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Perhaps by "Devices Like the Pre," Verizon CEO Meant the iPhone?

John Paczkowski — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:00:27 +0000

Well, now we know why Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam said he expects to have “devices like the Pre” on his network by next year: The carrier reportedly doesn’t plan to offer the Pre at all.

Sources close to the company tell TheStreet.com that Verizon has reconsidered its plans to add Palm’s new smart phone to its lineup.

An interesting rumor, but clearly one that’s to be taken with a grain of salt, if not a salt lick entire.

Why? Well, Palm (PALM), which declined comment on the report, just yesterday reaffirmed its fiscal year 2010 outlook and its planned product and carrier launches. Which means it doesn’t foresee any material changes in its business in the near future. Presumably, Verizon (VZ) passing on the Pre would count as such a change.

Moreover, the same sources who told the TheStreet.com that Verizon was going to give Palm the high hat also said the company might take a more diplomatic approach to the situation and simply order just a few Pres with no intention of lending the device much marketing support.

So, as I said, to be taken with a grain of salt…

One thing’s certain, though: If the rumor does prove true, it’s a serious blow not just to Palm, but to Verizon customers pining for a decent handset as well. Unless, of course, Verizon has cut an iPhone deal with Apple (AAPL)–in which case it’s just lousy news for Palm.

UPDATE: Analysts who follow Palm are already lining up to debunk TheStreet.com’s report.

You Can Almost Hear the Shrieks of Outrage in Cupertino, Can't You?

John Paczkowski — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:15:59 +0000

“iTunes 8.2.1 disables devices falsely pretending to be iPods, including the Palm Pre. As we’ve said before, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with unsupported digital media players.”

– Apple, July 15, 2009

“Oh, and one more thing: Palm webOS 1.1 re-enables Palm media sync. That’s right–you once again can have seamless access to your music, photos and videos from the current version of iTunes (8.2.1).”

– Palm, July 23, 2009

Devices “falsely pretending to be iPods” can once again sync with iTunes, whether Apple (AAPL) likes it or not.

Palm (PALM) this evening released an update to the Pre’s webOS operating system that restores the iTunes syncing ability disabled by its Cupertino rival only last week.

“Palm has released webOS 1.1, which, along with offering more robust EAS support for business users, re-enables Palm media sync,” said company spokesperson Lynn Fox. “Palm believes that openness and interoperability offer better experiences for users by allowing them the freedom to use the content they own without interference across devices and services, so on behalf of consumers, we have notified the USB Implementers Forum of what we believe is improper use of the Vendor ID number by another member.”

The “oh, and one more thing” was a nice touch. But let’s face it, nothing can come of this but ugliness….

Apple "Fixes" Pre-iTunes Sync

John Paczkowski — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:25:19 +0000

Apple rolled out iTunes 8.2.1, a minor point release of its popular media software that provides “a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices.”

And devices masquerading as them.

Like the Palm (PALM) Pre. Because among this release’s “fixes” is one that prevents the Palm Pre from syncing with iTunes. Seems Apple (AAPL) has made good on the threat it made last month when the company warned that it does not support iTunes integration with third-party digital media players.

“Apple designs the hardware and software to provide seamless integration of the iPhone and iPod with iTunes, the iTunes Store, and tens of thousands of apps on the App Store,” the company said at the time. “Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players.”

And that is clearly the case with iTunes 8.2.1 which, as Apple spokesperson Nat Kerris explained to me, “disables devices falsely pretending to be iPods, including the Palm Pre. As we’ve said before, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with unsupported digital media players.”

And what does Palm think of all this? Is the Pre maker gearing up for a cat-and-mouse game with Cupertino? Who knows? At this point, the company is recommending that Pre users who want to preserve the syncing feature stick with an earlier version of iTunes. “Palm’s media sync works with iTunes 8.2. If Apple chooses to disable media sync in iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience,” said spokesperson Lynn Fox. “However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we can consider.”

Below: Video of Elevation Partners Managing Director Roger McNamee and Palm Chairman and CEO Jon Rubinstein showing off the Pre at our D7 conference in late May.

[ See post to watch video ]

Apple to Bring Wi-Fi-Free iPhone to China Three Months Early

John Paczkowski — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:35:23 +0000

Apple’s iPhone is coming to China, perhaps sooner than later. But when the handset finally arrives, it’s likely to lack an important feature: Wi-Fi.

Sources say Apple has formally requested a network access license to sell the iPhone in China, but the license is for a customized model in which Wi-Fi support has been disabled. If that proves true, then Apple (AAPL) has finally bowed to the demands of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which has been insisting that the iPhone run only on cellular networks.

