Can Palm turn itself around by raising more cash and tweaking its strategy? The only promise for Palm’s future is a buyout. And the only buyer that makes sense is BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.

Many attribute Palm’s failure to bad decisions. There was the WebOS operating system that was open to only a limited number of developers initially. There was the wrong choice of first carrier in Sprint. And there was the bad launch timing of the Palm Pre Plus with Verizon Wireless right after the launch of the Google-powered Droid as well as some manufacturing and design issues.

Whatever the reasons for its failure, it’s chances of catching up again without an acquisition are slim.

Read the full story on NY TImes

Droid · Google · Handhelds · Palm · PalmPre · Research in Motion · Sprint Nextel · Verizon Wireless

Palm Pre (and Pixi) Plus users with Verizon—your 1.4 update is now available as well.

Via: Gadgetell

webOS 1.4

Release date: 27 February 2010

New applications

NONE

Feature changes to existing applications

Amazon MP3
When you download a song, the application shows the estimated download time.
If you purchase an album containing two or more identically named songs, Amazon MP3 now downloads all of the songs correctly.

App Catalog
An application developer can feature a video in App Catalog by providing a YouTube URL for the developer’s application. The URL appears as a link on the app details screen. Tapping the link opens the video in the phone’s YouTube application.

Bluetooth
If you create a conference call from two outgoing calls, you can now end the conference call from a headset, if the headset model supports this feature.

Calendar
You can customize calendar notification sounds in Preferences & Accounts. The options include Mute, System Sound, Ringtone, and Vibrate. The Ringtone option includes new notification sounds to give you more customization choices.
With this release, future occurrences of repeating Calendar events consistently appear correctly.
If you create an event and enters a phone number as the event name, location, or description, you can tap the phone number on the event details screen to dial it.
A new Select All application menu item is available when the cursor is in an editable text field.
A new Sync Now application menu item gives you a second way to manually synchronize your calendar accounts (in addition to the Sync Now button in Preferences & Accounts).
This release improves Calendar synchronization performance in poor network coverage areas to optimize battery life. It also increases the default interval for synchronizing with online calendar accounts other than Exchange accounts.
Editing a Google calendar event on the phone no longer sets an email reminder in Google on the web.
This release contains improvements to the visual calendar display, including a clearer indicator of AM and PM and improved current time display.
If you set VZW Navigator as the default application for mapping calendar event addresses, tapping the Event Location > Show On Map application menu item in Calendar correctly launches VZW Navigator.

Camera
You can record video whenever and wherever inspiration strikes with the new camcorder feature in Camera. After recording a video, you can edit the clip in Videos, upload the video directly to YouTube or Facebook, or send the video by email or multimedia message.

Contacts
Global Address Lookup now appears as a contacts search option when you perform a universal search.
If you import a Mac Address Book contact, all contact fields display correctly in the Contacts application.
If you select the Select All application menu item, text in all contact entry fields is selected.
This release improves Contacts synchronization performance in poor network coverage areas to optimize battery life. It also increases the default interval for synchronizing with online contacts accounts other than Exchange accounts.
Email addresses for Yahoo! contacts now have descriptive labels such as Home and Work.
Phone numbers labeled Other for Yahoo! contacts now appear with the Other label in the Contacts application.

Device Info
You now have two partial erase options: Erase Apps & Data, which erases all installed applications and associated data, and Erase USB Drive, which erases files stored on the USB drive.
This release includes a new Secure Full Erase option. A secure full erase takes considerably longer than a regular full erase.

