LG Dare Finally Available from Verizon Wireless

Palm Reports Q4 and FY 2008 Results

“Palm, Inc.reported that total revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008, ended May 30, was $296.2 million. Smartphone sell-through for the quarter reached a record high, totaling 968,000 units, up 29 percent year over year. “We continue to invest in Palm’s future and remain focused on building long-term value,” said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer for Palm, Inc. “Centro is a tremendous hit, we are gaining market share, and we believe with this momentum, and the launch of new Windows Mobile products, we will turn the corner and return to revenue and margin growth.” Net loss applicable to common shareholders for the fourth fiscal quarter was $43.4 million, or $(0.40) per diluted share. Net loss applicable to common shareholders included stock-based compensation of $5.5 million, amortization of intangible assets of $0.9 million, restructuring charges of $1.3 million, impairment of non-current auction rate securities of $6.7 million and accretion of series B convertible preferred stock of $2.4 million. This compares to net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007 of $15.4 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, which included stock-based compensation of $5.4 million and amortization of intangible assets of $1.0 million. ” Read more inside..

Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) joins Forces with LiMo Foundation

“Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) joins Forces with LiMo Foundation to support and to unify the growing momentum of Linux platforms in the global mobile market, the Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum announced that its activities and membership will be folded into LiMo Foundation as of July, 2008. The move will encompass LiPS Forum members from across the mobile ecosystem, including chipset suppliers, Linux OS and mobile stack vendors, handset designers and OEMs, and regional and global wireless operators. It follows announcements by other LiPS members who have joined the LiMo Foundation: ACCESS, ARM Limited, Azingo, France Telecom / Orange, Huawei Technology, MontaVista Software, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Open-Plug, Purple Labs and Texas Instruments. The LiMo Foundation is competing with Google’s Android offering. I could even imagine that at some point Android and LiMo Foundation might join forces to compete effectively against Microsoft, Apple, and Nokia’s Symbian. ” via i4u.com

Astraware and Sandlot announce the release of Westward for Symbian S60 and UIQ

“Staffordshire, UK & BOTHELL, Wash USA - June 25th, 2008 - Astraware and Sandlot Games are excited to announce the release of Westward for Symbian S60 and UIQ smartphones. The highly acclaimed game was released for Palm OS and Windows Mobile smartphones and PDAs earlier this year.Based on the hit PC game by Sandlot Games, Westward offers many hours of absorbing game play as players control the destiny of the Wild West by building thriving towns, exploring unchartered plains, dense forests and rocky canyons and guiding their settlers to safety and success.Westward features 4 different locations to explore with more than 20 game levels. Players manage a variety of resources and deal with environmental disasters like fire and drought, all while following the trail of the Mad Russian, a con artist extraordinaire, who must be brought to justice before he can cheat anyone else out of their life savings.Westward has been optimized for smartphones running S60 3rd Edition and UIQ3 and can be controlled using 5-way, key controls or stylus. The game is available now, priced $19.95. To download a trial or to purchase, click here.

The State of Open Mobile OSes!!

“Open operating systems, for most folks, means that the operating system is essentially free. The average computer user knows that Linux is free, as in beer, while Windows costs money. The case is the same for mobile OSes although, until very recently, the idea of purposely using an open OS has been a fairly nebulous concept.
To be clear open mobile OSes have been around for years, starting most prominently with the QTopia project that ran on ARM hardware found in many PDAs and phones. The Linux kernel plays well with almost any platform, making it ideal for small installations.” Read more here:

HTC Touch Diamond Review at brighthand!

“The HTC Touch Diamond is an ambitious smartphone. It is clearly intended to compete head-to-head with the iPhone, and appeal to the average consumer, not the business users that most Windows Mobile smartphones are sold to. To do this, HTC has come up with its own touch-oriented user interface that replaces the standard one.Its focus on consumers does not mean it has been stripped down; instead, it’s loaded with high-end features like a VGA touchscreen, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and 4 GB of on-board storage.Despite all this, the Diamond is intended for people who are looking for something better than a regular feature phone, not for hard-core smartphone users. There are several things about this model that long-time Windows Mobile users won’t like.” Read more here:

