WebKit’s shortcomings, and an accelerated development timescale that forced each app to be initially built from scratch, then subsequently rebuilt by Palm and again for the second time by HP as the webOS framework took shape, resulted in significant returns. Palm saw “extremely high return rates” of the original Pre, a former apps employee claims, as early-adopters discovered it was sluggish and unstable.

webOS also suffered significantly from the loss of Matias Duarte, who jumped ship to Google in May 2010. Known as the architect of the webOS user experience, Duarte’s departure opened the door to in-fighting and power grabbing as HP got to grips with the newly-acquired platform.

“[Matias Duarte] was WebOS … When he left, the vacuum was just palpable. What you’re seeing is frankly a bunch of fourth- and fifth-stringers jumping onto WebOS in the wake of Duarte’s leaving” Unnamed former webOS team member

Since then, HP has been through a number of CEOs and has decided to make webOS open-source. HP has left the door open for potential future hardware running the platform, though that is believed to be heavily dependent on whether webOS finds favor among third-party hardware and software producers. That, Mercer suggests, is still unlikely, as the root performance issues of WebKit remain.

This fabulous new PalmPad is set to work on Sprint’s “4G” network and has a set of hardware specs “nearly identical” to the Apple iPad. Tiny differences include an HDMI port instead of the universally Apple port the iPad features, a slightly thinner overall size, rounder sides, 1.25 pounds in weight, and a USB 3.0 port as well as a “multi-switch” like the one featured on the Palm Pre.

The PalmPad is set to feature front and rear-facing cameras with LED flashes at 1.3 and 3 megapixels. Each of the three CES-released versions will have a screen right around 9.7-inches while the university version is set to have a 8.9-inch screen. The university version will have complete access to the univerity’s internal educational software set, university requested features, and HP hopes they’ll be in use by Fall semester 2011 (lofty goal?)

Don’t forget to head on over to http://webosforums.com/ and chat it out as WebOS continues its ascent into superstardom and the taking over of the world written in its destiny!

[Via FoxNews.com]

Thanks to the fine folks at webOS Internals, they’ve found the software keyboard that had originally only been hinted at back when webOS 2.0 code was just beginning to be sifted through. They rummaged through several portions of the latest version of webOS 2.0, before they did a few tweaks, and then restarted the system. When everything came back online, they simply had to input “Opt+Sym+K,” and they had an on-screen keyboard displayed for them, ready to use.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the software keyboard is ready for the limelight quite yet. The whole thing is still a bit buggy, and there doesn’t seem to be any optimization for the keyboard. However, it’s obvious that Palm and HP feel that a software keyboard is necessary in one way or another. With that in mind, we can probably start counting down the days until a slate-style webOS 2.0-based device makes an appearance.

[via PreCentral.net]

Thirdly, Palm Schema – more supporting features for reading app reviews and ratings, make it much easier to work with and control and see what’s going on before working with apps, plus more geographic controls so people in many different countries can decide in Preware which apps will appear. Custom kernels are being created by webOS Internals to get more apps ready to work with webOS 2.0, and they hope to get wIRC and more into the App Catalog very soon.

Fun! Looks like Preware’s getting really ramped up and ready to blast through some walls, yes? Have a little talk about it at http://webosforums.com/ with me whydon’cha?

[Via PreCentral]

Surprisingly Popular News Blip of the Day: Diablo III releases a Beta test! My goodness, you all love Diablo 3 a bunch! Or at least, those of you who do love it so much have such a hearty appetite for it that you’ve just gotta comment to show your love and excitement. Check out the whole story here: [Diablo III Beta Testing: Yes, Finally, For Real, at BlizzCon] and let us know if you’d like to see more games news like this in the future.

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Palm Pre 2 Launching in France, US and Canada
Palm Pre 2 Launched On Verizon Wireless November 11th

Android Community
CONTEST! Samsung Mobile Twitter Giveaway : Win a Free Galaxy Tab™!
Mysterious New Phone to be Released by Sprint and Run Android: HTC Knight
Slick UI Homescreen-Replacement Interface for Android Devices (CONCEPT)
HTC Desire HD source code Released
CONTEST! LG Optimus T Android Community Halloween Giveaway!

SlashGear
COLUMN! Why $100 is the sweet spot for the right set-top box
COLUMN! Tablets: A Prescription for Confusion
REVIEW! Lenovo ThinkCentre M75e Review
Google reach 100,000 apps in Android Market
RIM Releases BlackBerry PlayBook Simulators for Mac and PC, SDK Included
REVIEW! Gateway One ZX6951 Review

So many reviews and contests and releases oh my! To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash]

This Palm Pre 2 has a AZERTY keyboard, which, if you’re not familiar with, is very similar to the QWERTY you’re used to, but a bunch of the keys are switched around to be more friendly to the French dictionary. This French version is also working on European 3G bands, which means that between these two rather important factoids, it seems that it’d be much to the benefit of developers, unlocker hackers, and crazy people who cannot wait a single moment until they have the newest device to wait that extra amount of time and get the US version when they can.

[Via PreCentral]

The device, without a picture worth looking at, showed up on SFR’s website. And while a (good) picture would have been the icing on the cake, we will have to be happy with the scant amount of details that followed. According to SFR, the Pre 2 will have a 1GHz processor under the hood, and feature 512MB of RAM. It will also have the same overall design elements as the previous webOS devices, but it will feature a “flatter” screen.

But, that’s not all. SFR notes that one of the stand-out features of the new device will be it’s mobile Operating System, webOS 2.0. And, one of those new features will be Push. This new ability will work with other applications, like Facebook, and allow for push notifications from wall posts, events, messages, and even Facebook Chat. There’s no confirmation from Palm at this point, or HP, so right now we’ll just have to take it with a grain of salt, but it’s certainly interesting.

[via PreCentral]

The news follows a sighting of the Palm P102UNA and Palm P102EWW in a European test database last month, which were believed to be North American versions of the same device for GSM and CDMA networks respectively.  The FCC filing adds another tidbit about the battery, which at 1,150mAh is the same capacity as the existing Pre power pack.

HP recent said that the company expects to launch new webOS smartphones in early 2011, but it’s unclear whether this particular refresh is the device in question.  There are also rumors of the Palm Mansion, tipped to be a touchscreen-only handset with a larger, WVGA resolution display.

[via Engadget and via PreCentral]

“The H.P. board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago.  That decision nearly destroyed Apple and would have if Steve hadn’t come back and saved them.  In losing Mark Hurd, the H.P. board failed to act in the best interest of H.P.’s employees, shareholders, customers and partners.  The H.P. board admits that it fully investigated the sexual harassment claims against Mark and found them to be utterly false.” Larry Ellison

It’s worth noting that Ellison and Hurd are friends, but the Oracle CEO also raises questions about a vote the HP board supposedly took over whether or not to disclose the sexual harassment claim.  Meanwhile other insiders have confirmed that this was indeed the main point of tension between Hurd and the HP board, and that the relationship soured significantly when the decision to go public was made.  HP maintains that their primary complaint was Hurd’s falsification of expense reports, done to disguise the extra-marital relationship.

