Palm Infocenter

Last week's big story was the public emergence of the first concrete details about WebOS 2.0 from the HP/Palm camp. These tidbits have now been bolstered by a series of leaked WebOS 2.0 screenshots that apparently originated on a Chinese WebOS enthusiast site Webozi (now removed but still available at engadget).

First, a brief overview of some of the coming enhancements for WebOS 2.0: a few highlights of WebOS 2.0 were announced on Palm's develop page. The first is "Stacks", a natural extension of WebOS' existing card-based multi-tasking metaphor. Stacks will group related cards in separate stacks, making it easier for users to juggle multiple open programs simultaneously.

Another new feature that is an improvement of an existing WebOS 1.x feature is "Just Type". Basically a refreshed Universal Search, user-initiated typing triggers the appropriate app or function, such as a creating an email, searching the web, or updating a social networking status or feed. Developers will now be able to tie into this functionality as well.

RIM has confirmed rumors that it has acquired portions of DataViz, makers of the popular multi-platform Documents to Go application suite. RIM released a prepared statement to Digital Daily confirming the deal without going into many details:

"RIM has acquired some of the assets of DataViz and hired the majority of its employees to focus on supporting the BlackBerry platform," the company said in a statement given to Digital Daily. "Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the transaction was not material to RIM in the context of RIM's financial results."

What this means for DataViz's software on other platforms is unclear at this point. It is also not entirely clear how much of the company RIM has agreed to takeover. Just last week the company confirmed it would not be making a webOS version of Documents to Go citing numbers technical hurdles with the platform.

One-time Palm OS stalwart DataViz has just made the major announcement that they are abandoning plans to develop a full version of Documents To Go for WebOS. DataViz announced the cancellation via their Facebook page on Friday:

We regret to announce we have made the difficult decision to cancel development for Docs To Go for WebOS. Unfortunately we weren't able to overcome technical hurdles and that, in combination with another vendor announcing they will bring a competitive product to market, has lead us to this disappointing conclusion.

While this move is in no way surprising, especially given yesterday's Quickoffice story, it does appear to show a tremendous lack of faith in WebOS' newfound chances under the stewardship and financial backing of HP. The fact that Palm's WebOS SDK has been available for well over a year, and the WebOS 2.0 SDK was just released this week makes this decision even more puzzling. Had DataViz made this announcement prior to HP's acquisition of Palm, their decision would likely be far more palatable to the many longtime Palm OS DTG users eagerly awaiting the next-generation release of the product. In fact, in July of 2009, Dataviz formally promised that a full version of DTG was coming later in the year.

One-time Palm OS stalwart DataViz has just made the major announcement that they are abandoning plans to develop a full version of Documents To Go for WebOS. DataViz announced the cancellation via their Facebook page on Friday:

We regret to announce we have made the difficult decision to cancel development for Docs To Go for WebOS. Unfortunately we weren't able to overcome technical hurdles and that, in combination with another vendor announcing they will bring a competitive product to market, has lead us to this disappointing conclusion.

While this move is in no way surprising, especially given yesterday's Quickoffice story, it does appear to show a tremendous lack of faith in WebOS' newfound chances under the stewardship and financial backing of HP. The fact that Palm's WebOS SDK has been available for well over a year, and the WebOS 2.0 SDK was just released this week makes this decision even more puzzling. Had DataViz made this announcement prior to HP's acquisition of Palm, their decision would likely be far more palatable to the many longtime Palm OS DTG users eagerly awaiting the next-generation release of the product. In fact, in July of 2009, Dataviz formally promised that a full version of DTG was coming later in the year.

Less than two months since the initial release of the app, Access continues rolling out frequent updates for its Graffiti app for Android devices. Last week, version 2.0.2 was released and the latest release, v2.0.3, just hit the Android Market today.

Both of the recent Graffiti releases are primarily bug fix updates, the most significant being a fix to the error that sometimes resulted in the Graffiti input box being displayed when a physical keyboard was in use, something I encountered rather frequently on my Motorola Droid. After updating to the newest version, I have also noticed a small but welcome performance increase on my Droid X, especially in the performance of the word suggestion row.

The full list of 2.x updates and fixes can be found on Access' Graffiti for Android page. As always, the app remains a free download in the Android Market for all devices running Android 1.6 or newer.

After well over a year on the market, WebOS device users still do not have a version of Documents To Go with editing capabilities matching that of a Palm OS handheld from a decade ago. Even after suspending plans for such an app, only a vague message about an eventual version of DTG for WebOS is found on Dataviz's website.

