The Palm Pixi has officially arrived, and if you’re an avid reader of Engadget (you’d better be), this device should look a little bit familiar to you. We first broke specs and images of the phone — codenamed Eos and the alternately-spelled “Pixie” — back in April, when we nabbed what appeared to be a leak of a new, Centro-esque phone headed to AT&T. Today, Palm has announced that the Pixi — a tiny, sleek webOS-based handset — will be coming to Sprint this holiday season. The phone will hit shelves sans-WiFi (EV-DO Rev. A only here), with 8GB of storage onboard (a nice bump up from the rumored 4GB), 2 megapixel camera (with flash), a full QWERTY keyboard, and a minute, 2.63-inch, 320 x 400 capacitive display.

Along with the new handset, Palm will offer five artist-designed back covers in the “Palm Pixi Artist Series” — similar to Zune Originals and Dell’s Design Studio laptops — which can be purchased separately… of course. Touchstone owners take heart: those backs, as well as a separate black backing that you’ll also pay extra for, are all compatible with the accessory. In addition to the hardware, Palm will be introducing a native Facebook app when the Pixi hits, as well as new Yahoo! and LinkedIn integration for Synergy. Right now no date for launch has been set, though Palm says the phone will be ready in time for the holidays. The company is also mum on price, but coupled with the news that Sprint will be slimming the Pre’s entry point down to $149.99, we have to assume it’s going to be in the $99-or-less ballpark. We had a chance to play around with the new phone, so read on after the break for our initial, early impressions.

Gallery: Palm Pixi official shots

Palm is still tweaking the device, so we aren’t making any final judgments on the Pixi — though what we saw is mostly heartening.

For starters, the phone is really quite handsome. In terms of industrial design, the clean lines and smart choices in materials belie the Pixi’s likely price-point. In your hands it feels solid, though it’s shocking just how tiny it is. The standard backing is a soft-touch material (not unlike the Touchstone back for the Pre), and perhaps due to the lack of moving parts here, the phone feels really well put together. Just as with the Pre, the Pixi includes a ringer on / off switch and 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a removable 1150mAh battery.

The body of the phone is — as we said — very small, but the thickness is where it really struts its stuff… or lack of stuff. The Pixi is just 0.43-inches thick. To put that in perspective, the iPhone 3GS is 0.48-inches — which means anyone who has complaints about sliding a handset into their pocket should be swooning.

Instead of a center button, Palm has made the middle of the gesture area (part of its capacitive coating) take on the duty. The target is represented by a small, white slit, and the same gestures that webOS is known for seem to work flawlessly around it. While the screen gets 80 pixels lopped off compared with the Pre (and the iPhone, G1, Hero, and Storm, to name a few), it looked clean and crisp to us. The responsiveness on the main part of the display was just as tight — if not tighter — than the Pre, and that’s a plus. Of course, webOS makes clever use of the cramped space by squashing card and app sizes down to fit. It’s a tremendous example of the UI’s literal scalability.

The QWERTY keyboard on the Pixi was also a bit of a shocker — even though the keys are tiny and tightly spaced, it’s definitely usable. The reps we spoke with noted that due to the candybar form factor and lack of a sliding mechanism, they were able to get more height on the keys. Besides the more pronounced buttons, the Pixi’s keyboard seemed to have a more tactile click than that of the Pre, and honestly, we might have liked the Pixi’s variation better.

Inside, the phone is powered by a completely different CPU than its big brother. In this case, Palm chose to use the Qualcomm MSM7627, a smaller chip which enabled them to mint the micro form factor. The CPU itself isn’t dramatically different than the 7200 series, though it is noticeably less charged than the TI OMAP3 chip in the Pre. Regardless of what’s cranking the gears, the phone seemed pretty snappy when it was demoed for us (you can see it in action in the videos below). We did notice a few hangups during big image scaling and heavy webpages, but again, this is early software on an early device.

The dust has begun to settle around Palm’s event yesterday, and we’re still sorting through all the news. Palm certainly packed a lot of “New-ness” (yet weirdly, no actual “New-ness”) into its announcements yesterday, and it’s pretty easy to get lost among all the Palm Pre / webOS related news. Lucky for you, we’ve consolidated the goods below, so feel free to experience all the Palm-related bliss you can handle.

