Recently in PDAs & Handhelds Category

Sony's Mylo ("my life online") personal communicator is a new gadget that provides users access to online instant messaging services, Web pages (fully-featured Opera browser), e-mails, play music, and view photos. Most interestingly, the mylo communicator comes with Skype software built into it for VoIP calling. It also has Google Talk and Yahoo! Messenger embedded, but it's not clear if these two applications will only support IM or VoIP as well, however Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger only support IM and not VoIP. You'll have to use Skype exclusively for VoIP. Like a competing gadget, the Nokia 770 internet tablet, the Sony Mylo skips a SIM card in favor of WiFi only.


Sony Mylo with and without thumbpad displayed

No that's not a Sony PSP, but they sure damn look alike. In fact, one has to wonder why Sony didn't simply come out with a Sony PSP V2.0 (PSP2?) that merges the functionality of the mylo with the popular gaming features of the Sony PSP. Some simple future firmware upgrades of the PSP can add Skype functionality for sure, so I'm not sure why the need for an entirely new device.  I'd buy a future Sony PSP model that can do web surfing, VoIP via Skype, and had IM capabilities.

In any case, the slim, oblong-shaped device features a 2.4 inch color LCD (measured diagonally) with a slide out QWERTY keyboard for comfortable and quick thumb typing. The product includes JiWire’s hotspot directory listing more than 20,000 WiFi networks in the United States, so you can find a hotspot near you.

Using the mylo you can send and receive text emails with web mail services like Yahoo! Mail and Gmail. 1GB of flash memory is available on the mylo personal communicator to store music, videos, and images. It supports the playback of MP3, ATRAC or WMA (secure and unsecure) files. The mylo communicator has a built-in speaker for listening to music so you can share your music with those around you. You can also view MPEG-4 personal videos by transferring files via USB cable or with Memory Stick Duo media. You can also store JPEG pictures from the Internet or your digital camera.

The mylo device uses a lithium-ion battery that offers up to 45 hours of music playback, around seven hours of chatting and web surfing and more than three hours of continuous Skype talk time. It comes with a microphone, stereo headphones, a USB cable and a neoprene case.
 
The mylo personal communicator will be available in September for about $350 online at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style retail stores

Back in March, I had an exclusive first look at Lycos Phone, which is a rebranded softphone client made by Globe7. On Tuesday next week, Globe7 will launch a major new release of their softphone client, though they've quietly made the 3.0 software available for download now. The new version loads much faster, has a complete video library for users and allows users to earn free credits for the phone simply by watching videos. Yep, you read that correctly - you can earn PSTN dialout minutes simply by watching videos. This is the first "earn phone credits" VoIP application.  What is important to note is that they are giving credits for watching the video content, not for watching ads or clicking on the ads. I just earned $0.03 for watching 2 videos, including the Pirates of the Caribbean trailer. I calculated that I earned roughly $0.0048 per minute of watching (roughly 1/2 cent per minute).

Here's a demo of the Globe7 softphone client I captured:

In addition to the earned credit feature, Globe7 is offering 1 GB free storage space for video and photos uploading and sharing, breaking news feeds, video streaming, and other features. The product is SIP-based and the codecs they are using VP6 supported by Macromedia Flash player. They are using Akamai solution for streaming all the videos. The audio codecs are ILBC and GSM.

The launch of the 3.0 version coincides with a major marketing push in the U.S.  According to Globe7, they will initially be targeting college campuses with campus bookstore promotions in 525 colleges and universities in the U.S., as well as pre-game promotions.  That will be followed by events such as concerts for the general public including mobile kiosks where interested folks can check out the voice and video quality of the new application.  They will also be targeting communities within major metropolitan area that have a high degree of international phone call usage.

Screenshot of PSTN phone dialing screen



In the next two months, Globe7 will follow in the United States with the launch of its Wi-Fi capable PDA with embedded VoIP. It will be inexpensively priced and will also allow video to be received and to earn credits towards VoIP minutes. They claim that the Globe7 PDA will be priced economically enough for families to afford two PDA's, allowing them to talk PDA to PDA for free. Who needs walkie-talkies? Actually walkie-talkies have a range of 2 miles or more - good for the ski slopes. WiFi doesn't reach quite that far.