As Matt Mathison, an analyst at Wedge Partners, notes, that’s a hell of a concession for Apple, which had no desire to customize the iPhone for the mainland market. “Apple was hellbent on having the iPhone be wifi-enabled,” Mathison told BusinessWeek. “The Chinese government has been just as adamant that it not be.”

Mathison added that now that Apple has conceded to Beijing’s demands, the iPhone may launch in China as much as three months earlier than expected. “We now expect it to come before the Spring Festival in [January] 2010,” he said.

"Unsupported Third-Party Digital Media Players." Hmm, Wonder Who That Could Pre…

John Paczkowski — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:13:43 +0000

Palm’s Pre is the first non-Apple device to successfully link with iTunes in years. And it may be the last. On Tuesday, Apple issued an advisory warning that it does not support iTunes integration with third-party digital media players.

Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players.

Translation: The Pre won’t be syncing with iTunes for long.

Now, Palm isn’t explicitly named in the advisory, but it’s clear that this is a broad shot across its bow. And it’s not like we didn’t see it coming. Did anyone really think that Apple (AAPL) would permit the Pre to sync with iTunes by masquerading as an iPod?

Funny. Asked last month at D7 if Apple might take issue with the Pre’s iTunes integration, Palm investor Roger McNamee said, “I don’t think so. They are practically a monopolist and this is what consumers want. Consumers own all this media. I find it hard to believe that Apple will get bent out of shape.” (see video below)

Well, believe it. That said, Palm (PALM) seems unfazed by Apple’s implied threat. Reached for comment, the company said Cupertino will only harm consumers if it disables iTunes integration with the Pre. “Palm’s media sync works with the current version of iTunes,” Palm spokesperson Lynn Fox told me. “If Apple chooses to disable media sync in a future version of iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we could consider.”

[ See post to watch video ]

Uh, Hello? Cut-and-Paste!?!

John Paczkowski — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:00:34 +0000

November 21. That’s the day iPhone 2.2 is rumored to arrive at market. And when, or if, it does, it’s expected to include some slick new features. Among them:

Enhancements to Google Maps, including support for Google Street View, plus bus schedules and walking directions
Support for over-the-air podcast updates via the iTunes Store
An app-scoring feature that allows users to rate applications purchased from the the App Store before deleting them
Support for line-in audio via the iPhone’s headphone jack

Wonderful additions to the platform, all of them. Of course, there are still quite a few missing. MMS support would be nice, wouldn’t it? As would support for Flash and the ability to compose messages in landscape mode.

And what about cut-and-paste? Seriously, at this point, it’s almost like Apple (AAPL) is purposely withholding it, out of spite.

Rock Band Meets the Beatles

John Paczkowski — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:02:32 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

Google Android Phone: 3G, $179, Amazon MP3, App Store, 1GB, Copy and Paste

John Paczkowski — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:24:43 +0000

The first handset to be powered by Google’s Android OS debuted this morning at a T-Mobile launch event in New York. Manufactured by HTC, the G1 is largely as anticipated. Peter Chou, CEO of HTC describes it as “iconic,” but that’s being a bit generous, I think (“The G1 won’t win any beauty contests with its Apple rival,” writes Walt Mossberg. “It’s stubby and chunky, nearly 30 percent thicker and almost 20 percent heavier than the iPhone.”)

In design, the device seems to borrow quite a bit from T-Mobile’s Sidekick, and its touchscreen GUI owes a thing or two to Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone. Which makes perfect sense, since that’s the device it’s clearly intended to compete with. The G1 will run on both 3G and Wi-Fi and be tethered to the T-Mobile (DT) network. It will come preloaded with a version of Amazon’s MP3 store and Android Market, an application store similar to Apple’s App Store. And it will support and sync with the broad spectrum of Google (GOOG) apps–Google Talk, Google Calendar, etc. Its browser is something the dev team refers to as Chrome-Lite, a mobile version of Google’s new Webkit-based Chrome browser.

Oddly, the G1 has no built-in video player. Odder still, it has just 1GB of memory. T-Mobile has helpfully outfitted it with a 1GB/month bandwidth cap, though.

The G1 supports PDFs and Microsoft Office documents as well. Email will be handled through Gmail; there is no Exchange support, though presumably, engineers developing for Android Market will fill that void in short order.

Oh, the device offers copy-and-paste functionality. Hear that Apple?

It will arrive at market Oct. 22. Price: a highly-subsidized $179.