As for Skillman, it’s unclear what he’ll be doing next, but eleven years at Palm probably don’t look too bad on the CV.  The news of his departure fits in with rumors earlier in the year regarding several executives’ plans to abandon Palm in the aftermath of the HP acquisition.

That’s still impressive – and we still have a soft spot for the Sprint EVO 4G – but it’s certainly a lot less impressive than originally expected.  It’s unclear what caused the error in calculations on Sprint’s end, though the most obvious explanation is that whoever drafted the press release got overwhelmed by the numbers and simply made a mistake.

As for EVO 4G sales, Sprint reckons they continue to outpace those of the Instinct and the Pre.  In fact, you may have trouble finding one in stock; there are multiple reports of the EVO 4G being difficult to find in retail stores.

Physically the Pixi Plus obviously has a more straightforward design than the Pre Plus’ sliding form-factor, instead a candybar with the QWERTY keyboard on show all the time. The display is a smaller, 2.63-inch panel, now running at 320 x 400, but is still separated from the keyboard by a horizontal “gesture strip”. The center point of that strip lights up briefly whenever you tap it to go back to the Cards panel.

Other hardware controls are minimal. There’s a power/sleep key built into the top left edge, volume controls on the upper right hand side, and a physical ringer switch just above that. The back of the phone holds the 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera with LED flash, which drops a megapixel or so of resolution from the Pre Plus, and there’s still no dedicated hardware button for triggering photos. Prise off the back panel and there’s a removable 1150mAh battery; you can also throw a Palm Touchstone inductive charger into your basket along with the smartphone, and then avoid having to pry open the slightly fiddly microUSB cover on the side. It’s the same Touchstone as for the Pre, of course, so if you already have one you’ll only need the replacement back-plate.

The whole thing measures a scant 0.43-inches in thickness, which makes the Pixi Plus ideal for slotting into an inside jacket pocket or front jeans pocket and pretty much forgetting about. Build quality is high, with some of the Pre’s shake and wobble obviously missing what with the slider mechanism no longer present. The regular, non-Touchstone back panel uses soft-touch plastic, which feels better in the hand and is less of a fingerprint magnet than the original glossy back panels Palm used. AT&T will also be offering an exclusive blue cover.

Inside, meanwhile, there are more changes from the Pre, but we’re less impressed here with some of Palm’s decisions. While both handsets run the same webOS platform – more on which later – Palm have kept the Pixi Plus with its less capable processor, swapping out the first smartphone’s OMAP3 chip for a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7627. Storage is the same 8GB of non-user-expandable flash, and there’s WiFi b/g along with 850/1900 UMTS/HSDPA and quadband GSM/EDGE connectivity.

The biggest hardware revelation remains the Pixi Plus’ keyboard, which is actually better than that of the Pre Plus. Palm’s first handset had relatively shallow key profiles so as to fit neatly into the slide mechanism; the Pixi Plus can afford more key definition, and it uses that to great advantage. Buttons click more positively than on the Pre Plus, and despite the reduced width we were faster on the Pixi Plus at typing. Unfortunately, even with the latest version of webOS, the auto-correction software Palm employ is dramatically sub-par in comparison to the iPhone and Android, though if you’re making fewer mistakes on the Pixi Plus in the first place that at least is less of an issue.

webOS’ central concept is that individual apps and webpages are represented by cards, and these can be viewed in a row along the homescreen by tapping the center portion of the gesture strip. Each card is active while in this overview, so webpages continue to load and inboxes show the latest messages. On the Pre Plus, you can effectively triage your email and SMS conversations by glancing at the shrunken card rather than need to actively dive into the respective app; however since the Pixi’s display is a rather more compact 2.63-inches, text is far harder to make out in card view. We still wish Palm had at least scaled up the cards themselves.

Otherwise, webOS is pretty much the same as we’ve seen before, which means you’re looking at one of the more elegant platforms in the smartphone world right now. Palm have made heavy use of gestures, along with multitouch support for pinch-zoom in the browser and mapping app, for instance, with elements like “flicking” cards off-screen to close apps that quickly become intuitive. Meanwhile notifications are discretely pushed up at the bottom of the display – again, dismissed with a flick – while you can drag up a launcher bar of your frequently accessed apps by pulling a finger up from the center gesture area.

Thanks to the slower processor, the Pixi Plus drops some speed over the Pre. Some of the shine gets taken off webOS when you suffer slow-downs and the usually responsive capacitive touchscreen decides to take a break while the guts of the phone catch up. It’s not the only hardware disappointment, either: while the fixed-focus camera is quick to snap shots, the end results are mediocre and gritty, with poor color balance outdoors and temperamental exposure indoors. The LED flash has a markedly narrow cone of effectiveness, and generally either over-saturates a nearer subject or proves insufficient for broader scenes.

As for media playback, while the Pixi Plus may have two speaker grills on the back, flanking the camera, only the right-hand one actually hides a speaker. Of course, you’ll more likely be using a headset, and thankfully there’s a standard 3.5mm socket up top. Flash support in the browser is still absent, but the standalone YouTube client is functional. Audio and video playback quality is good, and while the Pixi’s display may only support 65k colors compared to the Pre’s 16m, any difference is not especially noticeable.

Call quality, meanwhile, is decent as long as you’re using the regular earpiece. The speaker, meanwhile, is less successful, proving too quiet to serve as, say, a standby in-car option when you don’t have a Bluetooth headset to hand. Battery life is rated at up to 5hrs talkative or 350hrs standby, which Palm suggests is enough “to get most users through the day”. Having push email and Synergy account sync turned on generally means you’ll be recharging nightly, just as with any smartphone, but given the smaller battery pack than the Pre Plus any significant web browsing or media playback might see you fall short earlier in the day. Given the Pixi Plus’ target audience, that probably is an acceptable compromise between size and functionality.

In fact, defining the target audience is the core issue at the heart of understanding the Pixi Plus. In comparison to the Pre it has a smaller design and better keyboard in its favor, but drops speed, screen size and resolution, camera performance and connectivity. The entry-level Palm Centro proved a quiet success story, helping keep Palm’s bottom line buoyant by appealing to younger buyers and women – the so-called “soccer mom” segment – while the appeal of their Treo range petered out among mobile pros. In the same way, the Pixi Plus (and its Pixi forbearer) is the solid entry-level handset, hopefully tiding Palm over until HP decide they’re happy for them to make more advanced devices.

The Palm Pixi, then, is designed to appeal not to the geeks but the regular users who might otherwise pick up a featurephone. At that level, $49.99 is less than you’d pay for some QWERTY feature phones, and AT&T’s new smartphone data packages mean that you needn’t bankrupt yourself if you just want to dip a toe into mobile use.

Viewed in those terms, it’s hard not to see why Palm has made some of the decisions they have with the Pixi Plus. It still adds up to a device that’s frustrating in certain ways for established smartphone consumers, but is also likely the best way forward for a company – despite new owners – that still looks to be on relatively shaky ground. The Pixi Plus’ strengths are in webOS’ extreme ease of use, and if you – or your less tech-obsessed family and friends – have been considering stepping up from your featurephone then there’s far less of a learning curve involved than rival devices running, say, Android. The AT&T Palm Pixi Plus will land on Sunday June 6th, priced at $49.99 with a new agreement.