The liveblog

Live from Palm’s CES press conference

Impressions / hands-on coverage

Palm Pre first hands-on with live updates!
Palm Pre in-depth impressions, video, and huge hands-on gallery
Palm Pre interface tour

Product announcements

The Palm Pre
Palm announces webOS platform
Palm Pre’s wireless charger, the Touchstone

In depth / details

There will be a GSM-friendly 3G Palm Pre
Palm stock on a rocket to recovery
Palm’s Pre gets its own spot on Sprint’s website
Palm Pre website now live with official images, video
Palm’s the master of its own domain, the king of its own Castle
Palm’s Pre boxed
Palm Pre’s “New-ness” event video now viewable
Palm Pre ads appear on Engadget

From engadget

Video from Vimeo:

Palm’s 2009 CES Keynote from DevilsRejection on Vimeo.

This isn’t a Palm-branded party favor, a paperweight, or a doorstop. Actually, sure, it could be any of those things if you really wanted it to be — but Palm’s Touchstone is mainly about charging your Pre and making sure it looks pretty while it’s getting juiced. It’s a pretty wild product (and the first accessory purchase for many a would-be Pre owner, we’d bet), so we wanted to spend a little quality time with it. We weren’t allowed to do much charging on our own, but the magnets buried in the Pre certainly seemed to do their job of keeping it glued to the base in portrait and landscape orientations. Oh, and just to validate what we know you’re thinking right now, yes: we overheard several Palm employees call it “the puck,” so you should, too.

Gallery: Palm Pre Touchstone eyes-on

From engadget

Palm webOS is a brand-new kind of platform, invented exclusively for mobile use. webOS recognizes that you want your people, calendars and information to move with you, wherever you are, wirelessly, as opposed to being bound to a personal computer. Palm webOS is the first mobile platform to automatically bring your information from the many places it resides – on your phone, at your work or on the web – into one simple, integrated view.(1) The new Palm Pre and webOS are designed to be so in sync with your needs that it feels like Pre is thinking ahead for you.

“Palm products have always been about simplifying lives and delivering great user experiences,” said Ed Colligan, Palm president and chief executive officer. “webOS and Pre bring game-changing simplicity to an increasingly mobile world by dissolving the barriers that surround your information. It’s technology that seems like it’s thinking ahead to bring you what you care about most – your people, your time, and your information – in the easiest and most seamless way.”

“Pre continues Sprint’s leadership in open access to the content customers want for a great web-connected experience,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint chief executive officer. “We look forward to bringing this remarkably innovative device to our customers on America’s most dependable 3G network.”(2)
Palm’s new OS is the first mobile platform to be built from the ground up to combine standard technology, innovation and integration. At its core, webOS leverages several industry-standard technologies, including web technologies such as CSS, XHTML and JavaScript. On top of that, Palm has included creative and innovative advancements to enhance the overall user experience and provided a deep integration of all elements within the platform.

The new platform was designed to allow a vast ecosystem of partners, including developers, hardware suppliers, and accessories manufacturers, to develop core solutions to complement the platform and product line. For developers, webOS shatters traditional barriers to mobile-application development by offering a rich open development environment that’s familiar to tens of millions of web developers. More people can develop for the platform and can do it faster than ever before. The platform’s flexible environment will also allow developers to distribute their applications over-the-air via an on-device Palm application store.

Your Life, Brought Together

The new platform introduces Palm Synergy(TM), a key feature of webOS that brings your information from all the places it resides into one logical view. You don’t have to worry about tracking multiple calendars, contacts and messaging applications – Synergy brings it to you for a more comprehensive and truly representative view of your life.

• Linked contacts – With Synergy, you have a single view that links your contacts from a variety of sources, so accessing them is easier than ever. For example, if you have the same contact listed in your Outlook(3), Google and Facebook accounts, Synergy recognizes that they’re the same person and links the information, presenting it to you as one listing. And if you update a contact on your webOS device, it also will be updated in your various accounts, whether on a personal computer or on the web.

• Layered calendars – Your calendars can be seen on their own or layered together in a single view, combining work, family, friends, sports teams, or other interests. You can toggle to look at one calendar at a time, or see them all at a glance.

• Combined messaging – Synergy lets you see all your conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, even if it started in IM and you want to reply with text messaging. You can also see who’s active in a buddy list right from contacts, and start a new conversation with just one touch.
Your Information, Effortlessly

By smartly integrating your information, webOS is designed to think ahead for you and keep you on top of the things that happen in your life, but that’s just the first step. The platform’s unique interface brings your information to you with the ease that only Palm can offer.

• Web-connected applications – Applications are seamlessly connected to the web and always active(4), ensuring you have the most up-to-date information.

