News broke on Thursday that Palm’s WebOS phones are not selling terribly well. The Pre Plus and Pixi Plus on Verizon haven’t been enough to save Palm from issuing a warning that their upcoming earnings may not be sunshine and rainbows. Worse, there are indications that orders of their phones are slowing, indicating demand simply isn’t there. The big question now is, did Palm know this when they claimed production was shut down for Chinese New Year? If they did, and Chinese New Year was just a convenient excuse, there are quite a few people angry at Palm for that bit of obfuscation. And it may end up being more than just a white lie…

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Otterbox, makers of tough as nails type case for various wireless devices announced their latest case last night during one of the CES 2010 events.

The new case, called the Tandem series, will initially launch for the Palm Pre device with other models to follow.

The two piece case features polycarbonate pieces that have been reinforced to provide shock and impact protection.  The Palm Pre version slides open and closed effortlessly allowing you to use the keyboard without removing the case.

So how does the Tandem Series work?

The first shell attaches to the front of the smartphone and the second shell attaches to the back.

Silicone around the outside edges of the case offers protection against bumps and the polycarbonate shells offer stability to withstand light impact.

Once the case is assembled, it allows for complete functionality, even when sliding the display screen up and down.

Look for the new Tandem case on the Otterbox web site soon.

Engadget and Gizmodo covered it back in October as the “surprisingly not-sad fate of Palm OS”, and we seem to be one step closer to seeing the Linux-based First ELSE come to market. The hardware is certainly sexy enough, and the little bit that I have seen of the OS appears to be slick and attention-getting.

ELSE INTUITIONâ„¢ is a complete mobile platform developed by ACCESS and Emblaze Mobile. Thanks to the combination of ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0 and an advanced user interface engine, jointly developed by Emblaze Mobile and ACCESS, ELSE INTUITIONâ„¢ delivers a highly compelling and differentiated user experience, coupled with state-of-the-art hardware, accelerated 2D/3D graphics and elegant transition effects.

A website is in place, complete with a video telling us why our mobile experience has been empty without the ELSE. Will the First ELSE be the answer? If it actually makes it to market in the first half of 2010, perhaps we will be able to decide.
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You have to feel badly for Palm. Even when they make some good moves they still can’t get any respect. And today no less than the New York Times took a swipe at them. In the article entitled “Is Palm’s Comeback Losing Steam?” author Saul Hansell notes…

Palm invented the category of a Web-surfing pocket-computer phone with its Treo line in 2002. But more recently it lost its way in the market as some of its rivals developed more innovative phones.

I mean, think about it, how many people are even TALKING about the $99 Pixi that just went on sale? Ask people about the latest smartphone and they will say… “Droid”.

Worse yet for Palm,

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A demo of Flash Player 10 running on a Palm Pre has just been released on YouTube. According to Adobe they expect to bring a version of Flash to nearly every mobile platform (Windows Mobile, RIM, WebOS, Google Android, and Symbian OS) this year or next. Notice any particular missing platform? So far Adobe has only indicated that they’re working with Apple but that the development will be on a separate timetable. The promise of Flash Player on mobile platforms is that much of the multimedia content currently available only through more powerful desktop computers could instantly become available on smartphones with Adobe Flash capabilities. This would potentially save developers from having to write multiple versions of an application and could create a large number of feature rich applications able to run on smartphones virtually overnight.

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Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Viddler video.I’m a huge fan of the Engadget podcast. Not a week goes by that I don’t listen to Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel. Their podcast is updated weekly and they chat about the week’s top news and provide added insight that you don’t get from their web site. I’m not sure how frequently these Engadget live shows are going to happen. This episode feature Jon Rubenstein formerly of Apple and now leader of Palm and was taped on 9/13/09. Aside from some problems with low audio and a questionable selection of first guest (cool demo of Pixi – but terrible explanation of why there’s no Wi-Fi (Sprint didn’t want it?) and come on Jon Rubenstein doesn’t know the type of processor in the  Pixi  ?) the video is of interest to anyone who is a diehard Engadget podcast listener. Follow the link below if you’d like to download a copy of the show to your iPod or Zune.

