Price: $250 (after 2 year contract)

The Verdict: As far as Windows Mobile phones go, the 800w is a pretty good one. It's no frills as far as smartphones go, but this is almost exclusively for the enterprise crowd. It's not the prettiest, nor is it the smallest, but is powerful enough to run Windows Mobile 6.1 like it should. It moves from menu to menu reasonably quick, and ran most of the apps lag free. In terms of size, it's less wide than previous Treos, but thickness is more or less the same and the keyboard feels the same as old Treos. The bright and crisp 320x320 touchscreen is also a nice upgrade for the 800w.

But the 800w also good because Palm put some of their TLC into the product. The main "Today" screen you see when you first use the phone has a GPS search that lets you find points of interest without first having to launch a separate app. The SMS interface is pulled straight from the Palm OS, meaning text-based conversations can be easily managed. There's also a Wi-Fi button at the top of the phone that allows you to turn on your Wi-Fi and connect to a pre-configured network in a matter of seconds with a touch of a button. It seems minor, but it eliminates a fair amount of tedious menu surfing.

Reception is always at full strength where I'm at, meaning call quality is clear and the EVDO rev.A is speedy. The bottom line is that if you need an enterprise phone and want a physical keyboard, the Treo 800w isn't a bad choice.

Palm Announces Unlocked Centro Smartphone and Google Maps with My Location

SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 23, 2008 – Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced that the popular Palm® Centro™ smartphone is now available unlocked for U.S. customers. Now offered on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon Wireless – the nation’s three largest carriers – and in an unlocked GSM version, Centro gives U.S. customers the ability to choose the mobile phone that’s right for them.(1) Palm also announced that Google™ Maps for mobile with My Location on Centro is available for Centro starting tomorrow, giving customers faster access to local maps and driving directions.(2)

The unlocked Palm Centro retains the smartphone’s compact, modern design and is dressed in a new white color with grey accents. Centro offers customers more choices to stay in touch with friends, family and co-workers by using voice, text messaging, email or the web. Also available in 25 countries worldwide, Centro is Palm’s smallest and lightest smartphone to date.

Google Maps for mobile with My Location makes it easier and faster for Centro customers to get mapping and direction information by approximating the user’s current location on the map. This saves time and keystrokes for people trying to find where they are, what’s around them, and how to get there.

In addition to My Location, Google Maps offers:

·Comprehensive information on traffic conditions in more than 30 U.S. major metropolitan areas, and partial information in many others;

·Detailed driving directions with traffic estimates to avoid congestions;

·One-touch recall of favorite locations and routes;

·Integrated search results for business locations, including directions and contact information;

·Ability to scan and drag maps using Centro’s touch screen for a PC-like experience; and

·Satellite and aerial views.

Pricing and Availability

The unlocked Centro smartphone is available online at http://www.palm.com/centro for $299.

Google Maps for mobile with My Location will be available tomorrow free of charge for Palm Centro smartphones at http://www.google.com/gmm. Please check the site for details on the download process and carrier availability.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. is a global leader and innovator of easy-to-use mobile products that simplify people’s lives and help them stay connected on the go. The company offers a range of products — including Palm® Treo™ and Centro™ smartphones, Palm handhelds, services and accessories — to meet the needs of consumers, mobile professionals and businesses.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com.

[Palm]

That should give its march past a million sold new juice, even if your friends have already been playing with it for a few months. It's the first Palm on Verizon's $30 a month Smartphone plan, and runs on their 3G EV-DO network. The $99 price is obviously w/ two-year contract and after $70 mail-rebate (don't forget to send it in!).

PALM CENTRO NOW AVAILABLE ON THE VERIZON WIRELESS NETWORK

Centro Debut on the Nation's Most Reliable Wireless Network Offers Customers a High-Speed Communications Device with Compact Form Factor, Easy Touch-Screen and Full QWERTY Keyboard

BASKING RIDGE, N.J, and SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Verizon Wireless, builder and operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless network, and Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM), today announced that the Palm® Centro™ smartphone will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning June 13. Dressed in a crisp cobalt blue, the Centro provides customers with the perfect tool to manage the busiest of lifestyles with voice, text messaging, e-mail and the Web.
Centro runs on Verizon Wireless’ high-speed data network, which gives customers the ability to quickly send and receive e-mail messages and attachments and browse rich Web content. Verizon Wireless customers can also use the Centro as a modem for their laptops when they subscribe to Verizon Wireless’ BroadbandAccess Connect service plan. The handset sports a vibrant color touch-screen, full QWERTY keyboard and a lightweight design.