• Run multiple applications at the same time – Palm’s revolutionary webOS lets you manage multiple activities more effectively than any other mobile platform today. It lets you keep multiple applications open and instantly flip from one to another.(4)

• Instinctive user interface – With its multi-touch interface, webOS lets you move easily between activities like flipping through a deck of cards and rearrange items simply by dragging them; when you are done with something, just throw it away. And finding what you need is easy with universal search – as you type what you’re looking for, the OS narrows your search and offers results from both your device and the web.(5)

• Intuitive and unobtrusive notifications – When important things come up or new updates arrive, you’ll receive notifications with a diplomacy that’s a radical departure from other mobile platforms. For example, if you receive a text message or email, a scrolling notifications bar at the bottom of your screen lets you address it right away or leave until later. webOS alerts are one step ahead, ensuring that you never miss a thing, but never lose your place or train of thought.

Palm Pre: The First webOS Phone

Pre has a breakthrough interface and hardware design that makes it the most integrated and user-friendly phone for mobile users. Featuring a smooth, rounded ergonomic design and a physical keyboard that slides out only when needed, Pre is engineered to feel natural in the hand and comfortably small in the pocket. When closed, the phone is ideal for phone calls, web browsing, music, photos and videos; when open, Pre is optimized for email and text messaging. With its curved slider and gesture-controlled touch interface, Pre fuses exquisite design with the revolutionary webOS software for fast access to anything on the device or web. It’s an instinctive user experience that seems to anticipate your needs.

“As our lives revolve more and more around the web, devices like Palm Pre that transform how we interact with the web will lead the way,” said Hesse. “We are focused on bringing our customers a superior experience that includes easy-to-use devices, simple pricing and value with Simply Everything all-inclusive offerings, plus Ready Now, our exclusive retail program that helps customers leave the store feeling comfortable and confident they know how to use their new device.”

Pre will support a variety of differentiated on-device Sprint services, including Sprint TV(R), offering an extensive selection of live and on-demand programming. Sprint Navigation provides GPS-enabled audio and visual turn-by-turn driving directions, one-click traffic rerouting and more than 10 million local listings. Sprint also offers more than a dozen streaming-radio applications, including Sprint Radio with more than 150 channels.

Palm Pre features include the following:

• High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A or UMTS HSDPA)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g(6)
• Integrated GPS(7)
• Large 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320×480 resolution HVGA display
• Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
• Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• Email, including Outlook EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers), as well as personal email support (POP3, IMAP)
• Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)(4)
• High-performance, desktop-class web browser
• Great multimedia experience and performance (pictures, video playback, music), featuring a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
• Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
• 8GB of internal user storage (~7.4GB user available)
• USB mass storage mode
• MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
• Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
• Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
• Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
• Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
• Removable, rechargeable battery
• Dimensions: 59.57mm (W) x 100.53mm (L, closed) x 16.95mm (D) [2.35 inches (W) x 3.96 inches (L, closed) x 0.67 inches (D)]
• Weight: ~135 grams [4.76 ounces]

An array of compelling accessories also will be available for Pre, including the first inductive charging solution for phones (sold separately). Simply set Pre down on top of the elegantly designed Palm Touchstone(TM) charging dock without worrying about connection, orientation or fit. Pre is active while charging, so you can access the touch screen, watch movies or video, or use the speakerphone.

Availability and Pricing

Palm Pre is scheduled to be available first in the United States exclusively from Sprint in the first half of 2009, and will be followed by a world-ready UMTS version for other regions. Sprint’s pricing for the phone has not yet been determined.

From PDA247 and treocentral
more gallery here

]]> http://www.orgismo.com/2009/01/09/palm-pre/feed/ 0 http://www.orgismo.com/2008/08/18/treo-pro/ http://www.orgismo.com/2008/08/18/treo-pro/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:59:24 +0000 admin http://www.orgismo.com/?p=2973 From Treonauts
Posted by Andrew on August 18, 2008 at 01:09 PM

Stunning New Palm Treo Pro Smartphone Demonstrates Completely New Design & Delivers Greatest Set of Hardware Specifications Yet With Flush Touchscreen + WiFi + Fast 3G + Full Keyboard in Ultraslim & Light Body

Following the revelation of Palm’s new Treo Pro smartphone last week we now get a huge gallery of beautiful images (not blurry for once) and more detailed information on the specs that this beautiful latest Windows Mobile device will offer when it is released (possibly within weeks).

For starters the Treo Pro will offer the first Palm smartphone with a completely flush touchscreen (finally no more dirty and dusty recesses to clean).

