Computer Outlook
"Palm Handheld Lifestyles"
May 19, 2005
SHOW NOTES
Palm OS News
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PalmSource Launches Palm Powered Mobile World in China
PalmSource Is Blogging!
- Mostly about the DevCon
- Posts should pick up during the DevCon
Don't Forget The PalmSource Mobile Summit & DevCon 2005
- May 24th - 26th, 2005
- Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, CA
pa1m0ne News
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pa1m0ne LifeDrive Mobile Manager Released
- The LifeDrive/T6/T7/TX will be called the “LifeDrive Mobile Manager”
- This is a new product series separate from the Tungsten and Zire product lines
- Instead of RealPlayer, it will come with Pocket Tunes, which can play MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, and WAV files
- 320x480 Color Screen
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in
- Faster syncing with USB 2.0
- 416 Mhz Intel processor running OS 5.4 (Garnet)
- Expected to ship in June
- Buy it now for $499
- Camera Companion software offloads SD images from your camera quickly and easily.
- USB On the Go Box planned for later this summer for non-SD based cameras
- LifeDrive Manager allows you to browse the device like a hard drive
- Doesn't include a cradle
- BarginPDA reports less than stellar battery life
palmOne Board Names Ed Colligan CEO
- One of the original founders of Palm, inc. is now in the driver's seat
Treo 650 now available for Verizon business customers
- WiFi and Bluetooth wireless
- 4 Gigabyte internal hard drive
- Palm OS Garnet
- 416 MHz Intel XScale processor,
- 480x320 display
- No removable battery
- Said to be as thick as two Tungsten T5's
- Expected $499 retail price
Tapwave News
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Tapwave Speculations All Over The Map
- Originally reported on TapLand
- Gizmodo intrepreted the announcement as bad news
- We'll let you decide:
- Transition from offering Tapwave branded retail products to developing new co-branded products for OEM partners
- Developing and closing new business and partnership opportunities. Tapwave's UK online store is no more UK retailers are clearing out their inventory
- Continued development of the next generation multimedia platform and raising additional funds to help drive future programs.
- Consolidating the e-commerce software download to a single vendor.
- A new Zodiac API is back under development for hardware MPEG4 decode (to help developers take better advantage of the ATI chip for improved video performance).
- The new software driver for the Sandisk WIFI+256MB card is very close to release.
- New web browser from Nvarra (Nweb) recently completed.
- Mapopolis GPS solution available and entire US Map collection on a single SD card.
- The high score reporting/tournament zone project is back in development.
- Also keep in mind that it has been rumored that Nintendo has licensed Palm OS
- My hope? That there will be an announcement at PalmSource, or later in the year that Tapwave and Nintendo will be releasing a new device!
SmartPhone News
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Users Petition SprintPCS for the Samsung i550
- US consumers made an extraordinary appeal requesting Sprint PCS to release Samsung's new handset.
- As this airing, 569 consumers signed the petition
- Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics is stepping up marketing activities in China to promote the newly released Palm OS-based smartphone, SCH-i539.
- SCH-i539 is working on Palm-OS 5.4 with 64MB ROM and 32MB RAM.
- It plays MPGE4, WMV and MP3 files. It adopts SD as external memory.
Samsung SCH-i539 Smartphone Available in China
- This is the successor to the never released I-550
Google Local for Mobile Devices
- supports any xHTML mobile browser
- You can retrieve local search results plus maps and driving directions on your handheld or smartphone.
- http://mobile.google.com/local
Google SMS Is The Stuff
- Simply text 46645 to retrive...
- Get local business listings when you're on the road and want to find a place to eat.
- Obtain driving directions to get from point A to point B without having to ask for directions.
- Find movie showtimes and theater locations of movies currently playing near you.
- Check weather conditions and 4-day forecasts to plan your day.
- Get quick answers to straightforward questions.
- Study the latest stock quotes and stay on top of the market.
- Compare online product prices with ones you find in retail stores.
- Look up dictionary definitions to expand your vocabulary or prove a point.
Other News
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AeroPlayer Adds AAC Audio Support
- This enables support for Apples iTunes format by adding playback of AAC encoded audio.
- Doesn't play FairPlay iTunes music purchased from the iTMS store.
- However, details are provided on how to get around that.
- Plugin cost $14.95.
Google To Release Personal Portal Tonight
Need A Gmail Account?
- I'll give you what I've got
- Currently have 50 invites to anyone who wants them
Cool Deal Of The Month
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Great Deals At PalmSource Mobile DevCon
- Tapwave Zodiac Show Special: $199
- pa1m0ne devices up to 40% off!
Things To Look Forward To At PalmSource
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Announcements Galore
- Everyone will be announcing new products, new software and new versions of stuff.
Play Foosball And Win A Device
- Wednesday May 25 at 7 PM
- The tournament is open to all attendees
- Four foosball tables
- 32 individuals competing in a single elimination bracket
- Palm Powered devices and software will be awarded to the top players.
Golden Shears is Back!
- Virtual Sheep Shearing Championships
- The first prize is again 2 Pacific Class round-trip tickets to Auckland flying on Air New Zealand from San Francisco on their nonstop service.
- The competition this year will feature Aceeca's new laser bluetooth-enabled scanner and last years record times are sure to be beaten.