Palm and Rogers Wireless Bring Centro to Canada

We received a Press Release today stating that the Palm Centro is going to be available in Canada today, but the Rogers site didn't have any information, nor did the on-line help/chat lady.

The Rogers branded Centro is listed on the Palm site.

Palm Centro Smartphone Offers Touch Screen and Keyboard to Traditional Mobile Phone Users

TORONTO, Jun 16, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- For individuals and traditional mobile phone users who want to stay connected with friends, family and co-workers, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) and Rogers Wireless today announced the Canadian launch of the popular Palm(R) Centro(TM) smartphone, available at Rogers Wireless, the country's most reliable wireless network. The Centro is Palm's smallest and lightest smartphone and has sold more than one million units worldwide.

"Traditional cell phone users are stepping up the Palm Centro in droves because of its cool design, full keyboard and ease of use," said Brodie Keast, senior vice president of marketing for Palm, Inc. "More and more people need voice, text, email, web, contact and calendar capabilities all wrapped in one compact device so they can stay connected with everyone who is important to them. Centro delivers all that and more."

Centro has a modern, stylish look that feels comfortable in the hand, and discreetly fits in a pocket or clutch. Centro helps users manage email and text messaging, keep track of their schedules, stay up-to-date on the latest news, capture and share pictures, and get maps and directions with Google(TM) Maps(1) -- all in one small phone.(2) Its full keyboard also makes it easy to quickly type text messages and emails with complete thoughts and ideas.

Additional Centro Features and Benefits

• Superior Phone - Centro's touch screen and full keyboard, combined with the simplicity of Palm OS(R), make it easy to use, with key features such as one-touch speakerphone, conference calling, ignore a call with text messaging and Bluetooth(R) connectivity.
  
• Easy Messaging - Centro's full keyboard makes typing complete messages fast and easy when sending text, pictures, audio and video clips. Plus, Centro keeps all conversations in a chat-style view, just like Instant Messaging, so users can see the entire conversation unfold.
  
• Personal and Work Email - New users to the smartphone world now have an easy mobile email solution. Personal email, such as Gmail and Yahoo!, is simple to access right out of the box.(2) And, if users have to check their work email, Microsoft Direct Push Technology gives users access to their corporate email, as well as the ability to automatically update work calendars and accept or decline meeting invites, all on the go.(3)
  
• Web Browsing - Fast and easy web access on EDGE networks.(2) The full keyboard and touch screen provide quick access to online information.
  
• Multimedia - Pocket Tunes on Centro lets users manage music, audio books and videos easily. (4) Users can also shoot pictures or videos with the built-in digital camera and share them with friends.
  
• Productivity - Centro enables users to easily create, edit and view Word and Excel compatible documents, as well as view PowerPoint and PDF files. Centro also can be used as a modem for connecting a laptop to the Internet via Bluetooth, so users can stay connected anywhere within wireless coverage.(5)

The Palm Centro from Rogers Wireless also comes with a variety of out-of-box software, including Bluetooth(R), Calculator, Calendar, Camcorder, Camera, Contacts, Documents To Go(R) Professional Edition 10, Email (VersaMail(R) 4.0), HotSync(R), Memos, Messaging, My Centro, Phone, Pics and Video, Pocket Tunes(TM), Quick Tour, Tasks, Voice Dial, Voice Memo, Web (Blazer 4.5), and World Clock.

More information on Centro in Canada is available at www.palm.com/ca or www.rogers.com/centro.

New Palm SDHC Development Blog

Dmitry Grinberg of PalmPowerUps fame, is at “it” again, and has created a new blog: Palm SDHC – “The status of creation of an SDHC driver for PalmOS” to document his progress on development progress.

Here’s his first post, entitled “Welcome”

Welcome to the Palm SDHC project blog. Since there has been a tremendous interest in the project, and I am tired of answering all the questions about the status, this blog is being started. All updates and notes will be posted here. This blog is hereby the authoritative source of all news and latests updates to the project.

So far, Dmitry has stated that he hopes to support the following devices: TX, Tungsten T5, LifeDrive, Zire 72, Zodiac, and Tungsten T3. Who knows what devices will follow.

Other than users of the very latest Treo Smartphones, and the very oldest Palm PDAs, there is virtually no one I can think of who shouldn’t be interested in the status of this $20 SDHC driver project. It has the potential to breath new life into virtually all modern, and even those not so modern, Palm PDAs!

Palm Treo 850 specs leaked – it HAS WiFi!

Tam Hanna (of TamsPalm and TamsPPC fame) has just posted a new article entitled:
"Palm Treo 850 specs leaked – it HAS WiFi!"

Here's a brief summary:

Palm’s Treo smart phones have been extremely popular ever since the Treo 600 introduced the QWERTY candybar format – Palm switched them over to Windows Mobile some time ago with the launch of the Treo 700w. However, WiFi has been a notable omission from all Treos so far – apparently, Palm has now addressed that in the upcoming (WM-Powered) Treo 850.

