So PPCGeeks, today we hear that Sprint is not going to get the Pre3 by HP. As many of you know they offer the Palm Pixi, which I would like to add is for free (but what shouldn’t be for a legacy device? This does seem to be a death blow for the Pre series on the 3rd largest carrier in the US. T-Mobile does not offer WebOS at all.

The reason that Sprint is not getting the new WebOS device is that they have been burned in very high hardware failure rates and users saying the OS is laggy as well as very high cost for webOS handsets…Which raises a question – what is the initial cost of the device, and why so high?

So I ask this PPCGeeks, does Sprint need WebOS? Would you buy it? What advantages would Sprint have to get the WebOS device(s)? Let’s Discuss I will be surfing the comments and commenting back as time goes on…

Source: WMPU

So we are here to spotlight the lower famed OS of the day…webOS. It seems to me that HP is doing a good job in trying to revise the OS for daily use. I mean they have already announced several new devices using webOS, and have taken it to the next level of installing it in their printers, and other devices. Rumor has it that by 2012 each HP computer you buy will dual boot webOS and Windows OS… With all that is great but now we hear a new thing that struck my fancy.

HP CEO Leo Apotheker said that he would entertain the thought of licensing webOS to other manufactures. Stating “It’s not correct to believe that it should only be on HP devices.” They used HTC as an example and Apotheker said that that’s a possibility that they’d “entertain”. Speaking at the Qualcomm Uplinq conference webOS head Jon Rubenstein also said that HP might be interested in licensing webOS to some select companies.

On top of all of that – it appears HP sees their webOS being used in appliance-makers to enterprise companies and even small-businesses. They (HP) even demoed the Touchpad controlling home appliances like lights, and blinds, etc. Question is though PPCG is this something that you would think is needed by HP/Palm webOS or should they stick to the basics, printers, phones, and mobile devices like tablets, netbooks? I personally bet that HP could make a great ecosystem, but I suspect fragmentation would happen if they spread out to far too quickly. Your thoughts let them be heard below!

source: SlashGear

Google has been sued successfully and lost for use of Linux on it’s server platform.  Although this may not be a huge loss to Google financially, this issue could extend to the Android platform. Bedrock Computer Technology has also sued AOL, Yahoo and Amazon to name a few.

Will companies like Bedrock Computer Technologies impede the growth of Linux?

What do you Geek-A-Holics think?
Get your Geek Freak on and let us know.

Source: Intomobile & BBC

Not only does Sprint have a special announcement coming in February, now HP has something up their sleeve as well. February 9, 2011 at their WebOS event in San Francisco many of us suspect they are going to announce several products, including tablets. Maybe they will officially announce the Topaz or the Opal, two tablets Engadget previously mentioned here.

What’s exciting about the announcement? The email HP sent to attendees asks them to ‘Think Big. Think Small. Think Beyond.’ What do you think about that? It tells me they have a big secret in store! What do you think it could be? What all products do you think HP may have coming up? What sort of announcement do you want to hear? Let us know your thoughts.

Once the announcement is given believe we will be back telling you all about it! For now, discuss in the comment box below.

Source: Engadget

With the mildly-tweaked Palm Pre 2 leaving a less than pleasant taste in our collective mouths, the news that there are 5-6 new devices in the pipeline for 2011 is like a blast of cool, refreshing seltzer to the face. According to CENS, Palm has inked contracts with Foxconn, who will provide four to five new devices, and Compal, who will provide one further device, in the coming year. Among the line-up is the Foxconn-made PalmPad WebOS tablet.

The identity of each device is unknown at this stage, but all will run WebOS. Barring the PalmPad, the assumption is that they will all be smartphones of some design, with slider and QWERTY candy bars – like the current Pre and Pixi models – probably featuring, and hopefully something larger to take on big-screen rivals like the HTC Desire HD.

Is this what WebOS needs to make a comeback? HP’s intention is to invest several dollars into making Palm successful and this is a great start. Releasing 6 new devices at once could really increase their revenue. 2011 sure is shaping up to be another great year in the smartphone world with Windows Phone 7 devices coming out strong, and now more WebOS devices coming into the playing field.