At the moment, a workaround appears to involve setting the date of the smartphone back to some point in April, but the official Palm blog is suggesting that an official fix will be appearing in short order.  They also say that any purchases you’ve made through the webOS App Catalog have “been properly recorded and as soon as this issue is resolved, you’ll be able to access all apps you’ve purchased” so you shouldn’t have to worry about losing money.

[via GottaBeMobile]

The Best of R3 Media

Motorola Gets a Handset Leaked, Too: The leaks just keep on coming, don’t they? This time around, it comes in the guise of a Motorola handset running a version of the Android mobile Operating System. From the looks of it, it’s running MOTOBLUR, that skin that the company created, and that’s about it for the details. Other than that, we know that there’s a plastic flip cover over the screen, which could have some touch-based technology in it. It’s apparently still a prototype, so it might be awhile before we get to see this in an official capacity. [via Android Community]

The iPad’s Got Two LS Indicators: The Liquid Submersion Indicators have been in practice for some time. In fact, they’re pretty much a mainstay when it comes to cell phones. A little dot, that if it turns pink, can pretty much ruin your chances of getting a phone replaced through warranty. Well, Apple deemed it necessary to implant two of the little buggers in their tablet device: one in the 3.5mm audio jack, and one next to the pins in the 30-pin dock connector. So, don’t get your iPad anywhere near moisture, yeah? [via Everything iPad]

Samsung Reality Gets Really Real: Not that it’s been a long time coming, but the next American-based Samsung device is launching on Verizon Wireless on April 22nd. It’s got a pretty cheap price tag, coming in at $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, but it’s definitely a featurephone. It’s got a landscape QWERTY keyboard that slides out, so it’s got that going for it. Also, a 3.2-inch touchscreen for good measure. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge Net

Chandelier Consists of 9 OLED Panels: You know you’re in the future when something as ridiculous as a chandelier is changing. That’s exactly what German designer Ingo Maurer has done here, as he introduces his Double-C Future OLED Chandelier. There isn’t any other adorning features to this glorious piece of tech: just nine panels of OLED-goodness, that look remarkably like some kind of item from a science fiction picture. And, unfortunately, there’s no price to go along with the image above, but we’ll look forward to find out what it is eventually (we hope). [via DVICE]

Electromagnet Suspended Train: There’s something about going through your urban jungle in a floating train, isn’t there? This time around, it’s a train that runs on electromagnetic rails, and is crafted from transparent polycarbonate. This suspended train has all sorts of features (as a concept render should): wind turbines at the top of the towers to power traffic lights; solar powers on top of the train cars themselves; WiFi inside the cars; OLED panels; and information boards throughout. A perfect combination of technology, if you ask us. Now, let’s make this happen, yes? [via Yanko Design]

RadioShack Pulls the Sprint Pre and Pixi From Shelves: Despite our best wishes, the news about Palm’s devices just doesn’t get any better. However, there might be a glimmer of hope in this one. As it stands right now, it looks like RadioShack’s all across the country have begun pulling the Sprint version of the Palm Pre and Pixi from their shelves. Now, according to RadioShack, this is just part of their natural progression of devices — and, yes, we believe them. However, the bad part is the fact that these are the only two Sprint, webOS devices Palm has. So . . . Well, that’s just one more retailer not providing money to Palm. [via Phone Scoop]

Unfortunately – and unsurprisingly – Rubinstein wouldn’t be drawn on the contents of that roadmap, nor the sort of timescales it covered. Still, he maintains that Palm are looking to “continue to enhance the family” with a small handful of clearly related devices and a “great webOS experience in every product we do.” Just as Microsoft have targeted their new Kin platform at the mass-market, Rubinstein sees the Pixi – which he uses as his daily phone – as positioned for entry-level smartphone users, while the Pre Plus occupies the flagship spot. We pushed him on whether the company plans to flesh out the top-end next or somewhere else along the line, but he refused to be drawn; what we can expect, however, is a faster, more responsive delivery of new devices. Rubinstein blamed the lengthy delay before the GSM Pre’s launch on the company’s relatively small size and limited resources, paired with the difficulty in prepping the first UMTS device running webOS; now that’s been done, however, relationships with operators cemented and testing gone through, the company can “move more rapidly in future.”

It’s not just hardware that Palm recognises it needs to work on; the sales experience is also a point they’re keen to address. Rubinstein has previously criticised Verizon’s handling of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus launch, and it’s something he reiterated today. Palm ensured there was plenty of Verizon inventory – certainly enough to cover the Chinese New Year shut-down period – and they “would’ve liked [it] to move quicker.” There’s anecdotal evidence that the steps both parties took in the aftermath – bringing in Palm employees to better train Verizon salespeople on the nuances of webOS, preloading devices with tutorial videos and tips – have been working, Rubinstein insists, and that the experience has already helped them in launches with other carriers. He agrees that perhaps the core issue is demonstrating webOS’ strengths better; it’s “a matter of giving people training” on the platform, both those selling it and those considering buying devices based on it.

Part of that is emphasising the potential of the hardware on offer. Rubinstein reckons that the Pre Plus is faster than the iPhone 3GS in terms of raw hardware, and webOS is the only other platform on the market capable of immersive 3D gaming. Now that the App Catalog in Europe finally has paid software support, and together with the recently announced Unreal engine on the platform, Palm are looking to promote the Pre Plus among developers and buyers alike as a gaming device. Part of that is certainly looking at what Apple are doing with Game Center in iPhone OS 4.0, and “watching closely” the movement in iAd too.

Mobile advertising is an “evolving space”, Rubinstein agrees, and one Palm is certainly looking into. Still, the focus now is on the push into Europe, with O2, SFR and Vodafone partnerships to offer the Pixi Plus and Pre Plus in various markets. webOS’ growing App Catalog is definitely a part of that, and Palm are working with developers not only in the US but Europe to make sure the 1,000+ titles in there are soon joined by others. While he wouldn’t comment on the buy-out speculation, Rubinstein did tell us that keeping webOS to itself was “not something we’re religious about.” Palm is chasing objective scale when it comes to platform market share, and if they were approached by a company, could build a good working relationship and business model, licensing webOS “would make sense.”

With the iPad fresh to the market, and talk of a Google-branded rival running Android, we also asked about Rubinstein’s opinion on the burgeoning tablet segment. While Palm are focusing on smartphones right now, he did tell us that webOS was designed to be a “mobile device OS” rather than solely a smartphone platform, suited to a broad scale of devices up to tablets and even larger. Describing larger-scale touch computing as “an exciting area,” Rubinstein said that Palm were watching the tablet market and that “we – or licensees – could look at entering that in future.” Since we reckon webOS’ interface – especially its background notifications system – bests those of iPhone OS 4.0 or Android, that’s a direction we particularly hope somebody chooses to follow.

Is Palm going to turn around and announce a partnership deal, a buy-out or a licensing arrangement in the next days or weeks? You’d better believe that Jon Rubinstein is far too media-polished to let that slip. Still, he describes Palm’s current path as a “transformation story”, suggesting that while commentators love to presume that the smartphone market – and Palm’s place in it – is settled, in actual fact it’s in its infancy. “Everyone wants to go “it’s over”,” Rubinstein says, “there are all kinds of rumors. But we’re at the beginning of the mobile device story.”

