Palm Accessories

Palm is supposed to unveil their new OS, , Nova, at CES 2009 at an invite only event on Thursday at 11am. Rumor is that the new device that will be operating this system, will have a full slide-out qwerty keyboard. It will have the usual portrait touchscreen, but the keyboard will slide out below, instead of sliding out to the side like other smartphones e.g. HTC Touch Pro. The new smartphone is described as "iphone-like" with a qwerty keyboard.  As far as the new OS, it is simply described as "amazing" which leaves our curious minds more eager to see it work. According to TechCrunch the os will include features like calendar, e-mail, address book, and an on-device software store. Many have said that this new Palm handset better be good, or it could make or break Palm.   Source: Brighthand

 

You know how Martha Stewart has her list of good things that she always tell us about? Well the Amzer Privacy Filter is definitely a good thing. All of us nowadays use our smartphones everywhere in public. And I dont have to tell you how annoying it is when you are at the airport or waiting for your table at a restaurant and youre typing away while someone next to you is staring down at your screen. I mean, really! Get a life people! Instead of moving away from your seat for some privacy, get the Amzer Privacy Filter. This is such a cool little item and it provides you all the privacy you need and protection for that matter. With the privacy filter you are free to check your bank balances, send work emails, and even text mushy love messages to your beloved. In addition, it even protects your screen from scratches, dust, and messy fingerprints. What more can you ask for? The privacy filter is available for all the top smartphones: Palm Treo 600, 650, 680, 700; Palm Treo 800w; and Palm Centro. It is also available for RIM BlackBerry series 8100 Pearl, 8300 Curve, 8700, 8800 and even the new Bold 9000. And lets not forget the popular touch screen smartphones iPhone 3G, of course, as well as LG Dare and Samsung Instinct. Dont wait another minute. These custom, made-to-fit your smartphone privacy protectors are for sure a good thing.  

Amzer has recently introduced an Air Case Holster for use with the Treo 680, and this is a written review of that product.  Its available at fommy.com for $34.95 and I think it does a fantastic job of keeping my Treo just like new.    If youre not familiar with an "Air Case Holster", Ill be delighted to let you in on it.  Amzers Air Case Holster essentially comes in two parts, these two parts then work together to do one imperative job.  The job: to protect and preserve the life and quality of your delicate and sometimes pricey device.  The parts:  a strong holster with a fixed ratcheting belt clip and a clear crystal hard case so your phones personality still shines through.  The crystal clear hard case fits the Treo exactly how it should, covering every curve and exposing the necessary controls used to manage your device.  The hard case comes in two parts and is really simple to put together.   I noticed that this particular hard case isnt difficult to remove, unlike other hard cases out there, which is really great for me and for my nails.  The screen and keyboard remain uncovered for quick and convenient access.  Exact cutouts for the charging port, SD slot, side buttons, camera, speaker, vibrate switch and the stylus make the hard case extremely user friendly.    The holster, is designed to fit a "skinned" or "hard cased" device, so dont try to use the holster with a naked Treo and then freak out because "it doesnt fit!!!"  The idea here is to double up your line of mobile phone defense.  With the crystal case on, the Treo smoothly slides "face-in" to the holster, fitting perfectly.   Designed as an extra precautionary step, the phone must be inserted "face-in."   With the velvet interior lining, I actually prefer to use the holster this way.  The fixed belt clip rotates a full 360 degrees allowing for vertical or horizontal placement when the holster is clipped to your belt or pocket or bag, making everything more comfy.  The holster is made of resilient plastic, tough enough to withstand unintentional drops and the occasional deliberate hurl.   All in all, this is a really cool product because you can use the two parts together or you can use the crystal hard case alone.  In regards to phone security, this is an outstanding product, it really gets the job done.   The two products get along famously, its like they were made for each other!  Start protecting and preserving your phone today with Amzers Air Case Holster available now at fommy.com!

Palm held a call to investors yesterday that had all those patent-battle speculators on the edge of their seats. In case you dont know what Im referring to, there have been words flying between Palm and Apple regarding a possible patent infringement of Apples touch screen iconic iPhone since the news of the Pre came out in January at CES.  Palms head chief Ed Colligan said on the conference call to investors that there are no pending legal actions with Apple where the Palm Pre is concerned and he also mentioned that Palm itself has plenty of patents, being as they are industry pioneers. Palm has about 1500 patents from the last 15 years.  The much anticipated Palm Pre will be coming out later this year, speculated to be launched with Sprint Wireless. The device itself with run on a new OS as the Palm OS is going to be phased out.