Of course, the "pay to watch" model may have some trouble in the VoIP marketplace with several VoIP companies offering free PSTN dialing. For instance, Skype offers free U.S. & Canada calling until the end of the year. Jajah offers free worldwide dialing, and there are a few others.

Of course, at least Globe 7 has a legitimate business model that intends to make a profit by rewarding users for viewing videos and attracting advertisers for the confirmed/tracked eyeballs. How long can the free models be sustained? Some would argue that the race to free calling has begun and it's only a matter of time before ubiquitous free calling takes place. Guess we'll have to wait and see if this "pay to watch content model" works in the VoIP space. Stay tuned...

Yes, you could call this a Treo owner's dream -- and you would be speaking the truth!

Spefically designed for the Palm family of products, Altec Lansing's inMotion iMT1 is an amplified extension of my Palm Treo 650, serving as both a speaker phone (not that important, but nice to have) and a high-quality way to hear music stored on the Treo 650. (Now that's what I'm talking about!)

It looks sharp on my desk -- doesn't take up a lot of room -- while delivering great sound, whether I'm listening to rock, jazz or classic (and any other type of music for that matter, too!).

What's particularly nice is that it replaces the Treo's power/sync cable so I don't have that flopping all around my desk.

Here's some highlights from the feature set:

• Built-in microphone turns the Palm Treo 650 smartphone into a first-class speakerphone (CDMA models only)
• Automatically recharges the Palm device when plugged in and docked
• Compact, lightweight speakersystem
• You can take it with on the go (if you want to -- I haven't)

It also works with the Palm LifeDrive, Treo 700P (CDMA models only) and Tungsten T5, E2.

MSRP: $179.95

www.alteclansing.com

 

As several news sites have reported, Microsoft plans to release a new music and entertainment player and accompanying software under the "Zune" brand this year to challenge the Apple iPod media player. The latest Apple iPod plays both music and videos with the ability to download TV shows and now even full-fledged movies via iTunes. Microsoft hopes to take some of the 70& marketshare from Apple which has dominated the portable media player market.

The sad thing is, Microsoft could have dominated this market had they minituarized the bulky PocketPC years ago. The PocketPC enjoyed some success, but never really took off. Part of the reason was that PocketPCs were too bulky to use as an MP3 player while jogging on a treadmill or just walking down the street. Even when Dell launched the Axim series of PocketPCs, which were thinner and lighter, it was too late. Blackberries stole the show for remote email access and the iPod stole the show for portable music leaving PocketPCs out in the cold. Even though the PocketPC could do remote email, play mp3s, as well as GPS navigation and other functionality, it unfortunately suffered from doing too many things "ok" and did not do one thing really really well.

Dell discontinued the Axim PocketPC series, and Windows Mobile 5 finally put the final nail in the coffin for PocketPCs. Why have a dedicated PocketPC PDA when you can get a Windows Mobile 5 smartphone that is a PDA plus a phone, and all the other functionality - mp3 player, calendar, email, etc.

Personally, I'd rather Microsoft offer a smartphone that can store >20GB of music and video content rather than try and compete with Apple's "one trick pony" iPod, which doesn't have smartphone functionality. All of the cellphones or even smartphones I have used have a terrible built-in MP3 player or didn't have enough storage. Most smartphones use SD/miniSD cards instead of hard drives to conserve battery power. If Microsoft were to offer a Windows Mobile 5 smartphone with >20GB of multimedia storage, decent standby/talk time, and an intuitive user interface (iPod-like) then I'd buy it in a nano-second.

So Microsoft, take my advice and forget about competing with the iPod with a single purpose "Zune" media player and instead offer a compelling converged device that does everything the iPod can do and more all on an easy-to-use smartphone. As a gadget-lover, this would be my dream device and I'd auction off my current iPod on eBay faster than you can say "buh bye iPod."

Marvell Technology Group has acquired Intel's XScale processor division. As a gadget-lover this is absolutely shocking since the Intel XScale chips are used in PocketPCs, handhelds, mobile phones and other embedded devices and gadgets. The popular Treo and Blackberry devices also use the XScale chipset.