Centro’s built-in Google Maps™ application delivers quick, reliable directions and lets users perform local searches and view moveable/scalable maps, satellite imagery and traffic updates. Customers can also map a contact’s address directly from the contact application simply by selecting the “maps” button.
Customers using the stylish Centro will get access to VersaMail® 4.0 with built-in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync® support for Microsoft Direct Push Technology to deliver e-mail and calendar updates from a home or office PC using Outlook® directly to their handsets. Centro users also have the option of using Wireless Sync, Verizon Wireless’ proprietary e-mail solution, for quick and easy access to personal or corporate e-mail, contacts, calendar and tasks from their home or office PC. Wireless Sync supports POP3 or IMAP e-mail accounts and it supports Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Notes® and IBM Lotus Domino®.
The Palm Centro also includes the following features and capabilities:
• Text, picture and video messaging (text messages are presented to customers in a “chat-style” view so customers can see their entire conversation unfold)
• Superior phone functionality, including one-touch speakerphone and conference calling, the ability to respond to a call with text messaging, and the option to use the touch-screen dial pad
• Smart, fast Web browsing using the award-winning Blazer browser
• 2x digital zoom camera with video capture
• Media player with Pocket Tunes™ Deluxe (PlaysForSure-compatible)
• Bluetooth® v. 1.2 with support for hands-free car kits and headset profiles
• 64 MB available user storage and microSD™ memory card slot with support up to 4 GB
• User-friendly, familiar Palm OS® 5.4.9, including one-touch access to key applications
• Small, sleek form factor: 2.1” (l) x 4.2” (w) x 0.7” (d)
• 4.2 ounces with battery
• 320 x 320 pixel color touch-screen and full QWERTY keyboard for easier e-mail, messaging and Web use

Pricing and Availability
The Palm Centro smartphone will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, including those in Circuit City, for $99.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers may want to pair their Centro voice plan with Verizon Wireless’ E-mail and Web for Smartphone service for $29.99. This is an unlimited monthly data plan for Web browsing and e-mail support for up to eight personal e-mail accounts. To tether the Centro to a laptop with a USB cable, customers may opt to include a BroadbandAccess Connect plan in their service package for $30.
For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers may call 1-800-VZW-4BIZ or contact their Verizon Wireless Business Sales Representative.

[Verizon Wireless]

Is anyone filled with excitement, their Treo 700 series rattling in their trembling hands? [wmpoweruser] Thanks tipsters!

So, basically take the current Palm OS, add a dash of web 2.0 internet and you've got Palm 2.0. I don't even have a serious affinity for Palm, but man I hope Ed here is just a master of understatement. Because fundamentally, I like writing about companies and people beating back the odds and the weight of history, not relics. [APC]

[Boy Genius Report]

Shadowmite also says it has a micro USB connection, which brings Palm out from the proprietary connector rock. It may be incremental, but it's good to see Palm playing a bit of catchup with the smartphone heavyweights. [Shadowmite via Palm Infocenter]

His Holiness is, apparently, satisfied with the purchase of the Sunnyvale, CA. smartphone manufacturer, and was looking forward to working with the current board of directors to expand Palm's user base as soon as possible. "With a potential market of 1.131 billion Catholics in the World and countless others up there, we are confident we can quickly expand the company's user base, leveraging their technology to offer new real-time confession services, virtual baptisms, and get more and more people in direct contact with God every day," Pope Benedict XVI declared to over 300 journalists, today in Rome. "Besides, we have to stop the Anti-Christ. Yes, you know who I'm talking about. The one with the black turtleneck and his false JesusPhone."

Asked about the role of Palm's next -generation operating system in their plans—which has hit delay after delay in recent years—His Holiness admitted that the development team was in a bit of a rut. "Yes, we are going to need a miracle to get it out of the door, but I'm confident we will be able to arrange something on that front," Pope Benedict XVI said while winking repeatedly at the press corps, making everyone a little bit uncomfortable.