 

The Treo Pro is also the first high-end Treo model to sport the same excellent “rubber sheet” keyboard previously found on the Centro (it will be slightly wider though to accomodate big hands).

At the back Palm has finally done away with the somewhat useless “mirror” that was designed to take self-portraits and now offers a much simpler, cleaner and more elegant circle for the 2.0 megapixel camera lens.  Additionally, the large back speaker typically found at the center is now moved to the left via a thin rectangle and the Palm logo is now embossed.

  

In terms of size, the Treo Pro is comparable in width and length to previous Treo models even though the screen is now moderately smaller (albeit retaining the 320×320 pixels high resolution).  More importantly, at only 14mm thick the Treo Pro is the slimmest touchscreen Palm smartphone yet (it’s a full 25% slimmer than the Centro pictured below).  Also, I fully expect the Treo Pro to weigh only between 100–120 grams (some 33% less than the existing Treo 750 that it replaces).

  

Another unique addition (image below) is not only a microUSB sync & charge connector but also for the first time a full 3.5mm stereo headset connector which will finally allow you to use any one of the thousands of available headsets without the need for a 2.5mm stereo adapter.

At the same time, the Treo Pro retains the excellent Silent Slider and Power button configuration at the top of the device while a new dedicated WiFi button is found on the side and a microSD memory card slot is also available.  Also, Palm has finally decided to include a solid steel stylus instead of using plastic.

Two other unique design changes (images below) on the Treo Pro include a full back cover (instead of just battery cover) which has been implemented to ensure slimness and also a slot for the stylus which is now found at the bottom of the device instead of the top.  Separately, Palm has also reintroduced a dedicated “reset button” behind the cover at the bottom left of the battery.

  

Last but not least, the Treo Pro introduces an ultraslim 1500mAh battery which provides 30% more power than the 1150mAh found on both the Palm Centro and Treo 800w – something which should make a lot of power hungry Treonauts very happy.

  

The latest full Treo Pro specifications now include:

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• Processor: 400Mhz
• Memory: 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM
• Bluetooth 2.0 with Stereo Bluetooth capabilities
• Camera: 2.0 megapixels with 2x zoom and video capabilities
• Touchscreen: 320×320 pixels
• Memory Expansion: support for up to 32gb microSD cards
• Integrated WiFi (802.11 b/g) with dedicated side button and assisted-GPS
• Full Tri-band 3G data connectivity + Quad-band GSM
• microUSB connector + full 3.5mm stereo headset jack 
• Power: 1500mAh battery (should provide 4.5 hours of talk time and over 300 hours of standby time)
• Dimensions: D14mm x W60mm x H113mm

  

In addition to the reintroduced dedicated Reset button (above left), the Treo Pro also includes an enhanced Comm Manager software (above right) which allows you to quickly access settings such as Airplane Mode, Phone, Bluetooth, WiFi, Microsoft Direct Push as well as Data Connection.  

 

Additionally, a new Memory/Task Manager directly accessible via an upper-right drop-down menu in the Today screen (above left) allows you to quickly view and manage the memory allocated to various open applications. 

Separately, some of the pre-installed software found on the Treo Pro includes Adobe Reader, Embertec Java for java applications, Telenav (image above right) and Sprite Backup.

Overall, the Treo Pro is more than just a pleasant surprise from Palm.  I am impressed to see just how many people (including me) are jumping with excitement at this latest Windows Mobile device – a smartphone which from a hardware perspective delivers pretty much everything that Treonauts have waited and yearned for years to get.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Treo Pro is the first real demonstration of Palm’s design “awakening” and hopefully this device will be but the first iteration of a completely new lineup of Treo, Centro and Quatro (with new NOVA OS) smartphones awaiting us both this year and next.

[Images via Treo8.com and WMExperts]

Treonauts are always ready for more…

Palm’s miniscule and wallet-friendly Centro has managed to reach one million units sold since its launch last September. It got its legs working as Sprint and AT&T’s gateway smartphone at that fantastic $99 pricepoint, and now it’s making a bid for world domination in major markets in Europe and Asia. The one million sales have it nipping at the heels of recent superstar smartphones, the two million plus HTC Touch and the four million plus iPhone, not bad company in the least.

more info
from engadget

Okay, now we know what you’re thinking. Sure, we (lovingly) raked Palm over the coals in our open letter to the company, and yeah, we haven’t been the sweetest of hearts to the crew from Sunnyvale (with good reason, of course). However, If you’ve paid attention to our past good-intentioned prodding, then you’ll know that getting our hands on a new Palm device still gives some of us geeky chills.

