Not exactly a surprise, HP has introduced the Palm Pre 2 powered by webOS 2.0. Despite the difference in reception from the introduction of the original model of the handset and the OS, there are some real changes here that could make the Palm Pre a competitor in the smartphone wars. The device now has a 1GHz processor under the hood, and while those who see the glass half empty might say that Palm should have just waited to launch with a 1.2GHz chip, the glass is half full guy would note that there is a holiday shopping season to be concerned with. The Palm Pre 2 will launch this Friday in France by SFR, with Verizon getting the honor of kicking off the U.S. release “in the coming months”.
Other features of note include a 5MP camera on the back with LED flash and video capture. The Pre 2 now features a smooth glass touchscreen, which unfortunately still measures only 3.1 inches with resolution of 320 x 480 pixels (apparently Palm designers didn’t read the reviews on the BlackBerry Torch 9800). The Palm Pre 2 will support up to 16GB in microSD storage in a “sleeker” package.
The changes to webOS 2.0 include the capability to have true multitasking. You will be able to easily switch between apps without having to shut anything. Related apps are stacked together to help things run smoothly. “Just Type” allows you to start an e-mail, create a message, head to a web site before you even open an app on the phone. All you need to do is… just type. Exhibition is a program that runs automatically when you use the Touchstone charging dock. While your phone is charging, you will be able to see your calendar, view a sideshow, or use any app designed for use while the phone is getting powered up. Finally, what you webOS fans have been waiting for, the new build comes with a beta of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 in the browser. For more information, and to sign up to receive details from Palm as the phone draws closer to a U.S. launch, visit the source link.
The million dollar question is, has HP and Palm made the changes required to get the Palm Pre 2 and webOS2 back in the game? Certainly the software seems much improved, but since the introduction of the original Pre back in January 2009, screen sizes and resolution have improved greatly. Can the handset’s 3.1 inch screen cut it in a world of 4 inch Super AMOLED displays?
source: Palm
Yesterday we showed you some pictures supposedly of the new Palm Pre 2.0. from French carrier SFR. Today, MobiFrance has revealed some new pictures of the phone that shows a few things in the way of cosmetic changes from the original version. Most of what is new in the handset is under the hood and are things we reported on Monday.
Will the total package be enough for this phone to survive? If you had taken a poll in early 2009, webOS and the Palm Pre would have hands down been considered the most likely model to challenge the Apple iPhone. No one could have predicted what eventually happened with the birth of Androidmania this past November. Now with the OS and the hardware considered practically an afterthought, can an amazing comeback happen?
source: MobiFrance
Out of the blue the possible first device from Palm after HP acquired the once glorious, but embattled smartphone pioneer, slid through the cracks to appear on the website of the French carrier SFR. Called the Palm Pre 2, it doesn’t break radically with the tradition, but instead enhances it where it had to.
The Palm Pre 2 will enter the world of modern smartphones with a 1GHz processor, possibly Texas Instrument’s OMAP3630, coupled to 512MB of RAM, which has reduced the boot time, and will undoubtedly improve performance.
The design is more streamlined than the previous Palm Pre phones, and the screen is listed as “flatter”. There is a regular microUSB port, and the overall finish beams quality, compared to the pre-acquisition versions. Sporting not only hardware enhancements, but also a brand spanking new webOS 2.0, its major innovation is touted as push Facebook. We suppose that means real-time feed from the all-important social network, with all its status updates, wall postings, calendar sync, and chat. Not something a dedicated app would not do, but knowing Palm, they have probably nailed the “push” feature seamlessly in webOS 2.0.
All in all, it seems like a noble next addition to the Palm stable, without breaking completely with the root looks, while giving the already excellent webOS the hardware it deserves. Are you liking the direction Palm is taking with its new device?
Just when it appeared that time was slipping away for a new webOS phone for this year, the FCC has given the green light to Palm’s P102EUE. The handset appears to be equipped with a physical QWERTY slider, a 1GHz processor under the hood and it is Touchstone compatible. Before those in the 50 states and territories start getting excited, the model number hints at a unit destined for an overseas launch.
For those with good memories, you might recall that the P100 was the Palm Pre and the P101 was the Palm Pixi. The P102 would seem to be another Palm phone in the webOS lineup. The EUE means that the phone is a UMTS 3G model headed for the EU. FCC approval is still required for such a device if it has the capability to roam on U.S. soil.
Still, all is not lost as recently the P102UNA and P102EWW showed up on the computer screen of certification provider TUV Rheinland. ‘UNA’ stands for North American UMTS support while ‘EWW’ is a code for North American CDMA service.
source: FCC, Engadget
It’s hard to say concretely as to what is Palm’s strategy for the upcoming holiday season, but from the looks of it all, the Palm Pre Plus might not be making itself presentable in a couple of markets for this crucial time period.
Reports are coming in that O2 UK has removed the webOS powered smartphone off its web site and is in the process of pulling it out of stores – with the intention of not selling it anymore. Quite interesting to see that it’s looking to get the boot quickly, but the Palm Pixi Plus is still readily available.
In addition, it seems that SFR France is in the same mindset since the Palm Pre Plus is also no longer being sold on their web site. Speculations hint that this is happening due to the eventual arrival of a successor, which has been heard to be the Palm Pre 2 or P102UEU which was passed by the FCC not too long ago.
