TamsPalm - the Palm OS Blog

The EFF has just uncovered a pretty crazy announcement made by the TCG (Trusted computing group, those DRM people behind the TPM) at the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment Conference.
Actually, the TCG wants to spin off a “working group” called MMobile Phone Work Group, whos task is to adapt TCG technologies to mobile phones. As if that doesnt sound bad, here are a few of the so-called “use cases” that they envision:

The primary goal is to ensure that a mobile device remains locked to a particular network (or network subset, service provider, corporation or (U)SIM) until it is unlocked in an authorized manner.
Read: make it really difficult to overcome SIM locks. Since most (Austrian) carriers dont give you unlock codes for free even after your current contract ends, this sounds really really good! Or, maybe a provider even wants to forbid you that you pass the phone on to somebody else on the same network. If this isnt the death blow for used device sales, what is?

The user wants to securely use an application. I.e., the platform enforces predefined software use policies.
……..
Read: Non-TCG certifierd software cannot run all functions of the OS,… . Read the PDF available at their homepage for more alarming details!

Mobile payment is to use mobile Devices to make payment transaction.
This can already be done! Just a little thing to make the TCG easier to accept for the average customer!

And there is even more online! What do you think? Isn’t DRM starting to go too far? I personally beleive that this thing is slowly but surely starting to get dangerous for free speech et al. Someone needs to slow the TCG down-after all, it is still us who buys the stuff!

More information is available online. Find the EFF post here:
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2005_09.php#004014
You can find the information published by the TCG here:
https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/groups/mobile

Three days ago, PalmOne posted Palm Desktop, version 4.2 for Windows on their US page. The download includes Palm Desktop, HotSync Manager and Conduits for Outlook and VersaMail - for free. See Palm, Inc. - Palm Desktop 4.2 for Windows. It seems to contain several languages.

There are help pages how to do a hard reset on palm devices included, too. Two pages tell how to to do a hard reset on “Z22″ and “TX”. What could that be?

Recently, Microsoft announced plans to port their FPS Halo to mobile phones. Users immediately went bonkers about the news-hoping that ports of Quake 3 and Counterstrike would follow. ZDoom is comfortable without a touchscreen-so why not try Halo?
In order to understand my concerns you need to look at how the typical FPS is controlled. You use the keyboard to control the figure’s movement and actions. The other hand is on the mouse, controlling the field of vision and the crosshair.
This topology works well on a PC or Notebook-but not on a handheld. Handhelds usually don’t have enough hardkeys for example(use, zoom, buy, anyone?). Touchscreenless handhelds now disqualify themselves due to the lack of a mouse. Touchscreened boxen arent off much better though. When using the touchscreen for controlling the crosshair, your hand covers parts of the screen allowing enemies to “hide”. So, a PC player has a small advantage over a handheld man.
Last but not least, dont forget that a handheld can not store as much map data as a PC…
Halo will probably sell well and can probably also be fun. However, the current FPS control principle is not ideally suited for handhelds - so PC gamers always have advantages over handheld users in multiplayer games. Thus, cross-plattform multiplaying is probably not possible…

People know me from far away if I am working at a computer because I tend to slam the keyboard like an ancient typewriter! While this has already led to loads of people making silly jokes, those keyboard sounds can really be dangerous for your data according to Doug Tygar, a berkeley UC professor!
His gang developed a program that just “listened” to a user pressing the different keys on his keyboard for 10 mintes-and then could automatically identify which key was pressed!
This-of course-opens up an all-new facette of attacks on users. Imagine a devious administrator of an internet cafe identifying all his keyboards and then regenerating data! Or imagine a third party just gathering the sound of a keyboard on a public internet terminal. I am pretty sure that they would have an impressive amount of information pretty fast. Anyways, as of now, there is no countermeasure known. I do not beleive that listening to loud techno or other music will greatly help you out here, as one could theoretically filter the keyboard sounds out. Taking your own keyboard with you is not possible anywhere,… .
What do you think?