After seeing scores of “leaked” photos of the Centro, and hearing enough internet chatter about the device to make your brain vibrate like a tightly-wound piano string, actually getting our hands on the phone was honestly a bit of a surprise, both bad and good. We’re going to break it down piece by piece and hopefully give you a rounded impression of the smartphone crown-chaser (or at least princess-in-waiting).

from engadget

The design

First off, let’s get a few basics out of the way. Yes, the phone is considerably smaller than past Treo devices. Having used a 650, 680, and 750, we can honestly say there is a massive difference between holding this phone in your hands and holding any other Palm device. Is this a good thing? For the most part, yes, though there are drawbacks to its diminutive size, which we’ll get to in a moment. But for now, let’s talk aesthetics.

The Centro has a rounded, symmetrical design that works without being especially fussy or impressive. We would have liked to see Palm put the real estate to better use with a larger screen and less plastic, but this is certainly a step in the right direction for the company… though a few more steps would have gone a long way.

The major difference beyond the overall width and length is the thickness. The phone is thin, though not as lean as the BlackJack, Q, iPhone, or Pearl (which it most closely relates to in terms of size). No, the fact is this: amongst all of these phones, the Centro is still the fattest, though we couldn’t tell you why.

The phone comes in two glossy colors, a cherry red and metallic black (it’s actually got silver flecks in it). They’re attractive enough, but we continue to take fault with Palm over the gray stripe — it makes the phone look like a Sony Ericsson from 1999 2001, and serves no purpose as far as we can tell. When Helio designed the Ocean, they used a silver line splitting the sides to create a slimming effect, and if we didn’t know better, we’d say that’s the impetus for this out-of-place touch.

The screen is a miniature 2-inches, though it looks fantastic at its 320 x 320 resolution and fairly high pixel density. It’s impressive for its size, and certainly easy on your eyeballs. We’d again like to congratulate Palm on overcoming the 2-pixel white border surrounding the screen which has plagued the company’s devices for as long as we can remember. Kudos.

We know the keyboard is on your mind, so here’s the deal: it isn’t that great, but it isn’t a deal breaker. The phone is designed with the youth market (and women, from what we can tell) in mind, and if that’s the case, they should be happy with the full QWERTY of the Centro. The jelly-ish buttons aren’t exactly a joyride for us to press, though we’ve got massive, bear-like claws. The keyboard works; certainly better than T9, and definitely better than no keyboard at all. Still, you’ll find yourself backtracking plenty when your nail hits a key next to the letter you meant to press.

The buttons on the “gray stripe” are more standard Treo fare, though their tactile feel on this phone is nonexistent, and we found ourselves re-pressing them constantly. They’re too flush, and frankly too big for the purpose they serve. The 4-way rocker is good, however, and should be plenty responsive for anything you’ll need it for. This is a good time to nitpick Palm on a design change they made a while back that really rears its ugly head here — the movement of the “menu” button to the lower right hand corner of the keyboard. Sorry guys, you have to get to drop-down menus too often for it to be relegated to this useless and hard-to-reach corner. Fix please.

Another flaw which Palm’s designers don’t seem to get is the sunken screen. Look, do you even use your devices? It’s a nerve-rattling pain to try and tap the sides of the touchscreen when you’ve got it buried seemingly four-inches-deep in the phone. The screen needs to be flush with the surface, or near-to — this is a maddening and obvious problem which the Centro does nothing to correct. In fact, it seems to be amplified here.

Other than that there are no design surprises. All of the side buttons, sound on / off switch, awkward HotSync port, and 2.5mm headphone jack are in exactly the same place as every other Treo.

The OS

You’d think there wasn’t much to say here that hasn’t already been said, and you would be mostly correct. We won’t bore you by detailing our complaints about Palm’s aging (aged, rather) OS, but we will point out a few items of interest.

Firstly, this reviewer, having switched to the 750 and its Windows Mobile interface, had quite a shock returning to the Palm OS. We forgot how fast and responsive it can be, and it was a reminder of why we liked Palm to begin with. We know that WM has a lot more bells and whistles, Symbian is kept current, and the iPhone’s OS X iteration is fancy as all get-out, but Palm still shines in a lot of ways. The system is fast, has very low loading times for applications, and makes getting most tasks done crushingly simple.