Thankfully, Quickoffice has stepped up and make what is apparently a renewed commitment to WebOS courtesey of a recent post to their corporate blog. While not an outright announcement of a full Quickoffice for WebOS, they hint that users will be "pleasantly surprised if they continue to watch Quickoffice and our continued leadership in the mobile space". The full text of the message from CEO Alan Masarek can be found here.

Once considered the red-haired stepchild to the postpaid wireless industry, the continuing economic woes plaguing our economy have brought new attention to prepaid, no-contract wireless plans. Now, a leaked Verizon Wireless screen capture shows what could be the opening salvo of a major battle for more dollars from prepaid wireless users.

If this report from Android Does is correct, VZW prepaid service is coming to nearly all of the carrier's 3G feature phones and their top tier of smartphones running WebOS, BlackBerry and AndroidOSes on September 2nd. Only Verizon's handful of Windows Mobile offerings appear to be exempt from this new prepaid push.

Long past reaching their relative expiration dates, the oldest WebOS devices—Sprint's original Pre and Pixi—have finally seen a price drop from HP's official Wireless Central store.

Sprint's two 2009-era WebOS devices are finally "free" from HP with the usual two-year contractual commitment. Of course, the devices are still being sold for $149.99 (after $100 rebate) and $49.99 (after $100 rebate) directly from Sprint but at least WebOS diehards on Sprint who don't yet have a device can get one directly from HP without having to shell out any upfront bucks. In addition, a $50 gift card is being offered for both Sprint WebOS devices.

After a rather lengthy delay, Palm Pixi Plus owners on Verizon Wireless have finally started to receive the webOS 1.4.5 update. Currently being pushed out to all VZW Pixi Pluses, the biggest feature of this14mb update update is PDK gaming compatibility. With this update, a number of high-end 3D-accelerated games previously only available for the Pre are now available for Pixi users.

Unfortunately for Verizon Pre Plus and all AT&T WebOS users, their version of the updates remains unreleased. The full release notes for WebOS 1.4.5 on Verizon can be found on Palm's support site.

In his continuing coverage of the first new Palm OS handheld in nearly five years, TamsPalm has posted a wrap-up of their preliminary overview of the device. Tam's multi-part preview is available in a number of sections discussing the physical size comparisons with other pocket-sized devices as well as the attributes of the PDA32's LCD screen. Tam has promised to update his preliminary results once he has a final PDA32 for testing.

For those who have not been intently following the long saga of the Aceeca's niche hit of the year, Tam claims that the device is "huge" but has a "...very ergonomic form factor which makes the device comfortable to hold during use". He also describes the screen as "very good" in a series of comparison photos. Again, Tam's tests were on a very early non-final piece of hardware, so his findings may vary drastically from shipping production units. Surprisingly, Tam even appears to give the nod to a factory-fresh PDA32 over a several year-old Palm TX due to its better screen, more bulkier but more comfortable form factor, and much better battery life and warranty.

Palm webOS Facebook fans will be delighted to know that version 1.3 of the native Facebook app has just been released. Some eagerly-awaited features have been included in this release, such as landscape mode compatibility and photo tagging. The full changelog can be found here.

In addition, HP/Palm's very own webOS fan page has just announced over 30,000 fans for webOS. Facebook for the Palm Pre and Pixi can be downloaded here or via the on device App Catalog.

Hot on the heels of our recent news of the Pre Plus approaching oblivion with Verizon Wireless comes another report from PhoneDog offering some tantalizing information about the Pixi Plus.

According to the leaked screen capture, Palm's current Pixi Plus is not slated to be EOL'd with Verizon until March 31st 2011, an end date shared with some more newer and far more popular devices such as Motorola's recently-released Droid X and Droid 2. Additionally, a solid EOL date of October 21st 2010 is mentioned for the Pre Plus, lending further credibility to reports that a replacement flagship webOS device may indeed be due for the holiday season.

Interestingly, the Pixi Plus' March 31st date also is linked to a number of other devices of varying ages and price points. It's entirely possible that this is an arbitrary placeholder date that is subject to change.

After reports earlier this year of very disappointing webOS results on Verizon, the CDMA giant has been surprisingly supportive of Palm and their two webOS devices, bundling in the wi-fi hotspot functionality for free and offering the devices in-store at drastically reduced prices sans mail-in rebates. Now it looks like the writing is finally on the wall for the Verizon version of the Pre Plus, if the latest Engadget report is correct.