The biggest change between the Plus handsets and their regular predecessors is the increase in internal storage – the Pre Plus gets 16GB, the Pixi Plus 8GB, though neither has a memory card slot – but the Pre Plus also has more RAM.  It remains to be seen whether the MiFi-style connection sharing app available on the Verizon CDMA versions makes it through to the European handsets.

[via Unwired View]

The Best of R3 Media:

Has the LG Aloha (Finally) Been Photographed? The LG Aloha is supposedly LG’s first high-end Android-based device. It’s got a 1GHz Snapdragon processor under the hood, Android 2.1, and a 3.5-inch AMOLED display. LG’s also got a fancy for the slide-out physical QWERTY keyboards, and they’ve included that in the package as well. The only trouble is, the images captured of this device match a model number LU2300, and the Aloha’s is supposedly C710. There’s some confusion abound, but we’ll hopefully get some straight answers soon. Either way, LG definitely needs a high end device rocking Google’s little green ‘droid. [via Android Community]

HTC Hero (Finally) Getting Android 2.1: It seems that with some (maybe most?) of the best Android devices out there, waiting for the update is half the battle. In the case of the HTC Hero, and all of its variations around the globe, faithful owners of the flagship HTC Sense device have been patiently sitting on Android 1.5 since its debut last July. HTC has been pretty tight-lipped over the last few months, but since last December, there’s been plenty of rumors. Now though, it seems that a lucky HTC Club member received an email directly from HTC, saying that roll-outs of the upgraded mobile Operating System will begin April 19th, and then fan out across the world in a progressive way. Good news for Hero owners, that’s for sure. [via SlashPhone]

iPhone the Choice of Owners On the Move: It looks like Apple knew what they were doing when they sent out the iPad on a Saturday. From a recent report, which was taken over the launch weekend and extended into Monday, it seems that people loved to browse the web on their new Apple tablets, but as soon as the work week started up, they left them at home, and took to their fall-back: the iPhone. The door swings both ways on this one: for most, it makes perfect sense to leave the iPad at home, and bring the iPhone with you to work, or whatever it is you’re doing during the day. After all, it’s thin and light, but not able to fit in your pocket. On the other side of the door, you have Steve Jobs who wants you to take it everywhere. Maybe that will all change when the 3G model hits customer’s hands, eh? [via Everything iPad]

The Dredge Net:

Seats 3D Wants You to Look at Your Seats Before You Get There: If you’re a major fan of the MLB, then this service probably won’t do much for you. After all, you’ve probably been to your local stadium a few times, and even have your favorite section. But, for the rest of the people out there, or if you’re visiting a new venue, then this might be just what you’ve always wanted. Even if you didn’t know it. A new site, Seats 3D, wants to make it possible for you to find your seat’s position in a 3D, rotating image. That way, you can see the field from your seat, well before you get into that seat. The only trouble is that only 9 stadiums are compatible with the service right now, but it sounds like they’re planning to add more soon. [via DVICE]

Jacket Made With a Pocket That Carries Your iPad: Sure, there’s plenty of accessories out there that can carry your iPad. Most of them are made specifically for that job. But, what if you’re not a fan of an extra thing to carry, or hang on your shoulder? Then this travel vest, made by Scottevest, which has an in-line pocket perfectly sized for your shiny, new Apple tablet is perfect for you. It will be available July 1st, and will only cost your $100. That’s a steal, right? [via Engadget]

The Land Glider From Nissan Looks Ridiculously Awesome: We’re not going to say that we’d want one of these things (…), but we have to admit, it does look like someone stepped into the future and brought it back with them. The vehicle is pictured above, and as you can see, it’s leaning, and we think that’s just about fantastic. Nissan is designing the electric motor-powered vehicle for people who just want to get across town, and, well, don’t want to walk. It’s got a top speed of 62 miles per hour, but we can guarantee you’re not going to go that fast. Nissan is also touting that the car (or whatever you want to call it) also has zero emissions, too. [via CrunchGear]

Palm Drops Modernista From Developing New Ads: There’s no denying that the early advertisements for the Palm Pre were completely out of this world. Watching as several hundred orange-robed individuals did some strange movements, and some even creepier lady talking about what your phone could do just wasn’t good product placement. Truth be told, it was down-right frightening. Sure, the Palm Pixi commercial was better, and the very latest Palm Pre Plus (for Verizon Wireless) commercial wasn’t that bad at all. But, those early promos were just too much to handle. And, while the advertisement agency said early on that people knew the Palm existed because of the strange commercials, it didn’t do much for the whole buying of the devices. [via Everything Pre]

If owners have already signed up to the Mobile Hotspot package – which used to involve a $40 surcharge – then they’ll see that removed from their next monthly bill.  The existing buy-one-get-one-free deals on both Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are also still in place, which adds up to a pretty strong push for the platform.

Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein had previously criticized Verizon for a subpar launch of the two smartphone, and described efforts on the carrier’s part to promote the webOS handsets.  These included improved training by Palm “brand ambassadors” so that Verizon sales staff would be in a better position to push the two phones onto potential customers.

The Palm Pre has already been on sale in various European countries for several months now, though unconfirmed rumors suggested that consumer demand had been less than impressive.  So far carrier O2 has been Palm’s partner of choice, offering the Pre in the UK, Ireland, Germany and elsewhere, and it remains to be seen whether Palm continues that exclusivity or – maybe more likely – look to get the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus on as many networks as possible.

[via Unwired View]

This is not the first time I’ve traveled sans laptop. I’ve taken day trips and even a European trip with no PC. But those trips were all made safe in the knowledge that I’d need nothing more than email access. In this case, this was hardcore travel, with deadlines and serious meetings. My only ground rules were no PC use. That meant no borrowing colleagues laptops or using business center PCs. This was phones only. Here’s what I learned.

First, there’s something truly liberating about not traveling with a laptop. Yes, there’s the 4.5 pounds it saves me, I wish losing 4.5 pounds were that easy going to the gym. It’s quite fun, far more than it should be, going through security without having to take out your laptop (although, on one leg of the trip, I had to PROVE that there was no laptop in my bag *Sigh* ). When all is said and done, that’s the primary advantage, not having to carry the extra weight and the ability to move through TSA screens faster.

The downside, however, was huge. If you’re planning to leave behind your laptop, here are some issues you’ll have to deal with.

1. Battery life. All my phones failed me at some point. At SXSW, running from early morning to late night proved too much for every device I carried. The Pre Plus and HD2 barely lasted the better part of a day. The iPhone 3GS fared much better, thanks to the Mophie JuicePack Air that let me get through the harshest of days. Even then, topping off now and then helped quite a bit. When you’re constrained to one device, you tend to use that device a lot more. So in addition to phone calls, email and general mobile tasks, I was writing and editing reports, reviewing presentations and spending a lot more time with email in particular as it was my only way to stay connected. Tip: Turn off 3G and rely on EDGE when possible to save battery life. WiFi also uses less power than 3G if there’s a hotspot open. Likewise, turn off Bluetooth and dim the screen as much as possible to eke out more time.

