hard to get open the first few times. Once you do get it open, you will have a hard time getting the door to lay perfectly flush with the right edge of the phone. Pre comes with 8GB of on-board memory, After loading some data and a few apps from Palm’s App Catalog, I have 7.2GB of usable storage space left. There are no memory expansion slots on the Pre. I would have liked to seen the Pre ship either with more built-in memory, say 16GB, or have a microSDHC card slot. Now that we know that Pre will sync with iTunes in a similar manner as the iPhone or iPod, 8GB seems a bit cramped. I can easily fill up my iPod touch’s 16GB of storage space when I’m traveling for work with music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and applications. I think that for the demanding Palm user, 8GB of non-expandable memory is going to be a problem. To get around this, Pre owners should consider streaming their music or videos if possible. (This is an area of the Pre that I haven’t really delved into yet; syncing with iTunes and streaming media to the Pre.)

In Conclusion

To sum up the Pre, I think many Palm fans are going to be happy with it. Yes, Palm webOS is completely different from Palm OS 5 and the Palm Desktop and HotSync Manager software no longer work. I think that once you migrate your data to the Pre, those applications won’t be missed except to the die hard Palm Desktop users.

The Pre’s hardware is organic and modern. It looks and feels great in your hand. Personally, I would have liked it if Palm continued to use the soft touch paint that was used on the Treo 750/755p and the “enhanced” Sprint Centros. I liked the “gripability” of the soft touch paint and it would have helped cut down on the collection of fingerprints and smudges along the side and back of the device.

All-in-all, I think you will be happy with the Pre. If you have never used a smartphone before, you will definitely want to take advantage of Sprint’s in-store training on the device. Seriously, new Palm customers should take the 15 minute class. It is free and well worth your time if you want to get the most out of your new phone.

The Pre is available now from Sprint retail locations and select authorized resellers, including Best Buy. With a new or extended 2-year service agreement with Sprint, the new Palm Pre sells for $299 with a $100 mail-in rebate.

For more information, visit the Palm website.

Palm Treo Pro Is On the Way

I have received word that Palm has shipped out a Sprint edition Treo Pro to me to take out for a test drive. Stay tuned for a review in the near future. I'm looking forward to playing with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional that has the brand spankin' new Pocket Internet Explorer 6.1 baked in.

Palm Treo Pro comes to Telus in Canada

Earlier today Palm announced that its Treo Pro smartphone is now available at TELUS in Canada. With its smartly designed high-resolution color touch screen and full web-browsing capabilities layered on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Treo Pro is the ideal smartphone for business users and consumers.

Treo Pro offers TELUS clients simplicity and productivity - including TELUS mobile email, TELUS Navigator, Wi-Fi, web and 3G network capabilities - to meet the needs of businesses and consumers alike. Treo Pro's thin design blends style and functionality with an LCD touch screen, one-touch buttons and a full QWERTY keyboard.

Similar to the recently released Treo Pro for Sprint here in the United States, the Telus Treo Pro will also feature Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional.

The Telus Treo Pro can be purchased for as low as $149.99 with a 3-year voice and data plan activation with a minimum $20 monthly service fee.

For more information about Treo Pro at TELUS, visit the Palm website or www.telus.com.

Palm Treo Pro Now Available on Sprint

Today the Palm Treo Pro went live, finally, on Sprint's wireless network. Sprint customers join those of Alltel (EVDO) and AT&T (unlocked GSM) in all of the yummy Treo Pro goodness.

For those who don't know, the Treo Pro is Palm's latest Windows Mobile Professional 6.1 device. The Treo Pro for Sprint sports the latest software updates from Microsoft which includes Pocket Internet Explorer 6.1 . In addition to software updates, the Treo Pro also includes a 320x320 touch screen, a 2.0MP digital camera, Wi-Fi and GPS radios, voice dialing, a microSDHC card slot, and a microUSB data sync and charging port. For a complete listing of the Treo Pro's specifications, visit the Palm website.

The Treo Pro can be orderd on the Sprint website for as little as $199.99 after a $250 instant rebate and a $100 mail-in rebate and a qualifying two-year service agreement. Customers who do not wish to extend their contact will need to pony up $549.99. The Palm Treo Pro will also be available at Sprint's retail locations.

To purchase your Palm Treo Pro, visit the Sprint website.

Gagets On The Go: Sprint Treo Pro Hands On

My friend and fellow gadget blogger, Jimmie Geddes, has gotten his hands on on the new Palm Treo Pro for Sprint a few days early.

"The Sprint Treo Pro comes in the exact same packaging as the unlocked Treo Pro. Palm's packaging for the Sprint Treo Pro is very reminiscent of Apple's iPhone packaging. It's clear that Palm wants to make a great first impression before you even get to the Treo Pro inside its box and they succeed in doing so. Very classy!"

Keep reading...

[Via GadgetsOnTheGo.net...]

Palm Treo Pro Comes to Alltel Wireless

Palm continues their roll out of their latest Windows Mobile phone, the Treo Pro, around the world. Today's news is that Alltel Wireless now has the Treo Pro available for their business customers. As was previously mentioned here, the Alltel Treo Pro will ship with Windows Mobile Professional 6.1 and the new version of Pocket Internet Explorer, version 6.0.

"Palm, Inc.and Alltel Wireless today announced that the Treo Pro smartphone is available today at Alltel Wireless retail stores and online at alltel.com. Treo Pro is a sleek, full-function smartphone that offers business users the ease of use and robust features they demand while providing the reliability and manageability IT departments require. With Wi-Fi, GPS and Windows Mobile 6.1, Treo Pro helps busy professionals stay connected on the go so they can structure their lives around their priorities without sacrificing work productivity."

"Businesses want the control and savings that Windows affords, in an innovative and elegant package that keeps their users happy. Treo Pro balances both," said John Traynor, vice president, business products, Palm, Inc.

"Treo Pro strengthens our aggressive business product portfolio by letting customers easily stay connected and experience Alltel's broadband network," said Angela Rittgers, director of product management for Alltel Wireless. "Businesses will benefit from Treo Pro's advanced functionality and well-designed user interface."

Alltel customers looking to purchase the Treo Pro can do so for $199 with a two-year service agreement. For more information about the Treo Pro, visit the Palm website. Customers can view the service plans and pricing on the Treo Pro on the Alltel website.

Palm and Sprint Talk Treo Pro Release Date

Looks like after a false start or two, Palm and Sprint are finally on the same page and are talking about the release date for the Treo Pro.

"Palm, Inc. and Sprint today announced the upcoming availability of the Treo Pro smartphone for the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network on March 15."

"Treo Pro will be available through all Sprint retail channels, including www.sprint.com/treopro, 1-800-SPRINT1 and Sprint retail stores, for $199.99 with a two-year subscriber agreement (after a $100 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate, with an Everything plan with data or a $30 per month or higher data add-on). It also will be available through the Palm Store (www.palm.com/store) and Palm's B2B sales organization beginning March 16."

"Treo Pro is a sleek, full-function smartphone offering users the ease of use and robust features they demand while providing the reliability and manageability IT departments require. With the EV-DO Rev. A speeds of Sprint's Mobile Broadband Network, Wi-Fi, GPS and Windows Mobile 6.1 capabilities, Treo Pro helps busy professionals stay connected on the go so they can structure their lives around their priorities without sacrificing work productivity."

"Business decision makers require a product that not only integrates seamlessly into their existing IT infrastructures, but one that's also cost-effective," said John Traynor, vice president, business products, Palm, Inc. "Treo Pro delivers just that - a feature set that IT managers need to support their mobile work force."

In a related new article, the folks over at Engadget Mobile are reporting that the new "special blend" Sprint Treo Pro (which does sport different hardware specs than the unlocked GSM edition) will in fact ship with a version of Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional that will include Pocket Internet Explorer 6.

"Occasionally, Microsoft will freshen an existing version of WinMo with a so-called AKU, and going forward, all 6.1 devices to hit the market (including the Sprint Treo Pro, coincidentally) will use AKU 1.4, which includes IE Mobile 6."

I'm glad to see that Palm has refined the totally sexy Treo Pro for Sprint and even baked in the latest version of Windows Mobile Professional. If the Palm Pre wasn't so close to launch, I'd probably spring for one one since I'm a Sprint customers.

Rumor: Best Buy to Sell the Palm Pre

It looks like Sprint is angling to iron out a deal with electronics retailer Best Buy to be retail sales location for Palm's newest smartphone, the Pre, when it goes live later this year. Information news website Bloomberg.com writes:

"Sprint Nextel Corp., the money-losing U.S. wireless carrier, is in talks with Best Buy Co. to sell Palm Inc.’s Pre once the phone makes its debut this year, potentially putting the device in more than 1,000 stores.

“I’m really excited that they’re back in the game,” Score said of Palm in an interview. “We’re working with Sprint on that, but no official announcement as of yet.”

Palm plans to introduce the Pre, which uses its new WebOS operating software, in the first half of 2009. Sprint spokeswoman Michelle Mermelstein said the company hasn’t confirmed any decisions about its retail partners and declined to give further details on pricing or the date of the release. Palm spokeswoman Leslie Letts didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment. "

In a separate rumor, it is said that Palm's latest Windows Mobile smartphone, the Treo Pro, could be coming to Sprint as soon as February 15.

[Via PalmInfoCenter.com...]

BGR: Sprint Treo Pro Appears, Then Vanishes

The Boy Genius Report is reporting today that the Palm Treo Pro make a brief cameo appearance on the Sprint online store today and then just as quickly disappeared.

There have been a lot of rumors around the Internet about Palm's next Windows Mobile device on the Sprint network, including photos of the retail packaging of the Sprint Treo Pro edition. Earlier this week, PalmInfoCenter was reporting that the new CDMA edition of the Treo Pro will get a bit of a boost from the rumored hardware tweaks over it's unlocked GSM cousin.

The good news is that the Pro is coming to Sprint and the cost of the device with a qualifying 2-year contract agreement will be $249 after rebates are applied.

