Erictric

RIM Dominates U.S. Smartphone Market While Google Gains Ground Fast

The U.S. smartphone market share figures are in! And it looks like Android is doing much better than its competition in terms market share gain. According to mobile market share data by comScore, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry OS dominated the U.S. smartphone market with a whopping 43.0% share. Usage of the platform went up by 1.7% from 41.3% in a 3-month period between November 2009 and January 2010. Android usage increased by 4.3% from 2.8% to 7.1% in the same period of time, making it the highest gain out of the top five smartphone platforms.

The iPhone, on the other hand, didn’t see much of a difference. The platform usage gained only 0.3% of the market share from 24.8% to 25.1%. Enough to keep it in second place behind BlackBerry. There’s no really doubt in our minds now as to why Apple is going after the Android platform in the latest lawsuit filed against HTC. More »

Palm Releases webOS PDK Public Beta

Palm announced today at the Game Developers Conference [GDC] the availability of the public beta of its webOS Plug-in Development Kit [PDK]. The PDK promises to compliment the current webOS Software Development Kit [SDK], and to allow developers to use “ C and C++ alongside the web technologies that power the SDK and mix them seamlessly within a single app.” Additionally, Palm also says that the PDK makes it easy for game developers to port their titles to the webOS platform. The PDK can be downloaded now from the Palm Development Center.

Full press release after the break. More »

Verizon Wireless to Offer The Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus With No Required Mail-in Rebate

It’s no secret that Palm smartphones, specially the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus on Verizon, have not been selling as much as expected. Due to this problem, Palm and carriers might be modifying the way they sell webOS smartphones. We’ve just learned via BGR that starting tomorrow, Verizon Wireless will begin selling the Palm Pre Plus and the Palm Pixi Plus with no required mail-in rebate. That means that both devices will be instantly sold at $149.99 and $79.99 respectively.

“We make a ton of money off people not sending those rebates in,” said the source who revealed the information to BGR. He also suggested that the new rule, apparently applying to webOS devices only, is a clear sign that the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are not doing well on Verizon Wireless.

While this certainly looks like its happening for sure, we advise you not to get your hopes up, as we can never verify the validity of such claims. The bright side is that we won’t have to wait so long to find out.

Palm Launches New Facebook Application For webOS Smartphones

Palm has launched a new version of the Facebook application for its webOS smartphones. The revamped application promises to be a much better option than its former counterpart, which could only be described as a little pathetic, given that it would allow users to sync their Facebook contacts and read news feed. On top of it, it had many flaws in the way it would filter the news feed. Luckily, that was a thing of the past.

According to Palm, the new revamped Facebook application includes the following features:

• Enhanced Inbox – Now, your inbox lets you compose, send, and reply, so you can always access your Facebook messages.
• Photo albums – Now you can view photo albums from all your friends, not just the photos in their news feeds. Uploading photos is easier as well, and includes the ability to add captions. More »

Palm Pre And Palm Pixi Production Returns to Normal

Back on February 11th, we reported that Palm had suddenly halted production of its Pre and Pixi smartphones, and chaos ensued. The worst came to mind, and many people believed the company had gone kaput. Fortunately, we learned that production of the webOS devices had only been stopped temporarily to allow workers in China to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

We can now safely report that the vacation is over, and production of the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi has returned to normal. The information comes from Palm Vice President of PR Lynn Fox, who told CNBC: “Yes, I can confirm that manufacturing is back up and running.”

With that said, it’s important to take into account that production might not be as normal as Palm wants us to think, considering that the company recently announced that Palm Pre and Palm Pixi sales have been slower than expected.

[ via MobileCrunch ]

webOS 1.4 Arrives for Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus on Verizon Wireless

Palm released webOS 1.4 on Friday night for the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi on Sprint, O2, and Movistar. Alas, Verizon Wireless customers were left out. Fortunately, Palm announced a few moments ago on Twitter that webOS 1.4 has become available for the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus on Verizon Wireless. The update for Big Red’s Palm smartphones brings the same features as the one for the other mobile carriers.

You can expect to receive the update over the air [OTA] on your Verizon Wireless Palm Pre Plus or Palm Pixi Plus. For more information regarding the update, check out our previous posts about webOS 1.4 or visit the Official Palm Blog.

webOS 1.4 Now Available for The Pre And Pixi on Sprint, O2, and Movistar

Palm Pre and Palm Pixi owners, rejoice! At least if your current carrier is either Sprint, O2, or Movistar that is. As Palm has finally started to roll out the awaited webOS 1.4 that we have been hearing about so much about for a while for those carriers above. Unfortunately, it seems like Palm Pre and Palm Pixi owners with Verizon,  Bell, and Telcel will have to wait for the yet to be announced availability date, which is marked as ”soon” on the Official Palm Blog.

As promised, version 1.4 of webOS brings video recording and editing capabilities, Flash 10.1 beta support, performance and battery improvements, and many other enhancements and fixes for existing bugs. The update will be rolled out over the air [OTA] to all Sprint, O2, and Movistar customers within the next few days. Additionally, you can trigger and download the update manually by using the ‘Updates App.’

For more information on what’s new, visit the Palm Support Page, and be sure to check out a promotional video by Palm after the break. More »

Palm webOS 1.4 Changelog Leaks Ahead of Launch

It’s finally February 25th, the rumored day in which Palm webOS 1.4 was supposed to be rolled out. Instead, the folks at PreCentral received what appears to be the complete changelog for the much awaited webOS 1.4. If legit, the update promises to bring many features that Palm Pre and Palm Pixi users have been longing for like video recording capabilities and Flash 10.1 Beta support for the Pre only among other bug fixes.

Make your way after the break to see the complete leaked changelog. More »

Palm States Sales Are Slower Than Expected

Palm confirmed in a press release this morning what some analysts have been saying for quite a while now. The company has been forced to cut down its guidance numbers due to slower than expected sales. Palm now reveals that its revenue for the year will be “well below its previously forecasted range of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion.” Additionally, the company expects its revenue for the third quarter to be “in the range of $285 million to $310 million on a GAAP basis.” Palm’s stock is currently down 14%, closing at $8.09 per share on Wednesday. More »