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Friday, February 20, 2009

Sprint Working with Google on an Android-based phone


We are all eager to our hands on the upcoming Palm Pre, however, Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO, reminded that the company is still working with Google on an Android-based phone. Unfortunately, information about the Google phone is, say, missing. The only thing that is known is that such a device is currently in development and that its release will not be tied to Sprint’s future 4G WiMax network. About the Palm Pre, Hesse says that his company has “high expectations” for the handset to satisfy the requirements of both the consumer and the business customers. However, the CEO has said that they first want to deal with any possible issues before the actual launch, which, fortunately, is still scheduled for the first half of this year.
[Via Phone Arena]

Palm Pre Games


Who doesn’t love playing games? Everyone knows that the best way to waste your free time is to sit back, relax and enjoy your favorite action game… okay, it may be something that is more on the logical side too (but we would definitely prefer some action). We have good news for those of you that both agree with our opinion on the topic and, at the same time, would do anything in order to get their hands on the upcoming Palm Pre device, once it is released. According to Engadget, the manufacturer has confirmed that games are in development for its future flagship handset. However, there have been some accusations referring to the fact that the web-oriented operating system not allow for advanced gaming options. Still, not everything is lost, since Palm has recently joined Adobe’s Open Screen Project, which will guarantee full Flash support for the Pre.
[Via Phone Arena]

Palm Pre Features


Known Pre Features:-CDMA EVDO Rev A / GSM 3G (European model only)
- WiFi enabled with 802.11 b/g (no n, sadly)
- Bluetooth with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support as well
- ARM Cortex A8 processor (PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x+ DSP + ISP)
- 8gb of internal flash memory (Actually usable likely to be in the 7.4 gb range)
- 3.1 in capacitive touch screen, with 320x480 HVGA resolution
- Hardware keyboard, with buttons something along the lines of the Treo Pro
- microUSB connection slot (so it can be connected to your computer and used in Mass Storage Mode; also used for charging)
- 3.5mm headset jack (Woot!)
- 3 megapixel camera, LED Flash, no zoom but extended depth of field
- Accelerometer, Ambient light and proximity sensors
- Audio Support for MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, and WAV
-Video Support for MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 (will also support standard image formats like GIF, JPEG, PNG, and BMP)
- GPS (Navigation likely to be limited based on Sprint coverage, at least initially due to TeleNav based Sprint Navigation app. However, as far as we know the GPS chip will not be locked down, so third party solutions should be available)
- MMS support (along with SMS and IM, all threaded together, though we do not know for sure what the supported IM clients will be, AIM and GTalk are confirmed)
- Flash Support (not at launch, but within the year)
- Synergy (Push support)
- Google, Facebook, Exchange, and LinkedIn at launch, but you can still connect to your Yahoo, Hotmail, etc, but it’ll likely have to be setup to check for new messages ever hour or something of the like
- Standard array of apps such as Calendar (a really awesome one though), Contacts, Messages, Notes, etc.
- Copy and Paste (take THAT iPhone)
- Tethering support (Bluetooth or USB 2.0)
- Universal Search capability (not sure how deep it actually goes though, such as the ability to locate keywords in memos or saved messages
- Optional Touchstone inductive charger (special battery cover needed)

What’s Missing (at least at launch):- No Alarm application (to clarify, you will be able to set alarms for calendar appointments, but there is no stand-alone Alarm application).
- No Bluetooth Keyboard support
- microSD card slot
- No PalmOS emulation or backward compatability, so all the old Palm apps won’t work on the Pre
- Software Keyboard (sorry folks, you’re stuck with the hardware one for now)
- No IR support (it’s finally died…)
- Today screen (There is a pseduo-today screen, where you can see your upcoming appointments and notifications. Mark in the comments put it best: There is something sort of like this in the dash board. When you tap on the dash board to expand it the calendar shows the next appointment, email/messaging show unread messages, etc.)
-No Video out connection (bummer)
-No indicator light (that we’ve seen, though one of those lights in the gesture area might do this, but I wouldn’t count on it)
-No Audio or Video Recording (though this reported to be added post launch)
Unknown Features (we haven’t heard much, if anything about these things)- Docs to Go support (though document VIEWING is supposed to be present at launch
- PEAP authentication support for WiFi
- SDK Availability, while this isn’t Pre specific, we still have no ETA on when this will be released, but we do know it will most likely be AFTER the device launches.
- RAM specifications
- Processor speed
- Battery life (we’ve heard a lot of rumors here, and we know it’s the Centro’s 1150 mAh battery, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say with heavy use, you’ll be charging this puppy nightly)
- YouTube support (I suspect a 3rd party solution will be available eventually)
- Visual Voicemail (not likely at launch, expect a 3rd party solution for this one too)
- Security Options are unknown at this point
- Voice dialing or recognition is unknown, but not likely
- Simultaneous voice and data usage (Increasingly unlikely on Sprint CDMA Pre, still guaranteed on European GSM version).