[Via BoyGeniusReport.com...]

Going Live with BlackBerry

This is just a quick note to say that I plan on activating my BlackBerry Curve 8330 today.

There are a few reasons for deciding to turn on the BlackBerry now. The first is that after looking at Palm's new App Store, there is no need for testing on my Treo 755p; my Treo 750 is up to the task.

Secondly, if the rumors about Palm are true, it looks like the company could be on track to release a new device with the Nova operating system before the May/June 2009 time frame. I want to use the BlackBerry in between now and then. If Palm is going to deliver in the next quarter, I need to get going with the BlackBerry.

Sprint is still reporting that they are working with RIM on ironing out the kinks in the BlackBerry OS 4.5 upgrade. That means that I won't be able to use DataViz Documents To Go until the update has been certified by Sprint.

I'll post again once I have the BlackBerry activated for voice and data with the BlackBerry Internet service.

BlackBerry Curve Update

As you will recall, I purchased a Sprint edition BlackBerry Curve 8330. Smartphone Fanatics reader BaDZeD wrote me to ask how I was doing with the BlackBerry.

The short answer is that I'm not. I am a hardcore Palm OS user and if a device can't match the feature set of my Treo 755p, it just can't be my day-to-day device. There are a lot of things that I like about the Curve. They include things like a smaller footprint and weight; a full Qwerty keyboard, and ok PIM applications.

There are things that have kept me from adopting the BlackBerry. For one, the software on the device is BlackBerry OS 4.3, not 4.5 or later. Without BlackBerry OS 4.5, I can't run DataViz Documents To Go - an essential tool in my opinion. I'll also loose the ability to sync with my corporate calendar at the office. That isn't a big problem because I have access to Treo 700p at the office that I can use to sync my calendar to. (I won't need to bring that Treo home, I just want the calendar when I'm not in my office during the week.)

I'd also have to convert my corporate wireless email account from a Palm OS license to a BlackBerry license, but that isn't suppose to be hard process.

The latest word from Sprint is that the BlackBerry OS 4.5 upgrade for the Curve 8330 will be out during or after the week of 12/15/08, which is next week. We'll see. Sprint is had to push back the date a few times already.

I want to play with the BlackBerry, but until I have a plan to ensure I have access to all of my "stuff" I'll stick with my Treo 755p. Maybe I'll convert in January.

Thoughts?

Upgrading Docs To Go on WM Professional

I finally got around to upgrading DataViz Documents To Go 3.0 Premium on my Palm Treo 750 smartphone. The Documents To Go 3.0032 is a minor upgrade that was released back on September 23, 2008. The update addresses the following issues:

• Added support for devices with high resolution screens (VGA 480x640)
• Fixed a bug which caused "Error after creating the .lnk - file : 3" when installing on non-English devices
• Minor bug fixes

The complete Document To Go for Windows Mobile Professional version history can be found in the DataViz knowledge base.

During the upgrade, I did run into some trouble. At about 98% done, the following error message popped up:

Edition Not Found
\Windows\gb-nrv-s.dat

Error setting up the registry. Please reinstall to try and fix the problem.

DataViz's solution for the error can also be found in the DataViz knowlege base. I checked that I had enough space on my Treo by going to the Memory control panel and taking a look at the Storage Free value. The upgrade should have worked. To get around this problem, I ended up uninstalling Documents To Go 3.0031 and eReader (which I never really used on my Windows Mobile Treo anyway), soft reset my Palm, and then re-ran the Documents To Go installer. To do this, I used the Windows Mobile Device Center in Windows Vista and pointed to:

Programs and Services > More... > Add/Remove Programs

Orlando Update

A week ago Friday, I returned home after spending a week down in Orlando, Florida to attend the Open Text Content World user conference. As you will recall from my post about getting ready for the trip, I wanted to travel as light as possible.

Dell Inspiron 910 (aka: mini 9)

To my surprise, the Dell mini 9 worked really well. I was able to get about 5-6 hours of battery life out of the unit. That number still isn't enough to get me through a full 10-12 hour day; however, it was as good as my heavier Dell Latitide D630 with a 9-cell battery. To get the best possible battery life, you need to be smart about what you are doing.

During the day, I would use the built-in Wi-Fi radio. To conserve battery power, I would turn the radio on and off as needed. The same is true for the screen brightness. While I was using the notebook in a workshop or presentation that had the lights dimmed, I would turn down the brightness on the screen. When I was meeting with someone or using the notebook in the lounge area, I would turn the screen brightness up to a level that was comfortable to read in a room with full lighting.

The weight was fantastic. The mini 9 weighs less than 2.5lbs and you will appreciate not having a throbbing shoulder after traversing two airports. The quilted slip case that I purchased for it is considered "TSA safe" meaning that you can keep the notebook in the slip case while it is run through the x-ray machine.

Being a corporate asset, my team and I converted the base install of Windows XP Home SP3 to Windows XP Professional SP2. I was able to run all of my required corporate applications without any trouble. Applications did seem to run a little bit slower than my full powered Latitude D630, however, I was willing to accept the trade off.

The only thing that I really wasn't crazy about on the mini 9 was the size of the keyboard. I was able to touch type on the keyboard. The main Qwerty keys on the mini 9 where big enough for my fingers. What I didn't like was the keys that surrond the main keys. For example, the shift, tab, and alt keys were about half as big as you would expect them to be. I was forever hitting the wrong keys. I also didn't like having some keys being what I call "tipple stacked." For example, the equals key shifts to the plus key which is normal. However on the Dell mini 9, the equals key also blue Fn shifts to get the back slash key. Being in IT, typing in Windows directory and network paths can be a real pain in the neck. Over time, this will be something that you will get used to.

Palm Treo 755p

My Treo 755p performed as I expected it to: beautifully. I purchased an extended life battery for my Treo and it was able to keep running all day. I have my Treo programmed to check my various email accounts at 30 minute intervals. The Treo did a great job of tackeling email, weather updates, and some light web surfing through out the day. I did use the World Clock application as my alarm clock. If you chose to use your Treo as your alarm clock, just make sure that you set the ringer switch from silent back to ring mode. During the day, I keep my Treo in silent mode and at night I switch it back to ring mode so I can hear the alarm when it is time to start the day.

Apple iPod touch (1st Generation)

The last bit of technology that I took with me was my 16GB iPod touch. The battery in my year old iPod held up well while I was using it in the airport for music and podcasts and on the plane for TV shows and movies. One thing that did trip me up was not doing a list minute review of the iPod before I left the house. As it turned out, I had forgot to select the new TV shows and movies that I loaded on my MacBook (which was saying home). The cost for this mistake was leaving home with only half of the TV shows and only one movie that I had planned to watch on this trip.

All in all, the technology that I took on the trip with me worked well. I'll be taking another trip down to Orlando in another two weeks. (I love the fact that confernces move south when the weather turns cold up in New England.) This time, I plan to make sure I have my iPod chuck full of content.

TimeDrift for Palm OS Smartphones

Tam Hanna has released a new application for Palm OS devices, including the popular Palm Centro smartphone. TimeDrift keeps your devices clock accurate after a Palm PDA, Treo, or Centro is reset.

Mr. Hanna writes:

"Ever wondered why your Centro's / Treo's clock becomes inaccurate after a few resets or battery changes? Palm is to blame - but be sure that they saved a few cents by excluding certain key components.

Tamoggemon Software's TimeDrift steps in where Palm left off: our highly customized snooping algorithm makes sure that your smartphone's clock is as accurate as the clocks on other (cheaper) phones.

As we use a local algorithm rather than relying on external time servers, TimeDrift can be used abroad without any roaming chares fior data (which can be extremely expensive)."

Keep your clock accurate - get TimeDrift!

Features:

• Fire and forget solution - no "maintenance" required
• Highly reliable - maximal drift of 30 secs/reset
• Small - less than 50KB of memory usage
• Works independant of network - no network charges

Tamoggemon has a 30-day trial version available for people who like to try before they buy; which is always a good idea. The full version retails for $9.95 and is currently available for a limited time at a special promotional price of $7.95.

You can purchase TimeDrift from the TamsShop.

Documents To Go 11 for Palm OS Now Available

Yesterday, DataViz released the latest edition of Documents To Go for Palm devices running Palm OS.

With Documents To Go Premium edition 11.00, DataViz has added:

• View tracked changes in word processing files
• Apply and view Styles in word processing files
• View border and wrapped text in spreadsheets
• Ten starter Templates included for creating Word and Excel files
  

In addition to these new features, customers can view, create, and modify Microsoft Office documents on their Palm OS Centro, Treo, or handheld PDA. (PDA users are encouraged to check to see if their device is on the compatibility list found on the DataViz website.)

Pricing & Availability

Documents To Go Premium Edition for Palm OS retails for $49.99 and is available directly from DataViz as well as many retail and online stores including Handango.com, and the network of DataViz resellers and distributors worldwide. Upgrade pricing of $29.99 is available directly from DataViz for previous Documents To Go customers, including those who received Documents To Go as bundled software with a Palm handheld or smartphone.


My long time readers know that Documents To Go is a core requirement for any mobile device that I consider for my personal and business use. The InTact Technology seamlessly keeps the document's formatting regardless of whether the document was last created or modified on a desktop or mobile device, meaning I save not having to re-edit a file when I get back to the office.

For more information and to download a free evaluation, visit www.dataviz.com/palm2008 .

Off to Orlando

In about 10 hours I'll be boarding a plane bound for Orlando, Florida. I'll be attending this year's Open Text Content World user conference.

This trip will be a little bit different than my last business trip in that I won't be bringing my Dell Latitude D630 or my Apple MacBook. This time out, I'm traveling relatively light for me. Tucked away in my carry on bag will be:

• Dell Inspiron 910 (aka "Mini 9")
• Palm Treo 755p
• Apple iPod touch

As for accessories, I'll only be taking along the power adapter for the Mini 9, a 1GB USB flash drive, a wireless notebook travel mouse, and a JAVOedge Portable Battery Charger with tips for my Treo and iPod.