According to some screenshots and internal documentation received by Engadget, Verizon is set to EOL a number of 3G modems and smartphones, the Pre Plus among them. Somewhat surprisingly, the Pixi Plus is not set for "phase out" status like its more powerful Pre Plus sibling. Whether this is a move designed to merely clear Pre Plus stocks altogether or making way for a "Pre 2" successor device as rumored is as of yet unknown.

Several recent Verizon Wireless corporate store visits revealed the Pre Plus to be in stock but the Pixi Plus was on display and tagged as a 'special order' item.

During todays Hewlett-Packard FYQ32010 Earnings call, HP Exec Todd Bradley outright confirmed that a webOS Tablet product is in the works for sometime in early 2011. When asked during the Q&A session if HP would be participating in the Tablet category, he replied:

Well, as we look at tablet sales and slate sales that was a big part of the reason we acquired Palm. You'll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future, and a webOS-based product in early 2011.

While the post-HP Palm world has been completely devoid of both new products and new rumors, there have been a few rumblings about forthcoming WebOS products for the fall holiday season.

PhoneArena has a huge scoop on Verizon's full roadmap for the remainder of the year. They claim that their source is "trusty" but of course nothing can be completely confirmed at this point. According to the report, a so-called Palm Pre 2 is reportedly in the works for October, but no other details such as which version of OS will be onboard are available. This report could tie in nicely with last week's report on the so-called RoadRunner device reportedly packing WebOS 2.0. Of course, reports and sightings of Palm's mythical C40 have been circulating for a year now, so until some blurrycam photos emerge of actual new hardware, all rumors should be taken with a sizable grain of salt.

Rumor: As has been gossiped since HP hit the Palm scene, new reports this week are adding even more credence to the webOS tablet drumbeat. Engadget is reporting that during an all-hands internal employee meeting this past Monday, HP Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley (and former Palm CEO) confirmed and disclosed a few small details about such a project.

Mr. Bradley reportedly remarked that the mythical webOS tablet is indeed in the works and is known internally under the code name "Hurricane" as has oft been whispered and even strongly hinted at via the PalmPad trademark filling. Furthermore, Engadget also claims in their article that the device is on track for a Q1 2011 release target.

Palm has released a new system update for Sprint Palm Pre and Pixi users. The update notches the current webOS version number up to 1.4.5 and mostly includes a few minor bug fixes. The update is available now via the on device software update.

Palm details the short list of feature changes on its support site. Changes include the addition of PDK (advanced gaming) support on the Pixi and some minor changes overall, some security fixes and a couple of web browser tweaks.

After months of stories about the exodus of Palm's executive personnel leaving before, after and during the run up to the HP buyout comes the mass exodus at Palm continues. TechCrunch is the latest to report on the latest series of passages, stating that primary Pre designer and 11 year vet Peter Skillman (VP of Design) has left the company.

Skillman coincidentally joins two other fleeing VP's from Ruby's hand picked team reported this week, Katie Mitic (VP of Marketing) and Jeff Zwerner (VP of Brand Design). The latest departures leave a lot of empty seats in the Palm VP bench, with only former CEO Jon Rubinstein and CTO Mitch Allen remaining. So many have left in such a short time that Palm has even removed its longstanding management bio page.

HP today announced that Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Hurd has decided with the Board of Directors to resign his positions effective immediately. The Board has appointed CFO Cathie Lesjak, 51, as CEO on an interim basis.

Hurd's decision was made following an investigation by outside legal counsel and the General Counsel's Office, overseen by the Board, of the facts and circumstances surrounding a claim of sexual harassment against Hurd and HP by a former contractor to HP. The investigation determined there was no violation of HP's sexual harassment policy, but did find violations of HP's Standards of Business Conduct.

Just a few short weeks after the surprising release of a Graffiti app for Android, Access Co., Ltd. has already released two updates. Checking my Android Market this past Friday revealed a new v2.0 update for Graffiti. Today has already brought another update to version 2.0.1. The app remains a free download for users of all versions of Android.

Straight from the Market description, version 2.0 adds the ability to toggle between Japanese and English character input sets. In addition, several welcome features have been added to the standard English library such as word suggestion, auto-capitalization at sentence start, word learning and error correction. Access has also added a direct link to their own YouTube tutorial videos for those struggling with their Graffiti skills to the app.