Of course, you know the trade-offs. This is not current software, and it shows. Palm has gone to the trouble of updating the look and functionality of some apps, like the camera and PTunes, yet most remain staid and ancient in appearance. We don’t get it — why not just give the OS a paint job if you can’t rebuild it? Our minds are still boggled by the fact that Palm can’t even fix the anti-aliasing on highlighted icons. Call us Ed, we know anxious teenagers just dying to skin your UI.

The company has added a few new apps as they’ve gone along, bundling the aforementioned PTunes, plus Google Maps, as well as a new IM app, On Demand (a kind of one-stop portal), and of course Sprint TV.

Speaking of, Sprint TV is a nice addition, giving you a pretty wide range of channels to view, with solid EV-DO connections — though the resolution leaves something to be desired.

The IM app is also a plus, with a simple and straightforward interface that doesn’t require much time to get comfortable with.

They also include DataViz’s DocumentsToGo, a PDF / Word / Excel editor, but you’re still stuck with Blazer for web duties, and the rest of Palm’s vintage fare for general tasks. It works… but, bleh.

The phone

What can we say? The phone is good, and the sound quality is solid. Palm equipped the Centro with a nice loud earpiece and speaker, and both do their job admirably. One problem of note is that if you lay this phone on its back during a speakerphone call, you lose about 50-percent of your sound. The effect is almost akin to sweeping a resonant filter down on the signal, like the “underwater” effect you hear in your favorite rave anthems. Point being: keep it on its face (hey, you won’t have to worry about scratching that screen!).

The 1.3-megapixel camera is nothing to write home about — in fact, it’s terrifically mediocre. The performance on the camera and camcorder apps is also sluggish to the point of annoyance, but we’ve learned to not expect too much in this department.

Little details — like the prompt to add a number you’ve dialed that isn’t stored in your contacts, and the “avoid with SMS” feature for incoming calls — are Palm hallmarks that still feel plenty helpful.

Wrap-up

The real selling point on this device for a lot of people has been its much-touted $99 price point. Of course, you have to keep in mind that the figure takes into account an “instant discount, mail-in rebate, and qualifying two-year Sprint service agreement.” Which means the phone isn’t nearly as cheap as it sounds. That said, the fact the offer is on the table is a great move for Palm, and should help push a lot of these out the door.

It would be easy to love this phone, but there are too many minor hang-ups that contribute to an overwhelming sense of letdown. Nostalgic affection aside, it doesn’t feel like Palm is taking advantage of the opportunities it has right now. Things like its complicated syncing process (particularly with Macs) don’t jive with Palm’s bid for the “youth market,” who undoubtedly are interested in iTunes-like simplicity

Still, brainy teens, casual tinkerers, and young technophiles of all suits will probably be stoked on the wide variety of options for the money. Power users, early adopters, and those seriously jaded by Palm’s inability to really deliver something new might want to look elsewhere.

Well, here’s the shiny little Centro, in all its slightly-less-than-breathtaking beauty. Truth be told, the phone doesn’t look or feel too bad — we still don’t get the gray stripe through the middle, but what can you do? The keyboard is unbelievably tiny, but we’ll take it where we can get it. The surface of the cherry red or metallic black phone is quite slick, and we suspect will go tumbling out of sweaty hands like gang busters. Of course, the EV-DO connection was snappy, but the thing we’re most stoked about is the fact that Palm has finally eliminated that 2-pixel border around the screen. Hey, no new OS… but that border is gone. The Centro is due mid-October for the shockingly low price of $99.99, which should help push more than a couple of these out the door. Hit the gallery and check out all the hot photos.

Gallery: Hands-on with the Palm Centro

    

from engadget

Well folks, you can’t say we didn’t warn you. Palm‘s European wing announced today that the Treo 500v was really real, and headed onto the monolithic Vodafone network in October. As expected, the new model will be coming in two colors, a bright white and gray finish (called Glacier White), as well as a muted charcoal tone (known as, surprise, Charcoal Grey), and will be running Windows Mobile 6. The phone will not have a touchscreen, as we reported, but will rock 3G / UMTS data (not HSDPA), have a 2-megapixel camera (so at least we know Palm isn’t completely recycling older phones’ guts), 256MB of onboard memory (150MB for users), plus a microSD slot and Bluetooth 2.0. Everything else about the phone should feel like standard territory, as Palm doesn’t seem to be offering anything in the way of software that’s different, though this phone could (and should) find some fans with those looking in the direction of BlackJacks, Qs, and Dashes. Still, we can’t say we’re not a little deflated… maybe the rumored “800″ will blow our collective minds.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Gallery: Palm’s Treo 500v gets official

    

more info
from engadget

Hot off the French press, we bring you brand-spanking-new pictures of Palm‘s next smartphone: the Centro. Here you see the new entry in its natural habitat, running the tired, tired Palm OS, with what appears to be zero changes in either looks or functionality. Come on guys — you couldn’t even update the graphics a little bit? Of note here otherwise is its striking similarity in size to the BlackBerry Pearl (obviously not a coincidence), and the fact that Palm is bringing over the 680‘s phone app, which hasn’t surfaced on any other Treo yet (including the post-680 entry, the 755p). It’s a start — but you’ve got to lose that white finish.

