The other phones used in Entourage new episodes lately are mostly the popular ones: the BlackBerry Bold and the iPhone 3G. Although the super agent Ari Gold (played by Jeremy Piven) is no longer use Trēo™ 650, he now use the BB Bold, it's nice to know that one of Palm's smartphones is still used in there.
But now, there's a new app for the Prē™ called 'My Tether' that will allow the smartphone to become a 3G WiFi Router. "This app allows you to use your Pre to connect to the internet. It allows you make your Pre into an WiFi hotspot to share your EVDO connection, as well share your EVDO or WiFi connection to tether over USB, or Bluetooth PAN," says Raja Kapur the app developer at his website.
There are two versions of the app, version 1.5 is offered free but requires you to hack your Palm Prē™ first, the updated version 2.0 needs $10 worth of donation and offers more features such as:
Although 'My Tether' app v2.0 only offer WEP encryption, it's much better than none at all. But if you're still interested in the free version, then follow the instructions from PalmPreHacks on how to hack your Palm Prē™. Watch the embedded video below for more information on how to hack your Prē™ and turn it into a hotspot in under an hour.
It all started back then before the Palm Prē™ itself was launched all across the U.S. on June 6th, to be exact was at All Things D conference when Walt Mossberg asked Palm's executive chairman Jon Rubinstein what lessons from Apple has Rubinstein brought to bear on his new work at Palm? Rubinstein's answer was:
“I worked with Steve for many years and learned a tremendous amount from him, the value of user experience and design–taste. I also learned the idea of great marketing…On the engineering side, I helped create the engineering culture at Apple, so obviously, the engineering culture at Palm bears some similarities to it.”
And apparently Rubinstein has brought his engeneering skill in the past as the head designer of Apple's iPod division to create more than similarities for the Prē™, still at the conference when the big demo screen showed the Prē™ instantly sync with Apple's iTunes, Rubinstein dodged questions from Mossberg over how Apple might feel about the sync capability. But then later after the conference, he conceded: "We designed Palm Media Sync to be an easy and elegant way for you to take the content you own and put it on Prē™."
Proves began to emerge showing that in order for the Prē™ to be able to sync with iTunes effortlessly, Palm must disguise the Prē™ as an iPod so then iTunes will think it as one of its own and sync. According to Jon Lech Johansen's blog the co-founder of doubleTwist; when the Pre is in “Media Sync” mode it identifies itself as an Apple iPod, however it’s only the Mass Storage interface that identifies itself as an iPod. So Apple can very easily update iTunes to block the "Media Sync" in Prē™.
That's a very risky plan for the Prē™, Palm's new hope and savior. Dare I say that Palm is desperate? There's another way to look at this, the iTunes has became so big that dominates the music industry including movies and people are actually accepting this simple fact just like that. Even Roger McNamee also said this during the All Things D conference: “We’re recognizing their market dominance…and they can’t tell people what to do with their music."
So why should Palm try to trump over iTunes dominance, and start a new service from the scratch to compete with it from the already depleted resources? It's easier to piggy-back the widely popular and well spread iTunes, than fight against it. And with Jon Rubinstein's knowledge of how iPod and iTunes works, things look a lot easier for Palm to do that.
Apple initates the first bluff
On last Tuesday, Apple posted up a technical note that warns about no guarantee is given to unsupported third-party digital media players:
"Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple's iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players."
The timing of the note, and the words in it are clearly although not directly pointing at the Palm Prē™ media syncing with iTunes.
Palm calls on the Apple's bluff
To respond Apple's passive tech note, Palm's spokesperson Lynn Fox (a former Apple employee herself) spoke up aggressively to All Things D's John Paczkowski:
“If Apple chooses to disable media sync in a future version of iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Prē™ , they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we could consider.”
It's actually a rather quick respond coming from Palm camp regarding the media sync matter, because it is too soon to know if Apple really is going to cut off the Prē™ ability to sync with iTunes or not. Like you, I also have been waiting if Apple is giving a respond back to Palm, or better yet maybe Apple will release a new version of iTunes that breaks the sync harmony of the Prē™. But it's already end of the weekend, and it's all silent and quiet...
Why mad at Palm and not to others?