Read more here!

Most of you tend to know my oppinion about ipods-I beleive them to be overpriced and hyped beyond reality! So, I was amazed when the first reports of ipod nanos with imploding screens began to surface. Anyways, the claims were gathered on homepages, and Apple now decided to make a move!
The company announced that it will fix all ipods with such a problem and pushed the blame on the vendor of the screen. A cheap, but working way to keep your own back clean!
Anyways, compare that to Palm Inc’s handling of flaws. We had the IIIc, the V series power buttons, T3s with drifting digitizers, all sorts of OS5 stuff with hizzing screens,… . And no reaction!
Lets hope that the hard Windiows Mobile competition(typical PPC quality problem: paint going off, how bad) will teach them better!

Read more here

UniCMD, one of the best file managers for Palm OS is now freeware:

It supports RAM, ROM, VFS, launching applications, viewing many file types, f. e. JPEG/exif, HTML with the internal viewer, viewing every file a viewer is installed for (file associations), backup (manual or scheduled), encryption, editing TXT, ZIP-compression, and much more.

Homepage & download: http://www.unicmd.de

Few minutes ago I received an anonymous mail with the newsletter from PluggedIn, the development ressource of PalmOne as attachment (this person doesn’t want its name to be published as his PluggedIn account could be suspended):

Dear Developer,

Today, Palm and Microsoft. announced a powerful, strategic alliance to bring the Palm experience to the Windows Mobile. platform, aimed at growing the smartphone marketplace. This is exciting news for the Palm developer community because were now offering our customers a choice of two great platforms.

If youd like to take advantage of this collaboration, to expand your solution to Windows Mobile, please log into PluggedIn, and go to My Account to modify your existing user profile. You can indicate your interest in the Windows Mobile platform, as well as update your company details, contact, and other development-related information. Current user profiles enable PluggedIn to better meet the needs of Palm’s developer community.

Development resources for the Treo on Windows Mobile will be posted to PluggedIn once the product is commercially available, in early calendar 2006.

We look forward to our continuing partnership.

Sincerely,

Paul D. Leeper
Director, Developer Relations

Palm and Microsoft Join to Bring the Palm Experience to Windows Mobile; Verizon Wireless First to Market with New Treo Smartphone

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2005 - Mobile-computing pioneer Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) and software pioneer Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced a strategic alliance to accelerate the smartphone market segment with a new device for mobile professionals and businesses. Palm has licensed the Microsoft. Windows Mobile. operating system for an expanded line of Treo smartphones, the first of which will be available on Verizon Wireless’ national wireless broadband network. The news was revealed in a press conference with Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc.; Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp.; and Denny Strigl, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless.

The collaboration gives customers more choices and marks a dedicated effort to deliver one of the world’s most innovative smartphone solutions on the software platform favored by many businesses. Treo smartphones combine the hallmark Palm experience of a full-featured mobile phone with email, messaging, web access9 and organizational software — in an attractive, compact design. The new Treo smartphone takes advantage of the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform in multiple ways, offering Outlook Mobile, Office Mobile and Internet Explorer Mobile built into the smartphone, as well as direct access to Exchange Server 2003 for mobile access to information.2 In addition, the new Treo will operate with Verizon Wireless’ BroadbandAccess service, the largest high-speed wireless broadband network in the United States. Verizon Wireless expects the new Treo smartphone to be available to its customers in early 2006.

“We’ve long believed that the future of personal computing is mobile computing, and our collaboration with Microsoft is a historic step in delivering that vision to a larger market,” said Colligan. “We’re confident customers will see a differentiated smartphone that delivers our world-class usability on Microsoft’s flexible and robust Windows Mobile operating system. We collaborated with Verizon Wireless first because of its high-speed wireless network and growing footprint of BroadbandAccess cities.”

“This is a landmark alliance that will help businesses remain on the cutting edge of competitiveness,” Gates said. “Demand for accessing information on mobile devices is soaring, and businesses want a low-cost, scalable solution. We’re excited to team with Palm and Verizon Wireless to deliver a winning Windows Mobile solution that connects professionals to their critical information while on the go.”