[Thanks, Cellenin]
more info
from engadget

Read more here: Seidio

From palmaddict

All sorts of Gandolf action is coming out of the woodwork, with Morning Paper following up the grainy shot it released yesterday with a shiny color version, shown after the break. The rumored specs remain unchanged, and while we’re not at all delighted to hear this one will be running Garnet, we’re guessing it could be a halfway decent option for low-end users, since it’s rocking that lovable $200 pricetag. Even more interesting is the white Windows Mobile version of the form factor that emerged on TreoCentral today, rocking the Vodafone branding. It appears to be running Windows Mobile Standard (once known as Smartphone) — which would be a first for Palm, who’s stuck with the touchscreen-input Professional (Pocket PC) edition for its Windows Mobile phones — and positions Palm to better compete with the likes of the Motorola Q and Samsung’s BlackJack. Plus the photo is blurry, so you know it has to be good.

[Via PalmInfocenter]

Read – Windows Mobile version
Read – Color Gandolf shot
More info
from engadget

Like the 680, the 755p will be available in a few different colors. Sprint will be carrying it in midnight blue and burgundy flavors, shown below. The midnight blue model is a slightly lighter shade of blue than the Treo 750′s navy blue color. The outer casing is made of the smooth and grippy “soft touch finish” material. It gives it a much better fell in the hand and will stick to surfaces better than standard plastic found on earlier devices.

The keyboard and application buttons are identical to the 680/750 and are nice and sturdy. The power and notification LED has been cleverly blended in with the silver finish. It’s still in the same spot above the Palm logo, however it can only be seen it when it is actively illuminated.

Other minor exterior changes include the IR window being moved to the right side and a covered miniSD slot. There is no reset button on the device, so you must take out and reseat the battery to perform a soft reset. The stylus included is mostly black plastic, with a metallic grip at the end.

Size wise, the Treo 755p has dimensions of 4.4″ x 2.3″ x 0.8″ inches (111.7 x 58.4 x 20.3mm) and weighs in at 5.64 ounces (160g). It shares the exact same dimensions as the 658 & 750, and is only a negligible 0.2 ounces heavier.

755p Hardware
Inside, the Treo 755p is powered by a 312 MHz Intel XScale processor. This is the same chip found in the 650, 680 and 700p. It also features the same amount of internal memory as its predecessor with a 128 MB non-volitile (NVFS) chip for program memory of which 60 MB is user-available for storage. The miniSD memory expansion slot can accommodate regular and minSD SDHC cards up to 4 GB in size.

The display is the standard Palm OS Treo 1.74″ x 1.74″ inch, 320 x 320 pixel TFT screen that supporting up to 65,000 colors. The 755p includes a 1.3 megapixel digital camera built into the rear of the device next to the speaker grill. It can take photos at a max resolution of 1280 x 1024 and has 2x digital zoom. It can also record video clips with audio at a 352 x 288 resolution.

The 755p also has Bluetooth v1.2. This allows for wireless accessories such as GPS navigation kits and wireless Bluetooth headsets. Palm says users can expect increased compatibility with Bluetooth devices over previous models. A2DP support is still missing, but there is always Softick Audio Gateway.

The phone uses a (850/1900 MHz) CDMA radio. The 755p can access high speed EVDO wireless data networks and can fall back on a 1xRTT connection when out of range of an EVDO signal. Current EVDO speeds average around 300-600 kbps for general web surfing, and you can get bursts of up to 2 mbps when downloading larger files. Of course speed will vary and depends on a number of conditions and signal strength. You can also use the Treo 755p as a wireless modem for your laptop or desktop computer via Bluetooth or USB cable.

Battery
One unique feature the 755p brings is a larger capacity battery. It packs in a 1600mAh battery. Though this is larger than the 680 & 750′s capacity, it is 200mAh less than the original 700p battery. The battery resides in a slightly deeper battery cavity than its sister models. This new size is unique to the 755p as batteries designed for previous Treo models are not physically compatible. Palm claims a continuous 4.2 hours talk time. Stay tuned for the full review for our take on battery life, as I’ve only had the unit for a few days and can’t comment on real world performance just yet.

