I will be updating the website with news and more reviews soon.

Thanks!

Bill

This place has it all: more than 5,000 square feet; home entertainment; music, video and games; more than three dozen screens; and the latest, coolest, hottest wireless phones. This place also lets customers look at, touch and experience everything in the store.

The more than 5,000-square-foot store will feature several new retail concepts, including six integrated “customer experience” stations that encourage customer interaction with cutting-edge wireline, wireless and converged services. In addition, knowledgeable store personnel will be on hand throughout the store and within each of the stations to guide consumers through product trials and purchasing decisions.

In addition, a centrally located Personal Style Studio will showcase high-end accessories and will allow customers to purchase external wireless features, such as ringtones, crystal handset designs and phone “tattoos”, or pictures that customers can download to a laptop in-store, print on a sticker and apply to wireless phones.

Other unique features include more than three-dozen screens located throughout the store. On these screens, visitors can learn about and experience a variety of AT&T products and services, including broadband, wireless, voice and video. Digital messages that inform customers about the variety of lifestyle, product and feature benefits will be displayed throughout the store on 32-inch LCD screens. A series of “Guided Selling Kiosks” also provide valuable information to assist employees and customers during the sales process.

http://www.att.com/newsroom

The Foleo mobile companion turns on and off instantly and features fast navigation, a compact design at only 2.5 pounds, and a battery that lasts up to 5 hours of use. Its applications include email, full-screen web browser, and editors or viewers for common business documents such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. The Foleo stays synchronized via Bluetooth wireless technology and uses the smartphone’s radio or the Foleo’s built-in Wi-Fi radio for general Internet connectivity.

Foleo mobile companions work with Palm’s Treo smartphones (Palm OS and Windows Mobile versions). However, Palm believes that most smartphones based on Windows Mobile should work with little or no modification. Smartphones based on operating systems from Research in Motion, Apple, and Symbian likely can be supported with a modest software effort. The Foleo’s synchronization architecture is open, and Palm expects to work with third-party developers to support as many smartphones as possible.

U.S. availability for the Palm Foleo mobile companion will begin this summer. The price of the Foleo mobile companion is expected to be $499 after an introductory $100 rebate. http://www.palm.com/seefoleo

Microsoft Corp. unveiled Windows Mobile 6, the newest version of its mobile software platform. Improving usability and adding support for Microsoft Office features previously available only on PCs. Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 looks to meet the needs of work and life while on the go, all with a single device. Yeah; But I was getting that already with my Windows Moble 5 device I thought. This looks a lot better.

However they do claim Better-looking e-mail, Ease of viewing and editing of Office system documents, E-mail management and setup with fewer clicks, Synchronization with Windows Vista, Smart calendar bar,
Web search, e-mail, instant messaging (IM) and blogging all together, and Contacts with context.

MobileTechReview has published an in-depth review of the Palm Treo 750 Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone.

“No, it’s not an earth-shattering Treo, but it’s by no means a re-warmed Treo 700wx either. The Treo 750 offers very good performance, an improved camera, enhanced video playback, a more solid Bluetooth implementation in a lighter, slimmer, antenna-less casing. And best of all for Cingular customers, a Windows Mobile Treo is finally available for GSM! While we found some Treo models too quiet (i.e.: the Treo 650) and only average on call quality, the Treo 750 is both loud and land line clear.”

Read the full review at: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/phones/Treo-750.htm

Tim Nicholson of Palmzone.net wrote this editorial recently; while it talks about a Windows Mobile device, the point of the article really is why can’t Palm make a Motorola RAZR that runs the Palm
OS??

Blurb:

Ever since the initial release of the Motorola RAZR, I’ve been jealous of the slim design, large screen, and the overall style of it. Of course, I never purchased one because I’m a Palm OS fan! However, pretty much everyone else on the planet has since gotten one of these pieces of artwork that functions as a phone. Sure, I’m a big fan of the Treo as are millions of other folks, but the Treo fans are in love with the phone’s capabilities, while the RAZR fans are in love with its design. See the Motorola RAZR in our Amazon.com Store. The big downside to the RAZR, in my opinion, is that Motorola refuses to produce a full suite of usable Personal Information Management (PIM) applications.

Now comes the Cingular 3125, otherwise known as the Qtek 8500 and other brands throughout the world. Its a Windows Mobile smartphone that’s a flip-phone style. Its thin and black, like the RAZR. Without a dedicated keyboard, its certainly not as easy to respond to emails, but its a fully-functional smartphone. It has a 1.2 MPx camera, email, internet, and just about everything else you’d need in a smartphone.

http://www.palmzone.net/article.php?sid=954

This morning Palm is announcing its strong support for California SB-1613 (Senator Joe Simitian’s D-Palo Alto), the hands-free cell phone bill that Governor Schwarzenegger will sign into law today. The law will require California drivers who choose to use a cell phone while driving to use a hands-free device.

Palm believes that SB-1613 responsibly addresses evidence that handheld cell phone use increases the risk of accidents, while preserving the benefits associated with cell phone usage by California drivers.  Palm also believes that while this bill is not the first in the United States, its passage in California could be instrumental in leading other states to follow suit and improve driving safety.

California’s largest producer of cell phones, Palm is the first and only cell-phone manufacturer to publicly support the bill.

I give them credit for being Johny-on-the-spot however what manufacturer will not be endorsing SB-1613?

Mobility Electronics announced the launch of the Stowaway Sierra, a next generation portable Bluetooth keyboard designed specifically for smartphone users. The Stowaway Sierra portable keyboard includes five rows and full-size keys, providing the closest replication of a traditional desktop keyboard available on the market.

We reviewed the Think Outside Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard last November.