Engadget Show

During yesterday’s earnings call Palm announced they’d shipped 823,000 smartphone units last quarter (no breakdown on how many were Pre devices), beat earnings estimates and said their future growth will depend upon on how well their products launch. While no specifics were given about launches the company did hint that in the second half of 2010 they will be launching the WebOS based devices on more carriers. Perhaps most interesting is that according to website Precentral during the conference call Palm made this statement:

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

Palm Abandons Windows Mobile

Are you a Palm loyalist, still clutching your Centro, Treo, or T|X tightly in your fingers, not yet ready to surrender your trusted device, but perhaps looking for something to give your Palm OS device a little boost and add a little excitement?  If so, Handmark may just make your day.

Through its gaming group, Astraware, Handmark makes a great range of games for the Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry, iPhone, and PC platforms.  For a limited time, they are offering their Palm OS games at a 50% discount, including such well known titles as Tetris, Tradewinds 2, Bejeweled, Text Twist, GTS World Racing, and Astraware Casino.

To get your discount, use promo code PALM50 during checkout when shopping on the Astraware, Handmark, or Pocket Express websites.

Sometimes it pays to stay up into the wee hours of the morning, watching Bounty with your sweetie. I came to check email during a popcorn break, and found a little surprise in my inbox..

Here is thew newest member of the webOS lineup – the Palm Pixi. It looks like the HTC Tattoo isn’t the only phone that means to take personalization to a whole new level, and I’ve gotta say that at this moment – on looks alone? Palm Pixi 1, HTC Tattoo 0.

But the Tattoo isn’t the only new device that the Pixie might be trying to steal the limelight from today. Seems like there were some announcements coming out of Cupertino, as well. Methinks that the Pixi might steal a little bit of thunder; after all, they’re only announcing some new iPods. Right?

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When I started this series, my hope had been to tackle all of the apps in the Palm Pre App Catalog before its official launch, later this month.  But the developers turned out to be too fast for me.  In the month since I started this series, the App Catalog has grown from 30 apps to 45, and is really starting to gain momentum.  So, a slight change of plans will see the series ending today, with an overview of 30 apps.

As a finale to the series, I thought we would take a look at Yelp, the location based search tool.  But don’t worry, this will not be the end of our look at apps for the Palm Pre.  There are plenty of new apps showing up every day, both in the official App catalog and in the unofficial homebrew app lists.  And we will work our way through many of the apps in both locations.  For now, though, let’s take a look at Yelp.

Yelp is a multi-platform tool, which can help you find local businesses and restaurants in your area.  You can search either by selecting one of the preset categories or by entering your own search term.  Yelp will then find any matches in your area.

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I have to admit that I have never been one to dabble to deep in the stock market.  Most of my money is in IRAs or index based funds.  Plus, I rarely want to have the values too close, because looking at how much money I am constantly losing can get a bit depressing these days.  Nonetheless, for those of you who do like to have your net worth in the palm of your hand at all times, there is a fantastic app called Express Stocks.

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The Palm P120 and C40 have made an appearance on a computer screen that Precentral is claiming came from a Sprint store. These two models could possibly be follow on devices to the relatively new Palm Pre. It’s unknown whether these are entirely new devices or could be a slight configuration tweak (more memory, removal of camera, etc). This discovery comes close on the heels of a similar screen from Verizon which displayed a P121VZW and P101VZW)

New Palm phones in Sprint computer inventory – P120 and C40

Let’s just get this out of the way quickly.  Word Ace is my new favorite game, and is the best game currently available for the Palm Pre.  OK…I know saying that any game is better than other games on the Palm Pre may not be much of a compliment…but this really is a fantastic game.

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Yes…I do mean THAT Connect 4.  The one you loved as a kid.  sliding checkers into a plastic frame, trying to make four in a row.  This is one of my son’s favorite games, and I love the fact that he is so interested in a game from my own childhood.  And thanks to the folks at Hasbro and EA Games, you can now enjoy this classic game on your Palm Pre (10 times before you will have to pay for it). Continue Reading

Let’s have a show of hands.  How many of you watch the Today Show in the morning.  It is pretty hard to miss, since it is about five hours long, yet I manage to do so since I leave the house before 6:00 each morning.  So, I rarely get to watch the show upon which this app is based.

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