Posts in Handhelds
Palm's WebOS app strategy needs more details
Tom Krazit | Jan 09, 2009
Palm's plan for application development on the new Palm Pre will help determine its fate.
(Credit: Palm)
Palm's new WebOS passed its first test: It looks good. But will the device attract legions of developers?
Just hours after Palm showed off its new operating system running on the Palm Pre, details are still rolling in about the unit and its software. One important factor that will have to be addressed is application development and distribution. Palm has confirmed plans to administer some sort of central store for application downloads. But there still is scarce information about how that will actually work.
Palm's Stephane Maes said that Palm will not attempt to approve every single application developed for WebOS, as Apple does for iPhone applications.
"Certainly, we want to let a thousand flowers bloom," he said. "Every now and then there are a few dandelions we'll want to winnow out."
Unable to let the cliched misquote of Mao Zedong pass (he actually persecuted many of those who dared let their ideas bloom), let's move on to ask the more important questions that went unanswered this morning.
If Palm is retaining some right to refuse applications, how will those choices be made? Apple has faced its fair share of criticism over nebulous policies for approving or rejecting applications for the App Store, which have frustrated many developers even as they've flocked to the App Store.
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Answers to burning Palm Pre questions
Ina Fried | Jan 09, 2009
The Palm Pre. Still no word on pricing.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)
LAS VEGAS--As the device with the most mystery attached to it, there were plenty of questions left after Palm introduced its Pre on Thursday. I had a chance to sit down with Palm vice president Stephane Maes to get some (but not all) of the answers to my burning questions.
Palm isn't answering the big question--how much will it cost--but Maes did say "we obviously know what all the prices are of the products that are out there and it will be competitive."
Although Sprint is the exclusive partner for launch, Palm is working on devices for other networks that will launch later, including a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) version, though Maes would not say more about that device.
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Palm calls it a comeback with the Palm Pre
Tom Krazit | Jan 09, 2009
Palm's new Pre, running its WebOS mobile operating system.
(Credit: Corrine Schulze/CNET)
Palm took one giant step toward regaining its position as a relevant mobile computing company with the introduction of the Palm Pre on Thursday.
If you missed out on Ina Fried's live coverage of Palm's press conference in Las Vegas at CES, here are a few basic details about the Pre (rhymes with glee). It's a touchscreen phone with a slide-out keyboard that runs WebOS, Palm's long-awaited new operating system formerly codenamed Nova.
Sprint will be the exclusive launch carrier for the Pre, which comes with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a 3.1-inch display, GPS, and 8GB of storage, among other things. Palm did not announce a price for the Pre, but said it should be available some time in the first half of 2009.
Like the Apple's iPhone, Palm's Pre has a single button when the slide-out keyboard is shut. Everything on the screen can be controlled by gestures similar to the ones used on the iPhone, and the homescreen has four icons at the bottom for the most frequently used tasks, such as the phone, email, and calendar.
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New SDXC format can store up to 2TB
Reuben Lee | Jan 08, 2009
The data transfer speed of the SDXC format is expected to hit 300MB/s eventually.
(Photo credit: Reuben Lee/CNET Asia)
The new SDXC card format is scheduled for a late 2009/early 2010 time frame. It will be available in SD and microSD sizes. Not surprisingly, the SDXC standard will not work in current SD and SDHC devices. The SDXC slot will, however, be backward-compatible with earlier formats.
Fring adds earpiece support for HTC devices
John Chan | Jan 08, 2009
When it comes to multi-IM applications for mobile phones, Fring is among the best. Not only does it support a wide range of services like MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Google Talk, it allows you to make VoIP calls through Skype. The company has just released version 3.34 of the software for Windows Mobile which now works on Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 and the Samsung Omnia. Additionally, one of its new features is that audio on HTC devices is now routed through the earpiece instead of the speakers.
Using VoIP on Windows Mobile devices can be a pain because sound usually comes through the external speakers--every call uses the speakerphone, making you look like an idiot in noisy locations. Even the native Skype application for Microsoft's mobile OS hasn't solved this problem. So if you are a Skype user and own an HTC device, we recommend giving this new version a spin. Download it from the Fring Web site and come tell us how well it works in the Talkback below.
Via WMExperts
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