Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

[editor]

Can you tell me when because I've listened to it 3 times now and the word 'itunes' never passes his lips as far as I can tell?

FYI, Pocket Tunes 5 has just been released for the Palm OS:

You can now synchronize your playlists from iTunes on your PC or Macintosh with your smartphone or PDA. Simply connect your device, and the Pocket Tunes Sync software can automatically synchronize selected playlists, including album art, with iTunes. Never again will you be without your favorite tunes. (Pocket Tunes Sync for Windows works with both Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices. Pocket Tunes Sync for Macintosh works only with Palm OS devices.)
http://www.pocket-tunes.com/

 

[editor]

This to me is the 1st really dark cloud on the horizion.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/921/1050921/apple-told-google-android-fingers-multi-touch

Engadget are describing it as a "sketchily-sourced piece" and it's got even sillier now with a writer claiming he's heard that Apple warned Google against including a 3.5mm headphone jack on the G1 after Cupertino was shown a prototype.

Which is really fucking daft.
Story: http://daringfireball.net/2009/02/apple_google_palm

Best comments on the whole patent shenanigans are coming from Engadget readers:

Also, I have to say that as much as I love my iPhone, if Apple's allowed to stifle other companies' designs, we may never end up seeing the device that beats it. And Apple won't have to compete by adding missing features like FRICKIN MMS...

...The problem is companies are patenting things that are not the result of hard work other than the hard work that goes into finding ways to patent things that are already in common use or are so obvious that they work the way a five-year-old would assume they would work.

Patenting the gesture of moving something by pushing it is not genius...

http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/fud-alert-apple-allegedly-scared-google-out-of-using-multitouch/

 

[Sunray]

All entirely in Apples hands but they can't sue for patent infringement until the Pre goes on sale.

Its very *yawn* because its all ifs buts and maybe's. Apple may never sue, so all the patent web bluster so far will be irrelevant anyway. I'm no so keen to add more.

 

[editor]

All entirely in Apples hands but they can't sue for patent infringement until the Pre goes on sale.

Its very *yawn* because its all ifs buts and maybe's. Apple may never sue, so all the patent web bluster so far will be irrelevant anyway. I'm no so keen to add more.

I just want the chuffin' Palm Pre to come out.

I'm desperate to get my hands on a slick smartphone offering all that smartypants functionality - my Centro is feeling more like an ancient relic with every day!

There's a big mobile event next week in Barcelona and Palm are set to give another announcement...

 

[Structaural]

Forgot the iPhone, forget the Pre

the pomegranate phone beats them all

 

[Sunray]

Forgot the iPhone, forget the Pre

the pomegranate phone beats them all

Everyone on the internet has already seen that.

You'll be posting up a hilarious picture of a cat in a sec.

 

[editor]

The Independent has a big piece on the Palm Pre today.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...alm-can-it-be-a-big-player-again-1606238.html

 

[Structaural]

Everyone on the internet has already seen that.

You'll be posting up a hilarious picture of a cat in a sec.

Damn, you take two weeks off the Internet and the world passes you by...

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Story: http://daringfireball.net/2009/02/apple_google_palm

I was going to post that up, not so much regarding google but for what it's saying regarding the different relationships between Apple and Google, and Apple and Palm.

If that bit about Palm now having a standing offer for Apple engineers jumping ship of a 50% pay rise is true - and Gruber has good sources and tends not to publish stuff he's not sure about - that's practically a declaration of war, and you can expect Apple to reply in some way.

 

[Crispy]

"shit just got real"

This will be interesting, but I hope the pre makes it.

 

[Sunray]

I was going to post that up, not so much regarding google but for what it's saying regarding the different relationships between Apple and Google, and Apple and Palm.

If that bit about Palm now having a standing offer for Apple engineers jumping ship of a 50% pay rise is true - and Gruber has good sources and tends not to publish stuff he's not sure about - that's practically a declaration of war, and you can expect Apple to reply in some way.

Well, if that is true and the number of ex Apple employees at Palm does make me wonder, could this get personal?

Personal battles are never ever good.

 

[editor]

Some Palm updates from yesterday's Investor Conference:

Apple patent battle? "There's no issue with Apple over patents right now. There's been speculation but nothing's been done.

The whole issue with patents is elaborate... We have a big patent portfolio in mobile computing built over 15 years... we did that to have a defensive position in the marketplace. It's like two porcupines circling around... you don't attack so you don't get stung. If something does happen there we do have the portfolio to defend ourselves. We're going to drive the product out the door."

There'll be no more Palm OS devices either...
http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/7091/notes-from-palms-investor-conference-today/

... but it's been confirmed the Pre will act as a tethered modem - something the iPhone still can't do.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Tethering? Excellent!

 

[paolo]

Tethering? Excellent!

Possibly excellent. You don't know what the option will cost yet.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Won't that depend on the network rather then Palm?