Intel has been one of the leading innovators of providing  low-power consumption chipsets, continually pushing the edge of battery life and performance in small embedded devices. Intel has one of the largest R&D budgets in the IT world and some of the most sophisticated labs. Intel selling the XScale processor division for $600 million will certainly give Intel a much-needed cash boost, but they may have just mortgaged their future earnings. Both the Blackberry and Treo have been a resounding success. Certainly Windows Mobile 5 smartphones like the Motorola Q are also selling. So why Intel would abandon a growing market seems a bit odd. Marvell also will acquire the 1,400 people currently employed by Intel and they state they will retain most of these employees.

I hope Marvell continue to improve the XScale processor and will dedicate plenty of R&D dollars to that end. Perhaps Marvell will do even better than Intel in improving the performance specs on the XScale chipset. Only time will tell.

Plantronics sent me their Voyager 510 Bluetooth headset to review. Unlike any other Bluetooth headsets, the Plantronics Voyager 510 USB Bluetooth headset is the first to simultaneously support both VoIP softphones on your PC and your Bluetooth mobile phone simultaneously -- negating the need to deregister/re-register your Bluetooth connection with the other device. Plantronics is able to do this using their exclusive Multipoint Technology.

Measuring 4.0 x 2.5 x 0.8 inches and weighing 5.6 ounces, the Plantronic Voyager 510 headset is pretty lightweight - after awhile you don't even notice it is there. It is slightly heavier and bulkier than the Motorola HS850 , but I found the Voyager 510-USB much more comfortable on my ear. The Motorola HS850 would often dangle and not stay put.

Many PCs or even laptops don't have built-in Bluetooth, but fortunately, the Voyager 510 USB includes a plug and play Bluetooth USB adapter that works without the need for any software drivers. This enables mobile professionals to engage in one-step hands-free VoIP calling. If you want the ability to perform remote-end answer/hang-up integration with softphones you'll need to install the PerSonoCall application.

The system integrates with enterprise softphone software from leading companies — including Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, Skype, and others — to offer call notification and remote call answering through the headset. It also is compatible with most popular consumer VoIP services, like AOL, MSN, and Yahoo! although it doesn't feature remote call answer with these yet. I tested the ability to remotely answer incoming Skype calls from the 510-USB and it worked without a hitch. On an incoming Skype call from Greg Galitzine I simply pressed the call control button on the 510-USB and the Skype call was accepted. Beauty, eh?


Profile of the Plantronics Voyager 510 USB Bluetooth Headset

The headset's "smart" technology knows which Bluetooth device you are using and allows you to take calls from any device simply by hitting the button. With the optional Plantronics Bluetooth Deskphone Adapter you can even switch between your office phone and your Bluetooth mobile phone. Thus, you won't need to use a dedicated "landline" phone headset.

The 510 headset features a noise-canceling microphone for clearer conversations and the mic boom swivels to position on either ear. The 510 supports adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) which helps avoid interference from WiFi networks. It supports a hefty 6 hours talk time using the built-in Lithium polymer rechargeable battery and up to 100 hours of standby time.


Front View of the Voyager 510 USB Bluetooth Headset

When you place the headset on the charging base, it automatically turns off the headset and charges it. Fortunately, when you remove the Voyager 510 from the charging base it remembers to turn it back on. Similarly, if you manually shut off the headset (depress power switch for 3s) and then place it on the charger, if you remove the headset from the base, the headset stays off. I wonder if the headset isn't truly "off" when you place the Voyager headset onto the charging base while it is still on? It's probably in a pseudo-sleep mode, but not totally powered off. The difference in charging the battery is probably negligible, so most users will probably keep the headset always turned on even when charging.


Plantronics USB 510 charging base connected to 1 USB port.
Bluetooth dongle connected to PC's 2nd USB port

Button functionality & testing
I had some minor difficulties with the power on/off switch which is very small and located just in front of the volume buttons, and it requires a very hard press. When the headset is on your ear, making a hard button press took a little getting used to. In any case, there are basically three buttons on the headset. The first button is simply a +/- volume button, which happens to be the largest of the three making it easy to adjust the volume.

The 2nd button on the 510 is the small black button I mentioned which toggles the power button (and mute with a quick depress). The power button requires you hold the button for 3s to toggle the power. Well, they advertise in the manual that it's 3 seconds, but I tested it and it's actually 3s to turn on and just 2-2.5s to turn off. The 3s is a tad long to turn on, but useful I suppose to prevent accidentally turning on or off the headset. Of course, like I said, you have to press the power button pretty hard, so I doubt it would be pressed by accident. It probably has more to do with the time it takes to negotiate a connection with the other Bluetooth devices.

