mobilecity.co.nz

“Palm Inc. has apparently taken issue with TealOS, the webOS lookalike application for Palm OS devices, and has requested the programs permanent removal. In a post to the Tealtalk support forum, a TealPoint representative delivers the news:

I’m sorry to say that at Palm’s request, as of this upcoming Monday, March 30, we will no longer be selling or distributing TealOS.
We really appreciate the help and unprecedented enthusiasm so many of you have shown for this product. It’s been a long time since we experienced this kind of customer cooperation, and the program’s success came at a badly needed time. We wish we could continue contributing to this great community.

Assuming the above information is correct, TealOS will vanish from TealPoint’s site on March 30th. All existing users and customers are encourage to download the latest beta release (currently v1.43) while they still can. TealPoint has not yet responded to our request for comment. ” via palminfocenter.com

The possibility of Palm being acquired by a larger rival has been churning through the rumor mill for the better part of the past decade. Now yet another cycle of analyst derived speculation is being proposed that suggests that PC giant Dell, desperately seeking some kind of foothold into the still-thriving smartphone market, may be a likely candidate to acquire Palm. ComputerWorld appears to have used a great deal of industry analyst chatter combined with a large dose of speculation for their report, entitled “Dell buy of Palm would make sense, say analysts”. If only sheer unfounded speculation, such a report seems certain to result in a bump of Palm’s stock price and a slew of related speculative pieces. Additionally, the ComputerWorld piece quotes heavily from last week’s Dow Jones report that Palm could be a good candidate to jumpstart Dell’s reportedly underwhelming smartphone efforts. One analyst quoted in the article if Yankee Group Research’s Carl Howe: “Palm is vulnerable and Dell has cash. A merger sounds like a good idea”. A deal would make sense on several levels, primarily from Dell’s perspective. The company has been without any sort of current handheld device since the discontinuation in 2006 of their now-discontinued Axim Windows Mobile handheld line that ran from 2002-2007. Buying Palm would give Dell immediate access to a relatively strong, well-known brand with an established IP portfolio. In addition, Dell could fortify their ties to the various wireless carriers, realized at this time only via their add-on 3G data modules for PCs. In addition, Palm’s WebOS could theoretically be mated to Dell’s current Windows and Linux-based Mini netbook hardware platform to offer a spiritual successor to Palm’s aborted Foleo smartphone companion. Of course, all of this would have be couched in the assumption that Elevation Partners is ready to sell out in order to try for a worthy return on their not-insubstantial investment in Palm. Ever since the late 1990s, when Palm was the darling of Wall Street and a rising star in the mobile sector, rumors have swirled on and off (and often simultaneously) about various entities such as Compaq, Nokia, Motorola, and even Apple expressing an interest in buying Palm at some point in time.” via palminfocenter.com

“Unless BusinessWeek is trying to get a head start on April Fool’s Day festivities, it looks as if BlackBerry App World, RIM’s answer to the iTunes App Store, is set to launch on April 1st. This of course it the very same day that CTIA Wireless officially kicks off. While we have openly criticized the pricing structure of App World, we are rather excited to see it launch — it’ll be a good test of RIM’s true potential in both its relationship with third-party developers and its overall reception with consumers who are so desperate for BlackBerry applications akin to those that are very popular on other major platforms. If App World proves to be a success, than kudos to RIM for managing to pull off a very impressive feat. What do you guys think — excited for some on-device app love or is RIM wasting its time in your eyes?” via boygeniusreport.com

“Confirmed for a release on China Mobile network, a new Samsung B7300 smartphone has been leaked on a chinese forum. The slim smartphone is running Windows Mobile 6.1. Similar to the Samsung Omnia i900, it has the TouchWiz UI where you can customize your desktop with different widgets on the side bar. Unlike Omnia, the B7300 is using mini USB connector. It will be more convenient for you to charge your phone battery or connect to computer. There is also a 4 way nagivation button below the display screen, though it is not sure if the center button is a optical sensor. Other specification include a 3 megapixel camera, answer/end phone button, microSD card slot, dedicated camera and volume control button at the side.” More photos here:

“Windows Mobile 6.5 won’t be released until later this year, but Microsoft has already mentioned the next version, Windows Mobile 7, several times. The software giant hasn’t revealed very much about this upcoming version, but some screenshots may give the world a hint of the direction it is going.These images were given to wmpoweruser by an anonymous source, not released by Microsoft, so they can’t be confirmed as accurate. It’s possible these are internal mock-ups created during the development process, not final plans.
New Today Screen
One of them, shown at right, is supposedly the new Today Screen. Its most interesting feature is a band of application icons placed horizontally near the top of the screen. The user is clearly expected to scroll through these with their fingertip, and tap on one to open it.This band also also includes a status update, as the number of missed calls and unread messages are displayed on the appropriate application icons.Windows Mobile has always put icons with system status at the top of the screen. If this leaked image is accurate, Windows Mobile 7 will for the first time feature status icons at the bottom of screen too.Curiously absent is the Windows Start Menu, which has been part of the user interface since the beginning of this platform. However, there’s a button at the bottom of the screen that may be used to display a list of all applications installed on the device.
Coming When?
The first phones running Windows Mobile 6.5 will be released during the fourth quarter of this year.Windows Mobile 7 is scheduled for 2010, but there’s no official word on when this will be. According to the source of today’s leaked images, the debut will happen in spring, putting it just 6 months after the release of its predecessor.” via brighthand.com

“You can literally think of the BlackBerry 9630 as a BlackBerry Storm with a QWERTY keyboard. It’s that exact. From the cell radios (quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, single band UMTS/HSDPA, 1X/EVDO) to even the layout of the keys on the side, it’s almost identical. It definitely follows RIM’s styling cues from the Curve 8900 and obviously the Storm as well. This will be tough for people contemplating switching to Verizon because it offers 90% of what every BlackBerry user has dreamed and it’s on the nation’s best network.” Read more here:

“As one of the best mobile IM software on iPhone, Symbian and Windows Mobile, the Palringo software is now available on Android Market for Android phones. The free application now supports Google Talk, MSN, Facebook, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, iChat and QQ. Within your friends who are using Palringo, you can also share you location and view your friend location on the map.Palringo for Android can also run in the background on the phone and notifies the owner when they receive new messages from their buddies.” More photos here:

“Is the annual new iPhone product announcement become a tradition? According to an insider info on BGR, AT&T and Apple is set to announced the third iPhone in mid-June for year 2009. The new iPhone 2009 is said to be faster in software processing and also the wireless HSDPA connection with the new wireless chipset. It is not sure how will Apple change the new iPhone 2009 hardware design, it would be a surprise if they add a sliding QWERTY keyboard.” via slashphone.com

“After taking over Orange in France and Telefonica in Spain, the T-Mobile G1 replica called HTC Dream continues its conquest of Europe by landing in Italy. It’s available from Italian operator TIM for 429 euro with a prepaid plan or even for free with a monthly plan. The monthly plans in question start from 15 euro/month (with 199 euro for HTC Dream) and include more than enough wireless data traffic for your mobile needs. However if for some reason you, like most Italians, prefer the coziness of the pre-paid plans, TIM will be also offering pre-paid users 50 MB traffic daily for only 10 euro monthly top-up.It sounds like a fair deal, however we should remind you that Vodafone is prepping the HTC Magic in April. So if that QWERTY keyboard is a little bit too much for you, you still have an Android alternative. Unfortunately, Vodafone has yet to announce their “magical” pricing plans though. Just as a reminder Telefonica will be selling the HTC Dream in Spain only on a monthly plan (from 9 to 199 euro), much like Orange in France, where HTC Dream price ranges from 0 to 90 euro with their Origami monthly plans.” via gsmarena.com