After having released webOS 1.4 for Sprint, O2 and MoviStar a few days ago, Verizon heads now get their patch too:
Now all we need is Bell 
.
Feb 282010
AdMob has recently extended its monetization service to webOS and iPhone applications. This means that they can now collect more information about the users of these platforms.
Some interesting tidbits are below:
Further information can be had below – it’s a PDF file:
http://metrics.admob.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/AdMob-Mobile-Metrics-Jan-10.pdf
As quite a few of you are visiting the Tamoggemon Content network from a Windows-powered desktop or notebook, I felt like sharing this with all of you.
Microsoft has just warned that the End-of-Support time for Windows XP SP2 and the initial release of Windows Vista is nearing:
If you currently use one of the above-mentioned operating systems, you will no longer receive updates and patches after the specified dates. Fortunately, the solution is easy: install the latest service pack…
P.S. Windows 2000 heads: your EOL time is in July…irregardless of the service pack you use!
Feb 282010
Palm has just released the long-awaited version 1.4 of its webOS. Availability is specified as follows:
The update is now available for customers on the Sprint network in the US and on the O2 UK, O2 DE, O2 Ireland, and Movistar networks in Europe. The update is expected to be available for Palm webOS phones on other networks soon.
According to Palm, the following new features were added:
- Video capturing
- “Get more done faster” – new PIM functions
- Better use of LED indicator (always an issue for Palm)
Unfortunately, Flash 10 is not included as of this writing. However, it is said “that the framework is in place” – which means that once Adobe releases Flash 10, the Pre could support it “out of the box”.
Palm’s recent “bashing” from analysts was a bit too much to take uncommented – Palm’s Jon Rubinstein just sent out a motivational letter to Palm employees.
It reads as follows (emphasis by yours truly).
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 $500 million in cash on our balance sheet. We’re scheduled to announce our full financial results in March.
I realize this news is difficult to swallow. We made this announcement today to prevent a surprise for Wall Street when we announce quarterly earnings in March. In the meantime, the entire executive team has been working extremely hard to improve product performance, and have implemented a number of initiatives to increase awareness and drive sales.
Dave Whalen and I just returned from a very successful meeting with Verizon Wireless, where they acknowledged that their execution of our launch was below expectations and recommitted to working with us to improve sales. To accelerate sales, we initiated Project JumpStart nearly three weeks ago. Since then, nearly two hundred Palm Brand Ambassadors, supplemented by Palm employees from Sunnyvale, have been training Verizon sales reps across the U.S. on our products. Early results from the stores have already shown improvement on product knowledge and sales week over week. You may have also seen a growing number of Palm ads on billboards, bus shelters, buses, and subway stations-all getting the word out about Palm.
All of these efforts are examples of how we are working to accelerate adoption and grow distribution of webOS. In the next few weeks, your management will work with you to make sure your priorities are laser-focused, primarily on helping to increase sales, improve product quality and differentiate the Palm product experience.
Our goals are taking longer than expected to achieve, but I am still confident that our talented team has what it takes to get the job done.
We’ll schedule an all-hands meeting after our earnings announcement in March, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.
Go team!!!
jon
Mirrors my sentiments…
Feb 262010
If you ask me, the Palm Pixi should have been cheaper or as cheap as the Centro – it at all possible, 0$ on contract would have been perfect.
So far, Palm didn’t get there – but they just got a large step closer in cooperation with Sprint. The reason: Sprint now sells the Pixi for but 50$:
As usual, hit the link below for further info. And don’t forget to use the ZIP code 6002:
http://nextelonline.nextel.com/NASApp/onlinestore/en/Action…
Feb 262010
We have already covered Emblaze’s Else to some extent – but didn’t have the time to perform a more detailed GUI demo.
The video below has now popped up on YouTube – it was apparently shot at the MWC:
Not much to add here…
Yesterday’s announcement from various analysts marked the beginning of a bunch of bad hours for Palm – the company has now followed up on their statements by releasing a negative press release of its own.
In particular, the statement reads as follows:
…
“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.
…
Even though Palm stock is down by more than 20% as of this writing, I personally consider this a classic overreaction of the market – keep in mind that the company still has over 500 million USD of hay in its bunker.
The issue I see is that every new platform takes time to catch on – I wouldn’t short Palm just yet (although there may be some further falling in the near future)…
Feb 252010
When it comes to smartphone market share, the figures from Garnet’s have caused quite a stir in the past – after all, there was a time when the distinction between smartphone and handheld was important. Nowadays, this isn’t as important any more…and with out further ado, we bring to you: the Q4 2009 figures.
First of all, a per-OS table:
And a per-manufacturer table:
Those of you seeking further info can get it via Gartner’s. Their paid report can be accessed below:
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1306513
Even though I know that talking critically about Palm strikes a chord with quite a few of you, this is too big to pass up – Palm’s stock has just fallen to a one-year low due to analyst downgrades.
MarketWatch now reports the following:
…
Before the opening bell, Palm was cut to an underperform — or sell — rating by Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. In a note to clients, analyst Vivek Arya said the company’s newest webOS phones have seen “sluggish” sales since the Verizon sales began.
“Palm’s superior platform features have not translated into sufficient carrier support and consumer demand, and we are concerned the window of opportunity may be closing as Google’s Android ecosystem gains ground, revitalizes its portfolio, iPhone increases its presence, and as Microsoft reboots its efforts with Windows Phone 7,” wrote Arya, who also slashed his price target on the stock to $10 from $20.
…
Folks: this is not about us or about technical merit. The folks at Palm’s are doing almost everything right in the past few months, but having a great product alone is not enough. I can tell you about more than one story where a superior product was eliminated by a significantly weaker one with more marketing clout – even in the Palm OS market…
P.S. Hit the link above for loads of extra info…
Feb 232010
Long-term followers of Tamoggemon know that the products usually have a minimized interface – this is due to fanatic tap counting in the UI design department. However, tap counting is but part of a successful mobile UI – you usually also need to adhere to common design patterns.
So far, no collection of design patterns for mobile applications has been published in book form. However, the design4mobile wiki is a more than adequate replacement:
Hit the link below to find out more:
http://patterns.design4mobile.com/index.php/Main_Page
Owners of Linux-based routers are in for a “reverse treat” – a botnet called Chuck Norris attacks these devices.
PCWorld reports the following:
…
Once installed in the router’s memory, the bot blocks remote communication ports and begins to scan the network for other vulnerable machines. It is controlled via IRC.
Because the Chuck Norris botnet lives in the router’s RAM, it can be removed with a restart.
…
So: change that default password, folks!
Palm has been rumored to release webOS 1.4 via Sprint a few days ago – but nothing was shown so far. This likely was due to the MWC – sending out a press release during that time is a totally idiotic idea.
PhoneNews now reports the following:
… Palm has until Sunday, February 28th to keep to that timeline.
The 1.4 update will enable support for native applications and development, 3D gaming and on-board video recording/editing. The update will also enable Flash 10.1 compatibility, but full Flash support will be rolled out in another update.
So far, not much further information is available…
Microsoft has traditionally used the Catalonia Plaza hotel in Barcelona as its “base” during the congress – it offers better logistics and cleaner, better-managed venues. This year, they really overdid it though – and transformed the entire hotel into a huge Windows Mobile 7 ad.
During the day, the clock was always set to Seven:
And at night, it got really funny. Not much to add to the shot below:
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