2. Size matters. The biggest issue I kept running into related to screen size. Phones are just too small for content creation (at least for my 40+ year old eyes). Even with the HD2’s larger screen and resolution, creating content was a nightmare. At best I could work with text. Numbers were virtually impossible for me to manipulate. The lack of multiple windows proved time and time to be a frustration. While most of mobile activity does not involve content creation or editing, those with that need are best to avoid the phone. I’m not saying it can’t be done, it just can’t be done well. Likewise, the iPhone’s virtual keyboard is fine for casual email but for real text entry, nothing beats a full sized keyboard. This is where the Stowaway Bluetooth came in handy with the HD2. It would be very nice to see Apple support for BT keyboards in iPhone and iPod Touch soon.

3. Apps Matter. When it comes to content creation, nothing beats Microsoft Office or iWork. While both Docs to Go and QuickOffice worked well enough for casual use, neither was up to the task for real work on the go.

Bottom line? Leaving your laptop is fine for short trips, where the focus will be email, light content viewing and very minor editing. For now, the phone, no matter how good simply can’t supplant a real personal computer when it comes to getting work done. For those that suggested a netbook, to me that’s the same as a PC for all intents and purposes. Now, if only there were some device that lived between the PC and Phone that could replace the PC for heavy business travel. But that’s a topic for another column, after April 3rd…

That means the AT&T Palm Pre Plus will have WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS along with 16GB of storage, while the AT&T Palm Pixi Plus will have half that capacity, with 8GB of storage.  Neither handset has a memory card slot, but both get Palm’s webOS Synergy system; the Pixi Plus will also get a special AT&T blue battery cover.

No specific release dates at present, but AT&T will apparently be showing off the new smartphones at CTIA Wireless 2010 this coming week.  Prices will be following a $100 mail-in rebate and subject to a new, two-year agreement.

Press Release:

Palm webOS Smartphones to be Available for AT&T Customers

Palm to Showcase Pre Plus and Pixi Plus at CTIA Wireless

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Mar 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — AT&T’s 80 million customers will soon have a new choice for staying connected in their fast-paced lives — the Palm(R) webOS(TM) platform. Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today announced that the Palm Pre(TM) Plus and Palm Pixi(TM) Plus phones will be available on the nation’s fastest 3G network for $149.99 and $49.99, respectively, with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

“AT&T and Palm have a history of smartphone leadership, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone for us,” said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. “With Palm webOS phones coming to AT&T, Palm can help most anyone in the United States stay connected so they never miss a thing.”

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will be featured in Palm’s booth (No. 7053) at CTIA Wireless, which runs March 23-25 in Las Vegas.

With a slider keyboard, a larger touchscreen and a high-performance processor, Pre Plus is Palm’s full-featured Palm webOS phone. It’s designed for people who want an easy-to-use phone with advanced features to help manage the different aspects of their lives, both personal and professional. The keyboard makes for quick and easy typing, while the unique gesture area provides a sleek look and intuitive navigation. Customers also get 16GB(1) of storage (~15GB user available) for applications and media. Pre Plus comes with the Palm Touchstone(TM) Back Cover, so it’s compatible out of the box with the revolutionary inductive Touchstone Charging Dock (sold separately).

As Palm’s thinnest phone to date, Pixi Plus fits easily in your hand or pocket and offers a host of powerful features, including Wi-Fi. It’s great for social communicators and first-time smartphone buyers who want an affordable and customizable phone with a full QWERTY keyboard instantly accessible for messaging and web content. Available in the original black as well as a new blue exclusive to AT&T, Pixi Plus is designed to let you express yourself. With the color Palm Pixi Touchstone Back Covers and the Palm Pixi Artist Series Back Covers (www.palm.com/artistseries), which are compatible with the Touchstone Charging Dock, you can easily switch covers to suit your mood and style (all sold separately at www.palm.com/store).

“We’re offering our customers even greater choice by adding Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus to the nation’s best smartphone portfolio,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Palm webOS plus included access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network and the ability to talk and surf the web at the same time is a powerful combination.”

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus showcase the defining features of Palm webOS, including the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them; the power of Palm Synergy(TM), which brings customers’ information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view; unobtrusive notifications; and universal search.(2) Palm webOS also has a unique model of over-the-air software updates that delivers new features and performance improvements directly to a user’s phone. Past updates have included support for 3D games and video recording allowing webOS customers to use their phones in fun, new ways.

A significant advantage of Palm webOS applications is that they can be integrated into the core webOS functionalities, such as linked contacts, layered calendars, notifications and GPS, providing a rich catalog of innovative and unique offerings for Palm webOS users. The growing Palm App Catalog offers some of the best apps in the market – such as Pandora, Fandango, and rich 3D games like “Need for Speed(TM) Undercover” and “Guitar Hero” – unique in their high integration with the webOS device. Currently there are more than 2,000 applications for download.
Pre Plus and Pixi Plus feature Wi-Fi connectivity, and AT&T customers with these devices will receive AT&T Wi-Fi access at U.S. hotspots included as part of their unlimited data plan. The phones transparently connect to Wi-Fi when in range of an AT&T hotspot, providing customers with fast and seamless access to music, email, video and the web. AT&T has the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network with more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots.

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus also support a variety of AT&T services, including AT&T Navigator for audible turn-by-turn navigation (subscription required), AT&T Address Book to easily synchronize online contacts to your phone, and YPMobile to quickly find local businesses. They also include the following features and specifications. (NOTE: A complete list of features and specifications for each phone is available at www.att.com/WebOS or www.palm.com/PrePlus and www.palm.com/PixiPlus.)

Palm Synergy(TM), a key feature of Palm webOS that brings your information from all the places it resides – including Outlook(3), Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and LinkedIn – into one logical view that links your contacts and calendars, so accessing them is easier than ever

The ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them
Unobtrusive notifications
Universal search
Over-the-air software updates delivered directly to a user’s phone
High-quality applications from the Palm App Catalog
High-speed connectivity
Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
Full QWERTY keyboard
High-performance, desktop-class web browser
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Integrated GPS(4)
Robust messaging support (combining IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)
Multimedia options, including music, photos, video recording and playback, a camera with LED flash and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
Email, including EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers) and personal email support (Google Gmail push, Yahoo!, POP3, IMAP)
Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
USB mass storage mode
Charger/microUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touchscreen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
Light sensor, which reduces power usage by dimming the display if the ambient light is dark
Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
Removable, rechargeable battery

Band/modes:
UMTS bands/HSDPA 3.6: 850/1900
Quad band GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900
GSM/GPRS/EDGE Class 10

Availability and Pricing

Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus will be available in AT&T stores and online at www.wireless.att.com in the coming months for $149.99 and $49.99, respectively, with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate. More information is available at www.att.com/webOS.

The Pixi Plus gets 8GB of storage and WiFi (unlike the original Pixi, which lacked WiFi), while the Pre Plus has 16GB of storage and double the RAM of its predecessor.  Frankly, while anonymous tips can always be discounted as make-believe, it seems particularly likely that Palm will attempt to turn around their fortunes in the short-term with broader device availability, while simultaneously developing their next generation of hardware.

