Centro Update for Sprint

• Improved Gmail IMAP compatibility and an updated setup wizard with the new Gmail settings
• Updated compatibility for Google Mobile Maps My Location feature to approximate your current location – great for directions, finding nearby restaurants or business, or checking local traffic.
• Improved ongoing delivery of email sent to VersaMail accounts using Microsoft's Direct Push Technology via Exchange ActiveSync
• Bluetooth usability enhancements and updates
• Sprint TV performance enhancements
• Enhanced AOL Instant Messenger performance
• Improved performance when adding a contact using Mobile Voice Control
• Improved email attachment handling
• Changed default camera shutter sound to “ON.” Audible shutter “click” will be heard when taking photos
• Allows Preferred Roaming List updates over the air

Technorati Tags: palm, centro, sprint,

And some of it is very legitimate. One cannot imagine why Palm has simply been unable to release their next gen OS for so long. And why in the iPhone era, we have to put up with the relative antiquated abominations that Palm insists on selling.

However, most websites and their avid readers (like the author here) focus on simply how Palm has not evolved to a multi-threaded OS like Windows ( and utopically, like the OS on the iPhone). And that was my point of contention, that I'd like to clarify today.

I have owned a Treo 700p, Treo 750 and very recently a Treo 800w. And in addition, I also have a Centro. What I am writing is based on my experiences as a very real user - as I am sure most of my readers also are. And unfortunately, when technical reviewers review any product, they tend to focus on the technical details and how they stack up against other available products - not necessarily on the day to day usability of the products.

Which brings me to my central point - Why am I still a Palm Fan? The answer can be captured in one word - usability. Yes, Palm OS is antiquated. And its single threaded. But you know what, it is not a resource hog (like Windows Mobile), is utterly responsive, allows for single handed intuitive controls, does not hog memory everytime an application is fired up (for those of you who have not used Windows Mobile - you'll have to go to Task Manager every few hours if you have multiple apps open - because it just clogs your entire memory)

I travel a lot. And I entirely rely on my two cell phones to manage my life. One is a Palm. The other a high-end Windows mobile machine.

On my Palm, I can open and close apps as I want without killing the memory. On my Palm, I have Blazer which, even though its antiquated, is better than any browser in the market apart from Safari Mobile. (and it runs on EVDO). On the Palm, everything is one touch. And does not involve digging through menus. (Sadly on the Windows, I have to go to the menu when on a call to activate the Speakephone)

Yes, the Palm front-end has not changed in a long time. Yes, its not the most sophisticated OS around. But, as a user, its much easier to get things done on a Palm than any Windows handheld I have used.

And that's why I am still a Palm fan. Because, it runs on the Treo - which frankly any business user will tell you - is a great platform to get work done. And its simple. It makes doing things easy.

So while I would love the jazz of the iPhone on the Treo, the plug-n-play of Windows Mobile, in my mind, the Palm OS remains a worthy competitior because its a stable dependable workhorse - something that I continue to want my phone to be.

Chris from Mobilitysite did a good job with the Palm Treo 800w video. Maybe we can say  a short film :)

You can find the specs here.

Más detalles en DeviceDaily [INGLES]
vía | Jambitz

If you think about it, what this device, and each of those with similar technologies, offers is the ability to instantaneously communicate with any person at nearly any location on this Earth, and also hold all the information and knowledge human kind has in the palm of your hand. With the internet at such fast speeds, there is literally nothing you cannot figure out.

Imagine a hundred years ago, when our great grandparents were growing up, telling them that there would one day be a device that would hold the answers to all your questions and allow you to talk to (and even see) anyone in the world whenever your heart desires. They would think it was some crazy, unrealistic technology like what we think of in movies today like Star Trek.

Whether or not you have the iPhone, Blackberry, Trio, or any "smart phone," take a moment to realize how absolutely ridiculous this technology is, and how much power and know-how we can have sitting in our pockets right now.

