1SRC Podcast 144

I've posted this week's 1SRC podcast. In show 144 I cover:

• Palm releases the Windows Mobile 6 update for Vodafone's European Treo 750v customers.
• No new updates on the Palm Foleo or Centro.
• Should the Foleo be a stand alone product ?
• 1SRC Editorial: Mobile Linux - The Key to Interoperability.
  

Listen to the 1SRC Podcast Show 144...

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.

1SRC Editorial: Big Blue Inside

I've posted this week's 1SRC Editorial which deals with the recent reports that IBM is looking at possibly purchasing Wind River Systems, the embedded Linux operating system company.

"Palm recently announced a partnership with Wind River Systems to provide the underlying open standards Linux operating system for future Foleo Mobile Companion products. Over the weekend, PC World Magazine ran an article on their website about a possible acquisition of Wind River by IBM.

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Palm is a company that has a lot of balls in the air. The Elevation Partners recapitalization deal still needs to be approved and potentially executed with a backdrop of an already jittery financial marketplace. Palm is also gearing up for a number of new product roll outs including the Foleo Mobile Companion sometime in the next few weeks; the release of the new form factor Centro smartphone, and last, but not least, the launch of a new Linux-based version of Palm OS, which I’ve dubbed “Palm OS II” until Palm officially names the new operating system in advance of its introduction during the 2008 calendar year.

As if this wasn’t enough to keep a medium-sized technology company occupied, the possibility of having a new business partner acquired, I’m sure, has a few people at Palm interested in the latest M&A (mergers and acquisitions) newspaper headlines. The last operating system provider that Palm was working with, ACCESS/PalmSource, ran into trouble. So what is to prevent such a thing from happening again?

Enter IBM."

Keep reading...

1SRC Podcast 142

I've posted this week's podcast over at 1SRC.com. There is a lot of good stuff crammed into this week's show. In podcast 142, I cover:

• The 1SRC chat is Saturdays at 9PM in New York. Add this vCard to your Palm so you don't forget!
• Palm provides more details about why the the Treo 700p and 700w|wx updates were taken off-line.
• AddIt isn't delivering Reuters news. Check out these alternatives:
• Palm's mobile portal and Reuters' mobile website
• Resco Neeews and Stand Alone QuickNews RSS readers
• Plucker and iSilo off-line web page viewers

• SplashData has released Snap , a handy though capture application.
• Carl W. Brooks of PalmLoyal.com sends us an audio postcard
• Happy Birthday to Holvoetn and Jimmie Geddes.
• 1SRC Editorial: Is There Still Room for the PDA ? Check out Brighthand's similar story.

Add the 1SRC Chat appointment to your calendar! Download the vCard here.

Listen to 1SRC Podcast 142...

1SRC Editorial: Is There Still Room for the PDA?

I have posted this week's editorial over on 1SRC.com.

Last week’s editorial, The Evolving Treo, took a look at the transition from the traditional Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and what is rumored to be an entry level Treo to be released in the near future. This week I look at what it would take for Palm to deliver a new PDA that will be popular with customers who don’t need an integrated solution.

Time to Freshen Up

There are currently three handhelds in Palm’s PDA line up: the Z22, the Tungsten E2, and the TX. All three of these devices were released in 2005: the E2 was released in April and the Z22 and TX were launched a few months later in October. This October all three devices will be two years old, and the E2 will have passed the Tungsten C as the longest available Palm device. It is time for the Tungsten E2 to be retired. Aside from the screen resolution and Wi-Fi radio, there are no difference between it and the TX. The Z22, I believe, still holds a niche place as a low cost entry point for new customers who want to get their feet wet, so to speak, without a large upfront investment in hardware. The Palm TX should be updated so it can compete with new handheld devices that will be released by Hewlett-Packard later this year.

Keep reading...

1SRC Editorial: The Evolving Treo

This week's 1SRC Editorial, The Evolving Treo, has been posted for your reading pleasure.

Sales of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are slowing and the total annual sales numbers have been in decline for years now. Is it time for the rest of us to transition to “smart” devices?

The slowdown in sales can be illustrated by the sales numbers presented at the June 28 Q4FY07 earnings report. During the last quarter, Palm’s sales figures for their handheld PDA business were 298,000 units shipped, which generated $57.1 million dollars. Contrast that with the sell through numbers for Treo smartphones during the same quarter which totaled 750,000 units, generating $344.2 million dollars for Palm. (That is a difference of 452,000 devices totaling $287.1 million dollars.)