"I bet there will be some legal maneuvering by Apple over this," said Jack Gold an analyst at J. Gold Associates. "Apple protects everything." (via PC World) Yes, sure Apple wants to protect its intellectual properties like when Apple threatens to do so about its iPhone multi-touch patent. And now this, but the question is why it has to be Palm again?
Why is the mother of all question, so before we get into the Palm part let's understand that there are already several sofwares out there to help non-Apple devices to sync with iTunes, then why would Apple mad at Palm instead of those softwares in the first place?
Is it because Palm Prē™ ability to sync directly from the device itself? Is it obviously the Prē™ introduces itself as an iPod to iTunes and Apple don't like that? Nope, the answer is much simpler than that. It is because Palm is the very reason itself, it's because from all of the big companies out there Apple sees Palm as one of them who could actually become a serious threat in the future. Especially when Jon Rubinstein is now appointed as the new CEO, replacing Ed Colligan the longest running leader of Palm.
It's not about who will win...
What exactly will Apple get if the Cupertino-based company really take the matter further, for an example by eliminate Palm Media Sync method in newer iTunes versions? First of all, Palm or any other companies / softwares will always find another way to sync with iTunes anyway. I don't think Apple want to burden its head with headaches of playing a game of cat-and-mouse, it's not worth the troubles.
Secondly and perhaps the most important result Apple should've thought of, is how the above action will make Apple look like a big bad company who bully others. This could really hurt Apple's image, while Palm will have the opposite result. Apple definetely don't want that to happen.
And how about Palm, what will it get with all of this? It's none other than sharing the spotlight with Apple, Palm is getting more attention again from the blogosphere and the company really need it to boost its stock share. It's a win-win situation for Palm; get a smooth media sync with iTunes and receive lots of coverage while doing it. But Apple also get the same attention from this.
For both companies, it's not about winning this trivial matter, but getting the most out of it while it lasts. And like playing a poker game, one needs to raise the stakes when the other is bluffing, and the remaining question is how far will the stakes go...?
Source is from Dan Moren - Macworld.
The use of “Achilles’ heel” as an expression used for “area of weakness, vulnerable spot” dates only to 1855 (Merriam-Webster). It derived from the Greek "Achilleios pterna" literally meaning Achilles’ heel (via Wikipedia).
Just built my Minty Boost. Thought I'd try charging my Pre with it. Works a charm :)
I couldn't find the small Altoids tin, so I reluctantly went with what they had in Safeway. It's worked out well though - there's room around the battery holder for a couple spare batteries.
My battery meter is up 5% in the time it's taken to do the Flickr post - Minty Boost is awesome.
They say in fairy tales the giants are not affraid of anything, except for small-delicate creatures. And as in modern time like ours today, there is this one little feature in today's smartphones that big wireless carrier companies fear most: data tethering. For you who are not familiar with the term; tethering allows you to use your smartphone as a modem for your laptop / computer.
"We have been politely cautioned by Palm that any discussion of tethering during the Sprint exclusivity period (and perhaps beyond—we don't know yet) will probably cause Sprint to complain to Palm, and if that happened then Palm would be forced to react against the people running the IRC channel and this wiki.
We want to retain a good relationship with Palm, hence we are not allowing discussion of tethering on the IRC channel, or in this wiki.
Note that Sprint does not have a plan available for use with the Pre which allows tethering under the Terms Of Service.
Once there is a version of the Pre available for a carrier that does allow tethering, or an unlocked GSM version, then we may be able to change this policy."
"This is just so cool because what was only possible in movies, is now possible in real-life for a mass consumer product. It’s always exciting when something considered 'geek' becomes 'chic'. Not only does this matter in the way a device is charged, but also for human behavior and cognition."
The wait is finally over.
Yesterday, on June 6th, the most anticipated smartphone of the year: Palm Prē™ was finally launched at Sprint's 1,100 stores across the (U.S.) nation. Unlike the launch of Apple's iPhone last year and the year before, the launch of the Prē™ can be considered as more modest and calm, although prior yesterday's launch Palm's latest smartphone has gathered huge attentions from the blogosphere and analysts.