A Palm insider has provided us with a reliable list of specs – the device will be powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 and will have a WiFi radio inside. Other than that, we also know the amount of memory available to users, - generally everything.

Be sure to follow the link to read the entire article. TamsPPC also has an article with the first shapshot of the Treo 850.

This is a very exciting announcement, considering how long we've been waiting for WiFi to be integrated into the Treo hardware, but since this one runs Windows Mobile (which just doesn't work for me) I can't wait to see this hardware running PalmOS!

Palm Canada Newsletters Special Offers

Palm Canada Newsletters Special Offers -- Through Wednesday June 4, 2008
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Save on Smartphones

Save on Handhelds

Save on Software

Save on Accessories
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Free Palm(R) Wireless Keyboard (with purchase)
Buy the Palm(R) T|X handheld and receive a free Palm(R) Wireless Keyboard with Bluetooth(R) wireless technology. Type on the go with this compact, yet full-size keyboard.
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Save 20% off accessories
Save on cables, chargers, cradles for your Palm(R) smartphone or handheld.
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Save 20% off wireless accessories
Save big on headsets, keyboards, speakers with Bluetooth(R) wireless technology.
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Offers available exclusively from canadastore.palm.com
Palm Special Offers 1.866.676.7256

Prices and Savings based on MSRP. Prices and availability subject to change. We reserve the right to substitute an item of equal or greater value. Not responsible for typographical errors. Limit one per customer. Unless otherwise noted, all email specials are offered only at the Palm Web Store.

Watchmaker 1.6 Released!

Watchmaker, an excellent freeware Alarm Clock for Palm with customizable analog and digital clock-skins was just updated by it's author Jaap Steilberg.

Watchmaker 1.6 Features:

Six alarms, with 4 modes: Daily/weekly, one-time, count-up, count-down. Sound repeat and crescendo. Easy alarm setting by tapping a clockface or a number block.

Flash-Alarm: With a single tap on the panel clock, set an alarm within the next hour.

12 integrated skins with analog, digital and binary clocks. Pick a skin and customize layout and colors by your self.

Easy setting of the internal clock with second adjustment.

Drift correction for an accurate handheld without PC syncing.

With one hardware button, toggle between Watchmaker and any Palm application. Take a glance at the clock, with auto-off after 3 seconds.

The panel shows the day and month in the language of your Palm OS.

Needs Palm OS 5.0 and a high resolution display 320x320 or up.

AT&T and Palm Introduce Centro for $99.99

Easy-to-Use Phone Lets Customers Step Up to Messaging, E-Mail and Web Access
SAN ANTONIO and SUNNYVALE, Calif., 19 Feb 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- In an answer to the growing demand for crossover devices, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Palm Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced the availability of the Palm® Centro™ from AT&T. Centro is designed for the expanding base of customers who want a better way to manage their busy lives. The device is available for just $99.99.

Centro offers customers more choices to stay in touch with friends, family and co-workers by using voice, text messaging, instant messaging, e-mail or the Web. Featuring a color touch-screen and full QWERTY keyboard, Centro is the first Palm OS® product to launch with AT&T services, such as XM Radio Mobile, Push to Talk and MusicID.

Centro is the smallest and lightest Palm product to date and works with the nation's largest digital voice and data network. Initially, the Palm Centro from AT&T is available in new "glacier white" with green keypad accents, and, in approximately one month, AT&T will debut a second color -- "obsidian black."

"The demand for crossover devices is skyrocketing, and the Centro hits a sweet spot for many customers looking for a QWERTY device with a solid suite of messaging and multimedia features," said Michael Woodward, vice president, Business Mobility Products for AT&T's wireless unit. "At a great price that can be coupled with a variety of AT&T's messaging and data options, we are thrilled to offer Centro to our 70.1 million customers."

"Centro offers a simple way for customers to stay connected to the people who are important to them while better managing their increasingly hectic lifestyles, all at the price of a traditional mobile phone," said Brodie Keast, senior vice president of Marketing for Palm, Inc.

New Valentine's Day Quotes for Daily Quote

Do skunks celebrate Valentine's Day? Sure, they're very scent-imental! - Anonymous

Not loving is but a long dying. - Wu Ti

Did the quotes above make you giggle? Are you starting to grow tired of all the Valentine’s day crap? We think we have an answer here….

Tamoggemon Software has just announced a new quote database for Daily Quote for Palm OS. This quote database contains approximately 50 quotes somewhat related to Valentine’s day!

Combined with our existing features like 2day integration and quote databases that can be edited on the go, Daily Quote remains the most comprehensive quote management/display solution for Palm OS!

A 14-day evaluation version is available for free from http://www.tamoggemon.
com/pdq/download.php; the full version costs $9.95 and can be purchased from MobiHand! Registered customers can simply install this, or any of the other free quote databases onto their handhelds!