Email
You can customize calendar notification sounds in Preferences & Accounts. The options include Mute, System Sound, Ringtone, and Vibrate. The Ringtone option includes new notification sounds to give you more customization choices.
A new Sort application menu item allows you to sort the message list in any email folder. The sort options are By Date, By Sender, and By Subject. Tapping the currently selected sort option changes the sort from ascending to descending or descending to ascending. Tapping another sort option sorts by that option in ascending order.
When you receive a message with one or more attached files, the first file to be fully downloaded opens automatically.
You can tap a phone number in the subject line of an email message to dial it, or tap a URL in the subject line to open the web browser to that page.
If the message body contains a phone number and you tap and hold the number, a menu appears displaying options to Call, Text, or Add To Contacts (if the number is not already saved in a contact).
If the message body contains an email address and you tap and hold the address, a menu appears displaying options to Email or Add To Contacts (if the email address is not already saved in a contact).
You can sign in to an email account with a domain of up to six letters (such as .museum or .travel).
For POP email accounts, a new preference lets you choose to delete a message on the phone when it is deleted on the server. The default is that messages deleted on the server are not deleted on the phone.
If you forward a message that contains attachments, and the attachments are not downloaded, the Email app first downloads the attachments and then forwards the message with the files attached.
In an Exchange account, if you delete one or more attachments to a received message and then forward the message, the Email app no longer includes the deleted attachments with the forwarded message.
You can successfully move a message from the Trash folder to the Inbox in a Yahoo! account.
If you send a message with an attachment from a Hotmail account to another Hotmail account, the message is sent correctly with the attachment.
If you send an email that contains periods from an SMTP account, the periods display correctly in the recipient’s email application.
If you reply to an email message with a large number of recipients, the reply screen opens scrolled to the message body so you can begin typing the reply text right away.
If you search a Global Address List for a contact in the Email app, the app returns the same set of search results as if you were searching in Contacts.
Special characters display correctly in the subject line of a received message.
If you are working in one application and perform an action that opens the Email application—for example, by tapping an email address in Contacts to compose an email message—when you complete the action, the Email application displays full-screen (not as a card).
This release offers improved account setup for Yahoo and Gmail hosted domains.
You can select and edit text from a message that you are forwarding.
This release includes multiple performance improvements in Email, including improved handling of message replies and forwarded messages and quicker response times to gestures.

Location Services
If you turn off the Use GPS and Use Google Services options under the Locate Me Using application menu item, the Locate Me Using menu item remains available.
Memos

If a memo contains a phone number and you tap and hold the number, a menu appears displaying options to Call, Text, or Add To Contacts (if the number is not already saved in a contact).
If a memo contains an email address and you tap and hold the address, a menu appears displaying options to Email or Add To Contacts (if the email address is not already saved in a contact).

Messaging
You can dial a phone number directly from a conversation by tapping Text or the IM account name displayed in the upper-right corner and tapping the phone icon next to the number you want to dial. Phone numbers include the type of number: home, mobile, and so on.
You can attach a video to an outgoing multimedia message.
You can forward a text or multimedia message via email by tapping and holding the message and tapping Forward Via Email in the menu that appears. The Email application opens in compose view with the message text as the body of the new email message. If the message was a multimedia message, the multimedia message appears in the Subject field of the email, and any attachments from the multimedia message appear as attachments in the email.
If a message contains a phone number and you tap and hold the number, a menu appears displaying options to Call, Text, or Add To Contacts (if the number is not already saved in a contact).
If a message contains an email address and you tap and hold the address, a menu appears displaying options to Email or Add To Contacts (if the email address is not already saved in a contact).
In a conversation, incoming and outgoing messages are labeled with the phone number or IM account used.
You can now send a multimedia message over the Verizon Wireless data network when the phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Palm mobile hotspot
After update 1.4, Palm mobile hotspot is available as an application on the Launcher. You no longer need to download the app from App Catalog, and the app is no longer available from App Catalog. Note that Palm mobile hotspot requires a mobile hotspot data feature (available from Verizon Wireless for a monthly fee) that is separate from your phone data plan.
If you turn on Wi-Fi when Palm mobile hotspot is on, Wi-Fi turns on and Palm mobile hotspot turns off.

Phone
Multiple sequential calls to and from the same person are now grouped as a single entry in your call history.
You can tap the contact photo or icon in a call history entry to display options for that entry, including dialing an alternate number, sending a text message, opening a contact, or adding the number as a contact. The expanded display also includes call details such as call length and phone number type.
If you create a conference call from two outgoing calls, you can now end the conference call from a Bluetooth headset, if the headset model supports this feature.
If you access the list of countries from the International Dialing preference, you can search the list by entering the first few letters of a country name.
If you are on a call with a contact, tapping the contact photo on the active call screen no longer opens the contact entry.

Photos
Photos you copy onto the phone now appear correctly rotated in Photos, regardless of their initial rotation.

Screen & Lock
New blink notifications (a blinking light in the gesture area) alert you when email, text message, or other notifications arrive. You clear the blink notification by turning the screen on and off or unlocking the screen. The blink notification preference is on by default; you can turn it off in Screen & Lock > Blink Notifications.
Screen lock now supports any timeout interval assigned by a corporate Exchange system administrator.

Sounds & Ringtones
This release adds new user-selectable notification sounds under Ringtone.

