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| Fri Oct 6, 2006 - 1:19 PM EDT - By Annie Latham | |
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This week there were quite a few stories where folks talked about their favorite Treo software and hardware. Fun stuff and a reminder that at the end of the day, it really comes down to what your Treo enables you to do that makes it so cool.
So let’s talk Treo!
As usual, our first stop is Palm News.
Palm’s Stockholder Meeting – Get the ScoopShareholder meetings tend to be very procedural and as of this writing, not much in the way of news came out of Palm’s meeting held this past Thursday morning. In fact, the release Palm put out the day before the meeting mentioned the agenda was to elect directors and ratify the company's independent auditors. I imagine not too many people were on the call. Palm has provided an audio link if you’d like to hear it for yourself.
An interesting thing about this next announcement is that is wasn’t put out by Palm (at least it doesn’t appear on Palm’s press page).
On Tuesday, there was an announcement stating that the Treo 650 with Intellisync Wireless Email from Nokia is now available for corporate users in Mexico. The Intellisync behind-the-firewall solution, available from Telcel, offers corporate customers the ability to access and manage their corporate email from their Treo 650, greatly enhancing their productivity and access to work-related documents and directories.
I had a hard time visualizing a Nokia/Palm partnership. However, after doing some research, I learned that Nokia had acquired Intellisync, the leader in platform-independent wireless messaging last November. That made more sense to me because I imagine Intellisync is still operating as an independent company.
Speaking of the Treo 650, Palm is letting folks know there’s been a price drop—making the Treo 650 with service from Cingular available for only $199 with a two-year service contract. Or you can opt for an unlocked GSM Treo 650 for only $549.
Better yet, you can go to the TreoCentral Store where there are two fine options for Treo 650s:
A factory refurbished Palm Treo 650 for Sprint can be purchased for just $329.95. And better yet, a refurbished, unlocked GSM Treo 650 is available for just $399.95. Great buys with no strings attached!
… Or perhaps it never really went dormant. Anyway, in a somewhat related story, Ed over at Brighthand has reported the following:
"Palm, Inc. has scheduled a press conference on October 12 at the DigitalLife show (October 12-15 in NYC). It's possible that this will be the venue where Palm will announce its latest handhelds. But even if it doesn't happen there, I'm sure it will happen some time soon.”
There’s food for thought.
Speaking of NYC and the DigitalLife conference, we received this message from Benny: "We would be thrilled if you would let your community know that we are offering FREE tickets to this year's event (regular price is $15). To redeem these tickets, just use the source code INSIDER on this page, where you can print out your own tickets.
Ah. Autumn in New York… it’s soooo inviting (if only JetBlue would kick down a FREE plane ticket, I’d be there).
This is a great deal so don’t miss out!
Seems like folks can’t get enough of that soon to be available, "Euro-Treo.” Several "first looks” have been posted online. Here are a couple that appeared this past week:
"We do have a fair few niggles with the Treo 750v, but are also impressed with a number of features. The good points are very good indeed, and it is a real shame about the bad ones. If you can live with the negatives, though, the Treo 750v is certainly worth a look.”
PalmAddict Treo 750v Review Part 1
Sammy James - McLoughlin provides his thoughts in the first of a two-parter:
"So what is the score I would give to the Treo 750v? Well just for the lack of WiFi and the same standard camera as the Treo 650 I give the device a modest and well respected 8.5 out of 10.”
By the way, TreoCentral will be posting its take next week.
Now entering the favorites section of Talkin’ Treo
Neuros MPEG4 Recorder 2 Plus- By Harv Laser
The name isn’t necessarily cool, but what it does is awesome. This week, Harv reviewed what he’s refers to as a "hot new must-have tech toy.” If you can watch it on your TV, the Neuros can record it and your Treo can play it. Sounds pretty awesome to me.
He states:
”The Neuros MPEG4 Recorder 2 Plus is a revolutionary, amazingly cool product. It's packed with features, and although it's more complex than a VCR, the time you'll spend learning how to use it will be well-rewarded. This is an absolute must-have for anyone who wants to make high quality videos from any source with ease and watch them on a Treo or almost any other portable device you can think of. Sure, it has a few quirks, but Neuros Technology is a company who listens to its customers and this will never be a dead-end product as long as they support it with future firmware upgrades. It's my favorite new tech toy.”
3G Smartphone Smackdown By Mike Overbo
By now you know that 3G (as in third generation), pretty much means a really smart phone. So how smart is smart? Let Mike show you the way in his piece where he compares "a few high-end phones that have been catching a lot of gadget buzz lately.”
