Palm Pixi » Commentary

Sprint Palm Pixi Gets Wi-Fi Courtesy Radio Board Hack

Matt — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:07:04 +0000

There's good news for Sprint Palm Pixi users who complain about the lack of Wi-Fi capabilities on their devices. A PreCentral forum member gitit20 has created a neat hack to rip the radio board off a Verizon Palm Pixi Plus and then transplant it into a Sprint Palm Pixi. After you install the new radio board, your Sprint Palm Pixi is well and truly 'Wi-Fi capable'. Smart piece of thinking and very innovative too!

The hacker claims that Sprint & Verizon Palm Pixi are exactly identical sans the Wi-Fi capabilities. All you need to do is swap the radio boards and run the Sprint webOS doctor - you should be all set to access Wi-Fi internet on your Sprint Palm Pixi. And if you want to do it yourself, checkout this handy step-by-step video on how you can make your Sprint Palm Pixi Wi-Fi capable.

The only apparent drawback of this hack is that Sprint Nav no longer works and is replaced by Verizon Nav - not a big deal if you are not a heavy GPS user. However, if you frequently use your Palm Pixi for navigation purpose, think twice before you apply this hack on your phone.

I wonder if this hack will be a lesson for Palm & Sprint in order to release a Wi-Fi capable Palm Pixi sooner than later. After all, the Palm Pixi desperately needs a facelift!

webOS 1.4.5 Status Update

Matt — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:36:13 +0000

The much anticipated webOS 1.4.5 update is now available for O2 subscribers in Germany. As reported by PreCentral, the update is 9 MB in size and downloads pretty quickly on the O2 network. The update fixes a ‘rare problem so that podcasts now download correctly’. Apart from this fix, the update finally brings 3D gaming support on the Palm Pixi. While Palm Pre owners on O2 have already enjoyed 3D gaming on their devices for a while now, Palm Pixi owners were left in the lurch. It's fair to say that this update restores parity amongst Pre and Pixi users for providing an enhanced gaming experience.

Though Palm published the 1.4.5 Change Log on its website on June 24th, there is still no sign of the software update on Sprint network. We will keep you posted as soon as 1.4.5 is available on the Sprint network. Meanwhile, it doesn't harm to occasionally click the 'Update' button on your webOS devices.

webOS 1.4.5 is a major milestone from a developer perspective as well. It is the first release to combine SDK and PDK into a single tool and there's a new API which lets a developer close a specific stage of an application if things go wrong. There's exhaustive documentation for the new APIs and a PDK Technical FAQ to ensure that developers do not get lost.

HP Wireless Central Offering Free Palm Pre Plus & Palm Pixi Plus (on Contract)

Matt — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:02:00 +0000

HP's recently launched online shopping store - HP Wireless Central is offering your favorite Palm devices free on contract. To make the deal even more lucrative, HP is offering free goodies, zero cost activation and free shipping on select models as well. You can choose from the following devices

Palm Pixi Plus (Black) on Verizon Wireless/ AT&T - offers free activation + free shipping via FedEx
Palm Pre Plus (Black) on Verizon Wireless/ AT&T - offers free shipping via FedEx + free Renegade Mini Bluetooth Headset (worth $49.99) + free Axiom Premium Genuine Leather Case (worth $29.99) + free Premium In-vehicle Charger (worth $19.99)
Palm Pre (Black) on Sprint - costs $99.99, offers free shipping via FedEx
Palm Pixi (Black) on Sprint - costs $19.99, offers free shipping via FedEx

There's every reason for Sprint customers to feel that they've been given a raw deal. Not only do the Sprint devices cost more, there are no free accessories either. IMO, it's hard to understand Sprint's stubborn pricing stand on webOS devices when competitors are offering these devices for free. When it comes to AT&T and Verizon Wireless, their pricing is not much of a surprise. A while back, we'd reported that AT&T started offering the Blue Palm Pixi Plus for free on contract. Shortly after this announcement, Amazon declared that it's selling the Palm Pre Plus (both AT&T and Verizon) for one cent.

If you were looking for a good deal on a Palm webOS device, NOW is the time!