The 3rd button on the Voyager is placed where the boom mic meats the ear piece and it is used to call answer or end the call, as well as toggle between your PC Bluetooth connection and your Bluetooth mobile phone. It is also used to activate voice dialing, redial, and other functions.

To activate last number redial you simply double click the call control button. You will hear a high tone for each key press. When you hear a further tone, the last number has been redialed. In addition, when receiving an incoming call you can press and hold the call control button to reject a call. You will hear a tone. When you hear a second tone, the call has been rejected and you can release the button.

Voice Dialing & Call Transfer to other BT device
You can easily perform voice dialing supported by your mobile phone by pressing and holding the call control button for 2 seconds until you hear a second tone. Then you can speak the name of the person you wish to reach. Switching a call from your mobile phone to the headset is pretty straightforward. You simply briefly press the call control button. Switching a call from the headset back to the phone requires a slighly longer button press until you hear a tone indicating the transfer has been complete. I was able to listen to streaming music on the 510-USB, hear beeps in the headset that an incoming call was coming in, and then press the call control to answer the call.

Features

• Multipoint Technology allows you to seamlessly switch between two Bluetooth devices
• Noise-canceling microphone for superior sound quality
• Up to 6 hours talk time and up to 100 hours standby time
• One-touch call answer/end, last number redial and voice activated dialing
• Compatible with Bluetooth devices supporting the headset or hands-free profile
• Noise-canceling microphone and wind-reduction technology for brilliant sound both indoors and out;
• Lightweight, foldable design for all-day comfort and easy storage;
• Boom swivels for use on either ear;
• 33-foot roaming distance. feet away from voice-enabled Bluetooth devices

Pros
- Lightweight
- Flexible and foldable to stow in pocket
- Cool charging base
- Excellent Sound Quality
- Comes with 3 different sized ear pieces for the best fit
- Includes a small portable USB Bluetooth "dongle" to Bluetooth-enable any PC/laptop
- Range performance was good - better than other BT headsets I have tested

Cons
- Too dependent on the time a button is depressed for some functionality - another button to take the load of one of the features might be good
- Power switch is small and hard to depress
- USB Bluetooth dongle doesn't have a key ring to put in on your keychain
- Can switch from listening to PC audio (music or Skype call) to an incoming mobile phone call,  however if you switch from the mobile phone to your PC (music or Skype call), it ends the mobile phone call. I wish there was a way to switch to the PC (put caller on hold) without disconnecting the mobile phone call.

Conclusion
The Plantronics Voyager 510 USB is one of the best if not the best Bluetooth headset you can buy, period. Its ability to register with both your PC's audio software applications (including VoIP) and your Bluetooth-enabled phone is a key differentiating factor. The audio quality was very good and the headset itself is very flexible making it very comfortable to wear. I didn't have any issues with the headset losing the Bluetooth connection (cutting out) at all and the range is very good. I highly recommend the Voyager 510 USB.

The Voyager 510 USB Bluetooth headset is available on Amazon for just $43.99 if you just need the headset to have access to a Bluetooth mobile phone. If you need the optional USB Bluetooth dongle/transmitter for PC-connectivity (VoIP, iTunes, other sound apps) then you can also pick it up on Amazon for about $179 (originally $299). Some PC's come with Bluetooth adaptors, or you may already have a USB Bluetooth dongle - though I'm not sure how well Plantronic's multipoint technology works if you use a 3rd party Bluetooth dongle. Best bet is to pay the $179 for both the headset and the Plantronics USB Bluetooth adaptor.

Palm's Treo 700p, the heavily anticipated successor to the popular Palm Treo 650, launched on Monday. Speculation and rumors has surrounded the Palm Treo 700p as far as which features it would and would not support. For instance, speculation was running rampant as far as whether Sprint or Verizon would be the exclusive carrier or if both would support it. Let me put one bit of speculation to rest - both Sprint and Verizon will carry the Treo 700p. I spoke with Palm on a conference call on May 9th to learn about the specs and features of the Palm Treo 700p. I plan on acquiring a Palm Treo 700p for a full-fledged review, so this is mini-review analyzing the features Palm told me about, along with some photos I acquired.