System
This release offers better overall performance, including faster loading time for apps and increased battery life across a wider range of user scenarios.
A startup card appears when you tap an icon to open an application.
Global Address Lookup now appears as a contacts search option when you perform a universal search.
If you tap an open contact record in universal search results, the record closes and does not scroll off the screen.
If you are playing a game and a phone or calendar notification arrives, the game pauses while the notification is coming up.
You can quickly unlock the screen by dragging up from the gesture area across the onscreen lock icon.
This release improves the speed of downloading applications and files.
The title bar icon indicating a high-speed data network now shows 3G instead of Ev.

Updates
If an update becomes available when you are on a call, the update notification displays only after you end the call.

Videos
You can upload a recorded video to YouTube or Facebook on the web.
Videos you record appear in the Video roll folder.
You can edit recorded video. You can also delete recorded video, video copied from a computer, or video received as an attachment to an email message.
You can attach a video to an outgoing multimedia message.
If you tap the option to share an uploaded video, you have the option to send the link via email, text message, or Facebook.

Web
If a web page contains a phone number and you tap and hold the number, a menu appears displaying options to Call, Text, or Add To Contacts (if the number is not already saved in a contact).
If a web page contains an email address and you tap and hold the address, a menu appears displaying options to Email or Add To Contacts (if the email address is not already saved in a contact).
This release includes support for the Adobe Flash 10.1 Beta plugin. Note that the plugin is a standalone app that will be available in App Catalog.

Wi-Fi
A new Sleep Settings application menu item allows you to change a setting so that if Wi-Fi is on and the phone screen turns off, the Wi-Fi feature turns off. By default, if Wi-Fi is on and the screen turns off, the Wi-Fi feature stays on.
If you turn on Wi-Fi when Palm mobile hotspot is on, Wi-Fi turns on and Palm mobile hotspot turns off.

Security
This release implements a security fix to the developer portal. It now uses HTTPS to protect all sensitive data. We’d like to thank Andrew King and Michael Siroskey for reporting this issue.

Individuals interested in contacting Palm to report suspected security issues can find more information at palm.com/security .

Facebook · Google · Google Calendar · Hotmail · Verizon · Web browser · yahoo · YouTube

Busy Mom has a 2 weeks review of using the Palm Pre Plus, and they also have a giveaway. Here are some of the review’s highlights:
Texting – The Palm Pre Plus can handle IMs, texts and multimedia messages so you can stay in touch with people lots of ways. I had no problem adding my Google Talk IM.

Calendars – I admit that I am off and on about keeping my calendar in my phone. It makes sense, and I am so much more organized when I do it, but there’s something off-putting about entering dates in a small phone.

E-mail – My favorite thing about the Palm Pre Plus e-mail is that it’s really easy to use, and you can see a list of all your accounts (and their folders) on the same page. No more going from website to website to sign into your e-mail. You can also view e-mails from all accounts merged into one list, but that’s not been too helpful to me.

Google · Google Talk · Handhelds · Instant messaging · Palm OS · Palm Pre · Palm Pre Plus · Text messaging

mlive has a review of the Palm Pre Plus Vs. the Motorola Droid. Here are the highlights:

Just say no to the Pixi – First off, I’d advise staying away from the Palm Pixi.

Design: Advantage Droid
• Both devices have slideout keyboards. While I didn’t like the Droid’s flat keyboard, it does have the option of an onscreen keyboard. And with a bigger 3.7-inch screen, typing on the screen is OK.

User interface: Advantage Pre
The Android operating system has a strange system in which the user has a hard time telling whether an application has been closed, which keep several applications running in the background unintentionally. The Pre webOS “card” system is an elegant way to switch and close applications. Check out the video (skip to about the 1 minute mark) below to see it in action.

Overall
The first Pre was released last summer, so I didn’t expect a completely new device on the market for Verizon. But I wish they could have done more to improve the battery life. I also wish Palm hadn’t wasted their time with the Pixi (which was released in the fall), and I hope they can turn out another interesting device this year.
Both the Pre and Droid are fun and powerful devices, but battery life and apps are clear advantages for Droid.
Two more Android devices (Motorola Devour and Google’s Nexus One) are coming to Verizon in the next few months. If Palm doesn’t offer improvements, the application gap could squeeze Palm out of the smartphone market.

android · Google · palm pixi · Palm Pre · pixi · Smartphone · Verizon · WebOS

Skatter Tech has a review of the Palm Pre Plus. Here are the highlights:

The Body: 4.5/5 stars
The Palm Pre Plus weighs under five ounces and looks like a smooth glossy black stone. The body has a soft feel and offers a great grip. It’s probably one of the best looking phones I’ve come across recently. It definitely offers a friendly and welcoming feeling compared to devices such as the robotic Droid. There’s a volume rocker, a switch to silence your phone, and a microUSB port on the right side. Accessing the charging/data USB port was easier than on the Palm Pixi, however it needs to be relocated to the bottom. If you are holding your phone to your ear while it’s charging, it’s a nuisance since the cable extends out sideways. I also was cautious each time I tried to open the flap that covers the port since it’s quite flimsy. It is also quite tricky to get the flap open; I found myself using nails to pry it open. I feel that Palm has a secret agenda to get us to buy their Wireless Touchstone Charger by annoying us with the charging port. The back of the phone is a rear “face-plate” that comes pre-enabled for wireless charging unlike on the original Pre. Palm also offers a variety of custom artistic styles for those tired of the all-black look. Although there’s 16GB of on-board storage, which is twice that of the original Pre, there’s still no microSD expansion. The only thing under the rear cover is the interchangeable battery pack. The 3 megapixel camera, a LED flash, and speakers are on the upper rear part of the Palm Pre. The power button and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack are on the top. The front of the phone houses the slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a gesture area, and a 3.1 inch display from bottom to top. I found the curvature of the slide out keyboard aesthetically appealing and comfortable for typing. There’s also a reflective mirror hidden behind the upper portion of the phone that becomes visible when the keyboard is extended. It definitely comes in handy for taking self portraits. I’m still fascinated with how well Palm has reinvented themselves with a new generation of hardware, but it has already been over a year and it’s time for another major release.

Operating System: 4/5 stars
A smartphone’s ability to properly bring a desktop-like experience to a handheld is essential. One of those important features includes the ability to multi-task. For instance, the Apple iPhone has taken much heat for lacking that ability. Fortunately the Palm Pre Plus breezes through this with webOS 1.3.5.1. In addition, since the Pre Plus sports double the RAM, it can handle running twice as many applications at once. I managed to run nearly 10 apps at once without any issues, however having too many open can take a steep toll on battery life. Even if there’s enough RAM, the CPU will become a bottleneck as it can no longer handle all the processes. Running multiple programs definitely handled better than the Sprint Pixi that easily froze up and wouldn’t even let me make a phone call at times. The home screen, interface, and major components are still pretty much the same as with last year’s webOS. The default calendar, phonebook, contacts, and mail apps are essentially identical. The Synergy feature does an excellent job which I’ll get to in the next section. The web browser does an excellent job of rendering web pages and that’s expected since it’s called the webOS after all. The pinch to zoom works seamlessly which even the North American Motorola Droid doesn’t have yet. It’s still not as great as the iPhone’s Safari Browser, but it’s drastically superior to both Windows Mobile’s IE and BlackBerry’s browser. Moving on, the Google Maps application is wonderful as always, but still isn’t the Google Maps Navigation software found on Android devices that offers turn-by-turn directions. Verizon customers will have to opt to use the VZW Navigator which costs $10/month. A new v5.0 of the GPS software with major changes should become available in a few weeks. As for getting real work done, a built in Document Viewer lets you access Excel, Word, and PowerPoint documents. If you are ready to grab some new programs, the App Catalog has come a long way. There’s a lot more it has to offer, but it’s still far from offering numbers close to the 100,000 in the Apple App Store. Despite that, there’s a great selection of quality applications for everyone to appreciate. The UI is quite intuitive and I still love the idea of being able to “toss” a program up to close it. The home screen could better use the empty space with some sort of widgets as seen on Android devices, but you can at least customize backgrounds unlike the iPhone. Even with improved support for higher quality games, the Palm webOS probably needs some more ground-breaking features such as Synergy to truly take on competition.