Compared with some of my other trips, I'm hardly carrying any gear at all! We'll see how this trip goes. I have another one coming up in about a month and I'm looking forward to reducing my tech load.

Palm Treo Pro Bluetooth Update

Palm has released a Bluetooth update for unlocked Treo Pro customers. The brief description of the patch on Palm's website reads:

"If you are in an active call using bluetooth car kit or bluetooth headset and you receive a second incoming call and you let it ring or you ignore the incoming call, the call will be diverted to Voicemail. The first call remains active but you can no longer hear the caller (the caller can still hear you). The audio has been lost. If you answer the call and swap between calls or reject the call, the issue is not seen."

The update can be downloaded and installed from a microSD card or installed over-the-air at:

www.palm.com/850u-bluetooth-ota

Since this update is a patch, and not a full ROM software upgrade, the patch will need to be reapplied if the Treo Pro is hard reset.

Treo 750 Windows Mobile 6 Upgrade Offer Ending

Palm customers who are using the Treo 750v (Vodafone) or the Treo 750 (AT&T, Unlocked) are being reminded that October 31, 2008 is the last day to download the free upgrade to Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0.


There are a number of enhancements in this upgrade, including:

• HSDPA support for faster data network connections
• Improved support for the Calendar application
• Enhanced support for HTML based email messages
• Microsoft Windows Vista compatibility
• Internet connection sharing
• Better security and IT policies support
• USB cable charging
  

Customers using the Treo 750 from AT&T can download the updater here. Customers using an unlocked Treo 750, or a Treo 750v can download the update here.

Please do keep in mind that the update can only be downloaded once, so when you enter your device's serial number, download everything to your computer's hard drive and then make a backup copy to CD, DVD, or a USB flash drive before you do anything else.

Related Articles
Treo 750 to get Windows Mobile 6 Upgrade
Windows Mobile 6 Upgrade for Treo 750v
Windows Mobile 6 Upgrade for Treo 750 (AT&T)
Treo 750 Windows Mobile 6 Upgrade Recovery Tool

AT&T Treo 680 Reaches EOL

The Boy Genius Report has gotten their hands on what appears to the the latest AT&T wireless road map, which shows the Palm Treo 680 reaching End of Life (EOL). The crimson Treo 680 in November, 2006 on Cingular, which was latter gobbled up by AT&T.

The Continuing Search for Mobile Nirvana

For this week's 1SRC Editorial, I continue my search for mobile computing bliss for a smartphone/keyboard solution that will afford me a more flexible solution while I wait for Palm to release a Foleo.

From this week's editorial:

I love the idea of having information at my fingertips. Whether it is my PIM information, the mobile web, or my documents. In the last few years, I've only been able to achieve half of my mobile Nirvana. Once again I am going to try for mobile bliss.

The Story So Far

Back in the 1990's I had the dynamic duo of PDAs: a Palm handheld and a folding hardware connected full sized keyboard. It was a winning combination that kept me productive on the go. Type in web addresses was a snap, composing email messages was a breeze, and taking notes in meetings couldn't be easier. That last point also ensured I was able to read my notes after the meeting.

When I made the jump to a Treo, things started to fall apart. Wireless keyboards, connecting over Infrared or Bluetooth were plagued with connection and compatibility problems. In the end, I became frustrated with the whole solution of wireless keyboards and I gave up on the idea and went back to using pen and paper. Not exactly the technological wonder I was looking for.

Mobile Bliss Take 3

"They" say that the third time is a charm. I'm hoping that the saying rings true.

I have a small collection of wireless keyboards in the bottom drawer of my desk. The latest addition to my collection is the iGo/ThinkOutsde Bluetooth Sierra wireless keyboard. I originally purchased it to pair up with my Treo 700p. Any one who has used a Treo 700p in the past knows that the Bluetooth stack had, to put it politely, issues.

Years later, I have come to own a Palm Treo 750 powered by Windows Mobile Professional 6.0. While doing some "fall cleaning" in m home office, I came across my Sierra keyboard. Could this Windows Mobile device and this Bluetooth keyboard offer the solution that I have been longing for?

Read the full editorial over at 1SRC.com...

I’ll provide you with an update to see how I’m doing with my Treo 750 and iGo/ThinkOutside Bluetooth Sierra wireless keyboard during this week’s 1SRC podcast, show 197, and 1SRC Chat on 9/6/08.

Documents To Go for Windows Mobile Pocket PC

Today, DataViz, the company that has the best mobile office suite on the market, has released Documents To Go Premium 3.0 for Windows Mobile Pocket PC Edition.

Unlike the previous Windows Mobile Standard/Smartphone edition designed for non-touchscreen devices, this new edition has been specially formulated for Windows Mobile devices that use a touchscreen. In other words, you can now run Documents To Go on your Treo 700wx, 750, or 800w. Documents To Go for Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices also works with other popular smartphones like the HTC Touch and Touch Diamond, and the AT&T Tilt, or other devices running Windows Mobile 5 or 6.

According to the DataViz press release issued earlier today, Documents To Go for Windows Mobile Pocket PC edition will allow "users to view, edit and create Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files (Windows: Office 97 – 2007, Mac: Office 98-2008) as well as view PDF files on their devices and in their native formats."

“We are excited to expand our product line to include Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices,” said Danny Tu, Product Manager, DataViz, Inc. “Our latest release is an answer to our many customer requests to develop for this platform.”

Documents To Go Windows Mobile Pocket PC edition is available for purchase now for $29.95 directly from the DataViz website. Volume license are available when purchasing for 5 or more users.

For more information about Documents To Go, including the new Windows Mobile Pocket PC edition, visit the DataViz website.

I am really excited about learning that DataViz has released this edition of Documents To Go for Windows Mobile. I have been using Documents To Go on my Palm OS devices since version 2.0. When I had an opportunity to interview Mr. Tu for the 1SRC Palm-Powered Podcast I recall specifically asking for this edition of Documents To Go. Now that I carry a Treo 750 in addition to my Treo 755p, I'm looking forward to using Documents To Go with it's built-in InTact conversion engine to ensure I can stay every bit as productive out of the office as I am in.

Rumor: CDMA Treo Pro on the Way

The China Economic News Service is running a story on their website reporting that Palm could be preparing to place an order with HTC for a CDMA version of the Treo Pro.

"Furthermore, Palm is planning to launch CDMA (code division multiple access) version of Treo Pro series phone in the future for CDMA telecom service providers, like Verizon, Wireless and Sprint. The phone will also be supplied by HTC. "

There is no word on when Palm may be ready to place the order, or whether or not the order has already been placed.

Keep things in perspective

Many readers know that I tend to get a little "Fanatic" about Palm OS II/Nova and the Foleo. Before this rumor gets too out of hand, we should note that the recently announced unlocked Treo Pro is a Windows Mobile device. With Palm OS II reportedly not scheduled to be released before the middle of 2009, any CDMA Treo Pro is likely to also be running Windows Mobile 6.1.

Palm Officially Announces the Treo Pro

Palm has announced the highly rumored Treo Pro Windows Mobile 6.1 super sexy smartphone earlier today.

In their press release, Palm writes:

"Palm, today introduced Treo(TM) Pro, an effortlessly usable smartphone for businesses that want to simplify their IT infrastructures and lower costs, and for users who want to stay on top of their professional and personal lives. With its streamlined design and Palm(R) shortcuts layered on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Treo Pro is a unique combination of sleek simplicity and robust productivity -- including email, Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities(1) -- that meets the needs of businesses and end users alike. Treo Pro, which will be available from Vodafone and O2 in Europe(2) and from Telstra in Australia, also will be available in an unlocked version in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific."

"Businesses want the control and savings that Windows Mobile affords, in an innovative and elegant package that keeps their users happy. That's where Palm comes in," said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer, Palm, Inc. "Everything about Treo Pro -- from the hardware design to the packaging and accessories -- embodies the elegant and simplified end-to-end experience that our customers expect from Palm."

"I'm really happy with Treo Pro -- it's a technology leap from a device design and capability standpoint, enhancing Palm's presence in the Windows Mobile realm," said Wasif Malik, senior systems consultant, Student Educational Services & Mobile Solutions, Ohio State University Medical Center. "It's cleverly designed for Windows Mobile, with a large touch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and all the productivity applications for Windows Mobile 6 in a much thinner design."

Read the full Palm press release...

The Palm Treo Pro, in what I consider a surprise move, is being announced with out a launch wireless carrier partner and is being released in the coming days as an unlocked phone.

The specs page on the Palm website also confirmes the leaked information that has flooded the Internet over the past few days.

For full details, and the registration page to be notified when the Treo Pro begins shipping, visit the Palm website.

PalmInfoCenter - More Treo Pro Photos Surface

Ryan Kairer over at PalmInfoCenter has posted a new article containing additional Palm Treo Pro photos from Chinese Treo enthusiast website treo.net.cn.

The latest photos to surface are of a test unit as some of the photos have a little blue Photoshoped line (see above) to cover up the test unit's number. While impossible to know for sure, the photos of the Treo Pro have what appears to be a digital camera watermark of a time stamp that reads "14 12:47pm" on them. At the very least, this suggests that the photos were taken yesterday, on 8/14/08.

More details over at PalmInfoCenter...

Palm Treo Pro Makes A Cameo Appearance

Yesterday pictures of what appears to be a new Windows Mobile Treo appeared briefly on the Palm website. WMExperts forum member "scottymomo" discovered the Treo Pro, which bears a striking resemblance to the rumored Treo 850, while visiting the Palm Self-Paced Learning site. References to the Treo Pro have already been removed from the site.

If the Treo Pro is in fact the rumored Treo 850/Drucker that was leaked back in January, I think that many people will be pleased with Palm's next Windows Mobile smartphone.