It took me a while to convince myself to get the iPhone, but what finally pushed me over the edge is the thought that I'm paying $30/month to literally have the entire world in my hand. That's a hell of a feeling to have for the cost of a couple of pitchers of beer from Bear's Lair (UC Berkeley campus fyi)

I remember when all this technology first came out, I was so pessimistic, thinking how much it would ruin human to human interactions as everyone would always be online and communicating through that medium. I'm still absolutely fearful of that for myself, so if you ever see me looking at my phone when there's no apparent need to or there are people around, please call me out on it. I'll need all the help I can get to fight of this potentially dangerous addiction of always being 'connected' - whatever that really means.

We may not have personal levitation yet, but I must say, the iPhone is definitely bringing us closer that iRobot type future. With this explosion of facebook minifeed type services and 'smart phones,' it really seems we're all becoming one step closer to that 'god-like' characteristic of being all knowing - and that's really exciting and frightening.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="210" caption="The monkey palmist"][/caption]

Monkey Palmistry:

Ever wondered why monkeys are restless? Why only a few of the thousands work in circuses? Or why only the rare few make it to Bollywood? One Mumbaiite actually says he has answers to these questions. Better still, he says the answers are all written in their palms.

I couldn’t take it anymore! For years, I had fantasized about a device that would allow me to communicate, inform, and stay entertained, but would fit in my pocket. Way back in 1994, I was excited by the prospects for Apple’s Newton PDA. Even though it was a bit vague, I did love using it. I think we still have two or three of them hiding in a closet somewhere.

It saddened me when a struggling Apple Computer stopped making them. I never gave up hope that the company would one day revisit the concept of a handheld computer.

In the interim, I busied myself with poor substitutes, like a series of Palm Pilots, followed by a couple of Treos (at one point I was tempted by a Blackberry, but never succumbed). Finally, in frustration I gave up on handheld computing and bought a regular cell phone.

Then, in about 2004, rumors started flying around the web about a mysterious new product from Apple. There was talk of a Macintosh tablet computer, or maybe just a micro Mac with a folding keyboard. A few crazy people even went so far as to fear eyes that Apple could be working on a device combining the iPod with a cell phone.

Even Steve Jobs dismissed these insane ideas as mere wishful thinking (in the same way he pooh-poohed the idea of watching video on a handheld device). I continued to hold out hope, thinking that I couldn’t possibly be the only person on the planet who wanted a phone combined with my iPod (I even occasionally dared dream that such a device might include e-mail and a web browser).

Then in 2006, the rumors of an iPhone began springing up all over the Internet. There were plenty of naysayers, claiming that such a device would be too bulky, complex, or expensive. Others said that, even if Apple did come up with such a device, it could never be called the iPhone, as that name was already taken.

 Finally, in January of 2007, Steve Jobs announced that Apple was getting into the smart phone business with a new product called, yes, the iPhone. If I recall correctly, it seems like Cisco immediately filed suit over Apple’s use of its trademark.

I didn’t care what they called it. I only knew that I wanted one. Now! The only problem, they weren’t yet available. So, I couldn’t make the impulsive $600 purchase just yet.

The next six months seem to crawl by as I read every bit of information I could find on the new iPhone. The more I read and the longer I thought about it, the more patient I became. I decided instead to get my feet wet with an iPod Touch, which I purchased right after it was released last summer.

While I was a bit envious of my friends, family, and associates when they whipped out their shiny new iPhone and dashed off a quick e-mail, I took some solace in the fact that not only did they pay a lot, they were also forced to use AT&T’s creaky old EDGE network. Plus, with every month that passed my Verizon termination fee declined by five dollars.

Fast-forward to the spring of 2008. The new iPhone is about to be released. With my birthday coming up in June, I dropped the occasional hint to my wife about the perfect gift. When she questioned my impulsiveness, I remind her that I did wait for one full year. After a steady stream of gentle badgering, she finally relented. However, I couldn’t be among the first in line on Friday, July 11, as that was the day we had to pick our daughter up from summer camp. Darn it! I guess she is a bit more important than a really cool piece of technology.

We arrived back in Florida on Saturday, July 12. That night, I went to Apple’s website and discovered that both of our local stores still had the new iPhone in stock. I planned to arrive at the mall early the next morning. As is often the case, I ran late.