The Treo 700p runs on the Palm operating system unlike its sister the Palm Treo 700w which runs on Windows Mobille 5. This is music to the ears of Palm-based Treo loyalists that were dreading having to switch to the Treo's Windows Mobile version (700w). The Windows-based Palm 700w is already out, making the wait for the Palm-based Treo fans excruciatingly long. While the wait is over, one highly anticipated feature was not included, namely GSM support, the prevalent standard used by most countries except the U.S.  Fear not Treo fans - when asked about GSM support in the future, Palm replied "So the answer to that question is we don't talk about future products. [nervous laughter]" They didn't outright deny they were working on it, so there is still hope, but GSM users will have to wait..

What the Treo 700p does support is EvDO, a standard that supports from 400Kbps-700Kbps data transfer speeds and the Treo 700p is backwards compatible with 1xRTT. Of course Sprint is still mostly on CDMA2000 1xRTT which has a maximum speed of only 144Kbps. Sprint is migrating to EvDO and they have some coverage, but not nearly as widespread as Verizon's coverage at the moment.

Update: A reader points out that Sprint leads Verizon in EvDO coverage 113 Sprint EvDO cities to just 63 cities for Verizon. Wow, Verizon was first out of the gate to offer EvDO but now trails Sprint by ½ the number of cities? Who knew?

Update 2: Another reader points out that the CNet info I linked to & sourced is out of date and that Sprint now has 220 cities and Verizon has 180 cities. Guess they're a bit closer to each other now coverage-wise, but I'm still surprised Sprint took the lead considering Verizon had the early start on EvDO.

Ironically, the Palm conference call utilized the Windows Live online presentation system. There is something sadistically wrong with that. You won't catch Apple giving a briefing on Windows Live! In any event, the new Treo 700p has a 312MHz processor, Palm OS 5.4.9, EV-DO, 1.3 megapixel digital camera, a 320 x 320 pixel display, and Bluetooth 1.2. Too tell you the truth, I'm a bit disappointed they used the same 312MHz speed processor on the 700p as the Treo 650. I'd gladly sacrifice a little bit of battery life for a speedier Treo. Speaking of battery life, the Treo 700p has 4.5 hour talk time (30 minutes less than Treo 650) and 12 days standby (1/2 day less than Treo 650).

One nice advantage of the Treo 700p vs. the Windows-based Treo 700w is that the Treo 700p supports the larger 320x320 resolution. This is a better resolution than Windows Mobile 5.0 phones, which currently only support 240x240. Though I should mention the Windows Mobile OS will support 480x480 when the cost of these screens goes down. The Treo 700w, based on Windows Mobile 5.0 is of course 240x240.

The form factor is essentially the same as the Palm Treo 700w which is based on Windows Mobile. So from a hardware perspective these two products are nearly identical. Really the big difference between them is that the Palm OS of this product supports up to 320x320 high-resolution screen which Palm claims "makes pictures and videos pop out at you". Also the button layout is slightly different on the Palm OS-based product.

Treo 700p supports DUN
You can use the 700p as a Dial-Up Networking adaptor. Using a USB cable to your laptop or Bluetooth connectivity, you can have high-speed browsing using your "unlimited EvDO data plan".  This way you can avoid hotel or hotspot charges. Verizon  blocked the dial-up networking capability on the Treo 700w causing a huge customer uproar. Verizon claimed it wasn't compatible with their equipment (uh huh) but that they planned on supporting DUN mid-year. This meant subscribers who bought the Treo 700w and a $50 monthly subscription for EvDO service on that device must also purchase a second subscription for $60 monthly, plus an EvDO card to access the Internet using a laptop.

Fortunately, Verizon has decided to support DUN on the Treo 700p. My guess is Verizon decided to support DUN on the Treo 700p or risk losing customers to Sprint who has never blocked Bluetooth DUN. Of course, as previously mentioned, Sprint's data connection maxes out at 144Kbps since they just recently started adding EvDO nationwide in select metro areas, so Verizon would still be my carrier of choice should I buy a Treo 700w.

I should mention that the nice thing about using the USB cable for DUN is that it features a 500mA trickle charger so your Treo doesn't lose juice and in fact charges while connected over USB (albeit slowly).

