This is not too surprising – Palm has just received regulatory approval for two devices dubbed Palm P101UEU and Palm P121UEU.
TheUnwired reports the following:
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Further researches confirmed that the P101UEU and P121UEU are the European Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus because the North American FCC approved AT&T’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus as P101UNA and P121UNA
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Not much to add here…
Consider this a first – this is the first time that the TCN runs a Public Service Announcement against a software update. Usually, these updates add features – Sony apparently seems to think different.
George Hotz, creator of the recent PS3 “exploit”, states the following:
First off, I want to apologize to all the people who use Linux on their PS3. Before releasing, I weighed the pros and cons, and considered the possibility of an impact on OtherOS support. My logic was this. OtherOS support had already been removed from the Slim(not for technical reasons; I believe it only existed in the first place to promote the Cell for IBM) The builders had apparently no intention of including it in future products. So for the purposes of openness why not release? Not like anything else has(or probably will be) done on the PS3.
Now you go and remove a feature that people expected to be included with the expensive device they purchased, citing “security concerns”. What security concerns? It’s not like the exploit can be run even close to without the users knowledge. You have to open the fucking thing up. How could this harm users? Your blog post doesn’t list positive reasons for upgrading like I think most users expect. Instead it lists things you will lose if you don’t upgrade. Seriously?
The PlayStation 3 is the only product I know that loses features throughout it’s life cycle. Software PS2 emulation, SACD playback, and OtherOS support are all just software switches you can flip. It’s unbelievable you would go and flip one, not just on new boxes you are shipping, but on tens of millions already in the field.
Again I’m sorry users. Sony, I expected more from you.
Once again: if you run alternative OSses on your PS3, don’t install the update!
Dear Readers, I love you all! Thank you all for talking back about my recent post re the Pre overclocking issue. Please allow me to clarify something here.
The passage that most of you took offense on was this:
Given that Palm never did this before, it IMHO is highly likely that the Pre has severe thermal issues, which would be exaggerated by raised CPU frequencies! This means that an extensive computing session could quickly lead to a toasted Pre.
Please allow me to explain a bit more. Every object has a “thermal capacity”; which we can imagine like a bucket for water. Heat is dissipated to the environment (water out of the bucket), and it can also be produced from electric energy (water into the bucket).
Obviously, a healthy device would always have an empty bucket/steady water level as all heat gets dissipated – and the Palm Pre also has that. Your Pre’s work flawlessly at 800MhZ – but this does not mean that it will work so for everyone.
Let’s, for a moment, assume the following: you are on a train (aka bad wireless signal), are charging the aged battery (extra heat dissipation), tethering to a PC which downloads Windows Updates, have BT on and – finally – play a 3D game.
Let’s go on to assume that the amount of heat generated is just a tiny teeny bit more than what can be dissipated. This means that the bucket fills up slowly but surely. It might take hours, but it might just happen.
For knowledgeable users (who see that their box is hot and turn it off), this is no problem whatsoever. But lets now put the Pre into the hands of a dumba$$: he could fry his Pre, theoretically hurt his hands due to the high temperature, and sue.
Palm could theoretically have worded the statement as: this is not for dumb users who have no common sense. However, dumb users are offended easily…which is why Palm chose the wording which they used.
Hope to have this cleared up now!
Palm has just – for the first time in the history of the company – stated something about these patches publicly:
We have had a number of questions about the recently released “overclocking” patches and what Palm’s position on them are.
Palm is working hard to improve the speed and performance of webOS, as shown in our recent 1.4 update. While we appreciate the effort the webOS community has put forth to try and help us along that path, the use of this application is neither endorsed nor recommended by Palm and will likely result in a voided warranty. Palm encourages webOS users to let Palm release official updates that provide safe, reliable, over-the-air features that improve their device in a number of areas, as we have in the past at a rate of approximately once per month.
Given that Palm never did this before, it IMHO is highly likely that the Pre has severe thermal issues, which would be exaggerated by raised CPU frequencies! This means that an extensive computing session could quickly lead to a toasted Pre.
Of course, they don’t have the nerves to say openly that the thermal envelope of the Pre doesnt allow overclocking – it’s hard to break them habits if you live under the Orange Orb…
The CDMA version of the Pixi has been on the market for some time; AT&T has recently announced the GSM version. This means that we miss but one thing: FCC certification.
Or, rather, call it missed – the device has just been certified:
As of now, no images have been made available…
Overclocks for the webOS platform still don’t quite reach the simplicity level we knew on Palm OS devices – but they are nevertheless getting simpler to use by the minute.