When I arrived, I was thrilled to see that there wasn’t a line snaking out into the parking lot. Finding a parking place, I hopped out and briskly walked through the mall’s glass doors, along with a stream of others that I was sure were on the same mission. I sped up my pace and passed them as unobtrusively as possible. As I rounded the corner, there was the line.

From the store’s entrance, it wound down, back up, and then down again. Stepping through the only gap between polls, I joined the queue. Right behind me, those clutches of people I passed did the same.

After observing the line for a few minutes and try to get a rough count, it seemed to me to be a reasonable length. I figured it couldn’t take more then, say, a couple of hours. Boy, was I wrong!

After waiting patiently for about fifteen minutes (all the while listening to music from my iPod touch) a perky young woman came to my section of the line and informed us that we might not get an iPhone today. In the best case scenario, we might not get the phone of our choice (she said they had a lot more 8 GB units than there were 16 GB). She promised regular updates on the situation.

Back to the music for me. At first, the line moved rather briskly. We were making headway. I grew more excited. After about an hour of moving steadily forward, the line's progress slowed to a stall. It occurred to me that we might have been moving forward so quickly because people were closing the gaps in the queue.

With every update from the pleasant Apple employee, my chances of getting a 16 GB iPhone looked better and better, even if the line was barely moving. However, my original wait time estimate was beginning to look massively optimistic.

By this time I had removed my earphones, and was beginning to bond with my neighbors in line. After all, we had a lot in common. We were all feeling a bit foolish for waiting so long for a piece of technology. We all shared a mutual admiration for the quality of the product we hope to buy. Plus, we had waited too long to go home empty-handed.

It was almost 5 PM on Sunday when I finally made it to the front of the line. From within the store, a young woman with a portable point of sale terminal walked out to greet me and escorted me into the store. I was shocked to discover that I knew her. She’d gone to high school with my children.

Cheerfully and very quickly, she entered all of my pertinent information in her little handheld terminal. I was transferring my Verizon number over to AT&T, and was concerned that the process might take a while. It didn’t! My account was approved, as was the porting of my number.

The moment I have been waiting for was here! She was actually going to the back of the store to grab one of those beautiful boxes that contain my long-awaited iPhone. After showing it to me (in the box), she started to put it into one of those new bags Apple had made for the occasion. Before slipping it all the way into the bag, she turned and asked, “Would you like me to activate it for you?” I responded affirmatively, as I wanted to start using it right away.

We walked over to one of the Mac books on display, plugged my iPhone in, and fired up in iTunes. There they were. Those colorful glowing icons against that slate black background. Gorgeous! Disconnecting it from the dock, I cradled the comfortably rounded surface in my hand, thanked her for her help, said my goodbyes to all of those I had met in line, and headed for home with my new toy.

Back in the mall, I turned the corner and was heading for the exit. Realizing that this new toy had all kinds of cool tools, including a camera, I reversed course, went back around the corner, and took my first iPhone picture. My long-suffering peers were still waiting for their opportunity to get their new iPhone (see the top of the page). I hoped they weren't disappointed.

Moving from the simple Palm os to Windows Mobile was not an easy decision. It has, of course, been tempered by the knowledge that I can go back any time I want. The biggest downside is that the move has cost me my casino money for the next three months, and I haven't begun to buy accessories yet.

The most difficult part of the entire experience has been converting to Outlook. I have successfully avoided Outlook for years, but there is no simple way to sync a WM device without it. I have quite contentedly been using the Palm desktop for all my hotsync needs for years. I initiated a sync when I was ready, and all my pim data was always safe. With WM, not only do you get the pleasure of using Outlook (she said sarcastically), but the joy of ActiveSync.

I must confess, I don't truly grok ActiveSync. Yes, I understand that it's nice to keep my handheld and my desktop in constant sync, but I'd rather have just a little more control over it. What if I just want to charge my device? What if I'm trouble-shooting an app and adding meetings or contacts just for testing purposes and don't actually want to save them? Better yet, what if I have the ability to take more control over ActiveSync and make it PASSIVE sync, and just haven't figured out how yet?! Being a newbie is no fun.