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Won't that depend on the network rather then Palm?

Yep that's my assumption too.

 

[paolo]

Won't that depend on the network rather then Palm?

Absolutely. Handset / OS vendors can't give away a network's bandwidth.

FWIW, T/Mobile seem to be the best on this at the moment. For £12.50 extra per month, their Web'n'Walk Plus tariff explicitly allows tethering. Bundled with a 3Gb/month allowance I think, but no hard cut off or extra charges if you go over. They just reserve the right to slow you down. But, with a G1, you get that tariff as part of the contract deal, no extra to pay.

Palm I assume will end up on either Vodafone or Orange. My assumption is Vodafone. To date they've not been very tethering friendly. I think the record monthly bill I know of was 27 thousand pounds, for a guy who had 125mb data plan, and then caned it tethering. Afterwards Vodafone (reportedly) said "Never use your mobile as a modem".

But all that could change when the Pre is launched here. After all, O2 had no concept of an unlimited data plan up until they took on the iPhone. Then they muttered something about a 200mb limit, then quickly dropped that idea just before launch, and now run unlimited (but with no tethering permitted).

 

[editor]

Possibly excellent. You don't know what the option will cost yet.

It's cost me nothing so far with my other Palm handsets as it goes under my unlimited data plan, even if T Mobile say I'm not allowed to use my phone as a modem.

It's all down to whether you take the piss or not, I guess. It's well handy being able to hook up my phone to my laptop occasionally - and it's been a real life saver at times.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

How can they tell if you are tethering or not? When I was on 3 I paid £5 a month for "unlimited" browsing (1gb) on the phone, although you weren't supposed to use it as a modem it worked and I got about 384kbs. Don't think I ever went over, or if I did, I never got billed for it.

I'm hoping the Pre ends up cross network, as that has to help drive prices down, but it would be nice if it ended up on Orange as they are the only network I can use.

I first used tethering about 10 years ago with an Erickon (not sony!) and a Psion over IR. You got charged by the min and it was even more painful then dial up! It seems odd that since the iphone people are now getting excited that you can do it with a new phone!

 

[Crispy]

I guess they could snoop your browser ID and see that it was a desktop version? Also ports and protocols that shouldn't be coming froma phone? Just guessing.

 

[paolo]

It's cost me nothing so far with my other Palm handsets as it goes under my unlimited data plan, even if T Mobile say I'm not allowed to use my phone as a modem.

It's all down to whether you take the piss or not, I guess. It's well handy being able to hook up my phone to my laptop occasionally - and it's been a real life saver at times.

T-Mobile do seem to be the best on this kind of thing.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I guess they could snoop your browser ID and see that it was a desktop version? Also ports and protocols that shouldn't be coming froma phone? Just guessing.

Is this something they could automatically block or would be a case of them looking into if you were taking the piss?

 

[paolo]

I first used tethering about 10 years ago with an Erickon (not sony!) and a Psion over IR.

It wasn't really on the telco's radar all those years back. These days mobile broadband is a distinct revenue stream.

In answer to Crispy's speculation... no, ports shouldn't give it away. They could packet sniff for the user agent (i.e. browser identifier), but I don't think they'll bother implementing that unless tethering "against terms and conditions" becomes a problem for them.

 

[paolo]

Is this something they could automatically block or would be a case of them looking into if you were taking the piss?

If they packet sniffed the HTTP requests, then yes they could drop those packets, or slow them down.

 

[editor]

I guess they could snoop your browser ID and see that it was a desktop version? Also ports and protocols that shouldn't be coming froma phone? Just guessing.

I guess they could do but unless you're seriously taking the piss with massive file downloads, I can't see them bothering.

I've known quite a few people 'unofficially' use their phones as modems with no bother, and I've done it for years on end, mainly uploading HTML edits, web browsing and uploading web-sized photos.

It's a really useful feature.

 

[paolo]

I guess they could do but unless you're seriously taking the piss with massive file downloads, I can't see them bothering.

I've known quite a few people 'unofficially' use their phones as modems with no bother, and I've done it for years on end, mainly uploading HTML edits, web browsing and uploading web-sized photos.

It's a really useful feature.

Sure. The one word of warning I would add though (to casual readers of this thread, not Editor), is - if you're thinking about doing this, make sure that your contract doesn't allow them to charge you for overruns. The fees can be deadly.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I don't see why they should get arsey about it. If your paying for 3gb, then why should it matter how you choose to use it?

 

[Crispy]

I don't see why they should get arsey about it. If your paying for 3gb, then why should it matter how you choose to use it?

I guess laptops can hammer the connection much harder than a phone can.

 

[editor]

I guess laptops can hammer the connection much harder than a phone can.

I always turn off images when I'm browsing via my phone.

 

[Sunray]

Palm OS is finally dead

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/971/1050971/palm-os