In total, Palm has announced that they lost $22 million, part of their $366 million profit. Based on shipped products, the company had a 23% increase from the previous quarter, effectively shipping 960,000 smartphones. However, the number they actually sold is drastically lower, topping off at 408,000 units. And while we’re not going to directly compare those numbers to the iPhone’s estimated 8.7 million units sold in the same time frame, we feel like we should at least point it out. No, we’re not expecting Palm to compare in numbers, but it goes to show that the company is still fighting an up-hill battle.

Palm’s CEO, Jon Rubinstein, said that the company’s under-performance is certainly disappointing, but he wanted to stress that the potential for the company is still strong. He also stressed that they are making great improvements on future products (which hopefully means more handsets, and not just different version of the existing ones), and that the changes they’re making to improve sales are having an impact. He also noted that they are looking forward to future carrier launches, which we’re taking to mean AT&T here in the States. Unfortunately, those may already be seeing some major delays. We’re hoping that Rubinstein’s hope is not ill-fated, as we would love to see some more products (and better numbers) from the company that brought us webOS. We’ve got our fingers crossed.

[via Palm]

So far they’ve only had the chance to produce the webOS 1.3.5.1 code, not the newer 1.4 build, but it’s apparently as stable as any bleeding-edge alternative firmware ever is.  While battery life isn’t battered, it seems the new code turns the Pre into quite the pocket-warmer: the advice is to put the smartphone into Airplane mode periodically to give it a break.

[via Gizmodo]

What’s the TiVo paradox? It’s a term I coined to explain how hard it is to market the contextual value of features. A distinct conflict existed between consumer understanding of TiVo features and their ability to value the functionality. This was the TiVo paradox. While the purpose of TiVo features was clear and consumers valued features exclusive to TiVo, they don’t learn to appreciate the entire package of features until they used them. The net result was a rabid fan base of users who loved and praised the product and other users who couldn’t understand the cost of a $500 “digital VCR”.

TiVo’s features were relevant to the TV viewing experience based on a user’s immediate contextual need; the pause and rewind live TV feature is the killer feature for a sports fan, while remote access to the electronic programming guide is key to the busy traveler’s DVR experience. Without trying these features, users are unaware of their overall value as they come together as a whole. Want to pause TV when the phone rings? That’s the killer app at that moment. Recording a show using an EPG to simply search for it? That’s the killer app at that moment. Skipping commercials when you watch recorded content? That’s the killer app at that moment. Contextual functionality ONLY comes together when you get to see the whole, not a piece or part. When you see only pieces, you just get a very expensive VCR not a TiVo.

This is exactly the issue I think Palm is having right now.

Palm’s features by themselves are not “killer applications”. In fact, they look a lot at the surface like most of the other phones that are out there. There are, however, a multitude of features related to things like Synergy that are totally contextual, that at a given moment in time BECOME the killer app for using the device. It’s something you see reflected in the base of the webOS user. Those who use webOS are totally fans of the experience and don’t discuss issues such as a lack of applications. They focus on the contextual experience that delivers on the notion of mobile social context.

The problem for Palm (as TiVo learned) is this is a nasty marketing problem since there’s no good way to get the message across in 30 seconds. It’s important for Palm to start focusing it’s marketing on getting the message of mobile social context out there; at the same time Palm needs a better way to leverage the fan base that make up webOS users, since those are the folks who have made the leap of faith and for whom the light bulb has already lit up. I don’t think Palm is anywhere close to being down and out but they need to re-think how to tell a great story of engineering and technical achievement and break the Palm Paradox.

Rubinstein also paves the way for an internal refresh, suggesting that employees should expect their supervisors to “work with you to make sure your priorities are laser-focused” on product quality, together with ways to differentiate Palm’s offering from that of competitors.  The short-term situation seems reasonably safe – Palm have over $500 million in cash right now – but they’ll have to pull something out of the bag if they want the medium- and long-term horizon to look so settled.

Team,

This morning we announced preliminary results for our 2010 third quarter. Since the quarter has not yet closed, it is too soon to offer exact numbers, but we stated that we expect to report revenues for Q3 between $300 and $320 million. We also announced that we expect our revenue for this fiscal year to fall below the guidance we gave to Wall Street, which ranged from $1.6 to $1.8 billion. As we mentioned in our press release, our softer than expected performance is due to slower than expected customer adoption of our products, which in turn has prompted our U.S. carrier partners to put additional orders on hold for the time being. On a positive note, we expect to exit the quarter with over $500 million in cash on our balance sheet. We’re scheduled to announce our full financial results in March.

I realize this news is difficult to swallow. We made this announcement today to prevent a surprise for Wall Street when we announce quarterly earnings in March. In the meantime, the entire executive team has been working extremely hard to improve product performance, and have implemented a number of initiatives to increase awareness and drive sales.

Dave Whalen and I just returned from a very successful meeting with Verizon Wireless, where they acknowledged that their execution of our launch was below expectations and recommitted to working with us to improve sales. To accelerate sales, we initiated Project JumpStart nearly three weeks ago. Since then, nearly two hundred Palm Brand Ambassadors, supplemented by Palm employees from Sunnyvale, have been training Verizon sales reps across the U.S. on our products. Early results from the stores have already shown improvement on product knowledge and sales week over week. You may have also seen a growing number of Palm ads on billboards, bus shelters, buses, and subway stations—all getting the word out about Palm.

All of these efforts are examples of how we are working to accelerate adoption and grow distribution of webOS. In the next few weeks, your management will work with you to make sure your priorities are laser-focused, primarily on helping to increase sales, improve product quality and differentiate the Palm product experience.

Our goals are taking longer than expected to achieve, but I am still confident that our talented team has what it takes to get the job done.

We’ll schedule an all-hands meeting after our earnings announcement in March, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Go team!!!

jon

[via My Pre]

Palm Pre and Pixi WebOS 1.4 Software Update

On 2/26, Friday evening, Pre and Pixi device users will receive an Over the Air (OTA) notification to download the new 1.4 webOS software release.

This release includes both fixes and feature updates (listed below).

Fixes:

• Time Zone bug fixed
• Network time sync bug fixed to reflect accurate Network time
• Bluetooth car-kit transition to device corrected
• No EV icon bug fixed (random)
• Random browser formatting bugs fixed
• Fixed bug that incorrectly displayed Sprint when actually was Digital Roaming
• Missing Contact issue specifically with swap down to 1.2.9.1 or less

Feature Updates:

• Phonebook Transfer (import & export)
• Adds Video Capture capability & edit
• Calendar Enhancements
• Messaging Enhancements
• Improved Performance (Phone & CAL)
• Email Enhancements
• Notification Enhancements
• Adds Adobe Flash 10.0 (Pre Only)
• NOTE: The 1.4 software adds the ability to use the Flash 10.0 Adobe plug-in which will be available shortly from the Palm Appl Catalogue.

[Sprint]

“Driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated” Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein is quoted as admitting, though he insists that carriers are still committed to the Pre, Pixi, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus lines.  Full results will go public come March 18th.