One great thing about EvDO on CDMA networks is you don't have to worry about missing calls. The Treo 700p will suspend the data session, the call will come through and then you can resume the data connection. This is especially important if using the DUN feature for an extended period of time and you don't want to miss any calls.

Palm Treo 700p Ignore Text Feature

Another nice usability feature is that if an incoming call comes in, you can see who is calling and then click the "Ignore with Text" button which will send them to voicemail but simultaneously pre-popular an SMS message with their phone number and type out a quick message such as "I'm busy right now, will call you back in 10 min." (see screenshot)

Palm added more feature-rich ringtones that allows you to assign ringtones not to just contacts in your favorites list, but to any contact in your address book. You can even assign a ringtone to a "category" if you have organized your contacts into categories.

Multimedia Features
The Treo 700p can send photos on the fly – no need to switch from the camera to the MMS or email application. You can also associate a photo to a contact directly from an album so the person's photo displays on an incoming call. While displaying a slideshow, you can add music or a voice recording and transitions to the slideshow.

The Treo 700p comes with its own multimedia application that supports both streaming audio and video called Pocket Tunes. The Treo 700p sports a new Pocket Tunes UI from Normsoft, however you will have to pay for an upgrade to Pocket Tunes Deluxe for "licensed" WMA/PlaysForSuresupport. Of course, the most interesting multimedia feature is support for streaming audio and video (Windows Media Player format including MPEG4, H.264, and others) which the Treo 650 lacked. Although I should point out that there are third-party video players for the Treo 650 such as the Core Pocket Media Player (TCPMP) The Core Pocket Media Player (TCPMP), but even this video player doesn't do streaming as far as I know. No word on whether the Treo 700p dropped the RealPlayer "lite" version included with the Treo 650, but there was no mention of it during my conference call.

Treo 700p Features:

General Features

• Palm OS platform
• 128MB memory total, 60MB nonvolatile memory available to user
• Battery: Removable, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, 4.5 hours talk time, 300 hours standby
• Expansion: MultiMediaCard/SD/SDIO card slot
• Display: 320 x 320 color touchscreen with support for 65,536 colors
• Keyboard: Built-in backlit QWERTY keyboard, plus 5-way navigator
  
• Dimensions: 4.4" x 2.3" x 0.9" (111 mm x 58 mm x 22.5 mm)
  
• Weight: 6.4 ounces (180 g)
  Phone Features
  
• Personal speakerphone, Hands-free headset jack, Microphone mute option, TTY/TDD compatibility, 3-way calling
• Processor: Intel XScale 312MHz
• CDMA 800/1900 MHz digital dual-band EvDO and 1xRTT
  
  Internet access
  
• Wireless access to Outlook email
• Wireless access to AOL, Gmail, and Yahoo! email
• Fast mobile web browser
• Functions as a high-speed modem for your laptop Dial-Up Networking (DUN)
  
  PDA Features
  
• Integrated Contacts and Calendar
• Create, edit, and view native Word and Excel files
• View native PowerPoint and PDF documents
• Support for 2GB SD cards, possibly 4GB SD (still testing)
  
  Multimedia features
  
• 1.3 megapixel digital camera also captures video
• Still image capture resolution 1280 x 1024, 2x digital zoom, Video capture resolution 352 x 288, Automatic light balance (non-camera version also available)
• Plays music, pictures, and video
• Built-in Bluetooth 1.2 wireless technology and Infrared (IR)

Enhanced Messaging and Email
Palm made some UI improvements to MMS and improved addressing for SMS and MMS. More importantly it can connect to Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange ActiveSync includes contact sync for keeping your Outlook email client contacts in sync with the Treo. It has out-of-the-box support for Yahoo!, AOL, and Gmail and includes VersaMail 3.5. They've also added improved Smart Addressing which remembers recently used email addresses, a sort button on main inbox page, and improved Scrolling – simply press and hold down button to page-scroll.

