Recently in Palm Pre Category

You can now browse Palm Pre webOS apps from your computer. The online webOS app catalog shows apps classified by categories.

Palm has announced a free Pixi promotion where users can gt a free Palm Pixi.
Sign up to be notified when Palm Pixi is available ("in time for the holidays"), and you'll receive an email with all the vital details -- along with info on how to enter to win one of 25 free Palm Pixi phones that Palm is giving away. The Palm Pixi is expected to be sold by Verizon or other major carriers.

The Palm Pre has been listed on the Popular Mechanics list of "The 10 Most Brilliant Products of 2009." Palm recently released the webOS 1.2.1 update with many new syncable features. Customers are very satisfied with the Palm Pre and it received excellent reviews for its almost physic syncing abilities across apps and social networks.

The Best of Palm Pre Apps their Applications and Accessories.

The Palm Pre has been listed on the Popular Mechanics list of "The 10 Most Brilliant Products of 2009."

They praise the Palm Pre becaue "it sets a new standard by putting all the best available technologies together."

They further state "The Palm Pre's features read like a gadget geek's wish list: optional inductive charging, a full keyboard, the ability to sync with iTunes--and it can run multiple applications at once. Sometimes more is more. "

The Palm Pre has gotten many good reviews that especially praised the WebOS operating system that uses a deck of cards and synchronization (synergy) of contacts from many sources including social networking sites. The Palm Pre  was called, fun, the sexiest phone since the iPhone, stunning, beautiful and gorgeous.

The latest update for the Palm Pre is webOS 1.2.1.

Palm Pre users can now sync with iTunes and sync well with Microsoft Exchange in the latest Palm Pre OS update webOS 1.2.1.  On Monday, Palm pushed out the webOS 1.2. which added the ability to buy Amazon Music without Wi-Fi, ability to copy/paste and more.

The latest update along with iTunes sync, syncs photo albums better, and cuts down on storage space required for photos while showing photos faster.

Here's a list of the webOS 1.2.1 update fixes:

• The official quote is "Resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (9.0.1)."
• Microsoft Exchange  -Fixes the issue in webOS 1.2.0  with Microsoft Exchange 2007 where some users could no longer synchronize with their Exchange account for Email, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks.
• Photo Album Sync -Media sync now synchronizes photo albums, maintaining the album structure in the Photos app.
• Media sync now allows for synchronizing photos without needing full-resolution originals for faster display and allows users to store more photos on the phone.
• A security issue encountered by webkit developers is fixed, which doesn't affect end users.

The webOS 1.2.1 update will be pushed Over-The-Air to Sprint customers in the next few days. In this update process, they first try to connect and deliver the update over Wi-Fi, if no Wi-Fi is available for two days, it is sent over the Sprint data network.

Manual Update: If you need the update right away. You can also check for system updates manually at any time by opening Updates. If an update is available, you can download it immediately (or you can wait for it to download in the background at a later time). You are notified when the update is ready to be installed. You can use your phone while an update downloads.

Remember: Be sure that your Palm Pre is at least 30% charged, it can take up to 15 minutes for the process to complete.

Consumer-oriented functionality smartphones score best according to The CFI Group Smartphone Satisfaction Study, Smartphones, Providers, and the Customers Who Love (and Loathe) Them. The study found little relationship between smartphone satisfaction and satisfaction with the provider while the iPhone bested other smartphones for customer satisfaction while Android smartphone user were the heaviest web surfers.

Using the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index to compare smartphone platforms:

1. The iPhone is the undisputed leader in customer satisfaction, scoring 83 on a 100-point scale, 8% higher than its nearest competitors.
2. Android and the Palm Pre (77) came in second in satisfaction.
   
3.  Research In Motion's BlackBerry (73) was third.
   
4.  Palm's Treo (70) came in forth.
   
5. others" category, which includes Symbian and Windows Mobile, scored 66.

Among smartphone providers:

1. Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile tie in overall provider satisfaction, scoring 79.
   
2. Sprint scores 74.
   
3. AT&T's non-iPhone smartphone customers score 73,.
   
4. AT&T iPhone users rate AT&T 69.

CBS launched the new CBS SURVIVOR mobile Web site and Palm Pre application for Sprint customers.