  Handango Inc., the leading provider of multi-platform smartphone content globally, today announced its 2008 Handango Yardstick, a proprietary global trend index offering unique insight into the smartphone content industry.  For the first time, Handango is releasing Handangos Top Ten list identifying the top ten downloaded applications across all operating platforms and devices and sold through Handangos multiple distribution channels. In 2008, Handango added an impressive 1,300 new content providers to its network with almost 10,000 new applications across all categories with an overall average purchase price of almost $20 per application. HANDANGOS TOP TEN - 2008 Best Sellers List Across Platforms 1. Spb Mobile Shell 2.1.4 today screen plug-in - $29.95 2. MobiTV streaming television - $9.99/month 3. Ringtone Megaplex ringtones - $19.95 4. Spb Backup 2.0.1 file backup - $24.95 5. Spb Pocket Plus 4.0.2 today screen plug-in - $29.95 6. Pocket Informant 8 today screen plug-in - $29.95 7. Spb Phone Suite 1.3 phone features - $19.95 8. VoiceControl voice command - $6.00 9. Colour Your Trackball trackball customizer - $4.95 10. eWallet Professional Edition PIM manager - $29.95 Games continue to grow in popularity. Following the trend from the first half of 2008, the Games category continued to experience double-digit growth. Games accounted for 11% of top category sales in 2007 and grew to 19% of top category sales in 2008. Handango has been aggressively expanding its high profile games offerings through strategic partnerships with top mobile game publishers including EA Mobile, Capcom Interactive, Glu Mobile, Digital Chocolate and iPlay among others. 2008 Games Best Sellers List Across Platforms 1. Spb Brain Evolution 1.2 puzzle game 2. Aces Texas Holdem® - No Limit card game 3. TETRIS puzzle game 4. Guitar Hero 3 Mobile music game 5. Bejeweled puzzle game 6. Aces Solitaire Pack card game 7. The Sims 2 strategy game 8. Jewelrumble 2 puzzle game 9. Sudoku Puzzle Pack puzzle game 10. Solitaire Buddy Gold card game PLATFORM OVERVIEW Handango is the largest third party smartphone application retailer with multiple distribution channels including: a consumer website, Handango.com, a market leading on-device client, Handango® In HandT, more than 50 channel partners including Microsoft, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Alltel, AT&T, and AOL among others and operates over 1,000 content partner storefronts. The Handango Yardstick compiles and analyzes consumer activity from each of these channels creating a unique industry index of smartphone content trends across leading platforms and most major devices. A full version of the Handango Yardstick is available at www.handango.com/marketing/Yardstick/Yardstick_2008_YearEnd.pdf. RIM BlackBerry® BlackBerry was the big winner in 2008 - seeing dramatic growth in smartphone application purchases and accounting for five of the top ten devices adding content. BlackBerry 8830 World Edition and the BlackBerry Curve took the top two positions respectively. In 2007, Blackberry accounted for 18% of apps sold and increased to 31% of apps sold in 2008. BlackBerry had the most new content titles in 2008 adding 3,365 applications to the Handango catalog. Personalization was the #1 category, while six games made the top 25.  The top-five best-selling applications for BlackBerry in 2008 were: 1. Ringtone Megaplex ringtones 2. VoiceControl voice command 3. Colour Your Trackball trackball customizer 4. BBSmart Email Viewer email viewer 5. eOffice 4.5 attachment viewer Windows Mobile® Professional Formerly Pocket PC WMP had the most new content providers of any platform at 382 and remains the largest platform by units. Samsungs Omnia and the HTC Touch Diamond were two new devices in the list of top ten smartphones adding content. The top-five best-selling applications for WMP in 2008 were: 1. Spb Mobile Shell 2.1.4 today screen plug-in 2. MobiTV streaming television 3. Spb Backup 2.0.1 file backup 4. Spb Pocket Plus 4.0.2 today screen plug-in 5. Pocket Informant 8 today screen plug-in Windows Mobile® Standard Formerly Smartphone Video made up 17% of top ten category sales, which was the highest of any platform. Additionally, Games category sales grew from 10% to 21% year over year. The top-five best-selling applications for WMS in 2008 were: 1. MobiTV streaming television 2. Ringtone Megaplex ringtones 3. SBSH Facade 1.4 home screen plug-in 4. eWallet Professional Edition PIM manager 5. PocketStreamer DELUXE streaming media Palm® OS PIM and Games accounted for over 54% of the top 10 category sales during 2008. Games category sales grew from 12% to 18% and PIM made up 36% of sales which is higher than on all other platforms. The top-five best-selling applications for Palm OS in 2008 were: 1. SplashID Desktop information security 2. VoiceControl voice command 3. PocketMirror Standard Outlook synchronization 4. SplashID information security 5. Agendus Desktop Edition Outlook synchronization Symbian® GPS was the #1 search term on for Symbian devices up from #3 in 2007 showing the growing demand for GPS products in the smartphone marketplace. Nokias N95 made the top ten list of devices downloading content. Symbian developers added 2,198 smartphone apps to the marketplace and 283 new content providers. The top-five best-selling applications for Symbian in 2008 were: 1. ProfiMail email viewer 2. Handy Weather weather monitor 3. Advanced Call Manager call manager 4. Quickoffice Premier 5.0 document manager 5. X-plore file manager Android The newest platform offered by Handango, Android applications have the lowest ASP of any platform with games making up 11 of its top 25 applications and Messaging and Games accounting for 60% of the top category sales. The top-five best-selling applications for Android in 2008 were: 1. IM+ All-in-One Messenger IM consolidator 2. TETRIS puzzle game 3. SMobile VirusGuard virus protection 4. Mobiola Video Studio video manager 5. MONOPOLY Here & Now board game EUROPEAN REVAMP In 2008, Handango revamped its European websites offering users a version of Handangos retail website in four different languages, as well as more content and payment through local currency. Additionally the sites were redesigned to offer new promotions and a cleaner more streamlined experience. Microsoft Voice Command and Spb Mobile Shell were the top two most popular applications across Europe in 2008. Handangos European sites include: · France www.handango.com/fr <http://www.handango.com/fr> · Germany www.handango.de <http://www.handango.de/> · Spain www.handango.com/es <http://www.handango.com/es> · UK www.handango.co.uk <http://www.handango.co.uk/> Since its launch, Handango has grown from a single distribution channel the Web to reaching millions of customers through Handangos In Hand on device portal, via the mobile Web and through its affiliates and channel partners. In 2008, Handango added 1,300 developer partners to its roster of more than 23,000. Handangos catalog now exceeds 140,000 apps spanning numerous categories including Games, PIM, Personalization, Video, Education & Reference, News & Media, Messaging, Audio Travel and more. About Handango Handango is the leading provider of smartphone applications globally for the BlackBerry®, Palm®, Windows Mobile®, Symbian OS®, and Linux platforms. Leveraging its 140,000+ apps, network of 23,000+ content partners, and vast distribution network, Handango delivers top-selling mobile applications including games, business and entertainment apps and productivity tools to millions of consumers. Applications can be downloaded via www.handango.com <http://www.handango.com/favicon.ico>, partner Web sites, SD cards and Handangos proprietary on-device catalog, InHand, the industrys leading content delivery platform that allows consumers to purchase mobile apps directly from their smartphone and download them over the air. Handangos unparalleled content expertise has attracted numerous mobile industry partners including Microsoft, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Alltel, AT&T, and AOL­. For more information, visit http://corp.handango.com <http://corp.handango.com> . Handango is a registered trademark of Handango, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. Subject to change without prior notice.