The Treo smartphone on Windows Mobile is a CDMA-based phone targeted for the U.S. market and takes advantage of Verizon Wireless’ BroadbandAccess service on its EV-DO network with download speeds averaging 400-700 kilobits per second. Today, about half the U.S. population, in more than 84 metropolitan areas and in hundreds of airports across the nation, can access download speeds comparable to DSL or cable-modem connections. Verizon Wireless has been expanding its BroadbandAccess service area steadily since its debut in the fall of 2003.

“The new Treo smartphone running Windows Mobile will highlight the speed and power of our BroadbandAccess service,” said Strigl. “The Treo will deliver fast downloading of email and attachments as well as quick access to critical-business information, providing businesses with a great return on investment. Our strong relationships with Microsoft and Palm continue to provide real value for our customers.”

The new Treo smartphone is powered by an Intel processor and joins Palm’s award-winning family of Treo smartphones, which includes the Treo 600 and Treo 650, both offered today to Verizon Wireless customers.

The Palm Experience on Windows Mobile

During the press conference, the companies demonstrated the Palm experience now brought to life on Windows Mobile. The audience saw a sampling of Palm’s award-winning hardware design integrated thoughtfully with a rich Palm software suite, including the ability to:

* Contact someone quickly from the Today Screen and choose between home, office or mobile numbers, or select email or SMS. With only two letters entered, a customer can find a record from among thousands of contacts;
* Reach people most often called via photo speed dials visible as a band of images on the Today Screen;
* Decline a call with a friendly SMS, signaling “In a meeting” or “Talking with the boss” instead of simply ignoring the call; and
* Rewind, delete or fast-forward through work or cell phone voicemail with familiar and consistent on-screen icons.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc., a leader in mobile computing, strives to put the power of computing in people’s hands so they can access and share their most important information. The company’s products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm. handheld computers, Palm Treo smartphones, Palm LifeDrive mobile managers, as well as software, services and accessories.

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

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

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their potential.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 47.4 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

###

) 2005 Palm, Inc. All rights reserved. | palm.com| PluggedIn Web Site

What do you think about this?

Symbian users already know and loath them-virii for Series 60. Up to now, the damage they caused was limited(a few MMS and data loss AFAIK), the desktop PC was not affected. I actually saw Commwarior in action(asleep on a Nokia), but didn’t have an MMC card to “capture” it and offer it here for people who are interested! However, this has now changed with Sybos/Cardtrap.A acording to ITworld.
This trojan horse is a pack of different virii that spread themselves around to other Symbian devices. However, the main danger is that it installs onto memory cards and then attempts to attack PC’s where the memory card is mounted(launches a worm).
Well, my defence is simple. I keep Bluetooth on my SX1 off or at least in invisible mode and I dont accept and files beamed over to me in an unmotivated fashion. People owning a Treo or other PalmOS smartphone can however sleep in peace-we still don’t have a real PalmOS virus!
Did you ever see one of these things in action? Do you have a copy to share?

It’s Sunday again and the new article is available. Just take a look at TamsPalm.de!

Engadget just announced the first real images of a Treo 700w. Immediately, PalmOS users fired off rants about how this would kill our OS.

Anyways, lets stop bickering for a moment. Lets recapitulate what made the Treo family big-the simplicity of use and the OS. Treos were the only boxen that ran Palm OS and were readily available! Thus, almost all PalmOS users wanting a smart phone went for the Treo. Eventually, a cult began to develop similar to what we currently see over at the ipods.