To see the three screen grabs, including the uncropped version of the above photo, visit the WMExperts discussion forums. (Registration required)

2 Million Centros, Treo 800w BT Update

Palm Sells 2 Million Centro Smartphones

Earlier today, Palm issued a press release stating that the smartphone maker had sold it's 2 millionth Centro smartphone.

"Consumers are ready to do more on their mobile phone, and Centro has struck a chord around the world," said Brodie Keast, senior vice president of marketing for Palm, Inc. "Centro has everything a person needs to stay connected with everyone who is important to them -- and at a price point and size that make smartphones more attractive to a much wider audience."

The same press release continues:

"Now available from almost 20 carriers worldwide, including the three largest carriers in the United States, Centro has reached more young adults and women, as well as a broader range of household income, than any prior Palm smartphone. It offers customers an affordable, simple and fun option for staying connected and doing more with their mobile phones."

With the consumer-oriented Centro smartphone, the ease of use of the Palm OS, stylish design, and a great price point come together to create a solution that does delight the first smartphone customers.

Palm Releases a Bluetooth Voice Dialing Update

Owners of the recently released Windows Mobile Treo 800w are now able to install a small patch that will allow them to use hands-free voice dialing commands over a Bluetooth headset.

The 131kb patch can be install from your desktop Windows XP or Vista computer, over-the-air directly to your Treo 800w, or via a microSD card. The installation and download links can be found on the Sprint Treo 800w downloads page.

Since this is a software patch, and not a full flash ROM upgrade, if you hard reset your Treo 800w, you will need to reapply this patch. Furthermore, this update is only intended for Sprint Treo 800w smartphones running the TREO800w-1.03-SPNT software image.

Windows Mobile Sync Troubleshooting

I went to sync my Palm Treo 750 with my Dell Optiplex 755 running Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1 this evening and ran into trouble. (Imagine that!)

When I placed the Treo in the cradle, the Windows Mobile Device Center didn't recognize that there was a device connected to the system. Sure, I heard that familiar "plink-plunk" when you connect a USB device to Windows, but the Treo and the PC just wouldn't talk to each other.

Windows Mobile Synchronization Troubleshooting Steps

Here is a short list of the troubleshooting steps that I took to resolve the issue.

1. Soft reset the Treo. (Just pull the batter, wait 20 seconds, and put it back in.)
2. Reboot the PC. (Stopping and restarting the Windows Mobile services didn't seem to work.)
3. Use the Windows Mobile Device Center to delete and recreate the partnership.
4. Resync the Treo with the Vista PC.

Upon initial resync wtih Windows and Microsoft Office, there was a sync error, however, performing a second data sync immediately after the first seemed to have cleared that error up.

Using the Treo to view the last sync status

You can check what the status was of the last data synchronization with your Treo was by using the ActiveSync application on your device. To view the last sync status:

1. Press the Start button (Windows flag key)
2. Select Programs from the Start menu (or press the "P" key)
3. Tap the ActiveSync icon
4. Use the right button (or tap the screen) to select the software Menu button
5. Select Status (or press "T") to view the sync log

Jeff Kirvin on the Treo 800w

Now batting for the Palm lineup - Jeff Kirvin!

"The Kirv" has picked up a new Windows Mobile Treo 800w. Jeff writes:

"I picked up a Treo 800w over the weekend and man, I have to give Palm their props. This is a wonderful refinement of the venerable Treo form factor. It’s comfortable, light and elegant. But what really make the difference is software, Palm’s “special sauce”."

Read Jeff's full post on JeffKirvin.net...

Palm Officially Launches the Treo 800w

Earlier today, Palm has launched the Treo 800w smartphone for the Sprint wireless network with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 802.11g Wi-Fi, and GPS capabilities.

"Palm is adding a unique stamp to the Windows Mobile experience with the Treo 800w," said Stephane Maes, vice president, product marketing, Palm, Inc. "It's an easy-to-use feature-packed smartphone that will keep users happy, empowered and productive."

The complete list of Treo 800w product specs can be found on the Palm Treo 800w website.
A downloadable PDF datasheet for the Treo 800w is also available.

The Treo 800w can be purchased for as little as $249.99 with a qualifying service plan and after instant and mail in rebates. Without a service agreement, the Treo 800w sells for $599.

You can purchase the Treo 800w from Palm's online store or Sprint's retail outlets and online store.

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend, Palm made three important moves, not that anyone noticed with iPhonemania 2.0 in full swing.

Electric Blue Centro, Temporary Price Cut

On Friday, Palm introduced a new electric blue Centro on the AT&T wireless network. If you are following along on your scorecards, AT&T now has three colors to choose from: obsidian black, glacier white, and now electric blue. To entice even more people to chose Centro, AT&T has lowered the price to $69.99 when you sign up for a qualifying two-year service agreement. That is great news for anyone looking to jump on the smartphone bandwagon!

You can purchase an AT&T Centro either online from the Palm or AT&T website, or from any AT&T retail outlet. For more details, visit the Palm Centro website.


Sprint Begins Selling the Palm Treo 800w

At long last the new Palm Treo 800w is available! It has a great looking case and offers several new built-in features previously unavailable on any previous Palm smartphone.

Just some of the new features include Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1; a 320x320 touch screen display, a 2.0MP camera, and built-in Wi-Fi and GPS radios. The new Treo retails for $599, however, when you sign up for a qualifying service plan, after instant and mail-in rebates, the 800w sells for $249.99. A handsome price for what could be a very nice phone.

On Sunday night, Palm has yet to issue a press release or update their website and online store. Look for more details come Monday morning.


Oh Palm, sigh…

Working with AT&T to bring out a new Centro, if only in color, and putting a price cut in place was the right thing to do. And launching the much-anticipated Treo 800w on Sprint was another positive step forward.

Yet, once again, Palm’s marketing department show how inept they are. Launching two new phones and introducing a price cut during the same weekend that Apple was rolling out their new iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0 software was just poor planning.

John Paczkowski from the D: All Things Digital website, has the perfect quote from Charlie Wolf who is an analyst at Needham & Company. The quote reads:

“They took the wrong day to do it,” said Charlie Wolf, a wireless analyst at Needham & Co. “It’s going to be drowned out by the hoopla around the iPhone.”

I truly hope that Palm learns from this mistake, and doesn’t start talking publicly about their Palm OS II/Nova plans and/or devices during the same week that Apple is rolling out new products at MacWorld Expo in San Francisco come January 2009. Palm needs to get out in front of Apple, or get behind them. Just don’t go toe-to-toe with them.

Palm Launches the Treo 800w on Sprint

Starting today, Sprint has begun selling the Palm Treo 800w smartphone. According to the Sprint website, the Treo 800w has the following product specifications:

• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
• Autonomous and simultaneous GPS using Sprint Navigation for turn by turn directions, and points of interest searches
• Stereo Bluetooth lets you listen to your music on the go
• Embedded Wi-Fi
• 2.0 Megapixel camera/camcorder
• MicroSD card support
• 320x320 TFT display capable of displaying 65K colors
• 256MB of user memory, 128MB of program memory
• Incoming call alerts when a data session is in progress, avoid sending callers directly to voicemail
• Phone as a modem support

The Treo 800w sells for $599 without a service plan and can be had for as little as $249.99 when purchased with a monthly $25 or more data plan (in addition to a voice plan) or the Sprint Simply Everything plan ($250 instant savings, $100 mail-in rebate).

Palm has yet to issue a press release officially announcing the Treo 800w. Additionally, the Palm website and online store have yet to be updated. I expect Palm's official launch of the Treo 800w to come on Monday morning.

Make sure you tune into this week's 1SRC.com Podcast for more details on the Treo 800w.

For more details, or to purchase the Treo 800w now, visit the Sprint website.

Palm Post Verizon Treo 755p Update

Palm has posted a minor maintenance release for the Verizon Treo 755p. The new software brings the ROM version number up to Treo755p-1.08-VZW.

Similar to the Sprint Treo 755p update that was released on January 30 of this year, the Verizon update only states that "[t]his software update is a tune-up that improves the phone application, stability and device usability."

Having applied the Sprint update to my Treo 755p, I did not notice any changes in my device after the upgrade. The Treo was working well before the update and it is still working well six months later.

Download and update directions can be found on the Palm website.

Windows Mobile Journal: Adding Wi-Fi to the Treo 750

Now that I have a Windows Mobile device and I put a pre-paid AT&T Go Phone voice plan on my Treo 750, I wanted to add a data service without having to subscribe to another monthly cellular plan. To use data services, such as e-mail, web browsing, and other Internet applications, I added a Spectec miniSD 802.11b Wi-Fi card to my Treo.

The first thing you need to do is obtain your Treo 750 (United States) or Treo 750v (Europe). Then you need to purchase the Spectec card. I ordered mine from the TreoCentral online store. Once it arrives, it is time to set it up. One thing that wasn't clear from reading articles and reviews of the Spectec WLAN card I found online was whether or not the card works with Windows Mobile 6.0. All the reviews and spec sheets I saw talked about Windows Mobile 5.0, the version of Windows Mobile that originally shipped on the Treo 750 series. I can tell you that the Spectec card does work with Windows Mobile 6.0 - you just need to download the Windows Mobile 6 driver first.

Note: I'm not going to repeat the process for setting up the Wi-Fi card under Windows Mobile 5.0. There are already directions for doing that online.

Download the Windows Mobile 6 WLAN card driver from the Spectec website. Then copy the driver, wlan11b_wm60.CAB, down to your Treo 750. Once you have copied the file to the Treo, use Windows Explorer to browse to the file and execute it. The driver will install on your Treo. You may need to soft reset your device.

Now that the driver it is almost time to turn it on. If you are using an AT&T Treo 750, before you can establish a data connection to anything other than AT&T's data network, you will need to disable the forced AT&T proxy server setting. In the Programs folder (Start > Programs), launch the Proxy Manager application and uncheck the Force AT&T Proxy checkbox. When you do, you will receive a notice that the proxy server has been disabled. Press the OK button to clear the warning.