Palm has played well in promoting the Prē™ ever since the company introduced it at CES 2009 on last January, and despite the lack of trust from Palm to lend the smartphone to any analysts, the action however brought curiosity to the peak level and create enough enthusiasm for not just Palm loyal fans but also tech geeks around the globe. On the other hand, Sprint as the exclusive wireless carrier to offer the Prē™ understand well that they simply can't compete with the iPhone, so they tried to downplay expectations for iPhone-like crowds before the Prē™ launched.
Sprint spokesman Mark Elliott told The New York Times (via Wireless blog) earlier this week, that the company not only didn't expect long lines for the Prē™, but that Sprint even didn't want them (people lining up for the Prē™). And it seems that was what happened, salespeople at Sprint stores in New York City said there are only handfuls of people lined up outside on Saturday morning, but salespeople in Manhattan said they had a steady stream of customers for most of the day. Mark Elliott characterized the launch in East Coast cities as "a nice flow of customers," with some stores attracting crowds of 40 to 50 people waiting to get in at 8AM when many Sprint stores opened.
"The design of the package is very Apple-like, for lack of a better term. ... Very elegant!
I love the screen. It’s bright and vibrant, ... Everything looks super-clear.
I can already type as fast as I can on my iPhone keyboard, so I anticipate that with further experience, I’ll exceed my iPhone typing speeds.
I’m finding WebOS to be snappy. Multi-tasking with cards is (dare I say it?) fun.
I hated to get the last Touchstone at my store, but I’m already glad I got it. I haven’t even used it yet, but I’m happy because the little door that covers the Pre’s USB port is small and hard to open for me."
Many people are still holding their breath until few more hours to go before the initial launch of Palm Pre™ by Sprint, but looks like few of lucky New Yorkers have already grabbed a Pre™. Ubergizmo was reporting on June 5th at 14:59 PT that there were at least 10 people lining up at Sprint's 6th Avenue store in Manhattan, reporters also spotted there interviewing them.
The first in line is Alfredo R. (pictured above) and he's the first customer to get a Pre™, followed by Ellen (in yellow rain coat). Let the riot begin!! ;-p
Update: Engadget has posted up a slew of photos from the Palm Pre™ premiere launch at NYC.
For the past two-three days of this weekend alone, we've been showered with many Palm Pre™ hands-on and reviews, if I may say they're too many... ~LOL~ But only a handful is talking about the apps inside the Pre™, and of course Palm's very own app store which is called as "App Catalog".
"Palm's App Catalog for WebOS can be accessed via the Pre's Launcher menu. The home screen of the App Catalog lists Featured apps and Popular apps horizontally, accompanied by each app's title and star rating. Beneath those two rows of listings, the Top Tags content appears; it consists of entries in various app categories such as Most Recent, Top Rated, Entertainment, and News.
Another option is to use a WebOS feature called Universal Search to search for an app. Simply start typing the name and a list of matches will come up. At launch, the App Catalog will contain only a dozen or so available apps."
Ladies and gentlemen; please strap-in your seat belt, girt your loins, and hold on tight to something, because we've got not just one but eight and a half Palm Prē™ reviews coming up right now. Just in two days before Sprint officially launch the most awaited smartphone of the year: Palm Prē™ on June 6th tomorrow, tech blogsites are all in race to release their own hands-on, we are literally flooded with reviews of the Prē™ and all I can say is they're just going to make us want more to get the Prē™.
"Think of it like this. The software is agile, smart and capable. The hardware, on the other hand, is a liability. If Palm can get someone else to design and build their hardware—someone who has hands and can feel what a phone is like when physically used, that phone might just be one of the best phones on the market.
I'm bored of the iPhone. The core functionality and design have remained the same for the last two years, and since 3.0 is just more of the same, and—barring some kind of June surprise—that's another year of the same old icons and swiping and pinching. It's time for something different. The Pre may have hardware that's worse than the G1/G2, but the whole package—the software and the hardware—isn't bad. It's good. It's different. That's something we can get behind. I can't wait to see what Palm gets dealt in their next hand."