For Palm, the deal with the Vatican may be their last chance in an increasingly competitive market: "being surrounded in the smartphone sector by heavyweights such as Apple and RIM, the Holy Church may be their only path to salvation... wait... hahahaha... see what I did? Path to salvation! Get it? Hrmm... never mind" declared Ryan Block, Editor-in-Chief of Engadget and rumored future CEO of Motorola. However, asked why the Head of the Church had finally decided on Palm instead of another handset manufacturer, Block added that it didn't make much sense. "Really, these people don't have a clue about what they are doing. Infallible? Heck, I think they may need a new CEO themselves," he said, just before walking out of the phone booth, grinning mysteriously, and, according to sources, muttering "Pope Block? Ryan Pope? Pope Ryan? I wonder what would look better on my business cards."

The final price represents just a $2 premium over Palm's current $5.80, although Securities and Exchange Commision representatives are now studying the value of the souls. "Given Wall Street's deficit in that department, they may represent a hidden value that needs to be taken into consideration," an SEC spokesperson declared, after his fifth drink in a Via Veniero café.

God was unavailable for comment.

NOTE: In case you are wondering, this is all fake—although Palm shareholders may be wishing the contrary. [PC World—Picture courtesy of Andy J.]

There will also be an optional Voice Control feature that will allow users to browse the web, create calendar entries and send emails/text messages using voice commands. Just don't let all of this hands-free freedom go to your head. It still doesn't give you carte blanche to multi-task while driving down the highway. [InformationWeek]

Plans are also afoot to include biometric testing on the spectators when the games start, in the Summer of 2012—an estimated nine million people. The Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, John Armitt, claims that the system will be as easy as travelling on public transport (London-based readers will know, to quote esteemed philosophers Duran Duran, it's about as easy as a nuclear war.) "The gates will be like the Jubilee Line," he has been quoted as saying. "Put your hand down and it will open."

The biometric system is not the only hi-tech addition to the games' security. The policeman in charge of the games has gone on record as saying that London will need an additional half a million CCTV cameras to be put in place before the site opens for business. Yet again, the small matter of civil liberties is being brought into question.

While the head of Britain's main construction union, Ucatt, claims that he is fan-goo with the security system, "providing the ODA guarantee that the biometric data will not be passed on to any third parties and will be wiped once the project is complete," the ODA has not guaranteed that it will not pass on any information to government agencies.

How much of a logistical and planning nightmare this will be remains to be seen but, given the UK's success when it comes to building big things—the Millennium Dome, and Wembley for example—there is a strong possibility that we will be seeing the Olympic flame being lit at an opening ceremony some time in 2019. [Times Online]

• It's snappier than I thought it would be. Even though it's powered off of a Windows Mobile phone, there's a separate renderer based in the Redfly so it handles the graphics (instead of depending on the paltry one in the phone).
• Keys aren't as spaced out as a regular keyboard, but it's spacious enough to be not cramped. You can definitely two-hand type on this thing.
• The display is extended to 640x480 resolution (see bullet point one) to fit the Redfly.
• The touchpad is slightly smaller than we would like, but it's not unusable.

Is it worth $499? Only if you're really dependent on your Windows Mobile phone and don't want to carry around a UMPC with you. It also has 8 hours of battery life and charges your phone during use, which helps justify the price tag. [Gizmodo]

Smartphones running Symbian, Linux and Palm OS all fall behind Apple's iPhone. This is ever more stunning because the iPhone is only available via one carrier, in contrast, the other platforms can be procured from various cellular networks. This dramatically increases their market penetration. From the perspective of a business model, these figures are simply astronomical. Who's running scared? Apparently, Symbian is:

Every year, Symbian publishes detailed figures demonstrating how they are the biggest, baddest platform in the world. Guess what? This year, they didn't release the detailed figures on their Symbian Fast Facts webpage. Why not? Take a look at the image—the numbers are no longer working in their favor.

All in all, things aren't looking too perky for Apple's competitors. Sure, RIM may be flying high at the moment, but if this growth continues even at a fraction of the rate it is currently, RIM won't be high and dry for long. Android, in you we trust. For a fantastic run through the figures, and a more detailed look at the likely ramifications of Apple's impending dominance, checkout the full report by hitting the link. [Roughly Drafted Magazine]

This was originally going to be a piece about how Microsoft had no idea what the consumer wanted, where I would explain what I thought Microsoft needed to do to fix it. Oh, I still discuss the flaws, but while talking to the Windows Mobile team, I learned about the next two versions of the mobile OS. Turns out, Microsoft knows exactly what's wrong with the WM platform, and it knows what to do to fix it. Trust me: there's hope on the horizon.