Now, turn off the cell phone radio, insert the card, and then open the Wireless Manager application (Start > Settings > Connections > Wireless Manager). You will now see a Wi-Fi section.














Press the menu button to access the Wi-Fi Settings screen. From there you can setup the connection properties for the Wi-Fi hot spots that are in range.


























At this point, you can launch an Internet application like Pocket Internet Explorer or Pocket Outlook and surf the web or check you email.

Rumor: Palm Treo 800w Specs

Earlier today EngadgetMobile spilled the beans on the specs for Palm's upcoming and often rumored Treo 800w for the Verizon Wireless network. The specs for the CDMA Treo 800w are:

• 1xEvDO Rev A
• 256MB Flash, 128MB RAM
• Windows Mobile 6 Professional (likely 6.1)
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0 with BBAC Bluetooth and cable support
• micro-SD card slot
• 1.3MP digital camera
• Stereo Bluetooth support (A2DP)

These specs are very similar to those of the Treo 850 that also leaked our recently. No pricing information was listed, however, the Verizon Wireless slide had a launch date of "3Q 2008."

Full details at EngadgetMobile.com...

Rumor: Palm Treo 850 Specs

Tam over at TamsPPC has posted the supposed product specifications for the unannounced Treo 850 smartphone. Tam claims to have received the specs for the upcoming Treo from a source at Palm.

In the article posted on TamsPPC, the source writes:

"This is not the PalmOS version of the Centro.

It can be regarded as the evolution of the 750 line of devices. The unit is a little wider, but much slimmer than the Centro, it’s 175 MB for user), 32 MB SDRAM and Windows Mobile Pro 6.1.

The Codename for this unit was 'Skywriter' "

Tam goes on to list the specs for the Palm Treo 850 as the following:

14 mm in thickness, width 60 mm and length 113 mm

GSM, EDGE and UMTS HSDPA 3.6

assisted-GPS receiver

Wi-FI b/g

320*320 screen, touch panel

micro-SD slot under the battery

2 MP camera

1500 mAh battery

a micro-USB connector for both power and sync

bluetooth 2.0 EDR + A2DP, 256 MB NAND-Flash (> 175 MB for user), 32 MB SDRAM

Windows Mobile Pro 6.1

Love 'em or hate 'em, there are some changes from the current Treo smartphone line up. First is the inclusion of Wi-Fi 802.11b and 802.11g as a built-in feature. Also, the addition of a 320x320 display in a Windows Mobile device is also new. Most power users will be happy with the 2.0MP camera and will probably bemoan the fact that there is no built-in flash. (Come on people, must you have everything?!) However, before you rush out and purchase that new Treo, just keep in mind that the Athena sync port is being replaced with a micro-USB cable, which means that you may need to purchase some extra cables if you sync or charge your Palm at multiple locations.

All-in-all, this looks like it is going to be a solid device that will make many of Palm's customers happily fork over the cash to upgrade from older Treo products.

Photo from The Boy Genius Report.

Rumor: PIC has a Treo 800w pic

PalmInfoCenter.com (PIC) has posted what they believe to be a picture of the device rumored to be Palm's new Windows Mobile device, the Treo 800w.

Check out PalmInfoCenter.com for details...

Treo 755p Is Still A Go for Sprint

Clarifying an earlier post today, Brighthand's Editor in Chief, Ed Hardy, has posted an update to the Sprint Treo 755p story.

It turns out that Sprint delisted the Treo 755p due to supply shortages and not because they are no longer selling the Palm OS Treo. A Sprint representative told Brighthand that:

"Sprint has not discontinued the Treo 755p from its smartphone portfolio, however, we are currently addressing temporary outage of inventory which is why the handset is not currently featured as part of our online store at www.sprint.com. Sprint plans to continue offering these handsets and investing in new Palm products throughout 2008."

Sprint Treo 755p customers, myself included, can breath a sigh of relief.

Rumor: A New Palm Smartphone Before Year's End?

We know that Palm is working on a new Linux-based operating system, often referred to as "Palm OS II" or "Palm OS Nova." We also know that Palm is working on new hardware form factors for their Treo smartphone line. It has also become generally accepted that we will have to wait until this time next year before we will be able to get our hands on Palm's new products running the new operating system until 2009. Or will we?

While reading an article on AppleInsider about the impact to both Research In Motion and Palm, there is a short statement from an industry analyst that may hint at a new device from Palm, possibly a new Treo, before the end of 2008. Ya, I said before the end of 2008. The following is a quote from the AppleInsider article:

"Palm's new Centro smartphone is also characterized as a stopgap measure to tide users over until a real, Linux-based Treo replacement is available near the end of 2008. It sells for as little as $99 but isn't seen as capable of holding its own against either the iPhone or other rivals for the next few quarters. Most customers are attracted to the Centro for its price rather than its feature set, a situation the Needham researcher says is likely to change once prices drop."

This is the second time in as many months that I've seen mention of a new Palm product becoming available before the end of the year that is not one of the rumored devices I've been following.

It is important that we not get ahead of ourselves here. Before smartphones can go on sale in the US, the wireless carrier needs to certify each device before they will allow it to be connected to their network. It is also widely expected that Palm will need to deliver new smartphones to the networks up to six months in advance of it going on sale. Could this analyst simply be confused by what will happen by year's end? Did he really mean that the carriers will get new Palm devices for testing, or did he really mean that new devices running the new OS be on sale by the end of 2008? It is hard to tell, but it would sure be some welcomed news for the Palm OS user community if a new device and operating system became available in time for the holidays. And I'm sure Palm wouldn't mind a little sales boost in December either.

Fact or fiction? I'll leave that for you to decide.

Palm Rumor Round Up

The first quarter of 2008 has come and gone, so I figured it is time that I review the current status of all of the Palm rumors floating around on the Internet.

Treo 800w

I expect this device to show up in July 2008 on the Sprint network if the leaked slide on WMEXperts.com is real. The Treo 800w will replace the Treo 700wx in the carrier's network. The latest rumors seem to indicate that this new Windows Mobile Treo will ship with Windows Mobile 6.1 and not 6.0 as indicated on the slide. (I should also point out that Sprint never carried the 700w, but rather the 700wx. The slide may not 100% accurate.)

I'm looking forward to seeing this Treo ship with EVDO Rev A, a built in Wi-Fi radio, and an operating system accessable GPS receiver that can work with third-party GPS applications from Garmin and TomTom.

Adding to the validity of this information, some websites that posted the slide are being asked to remove the slide and comments in a recent Palm conference call appear to be in alignment with the rumors. I'll put this rumor at 90% likely to be true.

Verizon Centro

Rumors around the Verzion Centro are still a little bit spotty on the actual timing with rumored launch dates confined to the second quarter of 2008. Over the weekend, a leaked rebate form showed up on TreoCentral.com that clearly shows the Centro as being offered with a $70 mail-in rebate. Also clearly visible on the rebate form are the dates 3/30/08 - 6/15/08, the dates the rebate offer runs from and to.

As far as I am aware, this is the best evidence to date that the Palm Centro is coming to Verizon. EngadgetMobile recently posted that the device was coming to Verizon, but had the release dates later in the year (May-June).

The Centro is the best thing going for the Palm OS platform this year, so I'm expecting that Palm will continue to rollout the Centro is as many markets on as many carriers as they can. With Palm OS II/Nova still months away, the Centro is the only new device Palm will ship all year running the Palm OS 5.4 (Garnet) platform. I expect the Centro to be the last device from Palm to run Palm OS 5.x; next stop will be Palm OS II/Nova. My best guess will be a late April launch of the Centro on Verizon. I'm not sure what colors the Verzion Centro will be available in, but my guess is it will be the midnight blue version recently rolled out in Mexico.

I'm putting the validity for a Verizon Centro at 100%.

"Drucker"
Back in January, a leaked Vodafone slide showed a device called "Drucker" from Palm arriving in July 2008. I have not read any new information on this rumored device. After reviewing the device stats listed on a slided posted on Gizmodo, the Drucker looks to be the GSM version of the Treo 800w due out on Sprint here in the United States as it is expected to replace the Treo 750 in the Vodaphone smartphone line up. This of course, opens the door to a launch later in the year on AT&T and/or an unlocked version becoming available directly from Palm's online store.

At this point, I am going out on limb and saying that this rumor is probably 80% true. The lack of any new details on Drucker could be a sign that things have changed since January.

"Wanda"
January also brought us news of another European device, "Wanda". Based on the information posted in another leaked Vodafone slide over on Engadget, Wanda appears to be a GSM Windows Mobile version of the EVDO Palm OS Centro. (Palm did admit in a recent conference call that the Treo 500v wasn't selling as well as they had initially hoped.)

Of the specs on the slide, this device will also be a Windows Mobile 6.1 device (just like the Treo 800w and Drucker are rumored to be) and will include a 2.0MP camera.

Wanda is suppose to be launched in September of this year, which is still quite a bit away at this point. While I'm sure that Palm will be looking to capture more marketshare in Europe, the Treo 500v may not be the vehicle Palm wanted it to be. Wanda may be just what the doctor ordered. I'll put this rumor at 60% of being accurate.

"What Else?"
The big question on the minds of fans of the Palm OS is whether or not Palm will be able to make good on their promise to release a successor to the Palm OS 5 platform. The current version of Palm OS 5 is functional, however, it is clearly holding Palm back from delivering the innovative products that they were known for in the late 1990s. I believe, as do the managers at Palm, it is essential to complete Palm OS II/Nova no later than the end of 2008.

To that end, one has to wonder if Palm is under promising and surprise us by over delivering. Many people still remember the disaster the pre-announcment of the m500-series devices had on sales of the Palm Vx and Palm's bottom line. (We won't talk about the gold suit.) More recently, Palm took an embarrassing hit after having pre-announced the Palm Foleo and then later failing to deliver the product.