[via Precentral]

Today we have spotted new rumors going around that Palm is soon releasing a “keyboarded” device called the Palm Pre 2, suspected to be available in November. The Palm Pre 2 is said to have an improved ridge around the face that should reduce the amount of cracking consumers currently have on the Palm Pre. The device is also said to be running webOS 2.0 with a 1GHz processor and 512mb of RAM. We are still waiting on the official specs. See pictures below:

Although this may create a bit of confusion as to which device is coming, when and who’s getting it we still want everyone to be patient as we continue to collect information and bring it to our site for you to better understand. Palm users would probably appreciate either one, keyboard-less or with a keyboard as long as the users experience with the device can be the same or even better.

Source: precentral & engadget
Thanks to member darren.wlsn1 here at PPCG for finding this information at Engadget and also at precentral.net. As we find out more information, we will continue to update this article.

End of update

Although this hasn’t been proven more than a rumor just yet, PreCentral is stating that they heard this news from a reliable tipster. Supposedly, Palm is preparing to release a new phone named the “Mansion,” which could or couldn’t be the same device that recently turned up in Palms certification database, under the name P102, which was pulled shortly after being discovered. Nothing has been made official yet.

It’s funny how the Palm Pre was previously codenamed Castle before the final release and it’s official name of “Pre” was established. Now, with this new device rumored to be coming soon, the codename as we currently know it is “Mansion.” We wonder if the name will also be changed on this device before the official release. What do you think?

According to sources at PreCenral,  the Mansion is to have an 800X480 screen resolution and will NOT have a physical keyboard.  For now this is all of the information we have found for you Palm lovers out there.  Keep your eyes open for detailed information to follow.

The boards of directors at HP and Palm have come to an agreement on a buyout of Palm (Nasdaq: PALM) by HP (Nasdaq: HPQ). The negotiated price for the buyout is estimated at a whopping $1.2 billion at $5.70 per share of Palm’s common stock in cash.

This comes when HP is looking to enter the smartphone and tablet reader market in full force, with their high market share in the personal and portable computer market, this will extend their line of mobile products. HP is the type of company that Palm needs to back them up, and get their OS distributed in more markets around the world and on more devices. HP also has a well known marketing team, which will indeed benefit Palm greatly.

Source: HP

As Palm continues to struggle financially, a buyer has yet to emerge out of the thinning list of buyers, but on Friday, rumors began to circulate that Hong Kong based PC maker Lenovo may be considering making an offer.

The Reuters report on Friday of the potential offer gave Palm’s stock a nice 5% boost (although shares had risen as much as 7% before retreating).

It had been rumored that Taiwan’s HTC was a favorite to take over the struggling company because of the patents that Palm holds that could possibly help HTC in its legal dispute with Apple.  As of Friday, however, Reuters reported that HTC was no longer interested.

Apps, apps, apps! With Google’s recent announcement that the Android Market has reached 38,000 applications, I decided to find out how many applications are in each of the major smartphone app stores. Remember that these figures are only for the number of applications in the official application store and do not include the total number of applications for a platform.

With no surprise, Apple leads the count with just shy of 160,000 applications at last count, while the aforementioned Android Market has 38,000. Claming a distant third in this size-only contest is Blackberry’s App World, which has 6531. Symbian is fourth with just over 3400 apps while following behind in fifth is the Palm App Catalog with 2169 applications. Falling dead last is Windows Marketplace For Mobile, with only 840 approved applications. For posterity sakes, the morbid Palm OS App Store has 2393 applications.

If the non-approved applications were to be included, my best estimate is that Apple would still be leading, with Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian vying for second place, and the rest of the field falling well back. It will be interesting to see if Apple can maintain this gargantuan lead as Android’s growth has been absolutely torrid. Also, will the paltry number of 840 increase to several thousand with the looming Windows Phone 7 launch later this year? Only time will tell!

Please note that for the Microsoft, Blackberry and Palm OS figures, I used a calculator to add up the total as they each give a break down of how many applications are in each genre, but not the total amount of approved applications. Also, as these stats are not officially given by the various companies, they are what I have found to be the most reliable count.

Special thanks to Mr. X, Mikee4fun, and psycho_maniac for helping with this post. Image from thewebsquad.com.