It was reported on CNBC that the Palm Pre has been signed exclusively to Sprint until the end of 2009, quite a surprise considering Sprints current terrible condition. Is Palm that desperate to try to gain some momentum after several year of stagnation while struggling to compete? The deal could definitely help both companies out; but worst comes to worst, if the device fails, itll be the struggling Palm who suffers the most. Regardless, if it succeeds it could definitely drive more customers back to Sprint, who is losing them hand over fist to competitors as things currently stands. Fortunately for the customers, the exclusivity contract is for the moment fairly short term, so hopefully Sprint wont have a monopoly on this cool device for long. Regardless, this information really hasnt been confirmed officially yet, so things could still be up in the air.

Well, while G1 users are looking forward to the Cupcake patch to give their device a lot of the features the Magic will have packaged with it, Palm users are getting a similar treat although without quite a tasty of a name, but its not without its price. TealOs as it is called reskins the palm interface, giving you the look and feel of the Palm Pre. Unfortunately, not being an official update, youll have to pay their $14.95 asking price and its only available on OS 5 devices. Regardless, its not terribly expensive and is a great alternative to those who dont want to make the switch to the Pre and Sprint but still want some of the nifty OS features.

While the date of the highly anticipated Pre device has received mixed reports, the most recent report from CEO Dan Hesse revealed the following during an interview with rcrwireless: "Hesse: We haven’t announced that. The plan of both companies is to have it on the market in the first half of the year. Obviously when you’re bringing out a new device with this level of sophistication and functionality, there’s a lot of work required. The guys at Palm are working 24/7 and we’re working 24/7 to bring it out as soon as we can, but we’re not going to bring it out until we’re really confident that the launch is going to be really successful in terms of how it operates." While its not much, combined with previous leaked information about an April launch we should definitely see this device in the next three months, next month seems to be the earliest speculated date, but more likely it will fall later rather than sooner. With both Palm and Sprint teaming up on this venture, it could definitely help to pull both companies out of the current slump they are in; but it could just as easily be another nail in the coffin. It certainly seems to be the upcoming item right now, and while Im looking forward to its release, I think a lot of people should step back and not get too hyped up about it, or else people WILL be disappointed.

Well, we finally have some more information about the Treo Pro, while its no Palm Pre, its a good start. At the moment we only have confirmed news from Sprint, but hopefully this device will see some support from other carriers as well in the near future.

"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."

Read full press release here.

This device packs a lot of features into it, including wi-fi and 3G, but I do have to worry if Palm might be competing with itself with the hotly anticipated Pre coming down the line, but on the other hand, if this device is as good as it sounds it could actually generate some more buzz for the struggling Palm. Look for it on shelves on March 15th.

Well it seems were going to get some more Palm Pre information next week, as Sprint and Palm are hosting a joint conference about the device.

"The Webcast starts at 11 a.m. Pacific on March 12, with 20 minutes scheduled for the presentation and 20 minutes allowed for questions and answers."

You can read the original story cnet here, but unfortunately, the Webcast is private, so no public viewings it seems; but dont be surprised if someone records it and uploads it for the entire Internet to hear soon after for us all to enjoy. I know a lot of people including myself are waiting for some more juicy information about the Pre; hopefully well get some more hard facts and an official announcement about the price and date.