Key Features: Over-the-air driver installation-no PC needed. Quickly type email, memos, or surf the web in optimum comfort. Works with almost all Bluetooth-enabled devices. 100% full size keyboard for touch-typing. Includes a fifth row of keys for dedicated numerical entry. User programmable shortcut and command keys for fast access to other applications. Power saving - auto sleep mode . Stainless steel and ABS plastic construction - built to withstand the harshest environments. Includes carrying case & detachable smartphone/PDA stand. Weighs less than 11 oz.

http://www.thinkoutside.com/products/sbt5e/sbt5e_product.html

Building on the Treo 700 family, Palm today announced the availability of the Palm Treo 700wx smartphone running Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition, adding another Palm EvDO product to Sprint’s product offerings.

The Treo 700wx combines a mobile phone with the power and security of Windows Mobile favored by many businesses. Today’s announcement marks the availability of Sprint’s first Windows Mobile Treo smartphone on the Sprint Power Vision Network, giving its customer base more choices and complementing the Treo 700p smartphone running on the Palm OS platform.

The Palm Treo 700wx smartphone from Sprint is available now at Sprint Stores, Sprint business channels and online at http://www.sprint.com and http://www.palm.com/store starting at $499.99 after available discounts and promotions.

Cingular Wireless, Palm, and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced availability of BlackBerry Connect for the Palm Treo 650 smart device. With BlackBerry Connect software, Cingular customers now can enjoy their Treo 650 with the BlackBerry service on the nationwide Cingular EDGE wireless data network.

Now Treo users can get the Blackberry experience like Push Email; this gives you live email syncing between the Treo and the desktop wirelessly. This also includes calendar synchronization as well. Attachment Viewing lets users view Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents in original format.

The service adds centralized device management, including support for IT policies such as over-the-air device disablement and password device lock, as well as end-to-end security with Triple DES encryption.

http://www.cingular.com/midtolarge/blackberry

Following our movie theme today we would like to pass along a fun little contest being sponsored by Palm. With Samuel L Jackson’s new flick Snakes on a Plane flying a comfortable holding pattern in theaters this week PDAToday has been authorized to run a contest to give away two tickets to SOAP.

The Sprint Palm Treo plays a small but pivotal appearance in the film.

To enter all you need to do is send us a picture your Palm Treo featuring a picture of a snake and/or plane on the screen. We will post the winner and possibly a couple of runners up. Send your entries to Don’t have a Sprint Palm Treo? (insert clever Sprint sales pitch here) Actually that’s not a problem, we will also accept pictures from non Palm devices all you hve to do is click here then send us your non Palm pics. Sorry our sponsors made us do that ;)

Unlike our Tom Cruise/Robert Smith spoof earlier, this is a real contest and tickets will be mailed directly from Palms’ PR firm to the winner.

Good luck and dont get bit!

The PowerSource Mobile 100 is compact; approximately the size of a laptop battery and weighs about one pound. It combines a 100-watt DC to AC inverter with a high output lithium ion battery to provide backup power for mobile devices. It can be recharged from any AC electrical outlet in your home or office, or from a DC outlet in a vehicle or airplane. It provides both 120 Vac and 5 Vdc (USB) power for use with portable products.

The PowerSource Mobile 100 can operate a laptop computer for approximately two hours, a portable DVD player for three hours, a portable game console for 12 hours, or an iPod nano for 72 hours. It can also provide 12 days of standby power for a cell phone and 34 days of standby power for a Blackberry. For more information about the powerfull new product, visit http://www.xantrex.com

(insert joke about about large object in your pocket here)....yeah yeah ok ok I wont be doing stand up comedy any time soon. Seriously, the unit looks like a very handy accessory to have around and it’s priced at about $120 at Fry’s Electronics.

Book Sense, the marketing program for independent bookstores, has partnered with Earthcomber to offer the directory of Book Sense store locations in a mobile GPS-enabled format for Palm OS and Windows Mobile PDAs and smart phones. The new service is part of a trend in mobile marketing that matches on-the-go consumers with their personal interests.

Whether users of the guide are traveling or exploring their own hometowns, Earthcomber will now help them find all independent booksellers that are a part of the Book Sense network in addition to local hotels, unique shops, local services, restaurants, businesses, events and relocation information that already are a part of the 1.5 million points of interest that come with the free Earthcomber dataset.

This is really neat. It’s great to see usefull meta data for daily use that’s geared for the average user.

http://earthcomber.com/

Sprint will get the first crack at selling Palm’s new Treo 700p, making the smart phone available to its customers by the end of the month.

Verizon Wireless was the exclusive launch partner for the Windows Mobile Treo 700w, but Sprint’s EV-DO (evolution data-optimized) network will be the first to carry the Palm OS-version of the phone. It will cost $399 after rebates and discounts, according to a press release.

Sprint will offer its Sprint TV streaming television service on the 700p, taking advantage of the average download speeds of 400Kbps to 700Kbps provided by EV-DO networks. Sprint’s other Palm OS device, the Treo 650, ran on slower networks that some application developers, like Sling Media, said isn’t suitable for some types of streaming video.

More: http://news.com.com/Palm+Treo+700p+available+first+from+Sprint/2100-1041_3-6072844.html

Right now if you buy SplashMoney for Palm OS, the company’s personal finance application, or SplashShopper for Palm OS, a shopping list manager, you get the other program for free.

SplashMoney is a personal finance application that allows you to manage your finances while on the go. Connect to your online bank from your desktop computer or wireless handheld and download transactions directly into SplashMoney. 

SplashShopper is a shopping list application that is perfect for keeping lists of any kind, including groceries to buy, movies to rent, CDs to buy, books to read and more!  Easily manage and synchronize shopping lists on your handheld and desktop. 

To get to the promotion offer directly, go to http://www.splashdata.com/splashmoney and click on the “Two for One” button.