It is important to note that even with the Windows-based Treo, Palm stressed their commitment to the Palm operating system. According to Steve Sinclair, Senior Product Manager for the Treo, "It’s really important for people to understand that Palm is a company that has a very strong relationship with PalmSource and plans to support the Palm OS and this (Palm 700p) and is evidence of that. That we continue to work on Palm-OS-based products and the Palm OS platform has such a strong installed base and the expectations of that installed base that we continue to innovate on usability and simplicity for our products." Steve Sinclair added, "But we want to make sure that people understand our commitment to the Palm OS. Our message at Palm is one of choice. Some people prefer Palm OS and some that have an affinity for Windows Mobile and we can offer both of those. We can put the Palm name it because we have the ability to innovative on top of both of those and make sure that they have our signature usability built into the product."

They pointed out their market growth and loyal customer support for the Palm operating system as reasons to continue to support the Palm operating system. In fact, according to a 2005 Canalys report, Palm's year-over-year smartphone growth from 2004 to 2005 was 111%. Their market share in 2004 was 26% and in 2005 grey to 33% or one-third of the smartphone market. The overall smartphone growth was 65%, however RIM, a Palm competitor saw its market share dip from 57% to 53%.

Shockingly, it does not support the WiFi card and it does not have WiFi embedded. By all appearances, WiFi is "blocked" on the device. Palm tap-danced around the issue by stating that it wasn't worth the hit to battery life to operate two radios (cellular + WiFi). I inquired about VoIP, such as supporting the Skype client and Palm replied, "That's related to the WiFi question. Because we're not supporting WiFi, we're not supporting VoIP. It's not to say it's not something we wouldn't look into in the future. Usability and being able to use your phone at the end of the day is probably the most important thing we consider." Bummer. But this doesn't preclude a third-party from developing a VoIP application for the Treo. Alas, the most popular VoIP client, Skype, has no plans to support the Palm operating system.

With the 700w, if you combine it with Exchange SP2 you you get additional administrative security features, such as remotely wiping a phone. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell the 700p doesn't support the IT administrative features.

Pros:

• Finally added streaming support with built-in streaming application
• First all-in-one Treo smartphone with EvDO and Palm OS
• First Treo to support PDF format natively
• 320 x 320 color touch-screen (better resolution than Windows Mobile 5.0 phones which currently only support 240x240, but will support 480x480 when the cost of these screens goes down) (Note: Treo 700w, based on Windows Mobile 5.0 is 240x240)
• Supports Bluetooth and USB DUN (Dial Up Networking). Note: the Treo 700w doesn't support Bluetooth DUN.
• Better compatibility with Macintosh OS vs. the Windows Mobile version
• works with 2GB cards but they said they are only "testing with 4GB SD cards". Hopefully, their tests go well.
  

Cons

• No GSM support. When asked, they wouldn't comment on future GSM plans.
• Kept same 312Mhz Intel XScale processor. They should have went with the newer Intel PXA27x XScale processor which can be clocked as high as 624Mhz.
• So Skype support or plans for a VoIP client. (Skype runs on Windows Mobile)
• No WiFi support
• No EVDO Revision A support and will not be upgradeable to this new high-speed spec
• Cannot use voice dialing via Bluetooth headset.
• No built-in VoIP support

Conclusion:
It's worth pointing out that the Treo 650 (Palm-based) was plagued with stability problems and many reboots, so let's hope the Palm 700w with its newly updated Palm OS 5.4.9 Garnet operating system solves most of those issues. I like the additional memory on the Treo 700p and the streaming audio & video support, as well as the added EvDO and PDF support. In some ways the Treo 700p looks more like an incremental upgrade to the Treo 650, especially since they are using the same speed 312 Mhz XScale processor (though slightly tweaked to run faster with less battery consumption). However, Treo fans will certainly love the new multimedia capabilities which will quiet the Windows Mobile users that taunted this as a key advantage over the Treo. Add in the fact that the Treo 700p supports EvDO there is no doubt that Palm will sell many Treo 700p's in the near future.

Pricing: Pricing will be announced later by Sprint and Verizon.

For Amazon pricing and reviews on the Treo 700/750, click here.

Pangean Technologies, a company that makes P2P VoIP software based on the SIP protocol, has announced a new product called Y-Talk. I should mention that I reviewed Pangean's VoIP software in Internet Telephony Magazine as well as in my blog and was impressed with its use of SIP along with multicast technology to broadcast voice over an entire network to multiple endpoints. Y-Talk is based on the same insta-REACT! technology that earned a favorable review from me.