Conclusion:
The Pre Plus definitely packs a punch and seems appealing until you look at competition. The webOS, Synergy, and the hardware are all great, but it’s definitely a notch down from what both the Motorola Droid and Apple iPhone have to offer. It’s especially in the shadows compared to the Google HTC Nexus One. If you’re a Verizon Wireless customer or planning on switching to their network, the Droid is only $50 more, offers more features, and has the same monthly fees. Although the Droid may not have the ability to host a personal WiFi Hotspot, I doubt many customers will opt to pay the extra $40 each month in addition to a calling + data + texting plans. I should note that the Palm Pre is definitely easier to use and has a friendlier feel, but I truly have a hard time recommending it over the Droid. For example, the Pre Plus requires a $10/month fee for using VZ Navigator, while the Droid has the free Google Navigator. The Palm Pre hasn’t really seen any major changes other than the new gesture pad and doubling the RAM and Flash Storage. It was a unique product and fairly decent device about a year ago when it first launched, but it has definitely begun to look old compared to newer phones. The Pre Plus is really due for a major hardware upgrade along with new cutting edge software features to stay afloat. Plus with a few disadvantages such as a mediocre camera, no voice commands, a slow CPU, and a lacking App Catalog, there’s not much it offers versus other smartphones at nearly the same price range. However I should note that there isn’t anything particularly wrong about the device. It’s a wonderful creation, has a great polish, and does what it’s designed to do but simply can’t stand up against competition. If you simply like the aesthetics, the webOS, or need the hotspot feature, then this phone won’t disappoint.

App Store · Apple · Google · HTC Corporation · iPhone · Microsoft · Palm Pre · Verizon Wireless

Wired has a comparison between the Palm Palm Pre Plus and the Palm Pixi Plus, here is the highlight:

Pixi Plus:
WIRED So small it’ll fit nearly any pocket. New Wi-Fi and hotspot features add bite. Comes with Touchstone-ready and rugged skins. Pinch-zoomers rejoice: It sports multitouch.

TIRED So small it’ll cramp nearly any thumb. Mobile hotspot feature eats up waaaay too much juice. 2-megapixel camera is no longer acceptable. Switching skins is harder than peeling grapes.

Pre Plus:
WIRED Small, but thoughtful design tweaks make the Pre even prettier. With Verizon, the Pre Plus finally gets the network (and audience) it deserves. Big boosts in RAM and storage makes elegant webOS shine even more. Still an insane multitasking machine.

TIRED Anemic battery life — especially when partaking in app orgies. Touchstone base not included with purchase. Touchscreen still not as responsive as other smartphones. Cramped keys and sub-par predictive text make typing a chore. Where are the apps? Palm’s App Catalog is still puny compared to Apple and Google’s.

Add new tag · Apple · Google · Palm · Palm App Catalog · PalmPre · Smartphone · WebOS · Wi-Fi

Palm got another shot in the arm after an analyst said he thinks Palm can ship 600,000 webOS-based devices through Verizon Wireless in the current quarter. He also said it is possible that Palm will eclipse Research in Motion’s BlackBerry platform and Google’s Android OS in developer support by the end of this year.

The analyst, Jonathan Goldberg of Deutsche Bank, raised his price target on Palm’s stock, which was recently trading up 5.4 percent to $11.11 per share. Calling webOS a “scarce resource,” Goldberg said in a research note that Palm’s App Catalog already has 1,300 apps, more than in app stores by Nokia and Microsoft. “We think Palm has created a valuable asset in its webOS. If they can grow their installed base of users and keep the carrier momentum going, this value should become more apparent,” he said.

Read more: fiercewireless

Add new tag · android · Google · Microsoft · Palm · Palm App Catalog · Research in Motion · Verizon Wireless · WebOS

Verizon recently added the Palm Pre Plus to its smartphone roster and PC Magazine has some tips to help you get the most out of the phone:
1. Get Used to Universal Search. Just start typing the first letters of persons name and the phone will call up that person’s contact info. If you don’t have that info your phone, Google, Wikipedia, and Twitter searches are automatically launched. You can also use keywords like “pic,” “store,” and “ToDo,” which will automatically pull up individual applications.

2. Don’t Count on iTunes Synching. When the Pre launched, all you had to do was connect it to your PC, and it would synch your music and podcast libraries in iTunes, just like an iPod. Apple was not amused and disabled the feature in an iTunes update. Then Palm re-enabled it in an update of their own. And then…well, you get the idea. I just tried it with iTunes 9.0.0.7, and it worked fine. After I updated iTunes to 9.3, the sync broke again. This may continue for a while. You can always put the phone into USB mode and drag and drop files, but I recommend using a utility like DoubleTwist (free at www.doubletwist.com) to avoid the mess altogether.

3. Turn on Advanced Gestures. I used my Pre for months before Bill Shrink’s CEO Peter Pham told me about this tip. Just go to Screen, Lock, and Turn on Advanced Gestures. This will let you flip through applications in full-screen mode without using the Card View menu. It saves you some swipes.