Those worried about the recent earthquake in Samoa, can find out that "The earthquake, with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3, had no effect on the production of the 20th season, which the spokeswoman said was not being filmed at the time."  The Palm Pre app is available through the Palm Pre App Catalog.

SURVIVOR fans will have access to full episodes, clips and videos of the eliminated Survivors, control of their CBS.com SURVIVOR Fantasy team, and the chance to win the weekly $10,000 prize when they vote in the "Player of the Week" competition.

Palm Pre users can now get the webOs 1.2.0 update with many improvements. A few users were treated to this update by mistake on September 6 and it appears it is worth waiting for.

Here’s a quick summary of what you’ll find in the Palm Pre webOS update.. You don’t have use Wi-Fi when buying MP3 files on Amazon, it’s ready for the app store, copy/paste functions are improved throughout, better search, better filtering of emails, phone number dialing from calendar, podcast pausing and web browser downloading.

Editor’s Update 10/03/09: Palm has released the next webOS update web OS 1.2.1 that includes iTunes sync and fixes a problem with MS Exchange syncing that can be downloaded manually immediately.

List of Features in webOS Update 1.2.0

• You can buy from Amazon MP3 over a phone network connection you don’t have to do over Wi-Fi any more.
• Credit card number storage in profile and sharing options.
• If you buy an app you can download it again for fee.
• Web browser bookmarks are now backed up to your Palm profile.
• Copy and paste of web pages.
• Car kit changes and you can make a Bluetooth connection to a computer even if the computer’s Bluetooth device name field is blank.

During the week, we noticed rumors bouncing around that the Palm Pre was not coming to Verizon even though a major Verizon executive, Lowell McAdam had said in public that the Palm Pre was coming to Verizon after Palm's exclusive deal with Sprint ended. Then rumors were circulating that nope, no mo' Palm Pre for Verizon.

Today, the confirmed rumor du jour is from Boy Genius, who reports that the Verizon passing-up Palm Pre rumor was 100% bogus. Jim Gerace, Executive Director of Media Relations at Verizon, told E-Commerce Times that Verizon will offer the Palm Pre in January 2010.

It's weird but somehow with have sixth sense for sniffing out bogus rumors. Why?  Because the bogus bloggers never cite the source of the rumor, there is not name, no executive, not spokesperson confirming any thing.  The first major news source claimed "people close to the discussion." 

The Palm Pre has been well reviewed and is great for those who are socially networked and like to have all their contacts and calendars synced across social networking sites. In a way, the Palm Pre is kind of physic. The Palm Pre  is currently only available from Sprint and has a slide-out keyboard, 3 megapixel camera, media players, and brilliant card system.

There are many free apps for the Palm Pre and its WebOS has many endearing qualities. It was developed by Palm to be a stiff iPhone competitor and according to research comes very close in exceeding expectations.

The Palm Pre is expected from Verizon in January 2010.

The USB Implementers Forum sided with  Apple for modifying its iTunes USB sync so that the Palm Pre work-around wouldn't work.

Apple changed the latest update iTunes software to block access by Palm's smartphone.

Palm voiced their complaint to the group in July for Apple's improper use its USB vendor code to block competitors. The forum disagreed in a letter sent to both companies on Tuesday. They also warned that if Palm changes the Pre's software to include Apple's vendor code, it would violate the forum's rules.

The USB-IF  Letter states:

Your letter also states that:

"Palm will shortly issue an update of its WebOS operating system that uses Apple's Vendor ID number for the sole purpose of restoring the Palm media sync functionality."

I attach for your information the USB-IF's adopted and published policy regarding Vendor Identification Numbers (VIDs). Under the Policy, Palm may only use the single Vendor ID issued to Palm for Palm's usage. Usage of any other company's Vendor ID is specifically precluded. Palm's expressed intent to use Apple's VID appears to violate the attached policy.

Please clarify Palm's intent and respond to this potential violation within seven days."

Palm's first letter stated

"We engaged with the USB-IF because we believe consumers should have freedom and choice in how and where they use the non-rights managed media they already own. We are reviewing the letter from the USB-IF and will respond as appropriate."