Good News for webOS Developers – $99 Annual Development Fee Waived Off

Matt — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:21:06 +0000

Palm is throwing in one good news after the other these days. Shortly after it announced a two-week extension for its Half-off apps sale, the company has now permanently waived off the annual $99 developer fee. This is a double bonanza for developers as Palm had recently announced that it would waive and refund the $50 fee that used to be required to get your app listed in the official app catalog. If you've already paid this fee, expect a refund to be credit in your PayPal account shortly.

If that's not all, Palm plans to launch another PDK Hot Apps promotion in July and another 1 million dollars would be up for grab for developers. The new promotion would focus on C/C++ based webOS apps. As part of the new Hot App promotion, the developers of the next 20 most popular apps in each category will gain $10,000 and the following 200 app developers $1,000, making it a grand total of $1 million being paid out.

With no annual development fee, the prospect of building webOS apps for Palm Pre and Palm Pixi now appears a lot more enticing. There's a free SDK and some very handy tutorials to guide newbie developers as well. If there was ever a good time to start building apps on webOS, it is NOW!

Palm Extends Half-Off webOS Sale Until July 23rd

Matt — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:55:30 +0000

There's good news for all your webOS app addicts! Palm is extending the Half-off sale on webOS apps until July 23rd. As per an update on Palm Developer Blog, the company made this decision keeping both customers and developers in mind. An additional two weeks 50% sale will give customers more time to explore the catalog and get great deals on your apps. As a developer, it gives you more time to develop and publish your app on the Palm app store. So, if you are a webOS developer, you can take the extra time in order to polish your app and fix some bugs to generate higher sales and revenue.

With webOS devices hitting rock bottom prices at all carriers in United States & Canada, Palm is under intense pressure to boost its webOS sales. The additional two weeks time will also help developers who plan to port popular iPhone apps to webOS to benefit from the ongoing sale. Another reason to extend the promotion is that Palm has received an overwhelming response to the current scheme ever since it was launched. The half-off sale has a feel good factor associated with it from a developer as well as customer perspective and Palm wants the joyride to continue as long as possible.

Have you purchased any apps under this 50% off scheme as yet?

FlightTrack App Now Available on Palm Pixi (and Palm Pre)

Matt — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:19:21 +0000

FlightTrack, one of the best mobile flight tracking applications earlier available on Android, iPhone and Blackberry phones, is now available as a webOS app. The app is now available for Palm Pixi and Palm Pre users. The application is developed by Mobiata, a company which specializes in developing some of the most popular mobile travel applications available in the market today.

The app is available for download through Palm webChannel store for $2.50 (50% discount on the original price of $4.99) and runs on any Palm device running webOS 1.0.0 or higher. The application tracks nearly 1,400 airlines at 4,000 airports across the globe. The app offers the following features

Check Gate numbers, cancellations & delays
A beautiful, interactive map integrated within the app to track flights in real-time
Easily search by flight number or by route based on departure or arrival date
Quick access to real-time information on flight departure and arrival times
Complete terminal, gate and baggage claim information
Ability to save flights for future reference
Automatically updates your flight info

It is rated as a 4-star app on Palm webChannel store. Mobiata gave a lot of importance to the design principles & user interface of webOS platform in order to develop this app for Palm Pixi and Palm Pre phones. If you are a frequent traveler looking for a decent flight management app at a great price, the FlightTrack webOS app is a must for you!

Palm Offering 50% Discount For Nearly All Apps in webOS App Catalog

Matt — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:49:06 +0000

There's good news for all Palm Pre and Palm Pixi owners - Palm has halved the prices of nearly all the apps in the US Palm App Catalog and Palm web channel. The promotion runs from June 18th through July 9th, 2010. As a Palm customer, you are entitled to a cool subsidy of 50% on your favorite webOS applications. If you were thinking of the buying any of the following bestseller apps from Palm - Need for Speed Undercover, Jump O'Clock, or James Cameron's Avatar, the time is now!

If you are a developer, you need not worry. Palm will subsidize the cost of the discounted price for developers; payments to developers and revenue tracking for the Hot Apps contest will continue to reflect the full price of all eligible applications throughout the promotion. The promotion is a win-win situation for both developers and customers - the former still get their full revenue share from Palm and the latter enjoy a cool savings of 50%. To know more details, check the Palm Developer FAQ.

Palm has often been criticized by the developer community for not doing enough to promote their cause. Apple and Google have developer-friendly programs and leave no stone unturned in order to spread the word so it's hardly surprising that Palm is trying to catch up with the biggies. The move is also aimed at boosting the sagging App Catalog revenues and injecting new life into the carrier's online app store ambitions.