Game Review: RealDice WC Poker for PalmOS - By Xious Sonenberg
If you are into Poker, then check out what Xious has to say about Multiplayer Championship Poker(MCP), part of the RealDice World suite of games. He writes:
”While MCP is crammed with features, and sports a beautiful interface, it’s simply not ready for prime time. Sure, the game is playable, and it's a lot of fun with tons of options that make it one of the best poker games for the Treo market. Unfortunately, it's not fully functional and with the numerous broken features and stunted game-play (compared to the Windows Mobile version) RealDice simply released it too soon. But problems aside, MCP is an enjoyable way to pass the time, and if you don’t mind investing in it now before they work out these problems, it is a cool product, certain to impress your poker buddies at your local cigar club or bowling alley."
Note: If you were feeling a bit upset by the new ruling regarding online poker, this might ease the pain a tad.
This week, the fourth TreoCast occurred. The big topic was the recent Mobius conference.
Mobius is an invitation-only community of the world's most influential technology pundits and online writers. The collective insights, opinions and influence of Mobius drives market trends, industry buzz and the buying behavior of people worldwide. Mobians interact behind the scenes with companies big and small to shape the direction of devices, services, pricing, design and the culture of consumer technology.
So if you want to know what went on at the big gathering of these folks, you might want to block some time and give this TreoCast a listen.
Treo Favorites (or Favourites) Abound
This week Andrew at Treonauts took a look at iambic's YourCall for Palm OS, a utility that facilitates "next steps” after a phone call has ended. Andrew writes:
"I am not exaggerating when I say that I consider YourCall to be one of the very best new applications to have been developed for your Treo in quite some time and on top of everything else even the graphics look great which is not always a given for even the top applications.”
Skip is a website that provides users the opportunity to create trip itineraries and make them available for viewing via their Treo (and other mobile phones).
Bob Perez over at mytreo.net provides his thoughts about it:
"Overall I found Skip to be a good program. A few adjustments by the developer could make it much better. But then again, isn't that what Beta testing is for? If you travel a lot, take a look at Skip. You might just have a new favorite for your Treo.”
More Favorites: Some Killer Smartphone Apps
Jamie Lendino at the new Smart Device Central website gives some pointers on some things you can try to make your smart handheld even smarter.
Some Favorite Accessories - Cases for Your Treo
MyTreo.net posted a review of Seidio’s Crystal and Seidio’s Pouch Leather case for the Treo 700p / 700w.
Alli Flowers states:
"Seidio is rapidly becoming synonymous with Treo accessories. They have an enormous variety of cool stuff including the popular skin case. But all I can say about Seidio’s new Crystal case is WOW!"
Regarding the Crystal case, she notes, "You really can’t tell that your Treo is in a case at all. It is minimalist beauty and protection all in one.”
As for the pouch case, she talks about the three major differences from other holster-style cases she’s reviewed.
AlanG over at Brighthand took a look at [two of RhinoSkin's new cases: the Treo 700 leather case and the Treo 700 aluminum hard case. He concludes:
"Both of RhinoSkin's new Treo 700-series cases provide great protection for your smartphone in an attractive package. The leather case comes in five colors (red, pink, black, tan and white). The aluminum hard case comes in an attractive silver or pink. Both cases also come with removable posts for use with the included belt clips.”
Last week, I wrote with disappointment about the SlingBox folks making PalmOS users wait some more before they’ll be supported.
Well in the words of Gomer Pyle PFC, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!” Ryan Block at Engadget notes in this piece that there are indeed plans to support Palm OS. A strategically placed sticker on the box covers the Palm OS symbol.
So my question is: if not now, then when? That Neuros recorder is looking better and better to me by the minute.
I guess the combination of having a full moon this week, Friday the 13th next week, and Halloween at the end of the month is the reason that weird stories are marching across my screen like zombies in the "Thriller” video.
Here’s an example:
As a theft preventative, an ingenious company in the UK has developed a "screaming phone.” I kid you not. And apparently, the screaming won't stop unless the battery is removed. Even if the thief replaces the phone's SIM card, the handset will not work. And why is this so darn brilliant? Because, no doubt, the thief will chuck the offending phone… leaving it to terrorize someone else. But seriously, according to the story, the intent is to minimize the market for stolen phones.
One place you won’t find the screamer is in prison. In fact, thanks to a special cell phone sniffing doggie, numerous cell phones (500 so far) that have found their way into prisons have been confiscated.
Somehow I see this getting worked into a movie plot – here in the States or on the other side of the Pond.
That’s a wrap!
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