Palm is putting all its efforts into is new Palm webOS. In a conference call, Jon Rubinstein, of Palm said:

"Due to importance of webOS to our overall strategy, we've made the decision to dedicate all future develoment resources to the evolution of webOS. Which means that going forward, our roadmap will include only Palm webOS-based devices"

"And so while there are still Centros and Treo Pros moving through the (Windows Mobile) channel right now, our future engineering efforts are based around webOS because we are absolutely confident in where we are going with webOS."

The quotes differ slightly depending on which transcriber, you read, but the meaning is the same, "No mo' WinMo for Palm."

Palm Inc. shipped 823,000 smartphone units during the three months that ended Aug. 28.

Palm Pre users will be happy to find out there are some new apps for the Palm Pre which can come in pretty handy.  There's a Google Voice app, another streaming radio source, a concert finder and a business publication.

gDial Pro is a free app that enables Palm Pre owners to user their Google Voice account on their Palm Pre smartphones. It lets you dial any contact on your Pre using Google Voice as the outgoing number and send SMS messages through Google Voice. It also lets to view Google Voice call/text/voicemail history as well as access the Google Voice mobile site from within the app. It provides all the caller info for any contact on your Pre and gives you the ability to to add a phone number to your Pre Contacts and works like the native dialer.  Because the calls and SMS are Google Voice, you don't have pay anything more than your data or just phone time. The official Palm Blog noted that Google Voice has a similar sycning philosphy to Palm Pre and webOS.

The latest version of iTunes, won't sync with the Palm Pre. Apple has blocked the work-around that allowed  the Palm Pre work as an iPod. So what does Palm do?  Find music listeners, who get their music in ways other than iTunes. 

A funny thing happened while Tom Waits sang "There's a Place for Us" on Pandora Internet radio.  A Palm Pre ad appeared on the side of Pandora's box, offering me concerts in my area.

Now here's where is gets interesting, one of the concerts is a Adobe Photo Shop CS3 Combo at a Computer Center in Culver City.  Other concerts by me, included the Play Off Game # 2 at the Epicenter in Rancho Cucamonga.

I was wondering if the music selection had something to do with the  so, turned the station to Brave Combo's "In Heaven There is No Beer," a lively punk polka which showed a Net Flix ad after which followed a Weight Watcher's ad. Perhaps beer drinkers need to go on diets?

When Palm announced that the mini-Pre, the Palm Pixi is due out by the holidays, they also announced the price of the Palm Pre was dropped to $149.99 with a contract.

Meanwhile, there were reports of a short-libed price lowering of the Palm Pre to $99 when someone switched a number from another carrier which was later proven to be a mistake. So far, there have been two mistaken price drops to $99 for the Palm Pre.

Palm debuted the Palm Pixi , the compact non-slider QWERTY little sister phone to the Palm Pre with a multitouch screen. Based on the Palm webOS, the Palm Pixi is scheduled to be available exclusively from Sprint in time for the holidays. This phone was formerly called the Palm Eos, Pixie, Castle or mini-Pre.

Besides linking information from Google, Facebook and Exchange ActiveSync, Palm Pixi adds Yahoo! and LinkedIn integration to Palm Synergy and puts it all in a single view. Users get  Yahoo! contacts, calendar and IM, and access to your LinkedIn contacts, including job titles. Synergy on Palm Pixi makes messaging easier by showing all conversations with the same person in one chat-style thread.

When a new operating system mistakenly gets into the hand of Palm Pre owners it gets leaked into forums, distributed and eventually YouTube.

Whoops, someone with a Palm Pre who had to reinstall his webOS accidentally got a peak of the webOS 1.2 which of course he posted to the forum at Pre Central. He found these features:

• Saved payment information in the App Catalog for easy app payment.
• A "select all" feature for "copy and paste."
• Ability to control how data is collected with a way to turn it off.

Yelp released a new app for the Palm Pre, today. This app that accesses reviews by reviewers like you about local businesses, restaurants and events integrates with Palm Pre's syncronicity.

The  Palm Pre has been in the news a lot this week and we will see more of this super social-networked almost physic smartphone.

