Month: December 2007

“Based on preliminary financial data, Palm expects revenue to be in the range of $345 million to $350 million for the second quarter of fiscal year 2008. This compares with earlier guidance of $370 million to $380 million provided Oct. 1, when Palm reported its first quarter fiscal year 2008 results. The revenue shortfall is primarily due to a delay in shipping a product that the company had previously expected to have certified within the quarter. Gross margin is expected to be in the range of 29.3 to 29.8 percent on a GAAP basis and 29.5 to 30.0 percent on a non-GAAP basis, compared with earlier guidance of 33.3 percent to 33.8 percent on a GAAP basis and 33.5 percent to 34.0 percent on a non-GAAP basis. The gross margin reflects an unforeseen increase in warranty repair expenses during the quarter, a shift in product mix that included higher-than-expected shipments of Palm Centro smartphones and the delayed product shipment. Operating expenses are expected to be in the range of $146 million to $149 million on a GAAP basis and $121 million to $124 million on a non-GAAP basis. Loss per diluted share is expected to be in the range of $(0.22) to $(0.24) on a GAAP basis and $(0.08) to $(0.10) on a non-GAAP basis. Loss per diluted share has been calculated on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis utilizing an estimated 40 percent effective tax rate. The determination of the effective tax rate for the second quarter of fiscal year 2008 will likely vary from the 40 percent utilized in these calculations and will be included in the full results announced on Dec. 18. “We are disappointed that we did not get a key product certified for delivery in the quarter, but we are focused on realizing the long-term benefits and opportunities that inspired our transaction with Elevation Partners. We are pleased with recent improvements in our product delivery engine, the early success of Palm Centro, and the significant progress we’ve made on our strategic platform,” said Ed Colligan, Palm president and chief executive officer. Full results for the company’s second quarter of fiscal year 2008 will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the close of the market at 1 p.m. Pacific Time, and a conference call will follow at 1:30 p.m. Pacific/4:30 p.m. Eastern. The dial-in number is 866.314.5232 in the United States and 617.213.8052 for international callers. There is no passcode required for the call.” via palminfocenter.com

“Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Lab recently conducted a buyer behavior survey and found out “Design Labs USA: Palm Centro & Samsung i760 have Most Appealing Innovative Designs.“The Samsung i760 and Palm Centro top the purchase likelihood table for those seeking a multifunction, fully integrated device,” according to Paul Brown, Senior User Experience Analyst at Strategy Analytics. “The Nokia Prism is perceived as the most feminine and fun new product, appealing to our Voice + Music segment.” Approximately half tested US consumers who desire to buy a new mobile device in Q4, 2007 said they will go for The Palm Centro. It got even more positive response than Samsung i760, Nokia Prism, LG Rumor, and Pantech C810.” via mobilewhack.com

“The Touch is a surprisingly small device. The spec sheet does not do it justice, and you don’t appreciate just how small it is until you hold on. It has a great in-hand feel, and the build quality is top notch. The body is constructed of black soft touch rubber, which makes the phone easy to hold. There is a ring of chrome plastic that goes around the unit. There are only six physical buttons, three of which are integrated into this trim. On the top is a power/sleep button, on the left side is a volume slider and on the bottom right is a multi-function button. The multi-function button has a very understated Sprint logo, a very nice design touch and an indication that even the most intricate detail was considered. Also incorporated into the trim is the miniUSB charging port, lanyard strap and reset button, all found on the bottom of the device.” Read more here:

“Palm, Inc.today announced an update to Windows Mobile 6 for Palm(R) Treo(TM) 750 smartphone customers in the United States. Windows Mobile 6 brings increased functionality, enhanced user interface and strengthened security and performance to the Treo 750 smartphone, which is offered exclusively in the United States by AT&T. The update is available today as a free download for existing Treo 750 smartphone customers. The Treo 750 currently is available in the United States on AT&T’s 3G BroadbandConnect network, which is available in more than 200 major metropolitan areas and provides average download speeds between 600Kbps (kilobits per second) and 1,400Kbps. For those customers, the update will facilitate High-speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA) capability, allowing faster data-download speeds on 3G/UMTS/HSDPA networks(1) and access to AT&T Multimedia services: AT&T Music, CV (Video), and AT&T Mall. “The enhanced security and productivity tools available in Windows Mobile 6 will allow people to be more productive with their Treo smartphones,” said Tim McDonough, senior director of product management at Microsoft Corp. “The Windows Mobile 6 support of storage card data encryption, combined with the ability for IT departments to wipe data remotely if a device is lost, gives businesses the confidence to use Treos to accomplish critical business tasks.” Windows Mobile 6 combined with Exchange Server 2007 support is available out of the box and delivers a wide range of enhanced features, including the following: — Microsoft Direct Push Technology connection to email, calendar, contacts and tasks;(2) — Email enhancements such as HTML-formatted email messages; (2) — Ability to set an out-of-office message from the Treo smartphone; (2) — Mini-SD storage card encryption, password and PIN improvements, and remote data wipe; (2) — Ability to search for email messages on the Exchange server; (2) — Meeting request and scheduling conflict improvements; (2) and — Improved Calendar with Day-at-a-Glance bar. The Treo 750 from AT&T is a five-band world phone with global 3G services that provides email, messaging, web browsing, and organizational capabilities.(3) The Treo 750 uses AT&T’s industry-leading international footprint, which gives users the ability to make a phone call in more than 190 countries and access data applications in more than 135 countries. This all-in-one phone is a powerful business tool that delivers advanced communication capabilities and greater productivity with quick access to information and applications. “Palm and Microsoft’s alliance continues to bring the best mobile experience to Treo customers,” said Brent Remai, vice president of business and consumer marketing, Palm, Inc. “The Treo 750’s connection to Exchange Server without the need for extra servers and middleware, combined with our unique ease of use, makes the Treo a win-win solution for IT departments and business users as they seek the most of their smartphone.” More here:

“Quickoffice today announced a multi-year agreement with Sony Ericsson that includes the Quickoffice software platform on all future Sony Ericsson smartphones. Customers will have easy access to their native Microsoft Office files and will be able to open, view, edit and create documents directly from their Symbian UIQ smartphones. In addition to the view-and-edit version of Quickoffice Premier, Quickoffice will also provide Quickmanager, which allows users to upgrade their on-device software over-the-air, and provides mobile consumers and business professionals with the latest applications. This agreement will also allow both companies to collaborate on future new and innovative productivity solutions for mobile professionals.” via slashphone.com

“ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today made available the latest technical preview version of NetFront Browser v3.4 for Windows Mobile 5.0.In addition to the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a U.S. government block cipher encryption algorithm, the latest technical preview version of NetFront Browser for Windows Mobile for the first time also includes Camellia, a high-security, high-performance international standard cipher jointly developed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. By supporting both Camellia and AES, the latest technical preview version of NetFront Browser v3.4 for Windows Mobile offers much needed choice and greater security to mobile Internet users.NetFront Browser is designed to provide high performance in resource-constrained environments characterized by limited memory or CPU capability, making it an ideal Internet browser for consumer electronics and mobile terminals, such as PDAs and smartphones. There are currently more than 440 million NetFront product deployments worldwide.” Check it here:

“The materials of the US Patent Office contain the info on a new Nokia slider. It is equipped with a camera module, which is located in an unusual place and can be revolved, and a flash, which can be hidden inside the device. Uncustomary for standard applications Nokia has provided a good image of the phone in addition to the schemes. The product is probably in the process. Under the camera lens we can hardly see an “8 megapixel” mark. Does it mean we are to see an 8-megapixel N-series smartphone next year?” via mobile-review.com

“The Swedish manufacturer of carrying cases for portable electronics, Krusell, has released their “Top 10”-list for November 2007. The list is based upon the number of pieces of model specific mobile and smart phone cases that have been ordered from Krusell during November 2007. Krusell’s list is unique due to the fact that it reflects the sales of phones on six continents and in more than 50 countries around the globe. (1) Nokia 6300 (2) Sony Ericsson K810i (8) Sony Ericsson K850i (3) Nokia N95 (5) Apple iphone (6) Nokia 3109/3110 (4) Nokia N73 (10) Sony Ericsson K530i (-) Nokia 6500i (-) Nokia 6120 () = Last month’s position. “According to sales in November it looks as if people either will have a Nokia, Sony Ericsson or iPhone in their Christmas stocking this year,” says Ulf Sandberg, Managing Director at Krusell. “Moreover, this month showed that ‘The battle of Megapixel devices’ was won by Sony Ericsson’s K850 over Nokia N95. If that will last over Christmas is hard to predict,” Sandberg ends.” via cellular-news.com

Discover and listen to radio shows broadcasted over the internet with the Nokia Internet Radio service now available. The application can be downloaded for free from http://www.nokia.com/internetradio and will also be embedded in upcoming Nokia S60 3rd edition devices. “Most new music discovery occurs while you’re listening to the radio,” said Tommi Mustonen, head of the Nokia music business. “By offering the Nokia Internet Radio service on mobile devices, the radio experience becomes more accessible, giving people new ways to find music.” With hundreds of internet radio stations to choose from worldwide, the station directory of Nokia Internet Radio makes music discovery effortless – browsing can be done based on station name, genre, country or language. To find out what hits are hot around the world, hourly updates of the top ten most popular internet radio stations are also available in the station directory. Plus, there is no need to search for your top stations time and again because adding them to the list of ‘Favorites’ makes them easily accessible. Moreover, the audio quality is enhanced by selecting appropriate streaming servers that match the speed of the current network connection.The Nokia Internet Radio application is currently available for download to the following devices: Nokia N82, Nokia N91, Nokia N95 and Nokia N95 8GB. The application is planned to be available later on further devices and will be embedded in selected upcoming Nokia S60 3rd edition devices. Please visit here for the list of the latest compatible devices.

” Motorola is planning a whole new line of phones in 2008 and will center this around one of the most advanced media phones to date, claim bloggers tapping sources at a Motorola Spain event. Called the ZINE line, the series will reportedly include at least two models next year and will include at least one phone based on the kick-slider design of the RIZR Z8. The handset would be based on the rumored Z10 (which is now pushed back to early 2008) but would have a slightly larger housing to accommodate a touchscreen along with the usual sliding keypad. It would also draw on new technology developed in tandem with Kodak to include an 8-megapixel camera and boast an extremely rare optical zoom lens. This ZINE will also have GPS mapping and Wi-Fi, the tip says, though whether the slider will support HSPA Internet access or fully support US cellular bands. The device is due after summer, according to the report.No details have been revealed of the second phone, though the Motorola contacts claim that there are no iPhone-like communicators in the work that would rely almost exclusively on touchscreen input for their control. The extent to which the touchscreen will be used on the first ZINE is unknown and may more closely resemble the RAZR2, which uses only a partial touchscreen for navigation.” via electronista.com