Before I get to the big Windows Mobile fix, it's important to see where it is now. Take a look above at the Windows Mobile Professional (the touchscreen version) and Windows Mobile Standard (the non-touchscreen, usually slimmer version). Got a good look?

The number one biggest problem with Windows Mobile is its UI.

I have no problems with Windows itself, and I work on a Vista PC (along with a Leopard Mac) every single day. WM's problem is that it isn't Windows. Here are a few of the unnecessarily complicated attributes that Windows Mobile doesn't share with desktop Windows:

• It's very hard to multitask. Multitasking is there, and you can run multiple programs at the same time, but everything is "full screen" and there's no easy way to switch between apps. There's no task bar to see what apps are open, and there's no indicator to the user that anything else is open. You actually have to dig into the Start menu, then Settings, then the System tab, then Memory, then the Running Programs tab just to see what's going on! Microsoft fixed this by inserting a dropdown task manager in more recent builds of Windows Mobile 6, but you still can't jump from app to app with ease. Which leads us to...

• Closing a program doesn't really close it. You'd think that pressing the "X" button on an app closes it, but all it does is minimize it. You have to dive into the menus to terminate a program or, on a newer build, go back to the Home/Today screen and close via the top-right icon. Not exactly what we call convenient.

• Different builds work differently. We can see why there are two major versions of Windows Mobile for phones—Professional and Smartphone—since different form factors require different UI philosophies for input. But when you compare the Tablet PC version of Windows with the standard desktop version, there isn't that huge of a difference. If you know how to use one, you should know how to use the other. Not quite so when you switch from the stylus input of Windows Mobile Pro to the D-Pad of Windows Mobile Smartphone. This isn't noticed by the masses, since most people only use one Windows Mobile device, but it is a telling concern. Plus, getting around with that D-Pad sucks.

Beyond OS structural design, the day-to-day usage of Windows Mobile isn't what you'd call "friendly," either. In fact, it'd probably punch you in the face if you even made eye contact. Take dialing, for instance. How can the main purpose of a phone—calling someone—be so hard to do? If you're using a Windows Mobile Professional device, you have a few options, none of which are good:

• You can pull out the stylus to tap in the digits. This requires two hands.

• You can try and use your fingertip to call, which doesn't normally work, so you'll use your fingernail, which does work but, as it results in many misdialed numbers, takes forever.

• You can slide out the keyboard and find the dialpad buried among the QWERTY keys and dial, which requires two hands and intense concentration.

• You can try and bring up the contact list, which takes a long-ass time to scroll through, or you can slide out the keyboard again and search by name. Again, two hands.

• Voice Command has been an option for years, but then again, it kinda works, but it doesn't work well.

• Probably the best way to go is to program your most important numbers into speed dial, as you'll be able to actually talk to the correct person within, say, three button presses.

Compare that to the iPhone, which has just a touchscreen, but gets you to the keypad, your favorites, recent calls or your contact list, all within two key presses of the home screen. Dialing shouldn't be this hard, and the fact that it is just illustrates how bad the rest of the UI is.

These additional visuals should illustrate the fact that Windows Mobile isn't a platform designed for the general public. Even for technically knowledgeable users, there's a gigantic learning curve when picking one up for the first time. Imagine giving one to your parents. Then imagine all the calls you'll get—from their home phone, no less, because they couldn't figure out how to use their new Windows Mobile.

WM's core suite of apps include IE, the SMS client, the email client and Windows Media player; all are sub-par compared other smartphones. There's a reason why the iPhone's browser marketshare is already 0.09% when the entire Windows CE family (which includes Windows Mobile, among other things) is only at 0.06%. Why? It's because nobody wants to go online with that version of IE. They'd rather wait until they get a real computer rather than trudge through WAP decks, insufficiently optimized versions of web pages and hard to use interfaces.

If you're an advanced user, you'll eventually be able to learn how to bypass or augment certain parts of the phone with third-party applications. Going back to the dialer example, the default dialpad has buttons that are way too small to be usable. This isn't unfixable: You simply have to download a new dialer skin, transfer it onto the internal storage or memory card, shove it in the right directory, overwrite some files and restart the phone! What the crap? If you want a nice, full-sized picture of your contact to show up when that person calls you, you'll have to pay $19.99 for another add-on app. If you want to enable certain features, you actually have to go into the registry and manually make changes. Provided, that is, you go out and find a registry editor.