If Palm has any chance of delivering either a Centro or Treo smartphone, or even a refreshed Palm TX handheld for that matter, before the start of calendar year 2009, I'd expect that those details are on a "need to know" basis only. So what how about it? Do you think that Palm can pull a rabbit out of their hat in December to the wild cheers of the Palm OS user community? I expect any delivery of any device from Palm running Palm OS II/Nova before March of 2009 a long shot at best, I'll say that there is, at best, a 25% chance of this happening.

Rumor: Treo 800w and Verizon Centro (Updated)

After this week's 1SRC editorial, I really wasn't expecting to hear about two new Palm rumors. Never the less, two new rumors have appeared.

Treo 800w Coming to Sprint

A member of the SprintUser's website forums has posted what appears to be a leaked slide from a Sprint product roadmap cor PDA Device Launches. The last device on the slide shows that Palm's Treo 800w will be launching this July.

The image of the device that appears on the slide is very much like the one that was seen in January during CES. Adding further validation to a new Windows Mobile device launching this summer are recent comments from Palm CEO Ed Colligan during the Q3FY08 conference call held earlier this month.

Read more at WMExperts...

Centro Coming to Verizon

A member of the Palm Community Help Forums (Note: Alan is a moderator on that discussion forum) has posted the following information in regards to the as yet announced Verizon Centro:

"hi i work for a verizon agent and we just got the new rebate form for 03/30/08 to 06/15/08 and there is a $50 rebate on the new Verizon Centro so we will be seeing it in the next 3 months."

While far from solid evidence, it is widely expected that Verizon will carry the Centro along with Sprint, and AT&T. Previously on the Palm Self-Paced Learning site, a midnight blue Centro was displayed, and after the picture started making the rounds on the Internet, Palm's site was quickly changed. I wonder if the midnight blue Centro is coming to Verizon. If the rebate data is correct, I'd start looking for the Verizon Centro to start showing up anytime between now and Tuesday. If the rumor is true.

Update:

Engadget has run an article on Verizon indicating that they have received word about upcoming device launches.

"Centro fans will be happy to hear that the diminutive Garnet phone will finally hit Verizon following Sprint and AT&T launches in the tail end of May or the beginning of June, followed shortly by the Nokia 6205, which apparently isn't either the 2505 or 7205 unless one of those flips have been renumbered."

If Engadget's information is correct, Verizon customers are still in for a bit of a wait for the Centro to arrive on their wireless network.

Read the entire Engadget article...

Seidio 755p OEM Sized Extended Life Battery

I have really come to rely on my Treo to make it through the day. I use my Treo 755p from the time I get up in the morning until the time I go to bed at night. I use my Treo for everything. From email to scheduling my day, from contacts to web browsing, for news and information, and even an occasional game from Astraware.

The only draw back about my Treo 755p that I don't like (having come from a Treo 700p) is that I just can't get a full day's use out of the 755p. To help feed my mobile computing appetite, I've just purchased the OEM-sized extended life battery from Seidio. The Seidio battery provides 2200mAh of battery power to the Treo, which is an additional 600mAh over the stock 1600mAh battery.

The thing that I like about this particular battery over others is that it is an extended life battery with the same footprint as the stock Palm battery. I really dislike extended life batteries that are double the stock battery size and require you to use a new back plate and that add heft to the device. It is also a nice touch that Seidio also includes a replacement battery cover for the off chance that the replacement battery turns out to be a really tight fit for the stock Treo back plate.

The 22oomAh OEM sized extended life battery for use with the Palm Treo 755p sells for $60 at the Seidio Online store.

I Can't Wait For My Treo 755p

Foleo Fanatics readers who also listen to my weekly 1SRC.com Palm Powered podcast know that I've purchased a blue Treo 755p. And I can't wait for it to get here.

Just today, my Treo 700p (with the 1.10 MR applied) has crashed on me 5 times. Once while surfing the web with Blazer. Again when I was checking the weather. A third time while reading my corporate email. The 700p took break this afternoon while it was sitting idle on my desk. And a fifth time just a few minutes ago when I placed it in my Palm Treo cradle.

Did I mention blue is my favorite color?

Palm Treo 755p from Verizon Review

For the past month I have been road testing the new Treo 755p from Verizon Wireless for Gadgets On the Go. The following is my review of the newest Palm Treo smartphone to debut on the Verizon Wireless network.

Body Style

The single biggest improvement that the Treo 755p has to offer over the model it replaces, the Treo 700p, is it’s redesigned body. The 755p now has an internalized antenna bringing it in line with many of the other competing devices on the market today. For many customers, this will be a welcomed and long awaited change.

Palm has also worked to improve the way the Treo feels when you are holding it in your hand. To achieve these improvements, Palm used soft touch paint and changed the contours along the sides. Rather than a convex edge, the sides of the Treo 755p are concave. As a result, the Treo 755p is much easier to hold as you are rushing about your busy day. The Treo 755p is also slimmer and lighter than the 700p, though it is hard to notice the change even with the two devices sitting side-by-side.

Software Enhancements

The Treo 755p is noticeably more stable than the Treo 700p. During the entire month I was using the 755p, the device did not reset once on me. Google Maps is now bundled on the device and has been integrated with the Contacts application. To use the feature, look up an address in a Contacts records, and tap the Map button. You can now quickly obtain directions to locations that are in your contacts database. (If you plan on using this feature, or others that require a connection to the Internet, you will want to purchase a Verizon Wireless data plan in addition to the voice plan.)

For the most part, the software on the Treo 755p felt snappy and responsive. I was able to quickly jump between the preinstalled and third-party applications that I installed on the device. While over-all performance has been improved over the Treo 700p, the Blazer web browser still had a little bit of a lag starting up and closing down.

During my trial period, there where four applications that I either upgraded or installed to enhance my personal productivity. These items are subjective and will vary from user to user. I started off by installing Treoware’s LEDOff utility to over ride the constant blinking of the Verizon Treo’s LED since I prefer the LED to only blink when I need to be alerted to an event. I also installed Tyler Faux’s LudusP utility; which I used to remap the Menu button to the green send button. For me, it is a more natural movement to press the green send button to open a menu when my thumb is on the 5-way navigator than reaching down to the Menu button located in the lower right of the keyboard. Since I use my Treo for writing and note taking, I upgraded the bundled version of DataViz Documents To Go from version 9 Professional to version 10 Premium for Microsoft Office 2007 compatibility. And lastly, since I like to listen to music while I write, I upgraded Normsoft Pocket Tunes from version 3 to version 4.

Read the full review on GadgetsOnTheGo.net...

[Via GadgetsOnTheGo.net]

Is this Drucker?

Did Microsoft's Bill Gates "out" Palm's rumored Treo "Drucker"?

Over the weekend, Gadgets On the Go covered a leaked product roadmap from Vodafone that showed two slides of upcoming Windows Mobile-based Palm Treo smartphones. The high-end device, code named "Drucker" did not have an image. Did Bill Gates, accidentally give us a sneak-peek at the new device rumored to be due out by mid-year?

"Drucker", if the leaked information is to be believed, will include a built-in Wi-Fi radio (a first for Palm), Windows Mobile 6.1, a 320x320 display, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 2.0MP camera.

Photo Credit: Engadget.com

Treo 755p Reviewer's Notes: Stop the Blinking!

So I've had the new Verizon Treo 755p for a few days and things have been going well. I've moved all of my applications, games, and data over to the 755p and I'm using it as my everyday production device.

But there is one thing that is driving me absolutely crazy: The nonstop LED blinking while the cell radio is turned on.

That is where Treoware's LEDOff comes in. With LEDOff, you can control what alarms and events trigger the LED to pulse. I just turned off Signal blinking for In coverage and now the Treo 755p on Verizon works my Treo 700p on Sprint.

LEDOff is "donationware" and can be downloaded from the Treoware website.

Treo 755p First Impressions

Earlier this week Palm and Verizon launched the Treo 755p on the Verizon Wireless EVDO network and today I received Gadgets On The Go's review unit. Like a kid on, well, Christmas Morning, I tore into the shipping carton to unbox the new Treo.

Let me start off by saying that new azure green is much better in person than it looks on the computer screen. Sitting on my desk, the new Treo looks like a dark grey or black. Early next year when the company I work for starts deploying them, I will have no hesitation deploying them to the executive team.

Today is the first time I've had a chance to play with the 755p. I really like the the new Treo 755p soft touch paint. The 755p's new contours along the side along with the soft touch paint make the Treo fit comfortably in your hand. When holding the Treo 700p and 755p, one in each hand, the difference is like night and day.

I plan on using the Treo 755p as my primary device for the next few weeks and concluding my test drive with a review here on Gadgets on the Go.

For more information about the Treo 755p, check out Palm's website.

[Via GadgetsOnTheGo.net...]

Palm Treo 755p Available on Verizon Wireless

Earlier today, Palm launched the Treo 755p smartphone on the Verizon Wireless network.

Compared to the Treo 700p which it replaces in the Verizon smartphone line up, the Treo 755p offers a sleeker body design that has previously only been available to Sprint and AT&T customers. Like other recent Treo smartphones, the Verizon Treo 755p features an internal antenna and the soft-touch paint. This version of the Treo 755p comes in azure green (a deep blue-green color if you are Pantone color chart challenged like me). Sprint offers the the 755p in burgundy and midnight blue while Alltel offers the smartphone in black.

The Treo 755p, like the 700p, features a full suite of software for both business and personal time. Documents To Go, Pocket Tunes, and VersaMail lead off a full feature list. Also included in this Treo is Verizon's Wireless Sync software that allows customers to wireless synchronize email, contacts, calendar, and tasks from a home or business Windows PC.

The Treo 755p will sell for $400 with a new two-year service agreement and after a $50 mail in rebate. Customers who also purchase a qualified voice plan are also eligible for an additional $100 rebate. The Treo 755p will sell for $580 for customers who do not wish to extended there service plans with Verizon.

Full details on all versions of the Treo 755p can be found on the Palm website.

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.

Rumor: Treo 800w on Sprint in February

A Palm Community Help Forum member claiming to be an employee of Sprint has posted that the Treo 800w will be coming to Sprint in late February 2008 to replace the Treo 700wx.