So the first day (prior to actual receipt of my Treo 800w) was spent moving my pim data from the Palm desktop to Outlook. Palm made that simple enough. I just don't particularly care for Outlook – it's too busy. One of the things I will be looking for over the next few days/weeks is an alternative. When my Treo 800w finally arrived, it was as simple as plugging it in to the usb port on my laptop, establishing a partnership (sounds like a legal agreement to me!) with ActiveSync, and populating my new device with my old data.

The next step was to make it look and feel as familiar as possible by arranging the Today screen (replacing my friendly Palm os launcher) and buttons. Arranging the Today screen was easy enough. Mine now almost looks like my Centro using UltimatePhone. My first real disappointment (outside of Outlook) was that I lose the one-handed capability that I loved so much with Palm os using the hard keys. Why must I press and hold the option button before tapping the mail key on WM? That requires both hands. Why can't I press option followed by mail to go to messaging? I understand that we hold key combinations on a pc, but a handheld isn't a pc and shouldn't be constrained by desktop configurations.

[caption id="attachment_27" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My Today Screen"][/caption]

This concludes my initial observations on making the change from Palm to WM. I welcome suggestions, advice, corrections…in other words, any help anyone is willing to offer. Next time: applications.

"Wat? Hebt ge Palm zitten drinken? Hebben die mannen Palm over u zitten uitkappen?

Over het feit dat wanneer de ene tussen de planten werkt, en de andere in een drankencentrale, dat er dan wel degelijk idiote misverstanden kunnen ontstaan.

If I were a tree, I would be a coconut palm, with my toes in the sand on a beautiful island beach, leaning into the ocean breeze.

If I were a flower, I would be a bright pink Gerbera Daisy, because I love making people smile.

I saw that I could download free reader software to my Palm.  After first putting the ereader for Palm  (ebooks.palm.com) on, and finding that it wasn't compatible to any of the languages for the books that I already have (most are in PDF), I went to fictionwise and looked around.  I found several free downloads and picked the Mobipocket for Palm.  Both were simple and short downloads, and after purchasing several books that were "multiformat" from fictionwise (neither accept PDF), I down loaded them, then I found one that was Palm's ereader format and downloaded that one too, and now I have a handheld reader.

Not just a reader but one that I can adjust the colors, font, size, and page set up (n Mobipocket, the Palm reader doesn't have the same flexibility but is still very readable).  There are also  toolbars that I can put nine icons on (in Mobipocket, the Palm reader icons are set), one of the ones I chose was the batter life indicator.  My only minor complaint is (and it could be caused by the age of my Palm) that I have a hard time moving back to any other of the menu data, an minor problem that I'm sure I'll overcome.

My next step is to find more books.  I'm working on that problem, check out tomorrow's post on ebook resources.

Demi Moore

Melania Trump

Vanessa Trump

Heidi Klum

Kelly Hoppen

Ivanka Trump

Irina Dvorovenko

Tracy Stern

By BARBARA SURK, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 23 minutes ago

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Westerners were getting too racy on the beaches of this Persian Gulf tourist haven, and a police crackdown on topless sunbathing, nudity and other indecent behavior has resulted in 79 arrests in recent days.

Undercover officers are strolling the sand while others stand guard in new watchtowers to enforce the social mores of this Muslim city-state, which is a booming business center that is attracting growing hordes of foreign tourists.

Authorities said they began the decency campaign after police detained a British man and a woman who were allegedly having sex on one of Dubai's sprawling beaches earlier this month.

Over the past two weeks, police have detained a total of 79 people whose behavior was "disturbing families enjoying the beach," Zuhair Haroun, a spokesman for Dubai's Criminal Investigation Department, said Monday.

First-time offenders may be issued a warning, but if caught twice, tourists could be referred to the public prosecutor for possible criminal charges, authorities said.