During a conference call, Verizon execs revealed that they are committed to releasing the Palm Pre by early next year. Verizon has to wait until the end of the year for the Palm Pre exclusive agreement to with Sprint to expire.

Paul Carton and Jean Crumrine at ChangeWave Research reported the findings of their August survey of new iPhone and Palm Pre owners.  They compare and contrast owner impressions such as which smartphone features they like best and dislike the most.

A total of 198 Apple iPhone 3GS owners and 38 Palm Pre owners participated in the survey. The overall satisfaction numbers for both were great, while the iPhone is the sweetheart of the two, the Palm Pre faired very well.

The initial satisfaction numbers for the iPhone 3GS are the most extraordinary they’ve seen for a smart phone, with 82% of new owners saying they’re Very Satisfied and 17% Somewhat Satisfied - for a combined near-perfect satisfaction rating.

While the initial Palm Pre numbers are not as high, the new model’s satisfaction
rating is exceptional for a new product release. Nearly half (45%) of Palm Pre owners report they are Very Satisfied with their new smart phone and another 42% say they’re Somewhat Satisfied - for a combined 87% Satisfaction Rating.

To put this in context, BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion and Apple are the only other smartphone  manufacturers to attain such high Very satisfied levels - and in this case Palm is accomplishing it with a brand new product release, a very significant achievement.

In another example of the widespread approval among early iPhone 3GS buyers, nearly two-in-five (38%) report the new iPhone Exceeds their expectations and another 56% say it Meets their  e expectations.. While less robust than the 3GS, once again the Palm Pre results are quite positive- with 18% of Pre owners saying their new phone Exceeds expectations and another 58% reporting it Meets expectations.

There are two marketplaces open for the Palm Pre this week, a sensory try-out experience and free concerts at the Grove in Los Angeles, and developers can start submitting their apps.

For those visiting Los Angeles, the Palm Pre Experience is open at the Grove near the original Farmer's Market.  Visitors will have a hands-on experience with the Palm  Pre, a chance to win prizes, and weekly free concerts. (Michelle Branch and American Idol contestant Jason Castro take the stage this Wednesday evening, followed by Gavin Rossdale next Wednesday.)

Palm Pre developers who want to sell Palm webOS apps can start submitting them for consideration in the Palm App Catalog e-commerce beta program, which will begin in mid-September.

You have until midnight tonight, August 14, to enter to win this month's giveaway for a Palm Pre over on Palm's Facebook page. Just click on the Win a Palm Pre tab and post a comment letting Palm know why you need a Palm Pre

The most common words that have cropped up in the comments that have been received appear on the Palm blog. There will be another Palm contest next month. It looks like "Pre", "love" and "new" are tops.

COMMENTARY:

There has been controversy lately over what Palm monitors on the Palm Pre.  We think the matter has been inflated by Palm Pre bloggers who are running out of news and apps to write about.  If our readers really knew how much information carriers, app developers, GPS service providers and other smartphone-related offerings have on them, you'd be shocked.  Your data follows you everywhere you go. 

We are in the process of developing mobile apps and have discovered analytics that would scare Big Brother....remember it is 25 years after 1984!

The non-profit PreDevCamp starts on August 7. More than 1300 developers in 80 cities worldwide will explore the potential of webOS for the Palm Pre mobile phone. PreDevCamp is a is grassroots software-development gathering that will feature presentations, refreshments and hackathons where webOS developers can pool their creativity and experience to create new apps for the Palm Pre with the Mojo SDK, JavaScript and HTML5.

BlueSwitch PreCentral, O'Reilly and Adobe are premier sponsors for the event; additional support was supplied by Zanos, LittleSprings Design, Pivotal Labs and UE Architects.

PreDevCamp.org, led by Dan Rumney, Lisa Brewster and Greg Stevenson, is hosting major events in San Francisco (at Palm headquarters), New York (at BlueSwitch), Kansas City (at Sprint headquarters), San Diego, and Dallas and will feature live streaming presentations by A-list webOS developers and Palm engineers. Michael Prenez-Isbell, Mobile Director for BlueSwitch, will head up the New York City event.