"There's no question that Palm has built this phone on the foundations laid by numerous devices before it -- most obviously the iPhone -- but the Pre clearly carves out its own path as well. Some of the ideas and concepts at play in webOS are truly revolutionary for the mobile space, breaking down lots of the walls that separate the experience of using a dedicated PC versus using a handheld device. ...
To put it simply, the Pre is a great phone, and we don't feel any hesitation saying that. Is it a perfect phone? Hell no. Does its OS need work? Definitely. But are any of the detracting factors here big enough to not recommend it? Absolutely not. There's no doubt that there's room for improvement in webOS and its devices, but there's also an astounding amount of things that Palm nails out of the gate."
"The long-awaited Palm Pre lives up to the hype with a responsive touchscreen and an engaging interface, but a few hardware design flaws keep it from being the perfect smartphone.
Hardware flaws aside, the Palm Pre made a solid impression on me. Its eye-catching design and smooth operation make this smartphone the most exciting device I've seen in a while."
"So what's our verdict on the Palm Pre? Simple: The Palm Pre is a stellar 1.0 product. ...
The Pre's hardware is very good and it's obvious how much thought went into making it feel organic. More importantly, the merging of the software and the hardware is as close to seamless as I've ever seen on a device. Heck, the status bar at the top with your signal strength and what not is designed to look like it's part of the hardware. Having the touch-sensitive zone extends below the screen into the gesture area isn't just a gimmick, it actually improves the experience of the device, adds functionality, and helps to make the Pre feel seamless."
"The Palm Pre delivers on Palm's promise of a bringing a next generation differentiated product to market. WebOS is a powerful and compelling new mobile platform. Despite being a 1.0 product, the Pre is pleasantly functional and it users in new level of simplicity and ease of use. Coupled with the attractive hardware design and charming display, this adds up to a distinctively agreeable experience for mobile phone users. Palm has a lot ridding on the Pre and it now appears to be fully back in the game with a superb combination of software and hardware."
"I consider the Pre to be potentially the strongest rival to the iPhone to date, provided it attracts lots of third-party apps, which it sorely lacks at launch. ...
Whether the Pre is better than the iPhone depends on your personal preferences, though I’d note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features that could alter those calculations. ...
Unfortunately for Palm, Apple has both a new iPhone operating system and new iPhone hardware coming, likely available within a month, that could obviate many of these advantages."
"The Pre is full of the sort of mind-expanding innovations that make you greedy. Take Synergy, for example: Every device should work like this. Why don't I have one address book and one calendar comprising everything I've scattered around? But now I want complete synergy. ...
Still, the Palm Pre has the magic that the iPhone has, that Android doesn't have, and that the BlackBerry Storm might have had if it had worked properly when it was first introduced. It's far cooler than any other phone on Sprint, or even any phone on Verizon Wireless... Overall, though, webOS is the most exciting mobile platform I've used in quite a while, and the Pre is pretty impressive, so it nabs our Editors' Choice for smartphones on Sprint."
"I've been playing with the Palm Pre for the better part of a day and you really get the sense that if a product could be designed that said "screw you Apple" this is how you would build it. It is very much like they took everything folks have complained about regarding the iPhone that folks at Apple said couldn't be fixed and fixed them.
...This is one hell of a test for Apple. But until they respond, the Palm Pre sets the new bar as the best phone I've ever had the honor to carry. Congrats, Palm! Incredibly well done."
"All right, then: the Pre is a spectacular achievement. Zero to sixty in one version. But is it an iPhone killer? Silly bloggers! The Pre will be a hit, but the iPhone isn’t going away. First of all, Apple’s 20 million-phone lead will only grow when the new iPhone 3.0 software (and, presumably, a third iPhone model) comes out shortly.
Second, Palm’s audience for this model is limited to the United States. It requires a CDMA network, so it won’t work overseas.
Third, even the Pre has its annoyances. Opening certain programs can be very slow—sometimes 8 or 9 seconds—and there’s no progress bar or hourglass to let you know that it’s still working. There’s no memory-card slot to expand the 8 gigabytes of storage, and no Visual Voicemail (where messages are listed like e-mail). The onboard search function won’t look through your e-mail or calendars. There are a few bugs left to exterminate, too.
Finally, the Pre is not quite as simple as the iPhone. All those extra features, by definition, mean that there’s more to learn."