Rumors of a Treo 800w, a new Treo running the Windows Mobile operating system, have been circulating on the Internet for months now with little bits of information popping up every few months.

Are these rumors of the Treo 800w real? I'll leave that for you to decide.

Related Articles

Rumor: Treo 800w Reference Image...
Rumor: Treo 800w Coming to Verizon...

Push To Talk Comes to the AT&T Treo 680

Earlier today Palm and AT&T Wireless released the Treo 680 Update 2.11 for AT&T and Cingular branded smartphones.

According to the Palm website, the update includes the following features:

• Push to Talk
• Microsoft Direct Push Technology for instant email, calendaring updates
• IM application for access to AIM, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo!
• TeleNav GPS service
• Power saving enhancements
• Support for Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) cards
• Enhanced ringtone support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, MIDI, WAV, and AMR
  
• Cingular graphics will be updated with the AT&T graphics
• Update roll ups: Camera update, Daylight Savings Time update, and Update 1.09

This update is intended for AT&T or Cingular branded Treo 680 smartphones only. Mac OS X and Vista customers will need a blank SD card with which to perform the update with. BlackBerry Connect customers are being told to not upgrade at this time as this update is not compatible with that software. Lastly, customers who update will be eligible for a free copy of Astraware Sudoku.

Download the AT&T Treo 680 Update 2.11...

[Thanks to my anonymous tipster for sending this in.]

Windows Mobile 6 Treo 750 Now Available in the US

Earlier today Palm issued two press releases indicating that US customers can now use Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 Professional operating system on their smartphones. This will be welcomed news for AT&T customers who have been waiting a long time (but not as long as Treo 700p customers) for their operating system upgrades.

Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional for AT&T Wireless Customers

The first press release was to announce that the Treo 750 Updater 2.25 for AT&T customers. This update brings Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional to AT&T and Cingular branded Treo 750 smartphones.

There are a number of enhancements in this upgrade, including:

• HSDPA support for faster data network connections
• Improved support for the Calendar application
• Enhanced support for HTML based email messages
• Microsoft Windows Vista compatibility
• Internet connection sharing
• Better security and IT policies support
• USB cable charging

It is important that you read and understand the upgrade directions before attempting this upgrade. The one download limit is also being enforced (you will need your Treo 750's serial number handy) with the US version of the upgrade as has been the case with previously released international releases. It is a good idea to backup your Windows Mobile 6 upgrade installer before attempting the upgrade.

The complete features list, upgrade documentation, and downloads can be found on the Palm website.

Download the Treo 750 Updater 2.25...


Unlocked Treo 750 Now Available in the US

The second press release from Palm was to announce that an unlocked Treo 750 is now available for purchase from directly from the Palm website or retail locations.

Today's press release reads, in part:

"The Treo 750 offers the hallmark Palm experience in a multifunction phone with access to email, Palm's exclusive threaded text messaging, web browsing and organization software all in a compact design. Added features such as Windows Live increases communication capabilities by letting users send voice recordings via Live Messenger and integrating Outlook and Live Contacts to show who is online directly from the Contacts screen. The device is compatible with HSDPA, allowing faster data-download speeds on 3G/UMTS/HSDPA networks."

The unlocked Treo 750 retails for $549USD.

Read the complete press release...

For more details about the new unlocked Palm Treo 750, visit the Palm website.

Verizon Treo 755p "Coming Soon"

It looks like the Palm Treo 755p is coming to Verizon and will be green, as previously rumored here on FoleoFanatics.

Verizon has posted a "Coming Soon" label for the Treo 755p on their business-to-business PDA smartphone page. Customers who wish to be notified when the Treo 755p has become available can visit the Treo 755p details page and sign up to be notified via email.

There is no word on when this device will begin shipping to business customers or when it will be generally available to non-corporate customers.


Related Posts:
Rumor: Will the Verizon Treo 755p be Green?

Windows Mobile 6 Treo 750 Coming Soon

Palm has posted a new article on their company blog called "In the Queue - Windows Mobile 6 for AT&T Treo 750 Smartphones".

In the blog post, Palm indicated that the inside sales team has started taking orders from corporate customers who want the 750 running Windows Mobile 6 Professional and that an update for current AT&T/Cingular Treo 750 customers "is just around the corner."

Read the full article...

4-Day Sale Palm Treo 680 Unlocked GSM

Palm is running a 4-day sale on the unlocked GSM Treo 680 from now until Sunday, November 25, 2007. The graphite Treo 680 can be purchased directly from the Palm online webstore for $379. (The Treo 680 without a service plan is typically $449.)

The unlocked Treo 680 can operate on any GSM wireless carrier that offers voice and or data services. (You will need an existing SIM card or obtain one when you sign up for service.)

For more information, including the technical specifications for the Treo 680, please visit the Palm website.

Treo 500v First Thoughts Review

My fellow Brighthand moderator, Holvoetn, has received a Treo 500v review unit and has written up his first impressions of the latest Treo smartphone.

"Palm's latest device is the Treo 500v, a Windows Mobile smartphone that is being launched on the Vodafone network all over Europe and some other places in the world, too.

After a small logistical hiccup that lasted 4 weeks, this device arrived in my hands a couple days ago. I received the white version (the 500v also comes in black).

A New OS

As a die-hard Palm OS übergeek, I was very interested to see how I would handle a Windows Mobile 6 Standard device. Let me tell you I am very pleased, even impressed.

For the very first time I was able to experience 100% keyboard and/or 5-way nav navigation. Sure enough, some settings are not in the places I expect them to be, but that's because I haven't played around enough yet."

Keep reading...

Unlocked Treo 750 English Update Available

Palm has released a generic English update for unlocked Treo 750 smartphones. Owners of unlocked English Treo 750s will be able to upgrade the pre-installed version of Windows Mobile from version 5 to version 6. This upgrade can not be undone, nor should it be applied on AT&T/Cingular branded Treo 750 devices.

For more information about the Windows Mobile 6 Professional upgrade for the Treo 750, see our August 30th article.

Treo 750 owners can download their updates directly from the Palm website. Please note that this update can only be downloaded once. Please be sure that you are downloading the correct version for your phone. Once the updater has been downloaded, I strongly encourage you to burn a copy of the installer to CD or otherwise it up.

More information...

Rumor: Treo 800w Reference Image

The folks over at TreoCentral.com are running an story about a possible design image of the Treo 800w that was leaked on the Internet.

Since this is a still a rumor all the information needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Not much is known about the Treo 800w at this point. Some are claiming that there will be a new data port on the device that is different from the Athena Multiconnector currently being used on many of Palm's Treo and handheld PDA products. Some are saying that the new data port will be a mini-USB port. Others are talking built-in Wi-Fi. Of all the rumored specifications, we can probably safely bet on a 320x320 display and Windows Mobile 6 Professional. Anything beyond that is speculation.

Looks like Treo 800w Silly Season is in full swing.

Related articles
Rumor: Treo 800w Coming to Verizon...

Via TreoCentral.com...

Rumor: Treo 800w Coming to Verizon

Those of you who have been following along with my weekly "Palm Powered" podcast over on 1SRC.com know that I've been wondering out loud about Verizon and their Palm Treo line up.

Until recently, the Treo 700p and 700w|wx maintenance releases where unavailable, the new Centro will be a Sprint exclusive until the new year, and the 755p, which has been available on Sprint for months how is nowhere in sight on the Verizon radar. Will Verizon go a holiday season without a new device from Palm? Until recently, it looked like the answer might be "Yes". Starting today, I'm officially calling for the start of "Treo 800w Silly Season."

Silly Seasons are the months leading up to a new Palm product launch where Palm fan sites, like Foleo Fanatics, and discussion boards are a buzz with rumors and wild speculation about the next rumored device. In this case, it is the rumored successor to the Treo 700w|wx, the Treo 800w.

I'm not even going to start making predictions about what this device will have on board or even what form factor it will have; except to say that I expect the Treo 800w, if it is real, to be running the Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional operating system. (And I'm not even going to go near any rumors of a Treo 800p running Palm OS II. It is way too soon for anything like that to be even close to ready.)

For those who want to get a head start on the Treo 800w Silly Season, check out TreoCentral member howicam's post from this past weekend. If that doesn't jump start rumors, I don't know what will. Just keep in mind that this is only a rumor at this point, and I have not confirmed any of the information in the post.

Do you think we'll see a new Windows Mobile Treo on Verizon before the Christmas holiday? Let us know by clicking the Comments link below and sharing your thoughts.

Verizon Treo 700-Series Updates Reposted

This past week Palm and Verizon have cleared the Verizon Treo 700p Maintenance Release 1.10 update. As you may recall, Palm took down all of the Treo 700-series updaters after customers discovered a bug that prevented customers from consistently connecting to Verizon's EVDO data network.

Palm recently posted on their support website:

The initial version of the Palm Treo 700p Updater 1.10, posted on July 12, 2007 incorrectly set a data connectivity parameter which may have produced an error when trying to connect to network data services.

These errors associated with this issue may include:

"Error 3000" errors when attempting to browse

"PPP Link Time Out error 0x1231" when attempting to connect to data

The Treo 700p Update 1.10 was modified to properly program the parameter which had been incorrectly set, and is reposted as either the:

VerizonTreo700pSDUpdate-rev1.zip.

- Or -

VerizonTreo700pDesktopUpdate-rev1.zip

For the full details on the update including upgrade directions and the download link, visit the Palm website.

The Treo 700w|wx update was reposted back on September 18th.

Verizon Treo 700p 1.10 update...
Verizon Treo 700w|wx 1.22 update...

Palm Euro Site Now Has Treo 500v Listed

Palm has updated their European website to include the new Treo 500v which was announced earlier this morning. Product specs and device photos can be viewed on the Treo 500v page.