There been some rumors of a Palm buyout over the years, but now it appears that Lenovo and even HTC may be putting in a bid to buy the company. Palm’s stock has risen over 12% as of this morning. An unnamed Chinese newspaper is said to be the source of this rumor. HTC has not confirmed or denied the rumor, however Palm’s CEO Jon Rubinstein said, “If there is a reasonable acquisition proposal, the Board will consider.” Palm is currently worth less than a tenth of HTC’s value and HTC should be able to acquire the company just for cash. Palm also has over 1,650 patents, as well as WebOS.

Source: PalmInfoCenter & WMPowerUser

Palm is expected to showcase  the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi plus headed to the AT&T’s network in the coming months. The Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will be available for $149.99 and $49.99 for new subscribers ($100 mail-in rebate and a two-year contract). The Palm Pre will be similar to the Verizon Wireless version (16GB of storage, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1) and the Pixi  should be similar as well (8GB of storage , GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1). It is said that AT&T will also be offering blue backplate variation of the device. Both UMTS / HSDPA devices will support AT&T’s new Address Book service as a Synergy sync option, and will have free auto-connect access to the carrier’s WiFi +20,000 hotspots.

(source Engadget)

Would you like to own an unlocked Palm Treo Pro? If so, here is your opportunity! Dell Small Business is selling this device for $179.99 with free shipping. However, if you use the coupon code “CWT98NZP?Z66L8”, it drops down to $161.99. The site I found this deal at says this is the lowest price by $115 that they have come across, so get to it!

While this device is not the newest generation out there (it has a 400mhz processor after all), the specifications are good for a back up phone.

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro
• Touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard
• 2-megapixel camera
• Quad-band GSM and UMTS/HSDPA 3G (850/900/1800/1900)

Also, due to our crafty ROM makers, you can run WM 6.5 on this device. Go here to check them out! Please note that PPCGeeks.com and all its entities are not to be held accountable for any/all customizations, edits, or other modifications that you make to your device. Also, running a custom ROM carries with it the possibility of bricking your device. Please flash wisely!

If you are interested in purchasing this device, you can go here!

Source- DealNews.com

Definition of workaround–

• A workaround is a bypass of a recognized problem in a system. A workaround is typically a temporary fix that implies that a genuine solution to the problem is needed. Frequently workarounds are as creative as true solutions, involving outside the box thinking in their creation.

Google has definitely engaged in a workaround of Apple’s App Store as they have updated their mobile Google Voice web site to make Google Voice features accessible to iPhone, WebOS and Windows Mobile users (see below). Through a HTML5-based web app, anybody with a HTML5-capable web browser can access now Google Voice.

HTML5-capable mobile browsers include all Webkit-based mobile browsers, which includes Safari in iPhone 3.0+,the Palm WebOS browser, and the S60 web browser for Symbian as well as Chrome on Android. For Windows Mobile devices, Skyfire 1.5 (verified by myself) and presumably the Iris browser works. However, Opera Mobile 9.5 on Windows Mobile does NOT work  nor does Internet Explorer Mobile (also verified by myself).

After the break is a video by Google showcasing this new-found workaround.

Source- DailyMobile.se

AdMob, recently acquired by Google, has released its latest report breaking down the US Mobile Web Traffic by OS. The winner, the iPhone, which accounts for 55% (including both the iPhone and iPod Touch).

HTC is up, mainly because of its Android devices. RIM/Blackberry is also up, but very little. Nokia and Palm took the biggest drops.

Source: AdMob PDF via The iPhone Blog

Sprint just announced the availability of its 2nd WebOS phone, the Palm Pixi.  It will be available on November 15th for $99 on a two-year contract (after a $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate) with a $70/month minimum plan.

“We are excited to offer the new Palm Pixi to our customers in time for the holiday season, and it’s a great addition to Sprint’s industry-leading device portfolio,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Simply put, this phone is fun and easy to use; with its multi-touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, it’s a great device for messaging and social networking at a price everyone can enjoy, and delivers so many of the great features people love about Palm Pre in a fantastic new form factor, making it a huge hit for consumers.”

• 2.63-inch multi-touch screen, 18-bit color, 320×400 resolution
• GPS
• 2 megapixel fixed focus camera
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Bluetooth 2.1
• 8 GB of storage built in
• Qualcomm MSM7627 chipset
• 55 mm x 111 mm x 10.85 mm; 99.5 grams

Source: Sprint Newsroom

“Due to importance of WebOS to our overall strategy, we’ve made the decision to dedicate all future development resources to the evolution of WebOS. Which means that going forward, our roadmap will include only Palm WebOS-based devices.”