Press Release:

Palm Updates Guidance

SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today indicated that it expects that revenues for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 will be in the range of $285 million to $310 million on a GAAP basis and in the range of $300 million to $320 million on a non-GAAP basis.1 Revenues for the quarter and full year are being impacted by slower than expected consumer adoption of the company’s products that has resulted in lower than expected order volumes from carriers and the deferral of orders to future periods. Accordingly, Palm expects fiscal year 2010 revenues to be well below its previously forecasted range of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion. The company will provide more detail on its financial results during Palm’s third-quarter financial results conference call currently scheduled for Thursday, March 18.

“Palm webOS is recognized as a groundbreaking platform that enables one of the best smartphone experiences available today, and our work to evolve the platform and bring industry-leading technology to market continues. However, driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated”
“Palm webOS is recognized as a groundbreaking platform that enables one of the best smartphone experiences available today, and our work to evolve the platform and bring industry-leading technology to market continues. However, driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated,” said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our carrier partners remain committed, and we are working closely with them to increase awareness and drive sales of our differentiated Palm products.”

The Company expects to close its third fiscal quarter with a cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments balance in excess of $500 million.

Notes for Palm Investors

Palm will announce its third-quarter fiscal year 2010 financial results on Thursday, March 18, shortly after 4 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Pacific), followed by a conference call for the public at 4:30 p.m. Eastern (1:30 p.m. Pacific). The conference call will be hosted by Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer, and Doug Jeffries, chief financial officer. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to listen to the call via audio webcast at Palm’s Investor Relations website (http://investor.palm.com). Investors wishing to listen to the conference call via telephone may dial 877-278-9658 (domestic) or 763-488-4651 (international). There is no pass code required for the live call. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available through April 1, 2010. The dial-in number for the replay will be 800-642-1687 (domestic) and 706-645-9291 (international). The pass code 58326338 is required for the replay. An archive of the audio webcast of the conference call will be posted on Palm’s Investor Relations website at http://investor.palm.com.

Those “other things” include the usual stability improvements and functionality tweaks, but also preparation being made for the release of Flash 10.1 on the Pre, Pixi, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus.  It’s worth noting that webOS 1.4 won’t actually include Flash 10.1, though.  Users still waiting for the update will apparently be able to manually trigger it from their device; however all this is still unconfirmed rumor right now, so we’ll be waiting until Thursday to see if it pans out.

[via MyPre]

PreCentral has found files hidden around the FCC site that show Palm is readying a new Version of the Pre with the FCC ID 08F-CASG and a photo availability date is listed as May 10, 2010. The AT&T speculation comes in that Sprint and Verizon already have the Pre so short of going T-Mobile, the device is likely pegged for AT&T.

The new version is known to be a GSM handset. It is worth noting that when the Pre Plus hit Verizon, the photo availability dates on FCC documents were exact for the day the handset was officially announced.

Video demo after the cut

The site is m.google.com/voice, and the only real limitation as far as we can tell from our first-look is that you can’t access your iPhone contacts from the webapp.  Outgoing calls placed from the app will show up on Caller ID with your Google Voice number, too.

Of course, the downside is that you’ll need a Google Voice account with which to log-in to the mobile version, and they’re still a) limited to the US and b) reasonably rare.  You can request an invite here.

However the buy-one-get-one-free offer tempting would-be owners with a free Pixi Plus if they pick up one of the new Palm smartphones doesn’t appear to have fully materialized.  The scheme is seemingly valid for the Pixi Plus, but Pre Plus buyers can choose “up to three select phones free”; unfortunately those select phones don’t include the Pixi Plus, only the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 and the LG VX5500.  We’ll keep an eye on the page to see if that changes.

Update: As expected, Verizon have tweaked the offer so that now both handsets are part of the “buy one, get a free Pixi Plus offer”.

Obviously both the first handset and the free Pixi Plus have to be activated with a two-year agreement.  The initial prices are after a $100 rebate themselves, and then there’s a second rebate involved for the free Pixi Plus; as for plans, they start from $39.99 per month (for 450 anytime minutes) and top out at $69.99 for unlimited Nationwide Talk or $89.99 for unlimited Nationwide Talk & Text.

Got a Pre on Sprint and wish you had the Verizon-only mobile hotspot app?  We can’t deliver that, but Peek’s Amol Sarva points to Mytether for the Palm Pre, unofficial software which basically does the same thing.  You’ll need the mojo SDK and to put your Sprint Pre into developer mode first.

In case you missed it before, notable improvements to the Plus versions include wireless charging cases included and WiFi on the Pixi Plus along with more storage for both handsets. I reckon a good network is what Palm’s smartphones have needed; we will see how Palm’s sales look a quarter after the new devices hit Verizon. If things are still bad for Palm, they can’t blame Sprint.

Palm’s changes to the Pre in creating the Pre Plus include doubling the onboard storage to 16GB and RAM, removing the navigation button in the center of the gesture area below the display, and modifying the keyboard and slider in both tactile feel and layout. In short, it answers some criticisms – even at launch, 8GB seemed low for a smartphone – but leaves others unaddressed; there’s still no memory card slot, for instance.

Thanks to the additional onboard RAM, 3D games like Need For Speed or SIMS 3 run amazingly smooth!

Verizon buyers will also get the Touchstone back cover – which allows them to use the Pre Plus with the inductive Touchstone charger – in the box, rather than as a separate accessory, though they’ll still need to buy the charger itself. Finally Palm added a mobile hotspot feature, exclusive to Verizon users, which turns the Pre Plus into a MiFi of sorts, sharing the EVDO Rev.A connection with up to five WiFi clients. Once customers have added the 3G Mobile Hotspot feature to their voice and data plan they will go to the Palm App Catalog and download the app for free directly as you would any other app.

Everything else is unchanged, and for a general grounding in the Pre we’d suggest reading our original review from back in 2009. webOS remains one of the more aesthetically pleasing platforms, together with being highly usable; treating open applications as “cards” that can be shuffled and “flicked” off-screen to close still beats out any rival multitasking OS for simplicity, and the discrete notification bar that percolates up at the bottom of the display whenever new messages, emails or other alerts come in strikes an excellent balance other platforms still struggle to achieve.

Of course, there have been several webOS updates since the Pre first launched, and Palm is currently up to 1.3.5.1. Changes have included improved enterprise support, more flexibility with IM accounts, and the introduction of paid applications to the App Catalog. Despite Palm’s best efforts, however, their download store still lags behind that of iPhone and Android, at least in terms of sheer app numbers. We’re hoping the introduction of webOS to another US carrier will give developers a shot in the arm to support the platform. With twice the RAM, though, the Pre Plus whips through applications with far more vigor, leaving behind the occasional pauses and sluggishness that sometimes marred the original. Given that the smartphone has the same processor as the iPhone 3GS, it comes as little surprise that Palm is now looking to better court game developers; the Pre Plus is a far more capable platform for them than in its previous incarnation.

Navigating the Pre Plus is little different from the original Pre, even without the hardware center button. Instead there’s a small horizontal line, as debuted on the Pixi, tapping which summons up the usual card view. While we wouldn’t say it’s necessarily any easier to handle than with a physical control, it’s one less thing that could be broken. As before, the gesture area responds to swipes for moving back through web pages and the like, as well as dragging up the quick-launch bar.