Now compare that to the WinMobile section. WinMobile phones are available in a variety of styles and sizes, running different versions of WinCE and covering an extreme range of prices(from HTC magician to whatever). The HTC retails for 50€ oer in Europe-and has better specs than the Treo. It is sturdily built(I had one in my hand recently). The Treo 700w will cost at least 400€-and I am sure that HTC already has the contracts with carriers to keep them aboard…

Palm always got away with quality issues as they were the only PalmOS stuff maker and since platform switching is extremely expensive due to all the registered software. But-switching from one PocketPC to another is easy. So, a dissatisfied user simply discards the device, but can keep all the infrastructure.
Overall, I beleive that Palm will have a hard time beeing succesful with the 700w using its old strategies due to fierce competition. Ther main danger I see is that Palm may loose a lot of money on their Windows expedition-money better invested into the PalmOS line!

What do you think?

Well, the name was a little off, but it turns out that the new Windows Mobile Treo is indeed real. Engadget has pictures and some insight on its capabilities.

Will this be the end of Palm? I dont think so. I have heard there may be a Palm OS version of this device with slighty better hardware. Save the best hardware for the best OS, way to go Palm.

Recently, LCDs became available that can do 18bit color. Of course, some handset makers implemented such screens into their products, however, many of them ignored the new technology.
The Windows Mobile team has a nice summary of the problems with high color resolutions in general and the 18bit color resolution in specific. While there is a lot of blah-blah in the M$-sponsored article, it sitll brings over its message very well.
http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2005/09/07/462187.aspx
How do you feel about 18bit color screens?

Recently, Palm(One) was target of quite a few lawsuits over badly designed/manufactured products which weren’t repaired. Now, Palms Treo linegot under fire too-I was pretty sure that that would have to happen eventually, but that is a different story!
Anyways, I loved the following part of the lawsuit document:

Replacement of defective Treo 600 phones with defective and/or “refurbished” Treo 600 phones - creating a cycle of defective product - whereby owners continue to receive defective products until either they tire of the process or their warranty runs out.

This reminds me of my IIIc, which was replaced with a box that failed right out of the box(as if that isnt perfect leetspeak;))! This one was replaced by another fuxated machine, and another one, ….. . And this is where I see a problem. The problem is not returning repaired units(I wanted my original T3 to be repaired instead of exchanged as it had a Sony screen), but the problem is just returning a somehow repaired unit to any customer.
I understand that Palm must work efficiently, but if they want to save cash on customer care, they should create quality products that don’t need service after all! We had power button problems since the V series, humming screens since the TT(altough mine was silent), cases falling apart on the IIIc, instabile software on the german IIIxe,… .
If a PalmOS freak and developer seriously evaluates a Windows Mobile handheld and Visual Studio, something must be wrong. Doesn’t the company ever learn its lesson?

As if Brad’s announcement didn’t taste bad enough-the German c’t now reports about a herd of new WM5 boxen. Since little is known about these, this article has a more-less tabular style:

Asus MyPal A632
The FCC was the news leak here. This MyPal runs Windows Mobile 5 PocketPC edition on a 416Mhz PXA272. It has 64MB of RAM, 128MB of Flash and an integrated GPS unit.
Asus MyPal A636
This essentially is an A632 with Bluetooth 1.2 and WiFi. Price and release date of these machines isn’t known yet!
XDA Mini S
This essentially is a re-branded HTC device for the German carrier O2. It will run WM5 on a 200Mhz OMAP850. It has 64MB of RAM, 128MB of Flash, a miniSD slot, a keyboard, WiFi, a 1.3MP camera with flash and an integrated GSM radio. It will ship for 600€ in October.
XDA phone
The XDA phone runs Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone(read:no touchscreen) on a 200Mhz OMAP850. It has 64MB of RAM, 64MB of Flash, a miniSD slot, a 1.3MP camera and an integrated GSM radio. It will ship for 500€ in October.

It looks like WM5 is getting fatter and fatter. Garmin won’t like the new GPS MyPals, while the XDA’s will go for Treos and other smartphones. Will the PalmOS survive? If you posed this question a week ago, I would have said for sure. But now, who knows what will happen. If GSPDA/Hagenuk, Qool and the rest of the pack don’t get carriers on-board, the show could be over soon.