Does this mean the end of the Treo line? Not necessarily, Rubinstein prefaced the above comment by emphasizing how well the WebOS can fit for business. This may mean we’ll soon see a Treo sporting WebOS!

Today Kinoma announced that its flagship product, Kinoma Play, is now available for Nokia S60, the world’s dominant smartphone platform. Nokia S60 users can now enjoy the best way to find, play, and share media in a beautiful, fast, easy-to-use application.

For the full press release and more information, please visit here

UPDATE: A member of the site and a worker for Kinoma dropped us an update in the comments. The big announcement will be postponed until later this month.

Hello,

Sorry to disappoint, but we’re going to be doing the launch a bit later this month.

It turns out everybody and their mother (not to mention the behemoth that is The Beatles) thought it would be fun to launch products on 9/9/09, and we want to make sure it gets the attention it deserves.

Thanks!

– Charles

Some of you may have heard of Kinoma, whose Kinoma Play media player software is well known in the Windows Mobile world. A while back I opted into receiving e-mails from them called ‘Kinoma Notes’. The e-mail I received yesterday is interesting because in part, it reads:

Now what could Kinoma be unveiling tomorrow? I have three possible ideas as to what it could be. Keep in mind that they already have their Mobile Media Software launched for both Windows Mobile and Palm OS.

1. They are releasing a version of their Kinoma Play for Web OS.
2. They are releasing a version for Android.
3. They are releasing a revolutionary new product that the world will be in awe from.

All I know is that it happens tomorrow at 9:09 am PST.. Stay tuned to PPC Geeks for the latest and greatest breaking news!

August 18, 2009

Bring Us Your Apps, and Sell Them, Too

Filed under:

• The webOS Community

— Chuq Von Rospach @ 5:17 am

Submit your webOS applications today for the Palm App Catalog e-commerce beta starting in mid-September

Starting today, you can submit your apps via email for consideration in the Palm App Catalog e-commerce beta program.

We’re initiating the beta e-commerce program so we can test the experience for both webOS app developers and users. This is an opportunity for you to submit your app and to market it to the webOS user base before we open the program to all developers later in the year.

All developers can submit both free and paid applications today for evaluation by Palm. Details of the program are the following:

• You can charge a one-time fee for the download of your application.
• Initially, the user base for e-commerce will be limited to the United States.
• Developers will receive 70 percent of revenues generated through application sales (less applicable sales taxes).
• webOS users will pay for their application purchases using credit cards and will download apps directly to their webOS device.

Acceptance Criteria

Palm will accept apps into the beta test program based on the following criteria:

• Apps should be useful and engaging to users.
• They need to have an appealing design and user interface aligned with Palm UI guidelines.
• They are written specifically for webOS and not delivered through the browser.
• They leverage webOS platform and device capabilities, for example, notifications, multitasking/background processing, location services, accelerometer.
• They have acceptable performance and response time on the device; apps with slow UI response or sluggish performance will be rejected. Applications that consume excessive power on the device will also be rejected.

How To Submit Apps

Follow these instructions to submit your webOS apps for evaluation to become part of the Palm App Catalog e-commerce beta program:

• Send an email to catalog.ecommerce.beta@palm.com. In the subject of your email put your company followed by the name of your application (e.g. subject: My Company – My Application).
• In the body of your email, include the following:
  • Your Palm webOSDev user name.
  • Whether the app will be free or paid; if paid, indicate the price (minimum of US $0.99).
  • A description of your application.
• Attach the application package (.ipk file).
• Send a separate email for each application.

Submission Guidelines

• Test your application. Be sure to put them through your own QA process, assure that they are optimized for performance, and reviewed for compliance with the Palm User Interface Guidelines as well as the Palm Application Checklist.
• Consult Top Tips For Developing Great webOS App UIs as well as Performance Optimization tips.
• Check that your app and app submission are complete; incomplete apps and app submissions will not be considered.

If your application is selected for the beta e-commerce test, Palm will notify you via email and provide additional instructions.

Follow webOSdev for more information as soon as it is released!

source http://pdnblog.palm.com/