Thousands of European and Asian expatriates live and work in Dubai, where native Emiratis make up only about 20 percent of the estimated 1.2 million residents. Shopping malls and fast food restaurants have replaced traditional Arab houses, and English has overtaken Arabic as the emirate's lingua franca.

Many Emiratis and Arabs visiting from other Persian Gulf countries increasingly feel Dubai's ambition to become a cosmopolitan metropolis and tourist destination is overrunning their own traditions and contradict what they feel is culturally acceptable.

Unlike elsewhere in the conservative Persian Gulf, tourists in Dubai are often seen wearing skimpy bikinis on public beaches and walk the city's streets in shorts. Alcohol is freely available in hotel bars and restaurants in this regional businesses and entertainment hub.

While pursuing the police crackdown, Dubai has embarked on a public awareness campaign to remind its Western visitors and foreign residents that the city may have flashy hotels and glitzy skyscrapers but it also is a Muslim country with traditionally conservative values.

The city is installing signs warning tourists in Arabic, English and several other languages not to sunbathe topless or change clothes in public, said Abdullah Mohammed Rafia, an official with the Dubai Municipality whose office is overseeing the public awareness campaign.

Authorities are "taking action in response to numerous complaints" filed by people who visit the city's beaches, Rafia said. Complaints have ranged from families "offended by displays of nudity" to women sunbathers who say groups of men stare at them while at the beach.

The police campaign also will target people who harass beachgoers with acts "deemed offensive, immoral or disrespectful," including loitering and voyeurism, said Dubai's acting police chief, Maj. Gen. Khamis Mattar al-Mazeina.

Some tourists who were enjoying Dubai's simmering sun Monday said the new campaign left them confused about what is considered appropriate in Dubai.

"I understand that I have to respect the rules of the country," said John MacLean, a British tourist on holiday with his girlfriend. But, he added, "I am not sure if I can kiss her or touch her in public."

I have a few apps that work, a few that could work better, and a few that really don't work at all.

Unfortunately, Skype is one that isn't working at all. Slingplayer is barely working. I guess I'll have to get onto the Slingmedia forums tomorrow and see if they have an update coming any time soon. Otherwise, the only real complaint I have at this point is the volume of alerts - there doesn't seem to be any control over them, unless I've missed it somewhere.

I saw a reference to fonts, but can't find that easily, so I have to go look for that tomorrow, cause the default sms ringer (although the same one I used on my Centro) is barely audible.

Astraware was a semi-disappointment. Fortunately, Bejeweled installed and ran beautifully. They will get yet one more registration from me. Big Box of Blox, which they are giving away free this month, wouldn't run...at all. Doesn't it figure?

On my list of things for tomorrow is ListPro and Agendus. I'm sure there are other things, but I didn't follow the orderly process I had planned due to Sprint's having sent the 800w unactivated...so I couldn't do a simple ESN swap, I had to get them to activate. I may post that chat thread tomorrow, those are always good for a giggle.

Here is a healed tattoo of a tibetan skull that i did on Kenny from Inksmith and Rogers in jacksonville earlier this year.

Now, after a weekend of testing, some hard data on battery numbers are starting to trickle in. But the iPhone is such a complex device that your results will very much vary from the numbers above. (http://gizmodo.com/5025309/nine-takes-on-the-iphone-3g-battery-life 7/15)

Palm has introduced a new Treo smartphone aimed at competing with BlackBerry for business users. The smartphone, available through Sprint Nextel, is priced at $249.99, but its debut was overshadowed by the market entry of Apple's iPhone 3G. Reuters (7/14)

Meanwhile, I'm preparing. I have downloaded all the apps I want, and am putting the .cab files onto my 6GB micro sd card. (I figure the music and photos that are on there are fine.) I carefully saved all the Palm folders to a ne folder on my laptop so that I can go back at any time.

Considering this is a WinMo device, I'm surprised at how excited I am about this. Or maybe it's because it's a WM device. There are a few things I'm looking forward to being able to do on the 800 that I couldn't do on the Centro, although I'm a little skeptical about the ease of use.

Of course, I'm also really looking forward to a whole new series of software and accessory reviews!