But enough about the software, what about the hardware? Isn't Windows Mobile really slow because it's insufficiently powered? Yes and no. Yes, because there are certain phones like the T-Mobile HTC Wing and the AT&T Tilt that feel like watching old people practicing Tai Chi. Then there's the Sprint HTC Mogul that's fast as lightning and feels more like watching Jet Li destroy a school full of martial arts students. I blame many manufacturers for not juicing up the hardware enough, and I blame carriers for overburdening these phones with too much junk that people aren't asking for, like the AT&T music store or Sprint video shop. (It's a lot like all of that promotional junk that comes pre-loaded on a new computer.) When one phone pisses the pot with lackluster performance, the entire platform gets a bad name.

The matter of fact is, Windows Mobile can do just about anything you'd want it to do. It can edit Office documents, send and receive Exchange email, browse the web, chat on IM, give you turn-by-turn GPS directions, play music, watch videos and so much more. The features are there, but the experience isn't. Turns out, the Windows Mobile team knows it.

Microsoft is working to fix the whole WM platform. Here's how:

Even when using a super sluggish WinMo phone, it's less an example of a manufacturer not meeting the minimum requirements for RAM, ROM and CPU power, and more a problem of software which has not been optimized to run on it. This is often the service provider's fault. For example, two phones with the same 400MHz processor can be totally different depending on how much optimization the provider decides to do. When you're using a slow phone, blame the provider.

On the same token, the Windows Mobile OS team actually does set a minimum hardware requirement for the "core" features of the OS to make sure the user experience is a good one, but the minimum-requirement bar may be set too low. When companies add apps on top of the core, things start to wobble. Product manager Derek Snyder told me that Microsoft will raise the bar for minimum requirements to a level where phones can be loaded with more software without slowing down the most basic of tasks (e.g. sliding open the AT&T Tilt from portrait to landscape mode).

That's not to say Microsoft isn't dodging the problematic UI and the other software shortcomings. Derek admits that, up until now, the team has focused too much on the enterprise side, attracting IT customers with vertically useful features like Exchange support, not on ease of use. Starting from here on out, they're going to be more consumer oriented. "The business stuff has been taken care of," he says.This focus can be clearly seen when you look above at the leaked Windows Mobile 6.1 details we showed you last week. There's an much more streamlined home screen that puts only a few things in your face at once. There's a caller-ID box that lets you easily see who's calling. There's threaded SMS. There's a recent programs list in the Start menu. They are great updates, but they are tweaks, not huge fixes, baby steps toward a goal that may not ultimately be reached until one or two major revisions down the line (read: Windows Mobile 7 or 8).

It is the next version of Windows Mobile that looks promising. First, Microsoft will retool the main suite of applications such as IE, email and SMS. According to them, they will try to bring IE up to par with the iPhone's Safari browser, and deliver "desktop grade" browsing with zooming and scaling and all that good stuff. Then there's the improved music and photo experience, taking what they can from other smartphone designs like Palm, iPhone or Symbian, and integrating it into their own apps. There's talk about doing some sort of collaboration with the Zune team, but that's still up in the air.

I'm holding out for the next, next version of Windows Mobile (WM8). That's the one that will be started completely from scratch, with "new plumbing." This is the version you've been waiting for, implementing a completely redesigned user interface, "revolutionary" features like global search, and new concepts such as automation and connections within the phone, ideas borrowed from other smartphone operating systems. This means that you'll be able to go from viewing a person's address info in his contact card to seeing where he lives in map view in one click. There will be much more of this intuitive flow, and far less digging through menus.

Derek sums it up like this: right now the Windows Mobile user experience is lacking. The features are there, but actually using these features is another story. Normal people can't figure it out. He says it's like using a Creative Zen vs. using an iPod or a Zune. You actually want to use a device that does the work for you, instead of making you do all the work. It took guts for Microsoft to admit what its mobile OS was lacking; we're going to do our part and accept their word that a more robust platform followed eventually by a more headache-free interface is where Windows Mobile really is headed.

Windows Mobile 6.1 pictures courtesy Boy Genius Report; Dialer screen courtesy ZDNet; WM Standard courtesy Into Mobile