Y-Talk is Pangean's VoIP mobility solution for internal instant communications. It is expected to be officially released at the end of June 2006. Y-Talk is a SIP-based software application that transforms any PDA device running Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 or Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 into a "Walkie-Talkie" like device using Push to Talk. Based on Pangean’s insta-REACT! product for PCs, the new solution enables Push to Talk on PDA devices for instant communications. Simply by pressing the Push to Talk button, you can instantly communicate using VoIP with team members and groups of colleagues simultaneously.

Pangean has also partnered with Symbol to integrate Y-Talk on Symbol's MC50 and MC70 Enterprise Digital Assistants (EDA) and expects to receive certification from Symbol.

To find out more about Y-Talk and request an advanced copy of the solution, click here 

IDC put out a report two weeks ago about handheld shipments continuing their decline, which is something that I've been predicting for quite some time. Handheld PDAs such as PocketPCs and Palm Pilots are superceded by Windows Mobile and Palm Treo mobile devices. Why carry two devices when you can have one that does the functionality of both?

An interesting summary of the IDC report's findings:

Following a holiday quarter in which worldwide shipments of handheld devices topped two million units, the worldwide market for handheld devices began 2006 with its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline. According to IDC's Worldwide Handheld QView, worldwide shipments of handheld devices totaled 1.5 million units, down 22.3% from the same quarter a year ago.

Despite the incorporation of features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, expandable memory, and integrated GPS solutions, the handheld market continues to shrink. Many of these same features can be found on mobile phones, and the inclusion of telephony extends the usability of mobile phones beyond that of handheld devices. Still, vendors continue to search for ways to keep their products viable within this space by appealing to first-time and core users, or even joining the converged mobile device (i.e. smartphone) space altogether.
"A decline in shipments following the holiday quarter is expected of mature markets, and the handheld devices market is no different. After nine consecutive quarters of year-over-year decline, many are wondering how long this trend will continue, and whether the market will see a reverse," says Ramon Llamas, research analyst with IDC's Mobile Markets team. "IDC believes that the market will eventually hit a size where the rate of year-over-year decline will slow to a sustainable level. That size has yet to be determined, but will be sustained by the core users of handheld devices as well as the enhancements found on these devices."

Vendor Highlights

• Palm, Inc. Palm started off 2006 in much the same way it ended 2005: as the worldwide leader in the handheld market. With shipment volumes 23.3% lower than a year ago, the U.S.-based company was buoyed by the success of the Palm Tungsten E2 and the Palm Z22 handheld. At the same time, shipments of Palm's line of Treo smartphones continue to increase, surpassing shipments of its handheld devices.
  

• Hewlett Packard. Also feeling the effects of the declining market, HP's handheld device shipments decreased 30.3% year over year. With both its professional and home office handheld device lines running on Windows 5.0, HP remains the worldwide leader in Microsoft-powered handheld devices. The company's converged mobile device line also had a year-over-year decrease, but new devices are expected to ship later this year.

• Dell. Despite a decline of 33.8% in shipments from a year ago, the U.S.-based company remained the number three vendor worldwide. As the Axim x30 and x50 model lines have reached the end if their product life cycles, Dell has emphasized its x51 lines, which offer greater processing power and features over the other models.
  

• Acer. Of all the vendors in the top five, Acer had the smallest year-over-year decline at 10.8%, staying ahead of fifth place Mio. The company's shipments within Asia/Pacific remained steady while shipments into Europe declined slightly. The company's latest device, the n300, joins a portfolio of Acer's devices that include expandable memory, Bluetooth, and WiFi features.
  

• Mio. Rounding out the top five is Mio, whose shipment volumes increased enough in Europe and Asia to post a healthy year-over-year increase and to edge out Medion for the final spot. Mio was the only vendor within the top five to record a year-over-year increase at an impressive 84.4%. The company continued to offer a suite of handheld devices targeted at different segments of the market, featuring Bluetooth, WiFi, and imaging capability.

According to the XYZ Computing's Sal Cangeloso as reported in today's CEA SmartBrief newsletter, the PDA will likely return to its roots as a personal organizer and cede high-end features to smartphones and laptop computers.

Will we ever have one single portable device that does everything -- is Dick Tracy's WristRadio as good as it gets?