"The OS is great. There’s no ifs ands or buts; it’s really refreshing to see something that’s brand new with a UI unlike anything else out there. The only problem with this is, Palm’s never been a hardware company that anyone’s really cared about. They have been the furthest thing from innovative since circa-2003 — their hardware has always been second rate at best and it doesn’t seem to be changing now."
Rubinstein started, in his words, "hanging out" with Palm people in late June. He didn't like what he saw. The hardware for the Pre needed to be scrapped and rebooted. For one thing, prototypes were using old "resistive" touchscreen technology that responds to a user physically pushing the screen, not the newer "capacitive" technology manipulated by the electricity in the user's body. Rubinstein tossed out the old phone's hardware and built a new one in about 15 months. "We were basically running a marathon and doing a heart transplant in the middle of it," says Rubinstein.
Sammy has just posted up prēDevCamp date announcement from Michael McAsey, and the date is set at June 13th. And as I was keeping tabs with the prēDevCamp website, there's a big and joyful announcement for all of us Palm Prē-fans: Palm supports prēDevCamp!
"We hoped to help breathe new life into the mobile development marketplace via a grassroots effort by building a developer ecosystem around the first mobile device, The Palm Pré, to generate widespread excitement in and out of the tech press since the iPhone."
"The event is not about Palm. It’s about the community. The brand is a vehicle to rally a number of like-minded people around, but it’s not the reason for the event. We do this because we want to build community, connections, cool products, make great software, solve problems, meet new friends."
A little off topic; last night I just got the chance to watch the final episodes of American Idol season 2009. The final match between the two last contestants: Adam Lambert & Kris Allen, and the crowning of the winner. I know I'm late to watch the shows and I already knew who the winner is from the internet, but that's because I was so busy for the last weeks.
Aaargh... This just ain't fair!
We finally have a major break through today, Sprint has spoken on the official date of Palm's most awaited smartphone of the year: the Prē™, and that is going to happen just two days before Apple's WWDC '09. Yes sir, you got that right. The rumor seems to be true after all, Palm helped with Sprint is planning to take the battle a head start before Apple had the chance to announce a new iPhone (if it does exist). Here's the snipped information of Sprint's official announcement:
-May. 19, 2009-- Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced pricing and nationwide availability for the highly anticipated Palm® Pre™ phone, offered exclusively from Sprint. Palm Pre will be available nationwide on June 6 in Sprint stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, select Wal-Mart stores and online at Sprint.com
“The argument that you need one phone for work and another phone for play, or that you have to make compromises between business and lifestyle productivity, is over,” said Dan Hesse, president and CEO of Sprint. “With Pre, compromises of the past are history.”
“Pre is truly a new phone for a new web-centric age,” said Ed Colligan, Palm president and chief executive officer. “We’re a mobile society, and we want our people, calendars and information to move with us. With Pre’s exquisite design and the unique webOS software, running on Sprint’s fast broadband network, we’re changing the perception of what a wireless phone can be.”
Pre comes with a charger in the box, but for anyone tired of plugging a cord into their wireless phone, Palm introduces the Touchstone™ charging dock, the first inductive charging solution for phones, available exclusively for Pre. Simply set Pre down on top of the dock without worrying about connection, orientation or fit. Pre is active while charging, so you can access the touch screen, watch movies or video, or use the speakerphone.
The Palm Pre phone will be available from Sprint on June 6 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year service agreement on an Everything Data plan or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plan. An array of compelling accessories also will be available for Pre, including the Palm Touchstone charging dock. The Touchstone™ Charging Kit, which includes the Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover for Pre, will be available June 6 for $69.99. The Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover also are available separately from for $49.99 and $19.99, respectively.
The wait is still on going, the Palm Prē™ is not released yet and we're still being teased by new rumors and pics of it every now and then. And of course all of those are barely enough to quench our thirst for the Prē™, but thank goodness there are fans all of the world who like us here at PalmAddicts, have fallen in love for the Prē™. So much love, enough to make their own version of Palm Prē™ ad...
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting the feeling that Palm got a new attitude on how they’re trying to promote their upcoming new webOS™-based smartphones without in reality releasing the actual products.