Palm Launches the Treo 500v on Vodafone

Earlier this morning, Palm officially launched the Treo 500v, previously named as "Gandolf" in Internet rumors, for European Vodafone customers. (Note: The European Palm website has not yet been updated, however, Palm has issued the following press release at 6am, Eastern Time in the United States.) The new Treo will become available for sale this October, meaning Palm's customers may still have to wait another 4-6 weeks.

The Palm press release reads:

"Palm Europe Ltd today announced the Palm(R) Treo(TM) 500v smartphone which combines multiple forms of communication and multimedia capabilities with high speed 3G/UMTS mobile internet access, allowing users access to popular websites such as MySpace, YouTube and eBay whilst on the move. The new Palm Treo 500v smartphone will initially be available exclusively to Vodafone customers from October.

The Palm Treo 500v smartphone runs on a Windows(R) Mobile(R) 6 standard platform and has a full keyboard, large screen, video streaming capability and a comprehensive multi-messaging functionality covering Instant Messaging, SMS, email and phone and personal information management software in a new design(1). The compact form factor is available in two colours: glacier white and charcoal grey."

The press release goes on to list some of the features of the Treo 500v, including:

• All-in-one smartphone with messaging, email and web
• Full keyboard for fast and easy typing
• Automatic delivery of Hotmail/MSN, Yahoo!, and Gmail, email as it arrives
• Large, high-resolution screen
• Internet Explorer Mobile full-featured browser
• Access to Google Maps and eBay
• Vodafone live! for news, sports, and entertainment on the go
• 3G/UMTS network
• Planner with address book, calendar, to-do lists, and more
• View Microsoft(R) Word, Excel(R), PowerPoint(R), and Adobe PDF files
• Windows Media(R) Player Mobile for music and videos
• 2.0 megapixel camera captures video too
• 150MB of memory, expandable with microSD expansion card
• Windows Mobile(R) 6 Standard software
• Microsoft(R) Direct Push technology for delivery of Outlook(R) email
• Bluetooth(R) wireless technology
• Device available in two colours: glacier white and charcoal grey

Read the complete Treo 500v press release...

Rumor: Is this the Treo 500?

Earlier today Palm community websites went nuts with a leaked picture of what is probably the new device coming to Europe this Wednesday, the Treo 500.















The device specifications are still a bit sketchy, but if the rumors are true, this might be the first Palm device to run Windows Mobile Standard, which does not include touchscreen support. If the rumors continue to be true, there are likely to be two versions of this phone: a Windows Mobile/GSM device, and a Palm OS/EVDO device. It is not clear if there would be a Palm OS/GMS device here in the United States running on the AT&T network.

Regardless of what what is true about these rumors or not, the world will find out what is coming to Europe on September 12th.


[Thanks to Holvoetn for the tip.]

Europe Gets Something Else on Sept. 12

In a message posted to the Palm company blog earlier today Palm has told us that Europe isn't getting the Centro on September 12 as I had originally speculated. Palm playfully says "It's not Centro" and to "check back later" for more details.

Read It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's not Centro...

Windows Mobile 6 Update for Treo 750v

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.

Is this the Centro?

Gizmodo is running what appears to be a press photo of the upcoming Centro smartphone for Sprint this morning.



Wow, what a difference from the blurry photos we've seen previously. This thing looks really good! I was under the impression that the black device was going to be the Windows Mobile version that has been rumored to be floating around, but this photo clearly shows the standard Palm hardware buttons around the navigator ring. (The other tip off that this is not a Windows Mobile device is the lack of the Windows key. Stay tuned, there could be a Windows Mobile version still in the works.)

Read the full Gizmodo article...


Update:

The Boy Genius Report seems to have a listing of the Centro SKU and full retail pricing posted. It looks like the Centro will be selling for $399.99 without a new service contract.

Keep reading...

A New Week, New Treo Rumors

Following on the heels of last week's Sprint product line up sneak peek at the Tech Summit conference, Christopher Price of PhoneNews.com has written an article based on information posted in the PhoneNews.com forums detailing Sprint's phone line up into January of 2008.

The following information has not been confirmed and it should be considered only a rumor at this point.

According to PhoneNews.com member comptech2002, Sprint will launch the Palm Gryphon on October 14, 2007. Then during the three months of Q1, 2008, Sprint is expecting to launch the Treo 800w.


Rumors usually conflict

The first obvious question I have is whether or not "Gryphon" is the Sprint branded version of "Gandolf" which Palm seems to now be calling the Centro. Since there is no mention of Centro or Gandolf or Treo 690 in this version of the proported Sprint roadmap, one is left to wonder if this is just a mistake and Gryphon is not real or is another Palm device.

Next we have the Treo 800w. Previous rumors indicate that the 800w is the long awaited update for the Treo 700wx, running Windows Mobile 6.0, with an internal antenna, and a higher resolution 320x320 screen like the ones that appear in Palm's Palm OS-based Treo smartphones. Personally I was expecting to see the 800w in Q4 of 2007, however with the current import ban in effect on phones containing Qualcomm chips, it is hard to know if the date has slipped or if the device was ever really intended to ship this year at all.


What about the Treo 800p?

Ever since rumors of the Treo 800w started to surface across the Internet, many folks started to wonder if there would be an 800p running a version of the Palm OS. The Treo 800p would be the successor to the Treo 700p and 755p. The questions on the minds of Palm OS fans are: when will such a device ship; will it support Wi-Fi; and will it run "Palm OS II", Palm's as yet unnamed Linux based OS.


Treo 755p coming to Verizon

Last week PalmInfoCenter.com ran a rumor that Verizon will be shipping the Treo 755p this November. While still a rumor, my sources confirm what was reported in the article, that the Treo 755p will ship on Verizon in November. As long as nothing changes.

New Details on Verizon Treo Updaters

Palm has updated their Verizon Treo maintenance release download pages to give customers more details about why the updaters were taken down and details about what can happen to devices that have already been loaded with the updates.

The Verizon Treo 700p page now reads:

"The issue is caused by a device setting that affects connectivity to the Verizon Wireless network under certain situations and only occurs on devices that have installed the updater. Users receive an error message and typically can reconnect to the data network after a short period of time. This data connectivity issue does not affect the device or personal data in any other way.

Treo 700p users on Verizon Wireless experiencing this issue will see the following error messages more frequently:

• Error 3000 - Data network is not available
• PPP Link Time Out error 0x1231

We are currently working on delivering a solution and will repost the updaters as soon as they are available. If you would like to be notified by email when the updaters are available, please submit your email address. Thank you for your patience."

The Treo 700w|wx page now reads:

"The issue is caused by a device setting that affects connectivity to the Verizon Wireless network under certain situations and only occurs on devices that have installed the updater. Users receive an error message and typically can reconnect to the data network after a short period of time. This data connectivity issue does not affect the device or personal data in any other way.

Treo 700w/wx users on Verizon Wireless experiencing this issue will see the following error messages more frequently:

• Page Cannot Be Displayed
• Answering Modem is Disconnected
• No Modem at Above Number

We are currently working on delivering a solution and will repost the updaters as soon as they are available. If you would like to be notified by email when the updaters are available, please submit your email address. Thank you for your patience."

Foleo Fanatics will update you when Palm updates the Verizon Treo 700p and 700w|wx maintenance release download pages.

Verizon Treo 700p details...
Verizon Treo 700w|wx details...

Palm Pulls the Verizon Treo 700 Updaters

I ended up on the Palm Treo 700p website over the weekend only to find that the Treo 700-series updates have all been pulled. This includes the 700p, 700w, and the 700wx for Verizon Wireless only.

"We have taken down the Verizon Wireless Treo 700p and 700w/wx updaters as a result of increasing customer reports of network connectivity issues following the updates. We are currently investigating the issue and will re-post as soon as they become available.

The reported error displays "Error 3000 - Data network is not available" when attempting to connect to the data network. This error does not affect your device or personal data in any other way. Thank you for your patience."

It would appear that some sort of bug has been detected in the code that connects the Treo to the Verizon Wireless network. At least that would explain the connection issue and why the data on the device is not affected. When the updaters go back up, I'll post it here.

Treo Rumor Round Up

Kris Keilhack over at Palm InfoCenter has a nice round up of the many Treo rumor threads that are making the rounds on the Internet. If you are having a hard time keeping track of the rumors about "Gandolf", "Treo 800w", and the "Treo 690", check out Kris' article.

Read Treo Rumors & Analysis: Four New Treos Forthcoming...

Verizon Corporate Customers Gain Access 700p MR

I saw the following on PalmInfoCenter earlier today:

"Over a year after the phone's launch, the long-awaited ROM Maintenance Release for the Verizon version of the Treo 700p is finally being rolled out to certain Verizon Wireless corporate stores. In an odd twist deviating from Palm's usual support practices, Verizon has sent the 700p 1.10 ROM out on SD cards to select corporate stores for Verizon service technician use only. At this point in time, no user-installable version of this update is available nor has a download been leaked."

I wonder what the hold up is for the general availability release of the Verizon 700p MR on the Palm website. I haven't had any trouble applying the 700p MR using the SD card on my Sprint Treo. Hopefully my fellow Verizon Treo 700p customers will be able got get the many bug fixes included in this update.

Read the full article...

Palm Reposts the Sprint Treo 700p Update

Yesterday afternoon, Palm posted an update to their company blog stating that the Treo 700p maintenance release (MR) update had been made available again on the Palm website.

Paul Loeffler writes for Palm:

The SD card updater has been reposted to the Palm site - installation details can be found here. We are working to resolve the installation issue with the desktop updater and will make it available as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Verizon Wireless users, we will make the 700p MR available as soon as we can.

It would seem that the problem is with the HotSync update method and not with the SD card install method. I've used the SD card method on a few Treo 700p devices now and all upgraded without a problem.

Verizon customers are still waiting for their update. This may not be a bad thing as I have experienced some annoying issues with my Treo since applying the MR update. While these issues, which include a dial tone bug, do not out weight the number of things that Palm has fixed with this update. I only hope that Verizon customers get the additional bug fixes that Sprint customers didn't get.