755p Software
The Treo 755p runs the Palm OS Garnet operating system v5.4.9. It basically includes the same set of software as the 700p with a few updated apps and added third party extras. One of the nicer features of the Treo 680 was its improved dialing and calling interface. One odd aspect of the 755p is that it includes the same phone dialer and call management software as the 700p and not the new and improved suite from the 680.

The Sprint version I’m currently testing contains a few extra apps bundled in the device ROM. These include a copy of Bejeweled, Google Maps, Sprint TV and On Demand (Handmark’s Pocket Express). Sprint also includes built-in launcher icons that point to downloads of a Sprint IM application, GoodLink and a trial of Mobile Voice Command software. The Sprint IM program supports AIM, MSN and Yahoo accounts and requires a 15 cents per message usage charge. The trial version of Mobile Voice Command supports voice dialing (not from Bluetooth) and some common system commands and shortcuts.

Documents to Go v8 is also in the ROM for Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Powerpoint) file support and PDF Files. A basic version of Pocket Tunes is included on the device for MP3 digital audio and music playback. It also features the same streaming audio and video support that debuted on the 700p.

The latest version of Versamail (v3.5.4) is included for email. This version supports Microsoft’s Direct Push Technology with Exchange Server 2003 with SP2 or Exchange Server 2007. This provides automatic wireless updates of email, calendar and contact information. Blazer v4.5 is included for browsing the web. No changes here as is the same version included the 700p and 680.

Availability
The Treo 755p will be available beginning mid-May from Palm stores and online at Palm.com It also will be available at Sprint stores for as low as $279.99 after available discounts and promotions.

Stay tuned for more in-depth, full PalmInfocenter review soon.

From palminfocenter

Another review from:
Gadgeteer
Read – MobileTechReview (4 / 5 stars, “Another update to an already strong smartphone…”)
Read – MobileBurn (“Highly Recommended”)
Read – SlashGear (4.5 / 5 stars, “…still one of the best smartphones on the market…”)
Read – Brighthand (“…a good buy…”)

more pics after the jump

Treo 755p Photos

click for larger

Let’s be real: the new Treo 755p is more or less what the 700p should have been. There’s not exactly anything wrong with it, just that it’s been a year since the 700p came out and all the improvements to the 755p are rather minor. Click on for some first impressions of the Treo 755p, as well as a gallery of hands-on shots.

Yeah, it’s a tiny bit thinner (0.8-inches vs. 0.9-inches) and lighter (5.6 ounces vs 6.4 ounces) and they’ve finally lopped off that antenna which has been missing from Windows Mobile-powered Treos for a while now, swapped the SD card slot out for a miniSD card slot, and added a nice, soft finish (we’re not feeling the burgundy, though you might), but otherwise everything’s about the same. It’s the same version of the Palm OS (version 5.4.9), same screen size and resolution (320 x 320 pixels), same wireless radio (EV-DO Rev 0, not even a bump up to Rev A), same Bluetooth (1.2, you’d think it’d kill ‘em to upgrade to 2.0), same 1.3 megapixel camera, same battery life, same processor (312MHz XScale), same amount of memory (128MB of RAM), etc. You get the picture, and to be fair, Palm makes it pretty clear with the model number that this isn’t meant to be a major upgrade.There are a few cosmetic differences worth noting (besides that lopped off antenna). The casing of the 755p is more or less identical to that of the Treo 750, with the memory card slot and IR port moved to the right side of the phone, a larger speaker, and a slight indentation along each side that makes the phone a bit easier to hold. One thing we were hoping is that they would have ported over to the 755p some of the UI improvements they’ve made with the Treo 680, but no such luck. Google Maps does come pre-installed (as well as Bejeweled), but the probably the most exciting new free app they’ve included (well, technically made available for download) is Sprint IM, an instant messaging program from Thumbspeed that’s compatible with AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger. It’s something that’s been way overdue, and the app itself is clean and easy to use (though we weren’t able to successfully log-in with any of our AIM accounts).

The bottom line is that if you already have a Treo 700p, you definitely shouldn’t have any buyer’s remorse — that is unless you really, really hate that antenna — there aren’t enough improvements here to make it worth the money you’d spend. If you’re still holding on to that 650 or (gasp!) 600, and you’re ready to upgrade, you may as well take the plunge and get the 755p.

Click here for the pics!
from engadget