More noticeable is changes Palm have made to the keyboard section. The sliding mechanism on the original Pre always felt slightly precarious, with more side-to-side play than felt appropriate for a flagship device, and happily Palm have tightened the action up on the Pre Plus. It now opens slickly and firmly, complete with a reassuring click, and exposing a reworked keyboard. Minor modifications have been made to the layout, but more impressive is the increased key-feel. The Palm Pixi’s keyboard always felt the better of the first two webOS devices, but the Pre Plus is a great step in the right direction; the squishy feeling that could slow down typing has been replaced with a greater perkiness, and that pays dividends on typing speed. No, it’s not the biggest hardware QWERTY out there, but it’s a far more usable version.

The new Palm mobile hotspot app will be available in the App Catalog though only functional for Verizon Wireless customers; you’ll also need a suitable 3G Mobile Hotspot add-on to your data plan. That costs a further $40 (for 5GB; 5 cents per MB overage) on top of the $29.99 regular “unlimited” data plan for a total of $69.99; that’s $10 more per month than a Verizon MiFi contract alone. In use it works just as you’d expect a MiFi to: once you set up an initial SSID and password, opening the app shares the 3G EVDO Rev.A connection over WiFi. A list of all the connected clients is shown on the phone, and up to five are supported at any one time; since the Pre Plus supports multitasking you can continue to use other apps while mobile hotspot is still running.

Palm expect the Pre Plus to last a little longer than the original Pre, too, quoting up to 5.5hrs of talk time or 350hrs standby (versus 5hrs/300hrs for its predecessor). In practice the Pre Plus still lacks stamina, especially if you make reasonable use of WiFi 3G sharing. Given how well webOS handles push email and tight integration with cloud calendars and other servers, we remain loath to step back to less frequent or even manual updates. It’s a little better than when we first tested the Pre, but definitely expect to recharge the Pre Plus every night. Palm really should consider bundling the Touchstone in with the Pre Plus; dropping the smartphone onto the charger for a quick top-up is a far more natural (i.e. far more likely to be done) movement than prising open the microUSB cover and plugging in the regular AC adapter.

ad for http://PreAccessories.com

As of sometime in February 2010, Palm will push out webOS 1.4 which will bring with it video recording and Flash 10 beta support. That won’t be solely for Pre Plus users, however; existing Pre owners will get the update too. As well as basic recording, there’ll also be some on-device editing (from what we’ve seen at CES 2010, this consists of trimming the beginning and end points of each clip) and the ability to upload footage to YouTube and Facebook or send it via email or MMS just as can be done with photos currently. Considering there’s been no change in camera hardware for the Pre Plus – it remains a fixed-focus shooter, with average quality but speedy shutter response – there’s no particularly great reason to recommend the Plus over the basic Pre for those prioritizing imagery.

Is the Verizon Pre Plus a must-have upgrade? For existing Pre owners, probably not, thanks to incremental rather than revolutionary changes. Those who’ve considered a Pre – or webOS – but been put off by the keyboard feel or the limited storage, however, should definitely take a look at the Pre Plus. Our typing felt faster and we had fewer concerns about side loading reasonable catalogs of music onto the smartphone. Lastly, webOS is faster and more responsive thanks to the extra RAM doesn’t hurt either.

Verizon have priced the Palm Pre Plus at $149.99 (assuming a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate; the Pixi Plus, incidentally, will be $99.99 with the same conditions). Plans start from $39.99 per month (for 450 anytime minutes) and top out at $69.99 for unlimited Nationwide Talk or $89.99 for unlimited Nationwide Talk & Text. Sprint will likely further discount the first-gen Pre to compete, but given the initial purchase price of any handset is dramatically outweighed by the longer-term cost of your voice/data plan, the sensible buyer stumps up a little more on day one for a happier experience overall. The Pre Plus breaks no new ground in smartphones, but Verizon availability and an altogether tightened package keeps it reasonably compelling among the smartphone rank and file.
Oh, one more thing…VZW has just informed us that they will offer a buy one get one free offer through February 14!

“Buy a Palm Pre Plus or a Palm Pixi Plus and get a Palm Pixi Plus free after a mail-in rebate through Feb. 14.”

These prices sound fairly reasonable, (and equally match Sprint’s pricing, but these are the faster models) but note that this information is by no means completely comfirmed.  If things go according to plan for Verizon, we’ll get to know exactly how much both smartphones will cost on January 25th.

Feel free to send us any more concrete tips about the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus pricing.  We’d love to get this rumor confirmed.

There are also a fair few bug fixes, too, including battery longevity improvements and a tweak to the webOS calendar app; the latter could sometimes apparently lose a user’s entries after a Microsoft Exchange sync.  Update 1.3.5.2 should start appearing for download from today; you can also prompt the update from the webOS settings.

[via the::unwired]

OtterBox has launched a new case for the Palm Pre that addresses an issue I had not really thought about for slider phones — how to get a case that lets the phone still slide. The new case is called the Tandem Series and it is made in two pieces that clip onto both halves of the Pre and allow for protection against drops without restricting the phone.

The case covers the volume and power buttons with a thin silicone layer and all other ports and buttons are accessible with the case on. Pricing and availability for the case are unknown. I would bet the cost would be in the $20-$30 range.

Considering the Pre has been on sale in Ireland since October 16th, that means O2 have shifted roughly 16 of the handsets every week since then.  No solid figures for O2 UK sales, but on that basis we’re guessing the “equally successful” comment was seriously tongue-in-cheek.  Neither O2 or Palm have released sales figures detailing how many handsets have been shipped broken down by territory, but it seems a lengthy delay and software that was already outdated at launch may have scuppered Palm’s revival some.

Both new Verizon handsets will arrive on the market on January 25th; however neither Palm nor the carrier have announced pricing or not.  They’ve also not revealed what extra fees there might be for tethering functionality.

As of February 2010, meanwhile, existing Pre and Pixi owners will get an OTA update that enables video recording together with basic onboard editing of clips and the ability to share footage via YouTube, Facebook, email or MMS.  Pre owners will “soon” be able to download a Flash 10 plugin from the Palm App Catalog; however that plugin will not be available for Pixi owners.

Meanwhile Palm also confirmed that the Pre will go on sale in France imminently, through a partnership with carrier SFR.  It’s unclear whether the French buyers will get the current GSM Palm Pre as we reviewed in October or a new version, the GSM equivalent to the leaked Palm Pre Plus, with double the internal storage.

Where the original Palm Pre available on Sprint had just 8GB of onboard memory, the Palm Pre Plus for Verizon doubles that to 16GB.  There’s still no memory card slot, however.  Meanwhile the Palm Pixi Plus adds in WiFi b/g support, whereas its Sprint counterpart makes do with just EVDO Rev.A.

Frankly we’re not entirely surprised by the changes, but nor are we especially impressed.  We’re hoping that Verizon prices both smartphones competitively, and that the Plus updates aren’t the only hardware Palm has to offer at their CES 2010 press conference later in the week.

[Click to see spec sheet full-size]