4. Buy an Extra Battery. Sad to say it, but the Palm Pre’s battery life kind of sucks. I charge it every day, usually both at home and in the office. If you can swing it, you can pay $50 for the Touchstone inductive charge, which is cool as hell, but $50 is a lot to pay for an AC adapter. On a journalist’s salary, $20 for an extra battery is a better bet. You can get them on Amazon.

5. Delete apps with two clicks. For months, I thought the only way to delete apps was to go into Device Info and scroll through a long list. Total waste of time. All you have to do is hold the orange key and tap an application icon. You will get a pop-up window that tells you how much space the app takes and lets you delete it with one click. This is particularly important for Sprint users, since our devices have only half the memory of the Plus models, but it’s good advice all the same.

Add new tag · Apple · Google · iTunes · ITunes Store · Palm Pre · PC Magazine · Personal computer · Wikipedia

Highlights of a review of the Pixi from NY Times:

Twenty-five bucks for an app phone? That’s unbelievable. (Or, rather, it emphasizes how irrelevant a phone’s starter price really is. The true cost is embedded in your two years of monthly service fees–in this case, $2,309.)

Anyway, the Pixi is absolutely gorgeous, with a razor-thin (OK, .4-inch-thin) design. The front is flat glossy black; the back is curved hard rubber. It weighs just over 3 ounces. THREE OUNCES!? That’s insane. If this phone were any smaller and lighter, it would cease to exist.

This time, the illuminated keyboard doesn’t slide out—it’s always there beneath the screen; the phone is a slab design. The keyboard is very tiny indeed (just over two inches wide), but because the keys are super-raised and rubberized and move and click when you type on them, it’s not bad. You wind up supplementing each press with your thumbnail, and it works.

The operating system is the same fluid WebOS you can read about in my Pre review here. Once again, it integrates contacts, e-mail and calendars from all online sources—Google, Yahoo, Exchange and so on—and merges them on the phone.

However, on the Pixi, almost everything from the Pre has been diminished. The most painful change is the screen, which is only 320 by 400 pixels; that is, it shows 17 percent less, vertically, and you really miss those extra 80 pixels. You feel a little cramped.

The camera is 2 megapixels, down from 3. The battery life is shorter. The speaker is quieter. You can’t open as many apps at once.

There’s no Wi-Fi, either, so your only connection to the Internet is over Sprint’s cellular airwaves; cellular connections are generally slower than Wi-Fi ones. (Then again, I’ve found Sprint’s Internet coverage to be excellent.)

Worst of all, the cheaper, slower processor in the Pixi makes it slow to open apps, load Web pages and trigger functions. Sometimes it gets ridiculous; you might wait a whole minute for a Web page, for example.

Google · New York Times · Operating system · Sprint · Sprint Nextel · Telecommunications · Wi-Fi · yahoo

Palm may prove to be Verizon’s best hope if the Droid line doesn’t bear fruit, Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu said in a note today. He points to contacts within the cell industry and supply chain that suggest Verizon will carry one or more of Palm’s webOS phones, such as the Pre or Pixi, sometime in 2010. Sales of both the Motorola Droid and HTC’s Droid Eris have purportedly been “somewhat disappointing” and may lead to Verizon using Palm to bolster its smartphone catalog.
Adoption of the smartphones could happen as early as the first half of the year as Sprint’s exclusive isn’t expected to last past 2009. Verizon’s wireless chief Lowell McAdam has also signaled a desire to attach Palm’s new devices to the network.

Wu adds that Palm has advantages that can’t necessarily be matched by Android. Although Google’s platform has multi-manufacturer support, Palm can directly tie software to new hardware features and supports full multi-touch where Android 2.0 only has limited recognition. Accordingly, Palm can produce a more cohesive experience even with more limited resources.

Claims of sub-par Droid sales are new and may partly contradict rough predictions that more than a quarter million have bought the Droid in its first week. While a fraction of Apple’s iPhone 3GS launch numbers even in the US, the Droid is thought to have had a better launch than the Pre and T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G, both of which are estimated to have moved about 60,000 units each in their opening weekends.

Barclays Capital analyst Amir Rozwadowski partly backed Wu’s analysis in his own note today. He warns that demand for the Pre is “tempered” this fall and that Palm’s limited recognition in Europe won’t help the company but stresses that the smartphone designer is in a stable position with little immediate risk. Rozwadowski also expects Palm to reach Verizon and says it could be a “critical part” of the company’s strategy to branch out to Verizon, possibly with a launch for the Pre in February.

[Source: Electronista]

Apple · Google · HTC Corporation · iPhone · Lowell McAdam · Smartphone · T-Mobile · Verizon