Go ahead and enjoy the 50% discount!

Amazon Offering Palm Pre Plus (AT&T and Verizon) for One Cent

Matt — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:03:53 +0000

The prices of Palm phones continue to plunge. Amazon is now offering the Palm Pre Plus - both for AT&T and Verizon subscribers for one cent. That's just about as close as it gets to getting a Palm webOS phone for free. That's not all, there are other complimentary goodies as well. Amazon is offering free activation and free two-day shipping for users who purchase the Palm Pre Plus between 12:00 midnight PDT on June 14, 2010, through 11:59 p.m. PDT, June 30, 2010. If you are a Verizon subscriber, there's good news for you as well - Verizon has waived off the $40 monthly fee to turn your Palm Pre Plus (and Palm Pixi Plus) phone into a 3G Mobile Hotspot. The mentioned offers are not valid for prepaid and unlocked phones.

The prices of Palm's leading webOS smartphones - Palm Pre and Palm Pixi (Plus versions included) has taken a free fall in the last couple of quarters. It's hard to imagine that the original Palm Pre was priced around $200 almost an year back. All that we can hope is that there's a silver lining amidst these dark clouds and HP will revive Palm's sagging fortunes with a new webOS based device sooner than later. And did I mention that the Palm Pre was once compared alongside the likes of Apple iPhone and Motorola Droid?

AT&T Offering Blue Palm Pixi Plus for Free

Matt — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:48:44 +0000

Shortly after it launched the Palm Pixi Plus for $49.99, AT&T is now offering the Palm Pixi Plus for free on a two year contract. The only catch is that you need to purchase a data plan which costs at least $15. Further, only the blue Palm Pixi Plus is being offered for free, the black version still costs $49.99. IMO, the blue Palm Pixi Plus for free is a pretty good deal.

AT&T has recently scrapped its unlimited data plans and introduced tiered pricing. As a result of these pricing changes, the carrier has slashed the prices of several smartphones in order to lure customers. The days of unlimited 3G data for AT&T subscribers are now over. The recent announcement of Palm Pixi Plus being offered for free is partly due to the recent pricing changes at A&T and may also be a part of carrier's strategy to clear out its inventory in wake of weak initial sales. With iPhone 4 slated to debut later this month, AT&T would dearly love to make the most of the new iPhone before other carriers including Verizon and T-Mobile start selling it.

Sprint and Verizon already sell the Palm Pixi for free so this announcement from AT&T is hardly surprising. For a phone which ships with a Touchstone charging compatible backcover in addition to the ability to act as a 3G Mobile Hotspot, free is a very good price. Unless you are a staunch Apple loyalist and an iPhone obsessed user, the free Palm Pixi Plus is a good deal to grab.

Palm Pixi Plus Comes to AT&T

Matt — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:43:19 +0000

The Palm Pixi Plus went on sale for AT&T subscribers last Sunday. You can order your Palm Pixi Plus either online or through AT&T retail stores. The latest webOS phone is available in two colors - Black and Blue. It costs $49.99 with a 2-year contract. If you are not fond of contracts, you can buy the contract-free version for $299. IMO, the Pixi Plus contract is a good deal considering that it's almost one-third of what you'd pay for Palm Pre Plus.

Here's a quick recap of the AT&T Palm Pixi Plus specs

Full QWERTY keyboard
320×480 HVGA display
2 megapixel camera with video
8 GB of internal memory
GSM/GPRS, 3G and EDGE
Bluetooth
Decent Battery with 5 hours talk time and 350 hours of standby time
Wi-Fi

It also offers built-in support for Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL, and Hotmail. The proprietary AT&T Navigator app is present on the Pixi Plus as well. I personally like the Palm Pixi Plus more than the Pre Plus because it's smaller, lighter and it feels much better.

While the specs may not be as attractive as the recently unveiled iPhone 4G, it is good value for money. After all, the Palm Pixi Plus is in a different market segment altogether as compared to the almighty iPhone 4G. If you are an AT&T subscriber looking for an entry level smartphone, the Palm Pixi Plus is perfect for you.

With AT&T scrapping the unlimited data plans, it might be a good time to think about opting for a Palm Pixi Plus instead of the costly new iPhone.