Palm unveils the Foleo

From Palm Inc.:

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 30, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Building on its vision that the future of personal computing is mobile computing, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced the Palm(R) Foleo(TM), its first smartphone companion product. The Foleo mobile companion has a large screen and full-size keyboard with which to view and edit email and office documents residing on a smartphone. Edits made on Foleo automatically are reflected on its paired smartphone and vice versa. Foleo and its paired smartphone stay synchronized throughout the day or at the touch of a button. This powerful combination is for productivity-minded business people who want a more complete mobile solution for email, attachments and access to the web.(1)

The Foleo mobile companion turns on and off instantly and features fast navigation, a compact and elegant design, 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(R) wireless technology and uses the smartphone's radio or the Foleo's built-in Wi-Fi radio for general Internet connectivity. [Read More]

Cake Mania: Back to the Bakery Review

Having immensely enjoyed the first installment of the Cake Mania series, I jumped at the opportunity to review the expansion to the popular game, Cake Mania: Back to the Bakery. Being an expansion, there aren't too many new things to be expected. What do you do in the game? Basically you use your stylus to perform tasks in baking cakes that match the orders of your customers. All the while the clock is ticking, but there are other distractions such as cupcakes and a TV to keep your customers patient. Gameplay and the basic feel of the game remains identical to the first Cake Mania. The only real difference from it is that the story is different and some of your customers are different. Difficulty? Not hard at all if you've been through the first Cake Mania, and it's not hard to get up to speed either. In fact, I've consistently surpassed the "Baker's Goal" for each level, several times by $500 (quite significant).

While the first game involved moving into different stores every "year" in the game in order to save up enough to buy back Evan's Bakery for the heroine's grandparents, the expansion has a different story. You're stuck in Evan's Bakery, but now you've entered a contest where the grand prize is a Hawaiian vacation. This you want to win for your grandfolks, so you're on a renovation shoping spree to prettify the bakery for the contest. Watching the bakery change its furnishings every few months is new to this game.

All in all, a great little game that is ideal for mobile devices. It's easy to pick up, fun to play, and makes great use of the touchscreen, like the one on the Treo 680 I tested this on. An excellent example of casual gaming!

By the way, my high score was 44545. ^_^

Astraware honoured with Passport Exporter of the Year Award

PRESS RELEASE

Astraware honoured with Passport Exporter of the Year Award

KEELE, Staffordshire, UK - May 21st, 2007 - Astraware is very excited to announce that they have been honoured with the award for Passport Exporter of the Year for West Midlands, from UK Trade & Investment.

The Passport Exporter of the Year award is given to the company that is judged to have made the best use of innovation, improving processes and/or products/services whilst entering new markets, and the panel particularly commended Astraware's approach to market entry by building up key relationships with companies such as Palm, Inc. and Microsoft. Astraware was also praised for its product development, and for choosing tactics and growth rate with care.

"It is tremendously exciting to receive this recognition by UK Trade & Investment," said David Oakley, Astraware's CTO. "This award will help us to continue to expand our exports into new territories."

"While it has been relatively easy for us as a British company building links with US companies," said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware, "it has been great to get the additional support to help us make the right links to succeed in the Far East - a huge market and opportunity for us!

"Doug Mahoney, international trade director for UK Trade & Investment in the West Midlands, said: "I congratulate the team at Astraware on their thoroughly deserved success following their work on the Passport scheme with the Staffordshire international trade team, who will continue to provide them with ongoing support.

"Not only do they have highly sophisticated products and services, but they have gone to great care to select the right international markets at the right time, and to nurture excellent relationships with overseas partners.

"The awards ceremony was held at The Thinktank in Birmingham on Friday 18th May and Astraware's CEO, Howard Tomlinson, and CTO, David Oakley accepted the award from Doug Mahoney, International Trade Director, UK Trade & Investment, West Midlands, in front of an audience of other award winners and nominees. Also in attendance from Astraware were Alison Barclay, CCO; Priscilla Cordova, Partner Manager; Roland Glew, QA Tester; Iain Moore, Windows Mobile Lead Developer; and Kirsten Tomlinson, Customer Service and QA Tester.

About Astraware

Founded in 1994, Astraware Limited develops, publishes and distributes games for mobile devices. Some of the company's best known handheld titles include PopCap Games’ Bejeweled®, Zuma®, and Insaniquarium®, Sandlot Games®’ Tradewinds®, and Astraware Sudoku and Zap!2000/2016. Astraware is a Microsoft® Certified Gold Partner. Mobile gaming enthusiasts have downloaded more than 50 million copies of Astraware's products, and the company has customers in over 100 countries. For more information, contact Alison Barclay at alison@astraware.com, or visit http://www.astraware.com.

About UK Trade & Investment

UK Trade & Investment is the government organisation that provides integrated support services for UK companies engaged in overseas trade and foreign enterprises seeking to locate in the UK. It brings together the work of teams in British embassies and FCO posts overseas and government departments across Whitehall. In England, international trade support is coordinated by nine International Trade Directors working in partnership with each Regional Development Agency. UK Trade & Investment services are delivered locally through a network of International Trade Teams. The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements for local delivery of services. For more information visit the website http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

Astraware's Packs of Fun - save bagfuls on selected value packs of games!