Enter the Treo 690

Rumors have been circulating on the Internet for a few months now that Palm is preparing a new Treo with a new form factor. These rumors refer to a device known as “Gandolf.” I believe that Gandolf, whose production name is likely the Treo 690, is important to Palm and their customers as I expect it to bring a new low-cost price point for the Treo line up. Think of Gandolf as the Z22 for the Treo line.

Keep reading...

Astraware Sudoku Updated

Astraware Sudoku updated with a new look and new features.

KEELE, Staffordshire, UK - August 8th, 2007 - Astraware is excited to announce a major update to its award-winning Astraware Sudoku game for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) Smartphones and PDAs.

Astraware Sudoku,version 1.40, has been given a full makeover. Behind the scenes the game has been transferred to a brand new games framework, and graphically has an updated look and support for more new resolutions, as well as some brand new features.

Suitable for all players from beginners through to experts, Astraware Sudoku is packed with features.

There are several ways to get puzzles: from the pre-built puzzle packs available at http://www.sudokuoftheday.com; by using the integrated Puzzle Builder which creates literally billions of puzzles; or download any of the Puzzles of the Day over the air and then compare your times with other players worldwide. Players can also play puzzles from newspapers or books they've entered and get Astraware Sudoku's expert help and assistance to solve them.

Astraware Sudoku offers a range of different options to help players solve puzzles including manual or automatic pencilmarks in a choice of styles; a smart hints system; and the brand new hold and highlight system which can display an overlay for a specific number or pencilmark helping players to see where to look and what to look for. In touchscreen devices there's the added bonus of the notepad overlay, allowing players to make their own pencilmarks and notes on screen too.

Following requests from existing users, Astraware Sudoku version 1.40 now includes an extensive Puzzle Manager which allows players to select a specific puzzle to play, or delete puzzles they've already completed.

The game also offers a choice of control methods where players can move around and enter numbers using the 5-way, number keys, stylus and touchscreen, keyboard shortcuts, or any combination of these, so you can play it the way you want to.

Astraware Sudoku is available for Palm OS 5.0, and Windows Mobile 2003, 2003SE, 5 and 6 Classic (Pocket PC), Professional (Phone Edition) and Standard (Smartphone), priced $19.95. The game is available at a very special price to Club Astraware members during August 2007. Version 1.40 is a free update for registered owners of Astraware Sudoku and is available from http://www.astraware.com/sudoku. The existing version of Astraware Sudoku for Palm OS4 will continue to be available from the Astraware website.

Astraware Sudoku Updated

Astraware Sudoku updated with a new look and new features.

KEELE, Staffordshire, UK - August 8th, 2007 - Astraware is excited to announce a major update to its award-winning Astraware Sudoku game for Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) Smartphones and PDAs.

Astraware Sudoku,version 1.40, has been given a full makeover. Behind the scenes the game has been transferred to a brand new games framework, and graphically has an updated look and support for more new resolutions, as well as some brand new features.

Suitable for all players from beginners through to experts, Astraware Sudoku is packed with features.

There are several ways to get puzzles: from the pre-built puzzle packs available at http://www.sudokuoftheday.com; by using the integrated Puzzle Builder which creates literally billions of puzzles; or download any of the Puzzles of the Day over the air and then compare your times with other players worldwide. Players can also play puzzles from newspapers or books they've entered and get Astraware Sudoku's expert help and assistance to solve them.

Astraware Sudoku offers a range of different options to help players solve puzzles including manual or automatic pencilmarks in a choice of styles; a smart hints system; and the brand new hold and highlight system which can display an overlay for a specific number or pencilmark helping players to see where to look and what to look for. In touchscreen devices there's the added bonus of the notepad overlay, allowing players to make their own pencilmarks and notes on screen too.

Following requests from existing users, Astraware Sudoku version 1.40 now includes an extensive Puzzle Manager which allows players to select a specific puzzle to play, or delete puzzles they've already completed.

The game also offers a choice of control methods where players can move around and enter numbers using the 5-way, number keys, stylus and touchscreen, keyboard shortcuts, or any combination of these, so you can play it the way you want to.

Astraware Sudoku is available for Palm OS 5.0, and Windows Mobile 2003, 2003SE, 5 and 6 Classic (Pocket PC), Professional (Phone Edition) and Standard (Smartphone), priced $19.95. The game is available at a very special price to Club Astraware members during August 2007. Version 1.40 is a free update for registered owners of Astraware Sudoku and is available from http://www.astraware.com/sudoku. The existing version of Astraware Sudoku for Palm OS4 will continue to be available from the Astraware website.