News

Report: Treo 700p early next year on Sprint

An organization called Sagio Investments has put forth a gushingly enthusiastic analyst report about Palm Inc., in which they claim that a new Palm OS powered Treo 700p will be available early next year as a Sprint exclusive. The report also makes mention of the rumored additional models called "Lowrider" and "Hollywood" that are reportedly also scheduled for release next year. As yet, there has been no solid evidence to confirm the existence of these devices.

It should be noted, however, that Sagio is in fact Palm Inc's third largest single shareholder, holding over two and a half millon shares worth an estimated $70 million dollars. As such, they have a vested interest in what direction the stock moves. The company completely failed to mention this little fact in their analysis report. As of the time of this writing, PALM stock is up by $1.54 per share, which translates as $3.8 million dollars that Sagio didn't have before posting their "report."

Ethics issues aside, I have a hard time believing Palm would release four Treo models next year. Two, yes. Maybe even three. But four seems like overkill. They would end up saturating much of their market, and multiplying the problem of getting wireless providers to carry the devices. And if they gave providers exclusivity on certain models, it would further limit the market for each model, and drive up the cost relative to the revenue. It seems highly unlikely that this will come to pass.

Sagio analysis report (PDF file, 297 KB)

Sagio's SEC disclosure of 2,520,200 shares PALM stock

These updates are only for the X51 and X51v models, and cannot be used on an X50 or X50v that has been upgraded to Windows Mobile 5.0. According to the Dell site, the update provides the following:

• Support Windows Mobile V5.0 Adaptation Kit Update 1.1.
• Enhance PEAP network function.
• Enhance Power Management function.
• Marathon OpenGL driver update. (Available only on the X51v)

So why is it "sort of" released? Well, the page hasn't been pulled from the Dell support site, but many users--myself included--are experiencing a "Page Not Found" error when attempting to download the update. So it's anyone's guess as to whether it's really available, or when the download will be back up.

Dell Support Site

Dataviz PDF reader inadequate; free solution on the rise

It was a big deal when Dataviz announced that they would be including an Acrobat PDF viewer with their Documents To Go suite for Palm OS. Palm has never had a good PDF reader, with the Adobe version requiring you to convert a file through a desktop before it could be viewed.

Unfortunately, users report that PDF To Go is something of a disappointment. Contrary to the promise of conversion-free viewing, many documents still need to be fed through a desktop before they can be used on a Palm. This being the case, a number of users have turned to an freeware solution made by MetaView Software. While still in beta, PalmPDF has gained considerable accolades for its simplicity and flexibility, allowing users a variety of options for viewing unconverted PDF files. The latest version, 0.6, is available from the company's website.

http://www.metaviewsoft.de/en/Software/PalmOS/Freeware/Other/

Cingular to become AT&T

A little of news for our converged device friends. After spending millions upon millions of dollars to merge the old AT&T Wireless Network and brand into theirs, and unite their company under the Cingular banner, Cingular has decided that they would rather be known as AT&T Wireless. No, I'm not joking. In an interview with USA Today, SBC CEO Ed Whitacre said that following the parent company's just finalized merger with the original AT&T, the combined company would move their subsidiary onto the AT&T brand. Cingular is currently 60% owned by SBC/AT&T, with the remaining 40% of shares controlled by BellSouth. Currently, BellSouth has not shown any intention of fighting the name change.