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)

2008 Family Reunion Photos Online

So this year's family reunion has come and gone and we all had a totally awesome time!

I'm not sure how I ended up taking on the role of Official Photographer, since there was at least one retired professional photographer at the event, but I've taken the 80 some odd photos and built a digital photo album for your enjoyment.


I'm also hard at work on developing a DVD slide show that you can play on your home DVD player (no computer required) and select paper prints. The paper prints are going to take a while and I will get them out to you as soon as I can.

In the mean time, please do enjoy the new 2008 Family Reunion website that I am hosting over on the Grassia Network Solutions web server.

Cheers!

Alan Grassia

Insaniquarium Deluxe by Astraware and PopCap Games

Astraware(R) and PopCap Games, Inc. are excited to announce the release of one of PopCap's flagship titles for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) smartphones. Insaniquarium DeluxeTM offers hours of frantic aquarium fun as you feed your fish, watch them grow and protect them from alien invaders!

Insaniquarium Deluxe is the craziest aquarium game ever - tend to your fish and keep them happy and they'll reward you with precious coins and jewels. Use the money you earn to buy upgrades for your tank or egg parts which hatch lots of different in-tank pets with special powers. These pets can help you feed your fish, collect coins, or even protect against the aliens that will invade your tank and wreak havoc. You can also use the money you earn to buy better weapons to see the aliens off quicker!

Insaniquarium Deluxe includes 3 fun ways to play:

• Adventure - keep your fish healthy and protect them from aliens through 4 fun aquarium stages each with multiple levels of mayhem;

• Time Trial - feed your fish and fight off the alien invaders to make as much money as possible against the clock. A new time trial is unlocked as you complete each stage in Adventure

• Challenge - once you've mastered Adventure, face the ultimate challenge as you feed your fish and try to protect them from ever increasing alien attacks. The challenge ends when the last fish is zapped!

Insaniquarium Deluxe is available for Palm OS(R) 5 smartphones and PDAs with at least a 320x320 screen, and for smartphones and PDAs running Windows Mobile(R) 2003 and later. For more information, to try and to buy, visit http://www.astraware.com/insaniquariumdlx.

Resco Launches IDGuard for Palm OS Smartphones

Resco IDGuard is a brand new Windows solution for protecting sensitive data of any kind - passwords, documents, images etc. The application provides a complete workflow for secure documents and can synchronize effortlessly with the Palm OS® platform.

Resco, the leading provider of end-user mobile applications and developer tools for the .NET platform, proudly announces the release of the Resco IDGuard - a new security solution for the Windows platform.



Resco IDGuard was initially implemented for the Palm OS® mobile platform, the Windows release can automatically synchronize its data onto a handheld device running IDGuard for Palm OS via HotSync.


Resco IDGuard can be used as a classic password manager with a very general data structure:
Records (PINs, logins, accounts...) can have notes, reminders and attachments and can be structured into the tree of any complexity.

Unique feature - Document Safe
Nowadays, every software house has a password manager. But Resco IDGuard does much more:
it be used to store business documents or private data of any kind.

Moreover, IDGuard offers complete secure work flow for the common document types, so that the users can safely preview or edit sensitive documents. Secure handling is provided for MS Office documents, PDF, common image types and media files.

In case of "unsupported" file types, IDGuard provides semi-automatic mode, where the document is opened in its editor and IDGuard reminds the user to close it manually when done editing.

About Resco IDGuard
The Windows version is compatible with Windows 2000/XP/Vista, the PDA version requires Palm OS® 5.0+. Both version use the industrial standard in encryption technology to provide the maximum level of security - the AES encryption which is considered safe even by the US government.

A free 14-day trial can be found at http://www.resco.net/palm/idguard/. IDGuard costs $19.95 USD and covers the license for both the Windows and PDA versions. The application is provided in the English language, Palm OS® German version is distributed via pdassi.de.

All Resco products are available for immediate download from www.resco.net.

Astraware Hot Summer Summer Sale!

Summer's here and it's time for some fun! Whether you're on vacation, or just want something new to play, Astraware(R) has the solution - the Astraware Hot Summer Sale!

Starting on 1st August, Astraware is offering 25 games each with at least 25% off the regular price. Several of the games are as low as $9.95 each!

If you're looking for action games like Platypus or GTS World Racing, strategy titles like Westward or Tradewinds 2, word games like Bubble Babble, or favorite classics like Astraware Sudoku - they're all included with special prices for a limited time! The Hot Summer Sale only lasts until midnight on 17th August, so make sure you don't miss out.

For all the details and to bag yourself a bargain, visit the Hot Summer Sale page at: http://www.astraware.com/promo/summer08.

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.

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.

Sprint Begins Selling the Palm Treo 800w

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.