Google Maps v2.0.2.0 for Palm OS Released

“As foretold, Google has released a new version of its Google Maps for Mobile application for Palm OS devices today. The most anticipated new feature, the “My Location” service is only compatible with the AT&T and Verizon Cento at this time. The Sprint Centro will be made compatible via a software maintenance release expected sometime later this summer. Palm OS Treo devices are apparently not compatible with the new feature and Palm has no plans to release and update for these devices. Google’s blog post states “older Palm models such as the Treos don’t have the APIs needed to get the cell tower data, so My Location is not available on these models.” Google Maps v2.0.20 also features some additional new features that all devices can take advantage of including hybrid view so you can view satellite imagery with street names layered on top, an improved business and address search, and a route summary that allows you to scroll through step-by-step directions. Google Maps Mobile can be freely downloaded from google.com/gmm. “ via palminfocenter.com

Nokia N78 "over-the-air" software version 11.043 released

“This “over-the-air” software release will not be available through the Nokia Software Updater application, but is available directly through your Nokia N78. The release includes improved stability with Bluetooth (headsets and car kits) and music (playback over a long time and content refresh). This release also includes optimized Camera performance and Naviscroll sensitivity improvements.Technology innovations mean the size of this “over-the-air” update is approximately 2 MB. To get this software through your Nokia N78, click Menu > Tools > Utilities > Device Manager. Select Options > Check for updates and follow the on-screen prompts. Remember that you can also use Wi-Fi to download the update.Nokia provides this software free of charge. However, costs for downloading may be charged by your network operator or service provider. Please contact them for information about pricing.As with all software releases, note that your mobile service provider, operator, or carrier may not have approved this release. Nokia produces many different variants of each product (for different countries and languages) and not all variants have the latest Nokia device firmware. It is our priority to update all variants as quickly as possible.”
From allaboutsymbian:
The first over the air firmware update for Nokia N78 (is this the first one on a S60 device ever?),  v11.043, is now available. This new release ‘brings more Bluetooth stability, has improved the Music Player refresh time, and includes optimized camera performance and Navi-scroll sensitivity. The update is approximately 2MB and is also available to be downloaded over Wi-Fi. Note that this may not be available for all operators or regions.’ “

Nokia Releases Internet Tablet OS Update

“Nokia and Maemo have formally announced the official release of the next iteration of their Internet Tablet operating system. Codenamed Diablo, the OS2008 Feature Pack update includes several internal enhancements to performance, wireless capabilities, and stability. The launch of this update likely signals the impending release of the latest Nokia Internet Tablet, the N810 WiMax Edition, as many of the updates in the operating system pave the way for this upcoming device to be utilized fully.
Some of the major features of this update include:

• SSU (seamless software updating) which enables components of the operating system to be updated without having to flash/rewrite the entire operating system.
• Over-the-air (OTA) updates via Wi-Fi and WiMax connections
• Update of the email client to Modest with several enhancements to the user interface and additional support of several mobile-friendly email features.
• Addition of Chinese fonts to the system font list
• Miscellaneous bug fixes to OpenSSL
• Browser panning fixes
• A-GPS support for the N810 and N810WE
• Updates to the Wayfinder GPS application
• and more

Because this is not a major update, most applications will continue to work from the previous version (OS2008) without a problem.This OS2008 Feature update is compatible with the Nokia N800 and N810 Internet Tablets. Previous versions of the Internet Tablet platform — specifically the Nokia 770 – are not supported.
Users can download the update via the following links:

• N800 Users
• N810 Users ” via brighthand.com

Nokia to acquire Symbian to enable evolution of the leading open mobile platform

“Nokia today announced it has launched a cash offer to acquire all of the shares of Symbian Limited that Nokia does not already own, at a price of EUR 3.647 per share.  The net cash outlay from Nokia to purchase the approximately 52% of Symbian Limited shares it does not already own will be approximately EUR 264 million.  Nokia has received irrevocable undertakings from Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Panasonic Mobile Communications Co. Ltd. and Siemens International Holding BV to accept the offer, representing approximately 91% of the Symbian shares subject to the offer.  Nokia also expects Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to accept the offer. The acquisition is a fundamental step in the establishment of the Symbian Foundation, announced today by Nokia, together with AT&T, LG Electronics, Motorola, NTT DOCOMO, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone. More information about the planned foundation can be found at www.symbianfoundation.org. ” Read more inside..