Even though the Pre Plus is not being offered online, it could be just some kind of temporary thing, but then again, it could seemingly signal something entirely different.
source: PreCentral
Now that money isn’t too much of a concern for Palm seeing that HP is taking good care of them, the longtime smartphone company is doing their part to help the community with the launch of their “Palm Connections” program.
In helping out communities throughout the country, Palm decided to offer 500 Palm Pre Plus smartphones with $150,000 of service to help specific charities and organizations across the country. Each of the Palm Pre Plus units being given away will come included with $300 of Verizon Wireless cell phone service.
With the program, Palm intends on supporting a handful of “good causes” that include things like sustainability advocates, charities, and eco-entrepreneurs. They’re going to post stories from the various people who submit them and place them on their Palm Connections Facebook page. From there, users can read all about the good cause that their handsets will be impacting.
If you’re interesting in joining the program, you can simply click the source link and fill out some information to apply.
source: Palm via PreCentral
Things are shaping up for the first new releases after Palm’s acquistion by HP. The German TÜV certification standard body, has listed two new Palm devices under the codings of P102UNA and P102EWW, in its database. Given the fact that the Palm Pre Plus in its GSM/CDMA versions is coded as P101UNA / P101EWW, the source argues that what we are seeing finally, is the next Palm Pre in the works. A new version of the Touchstone has also surfaced in TÜV’s database.
Meanwhile, after we reported that webOS is being branded as HP webOS from now on, a few more screenshots of the operating system’s next version have emerged. It looks like video editing and other modern mobile OS marvels will be built-in, so webOS 2.0 is shaping to be another great competitor in the already overcrowded touch UI market.
Some times there are perks when it comes to being a developer – especially right now if you happen to be one for Palm’s…we mean, HP’s webOS mobile platform. Most recently, Palm sent out an interesting piece of information which mentioned that “Qualified Developers” would be able to fetch themselves a Palm Pre Plus which is running until October 31st.
For starters, it doesn’t explicitly say what are “qualified developers,” so it’ll be interesting to see how they clarify whether a specific developer is a qualified one or not. In addition, there is no mention about which specific version that’s being given out – or maybe they’ll be given the option of choosing their flavor; GSM or CDMA.
Regardless, if you’re an existing developer for the platform, it wouldn’t hurt to send out an email to inquire more about this special promotion.
via PreCentral
If some of today’s modern day consoles just don’t feel up to par with what you long for, then you may want to check out a Super Nintendo emulator that just made landfall with webOS handsets. Available for the enticing price of free, the SnesEMU v0.0.3 app will be highly valued to those individuals who wish to experience some long forgotten classic console games in the palm of their hands – literally!
When it comes down to controls, you can either use the on-screen transparent buttons – which can rather be difficult to handle. Or you can simply assign a button on the keyboard that doesn’t take away from your view of the screen. Still, you’ll need some time and patience to get a feel for it since the keyboard may not be as good as your usual game pad. Nonetheless, you can kill plenty of time and relive some of those classic games.
via PreCentral
Would you believe that it has been well over a year since the world was first introduced to webOS? During that time, we saw Palm’s quick ascent to the top where they ultimately plummeted down to reality as they were eventually bought up by HP. However, we’ve started to hear rumors of late regarding a refreshingly new face-lift to the once highly prized platform. Everyone still sporting a webOS smartphone are actually waiting in anticipation for webOS 2.0, but it looks as though we’re all getting a slight preview of the upcoming update.
Chinese website wibozi.com posted some revealing images regarding webOS 2.0 which should naturally get users up on their feet – especially when 24 screenshots provide us all some quick insights about it. Based on the captured images, we can expect to find multiple IM account types, Google Docs support, remote files storage with QuickOffice, Cisco VPN support, and Dropbox to name a few. Obviously this may be considered a boatload of new information to absorb, but isn’t that supposed to happen whenever a mobile platform is on the verge of releasing a highly anticipated update? Especially when it’s more than over due at this point?
source: wibozi.com (translated)
Just when it appeared that time was slipping away for a new webOS phone for this year, the FCC has given the green light to Palm’s P102EUE. The handset appears to be equipped with a physical QWERTY slider, a 1GHz processor under the hood and it is Touchstone compatible. Before those in the 50 states and territories start getting excited, the model number hints at a unit destined for an overseas launch.
It’s hard to say concretely as to what is Palm’s strategy for the upcoming holiday season, but from the looks of it all, the Palm Pre Plus might not be making itself presentable in a couple of markets for this crucial time period.
Now that money isn’t too much of a concern for Palm seeing that HP is taking good care of them, the longtime smartphone company is doing their part to help the community with the launch of their “Palm Connections” program.
Some times there are perks when it comes to being a developer – especially right now if you happen to be one for Palm’s…we mean, 
If some of today’s modern day consoles just don’t feel up to par with what you long for, then you may want to check out a Super Nintendo emulator that just made landfall with webOS handsets. Available for the enticing price of free, the SnesEMU v0.0.3 app will be highly valued to those individuals who wish to experience some long forgotten classic console games in the palm of their hands – literally!
Would you believe that it has been well over a year since the world was first introduced to webOS? During that time, we saw Palm’s quick ascent to the top where they ultimately plummeted down to reality as they were eventually bought up by HP. However, we’ve started to hear rumors of late regarding a refreshingly new face-lift to the once highly prized platform. Everyone still sporting a webOS smartphone are actually waiting in anticipation for webOS 2.0, but it looks as though we’re all getting a slight preview of the upcoming update.