KEELE, Staffordshire, UK - May 18th, 2007 - Astraware is excited to announce their Packs of Fun promotion, where you can save bagfuls on their most popular value packs of games. From Friday 18th May to Monday 28th May you can save on a selected range of game packs with up to 6 titles in each.

Packs of Fun is a fantastic opportunity to pick up a bargain on PopCap Games Pack 1, featuring Bejeweled, Alchemy and 3 other great titles, or the Family Games Pack including Insaniquarium, Bzzz! and 4 more fun, family-friendly games. There are 6 different packs to choose from and every one is discounted by $10, so get them now, this offer is only available for a limited time!

To bag yourself a bargain, head over to the Astraware website at http://www.astraware.com/, but hurry, the sale ends on May 28th 2007!

About Astraware

Founded in 1994, Astraware Limited develops, publishes and distributes games for mobile devices. Some of the company's best known handheld titles include PopCap Games’ Bejeweled®, Zuma®, and Insaniquarium®, Sandlot Games®’ Tradewinds®, and Astraware Sudoku and Zap!2000/2016. Astraware is a Microsoft® Certified Gold Partner. Mobile gaming enthusiasts have downloaded more than 50 million copies of Astraware's products, and the company has customers in over 100 countries. For more information, contact Alison Barclay at alison@astraware.com, or visit http://www.astraware.com/.

Special Offer !!! TREO Users !!!

Are you a heavy Treo user like me? Are you tired of charging your smartphone all the time just because your battery would not give you more than 4 hours of talktime? Well, as dependant as I was to my Treo, I decided to get a spare battery ($84.95 CAD) at Palm Online Store for emergency purposes in case the first one runs out .

At first, I thought my problem was solved but little did I know the second battery will be on 'idle' mode until I get to charge it with my Treo 650 itself. Then, Palm came out with this brilliant idea of manufacturing a portable treo battery charger which from a personal point of view is convenient to my needs. An extra $23.95 CAD will be added to my total cost.

Oh!!! I should have been patient, I should have waited. Palm Online Store is now offering this practical charger 'FREE' when you buy the Palm standard Battery. I would like to mention that the offer comes only with the battery for the 650 and 700's but the Treo battery charger is compatible with the 680 and 750 as well. The offer is valid until May 23rd,2007.

For more info: Visit http://canadastore.palm.com

Evolving Technology...

MyPalm beta is the new program that was launched by Palm this month itself. The web-based program promises amazing services, should a Treo user decide to register for free.
Registered users will enjoy an exclusive 24/7 hotline assistance and additional benefits as follow:

• Wireless delivery of software and services
• Alerts and updates about the software and accessories you own
• Insider tips and "how to's"
• A personal MyPalm account and homepage
• and more ...

The service is currently available for wireless carriers in the US only, but Treo users in CANADA are to join the wagon in the days to come. To take full advantage of the service, it is strongly recommended to sign up for an unlimited data plan with your mobile carrier.

For more info: Visit http://www.palm.com/mypalm

*The 24/7 hotline assistance seems not to be related to the existing complimentary 90 days technical support by phone.

Palm Treo 755p Announced!

From Palm Inc.:

Evolving the Treo(TM) product line to keep mobile professionals connected, productive and entertained, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today introduced the Treo 755p smart device, a new Palm OS(R) Treo for Sprint (NYSE:S). The CDMA Treo 755p is the first Treo device to offer built-in Microsoft Direct Push Technology email support; Google Maps for mobile; and the latest Treo design, with integrated antenna, slimmer form factor and mini-SD slot.(1) Sprint is the first carrier selling the next-generation Treo 755p, which is available for as low as $279.99 with a two-year service agreement and a $100 mail-in rebate, and is available starting mid-May in two fashionable colors - midnight blue and burgundy.

The new Treo 755p brings customers quick, wireless access to web, email, business, multimedia applications and instant messaging (IM) for Sprint customers nationwide (standard text and Vision charges apply where applicable).(2) The Treo 755p runs on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, the nation's largest mobile broadband network - reaching more than 206 million people across the country in more than 11,000 cities and 1,000 airports. [Read More]

More information about the Treo 755p can be found at http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo755p/

Palm to offer $10,000 cash prize for its Treo Windows Mobile developer contest

Palm to offer $10,000 cash prize for its Treo Windows Mobile Developer contest


With less than a month to go, Palm is calling all the developers out there to join its Treo Windows Mobile challenge contest. The contest seeks the 'hottest' new Windows Moblie Application that will run on their Treo 700w, 700wx, 750 and 750v smartphones.

To widen the contest, developers are given the opportunity to port existing applications to the Windows Mobile platform or develop a 'hard-to-resist' new software application which may be freeware, shareware or commercial. All submitted entries will be judged on originality, usability, reliability and compatibility without forgetting to mention the 'Wow' factor of graphical look and feel.

On June 7th at Microsoft's Tech Ed conference in Orlando, Florida, four finalists and one grand prize winner will be chosen. Though each one of the four finalists will get to carry home some fancy Palm and Microsoft gadgets, the grand winner will cash in $10,000 and many other surprising gifts. Time to show your talents! developers.

*All contest entries must be submitted by June 5th, 2007.
For more info: Visit Palm Developer Network site at : http://pdn.palm.com