Two PreCentral forum members have just released an overclock which takes your Pre up to 800MhZ. They describe it as following:
We will release the OS1.4 optimized kernel (720 and 800 MHz) to the public with the explicit that you must follow the below instructions precisely.
This is a collaborative effort between unixpsycho (Marco) and caj2008 (Jeff). Don’t troll on us as we know what were doing because our Pre’s are fricking fast (instructions as easy as 12Pre).
For all information regarding our “safe” OS Independent 550 and 600 MHz patches (ipk installer coming soon):
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So far, a bit of hacking around is still required – if you have a Pre, the desire to make it faster and a LOT of spare time, hit the URL below:
http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pre-tips-information-resources/ …
Palm’s performance has been all but good recently – stock values have been on a steady downward trend. This obviously led to questions to Elevation partners, who own more than 30% of the company.
Reuters now quotes Elevation staff as follows:
“Jon and his team have built the best mobile operating system available today and they are now working through short-term execution challenges with Elevation’s complete support,” Elevation said through a spokesman.
Let’s see what the future brings…
Traditionally, assessing the quality of a touchscreen was an all-human job – analysts like yours truly took a device, tested it and ended up with a verdict.
moto.com now automatized the process using a robot. The results of a comparison between a few popular devices looks as following:
Further information and a video of the test can be had via the URL below:
http://labs.moto.com/robot_touchscreen_analysis/
When it comes to tablets, most users think that they are mostly used for entertainment purposes. According to a consulting company called SyBase, this is untrue – the real reason is productivity applications.
The key quote reads as follows:
The role of new tablet devices such as the iPad has been a subject of great debate recently, and while the study shows that entertainment activities such as watching video and playing games are some of the tasks for which consumers might choose an iPad over a smartphone, work-related activities unexpectedly ranked at the top:
With the imminent introduction of the Apple iPad, more than half of smartphone users polled claimed that they are most likely to use a new tablet device like the iPad to conduct work (52.3%).
Surprisingly, the idea of using an iPad or tablet device for work garnered the most interest from smartphone users, while watching movies and television programs, and playing games placed a close second and third respectively (48.2% and 35.4%).
Three-quarters of smartphone users surveyed believe that smartphones and forthcoming devices like the iPad make people more productive at work, with one-third of those feeling that the productivity impact is significant.
Further information via the URL below:
http://www.sybase.com/detail?id=1069007&contentOnly=true
Don’t ask me how this managed to slip under the radar, but Qt developers will soon be able to add a new platform to their target list. Believe it or not – it will be Palm’s webOS.
A Palm insider stated the following on distribution possibilities:
Well, for one, we’re not distributing PDK apps yet because they need some new libraries that will ship in future OS builds for the devices.
At the moment, you need to install the PDK libs separately.
Either way, it’s great news – stay tuned!
P.S. The blog of the creator is right here…
AT&T’s recent announcement of the Pre Plus left quite a few scratching their heads whether the device was different from the one Verizon sells in any fashion except for the radio.
Engadget now got their hands onto two such boxen, and found no real difference:
Further images can be had via the URL below:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/23/verizon-vs-atandt-pre-plus-edition/
StyleTap, the vendor of Palm OS emulators for all platforms except webOS, has had an iPhone version of the product available for some time. However, it could not be bought due to Apple’s restrictions.
It now looks like my long-term friend Gregory Sokoloff finally got that negotiating with Apple is pointless – the application can now be purchased via Cydia for a somewhat hefty 50USD:
# StyleTap Platform uses another iPhone application called Cydia to do the initial install and subsequent upgrades.
# Cydia is the de facto standard installer program for non-App Store applications, building a list of available applications and then automatically downloading and installing the applications you choose onto your device.
If you have a jailbroken iPhone, hit the URL below to find out more:
http://www.styletap.com/product_apple.php
The largest problem facing the webOS so far was limited availability – in most countries, you currently aren’t able to get your hands onto a Pre or Pixi.
According to the Wall Street Journal, China Telecom is looking at the Pre. But this is not all…
Palm has just sent out the following bit of information:
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France: France is accepting both free and paid applications for the first time in anticipation of the availability of GSM webOS devices on the French wireless carrier, SFR.
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Looks like we’ll have two new vast outlets for our products soon!
Samsung’s bada OS could become a major player in the smartphone market. The first device with the operating system will be called Wave.
We have provided a user interface walk-through in the past – and we now also know the device pricing.
The screenshot below hits us via Amazon Germany:
P.S. For Europe, the price is civil. If you run the numbers for the USA, you end up with 580USD…
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