The aging Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Treo 700 platform has apparently gotten some ROM-update love on the down-low. Palm has pushed out two new ROM updates to its Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Palm Treo 700p and Alltel Palm Treo 700wx devices with nary a peep.
The Palm OS-powered Palm Treo 700p for Verizon gets a radio ROM update that is said to fix “”…a phone reset issue that occurs under certain specific and rare conditions.” The Palm Treo 700p’s v1.11 ROM can only be applied to handsets that are already running the v1.10 ROM – so all you nostalgic Treo users out there will want to update your Palm Treo 700p’s 1.06 ROM to the 1.10 ROM before applying the 1.11 update. Find the Verizon Palm Treo 700p 1.11 ROM here.

On the Windows Mobile side of things, we’re seeing Palm pushing out an update for its Alltel Palm Treo 700wx. The Palm Treo 700wx 1.12 ROM will fix a “… a phone reset issue that occurs under certain specific and rare conditions,” much like the new ROM for the Verizon Palm Treo 700p. Find  the Alltel Palm Trep 700wx’s 1.12 ROM download here.

 Verizon Palm Treo 700p v1.11 ROM update
 Alltel Palm Treo 700wx v1.12 ROM update

[Via: PalmInfoCenter]

It’s clear that the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone and iPhone 3G have been the most sought after handsets in the US smartphone market for some time now. Following on the previous ChangeWave survey that indicated that the iPhone 3G would have a “tsunami like impact” on the smartphone market, ChangeWave has released a new survey that shows RIM and its BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) aren’t taking the issue lightly.

While the iPhone 3G had the distinction of being the most desired smartphone among potential smartphone consumers, RIM has a dominating lead in both the consumer and enterprise segments with their BlackBerry lineups – 42% of the smartphone market is no small accomplishment. RIM is pitting their BlackBerry Bold and touchscreen-based BlackBerry Thunder against the iPhone 3G, and it seems to be (somewhat) working.

The latest ChangeWave survey data shows that a total of 4% of respondents report they’re “Very Likely” to buy the new RIM BlackBerry Bold when it becomes available. Another 13% are “Somewhat Likely.”

The BlackBerry Thunder saw 2% of respondents indicating that they’re “Very Likely” to buy a RIM BlackBerry Thunder when available. A total of 13% are “Somewhat Likely.”

As for RIM’s first BlackBerry clamshell, the RIM BlackBerry KickStart, a total of 2% say they’re “Very Likely,” and 11% are “Somewhat Likely” to purchase a RIM BlackBerry KickStart when it goes on sale.

According to the data, RIM and Apple are poised to battle for the lucrative US smartphone market. The iPhone 3G still takes the lead for planned smartphone purchases, but RIM is following in a strong second. And, with an installed user-base that far exceeds the iPhone’s, the BlackBerry lineup is sure to put up a good fight. Unfortunately, that means the lesser smartphone competitors are going to have to duke it out for the remaining smartphone market scraps.

“The real losers in this smart phone battle will most likely be the second-tier players, who could find themselves increasingly pushed to the sidelines as the two Goliaths battle for market dominance,” says Tobin Smith, founder of ChangeWave Research and editor of ChangeWave Investing. That couldn’t be a reference to Palm (NSDQ: PALM), could it?

The survey was conducted after the iPhone 3G announcement but before the handset’s release and included a survey pool comprising 3,567 participants.

It was at the end of March when we reported about Palm’s success to sell one million Centros. Now, they are reporting another million has been sold in the meantime!

This is a huge success for the struggling Treo maker and I honestly hope they’ll release the long-awaited successor to the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) OS pretty soon.

Palm is offering Centro in more than 25 countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

With the more popular Palm Centro making more significant headway in Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Palm (NSDQ: PALM) OS-powered smartphone portfolio, the No. 2 US wireless carrier has announced that the recently launched Palm Treo 755p has met its end-of-life. The Palm Treo 755p was only launched on Verizon a few months back, and it seems that Verizon is already done with the long-delayed Palm Treo 755p.

The end-of-life announcement from Verizon comes on the heels of the Palm-issued Treo 755p update.

Whatever Verizon’s reason for killing off the last remaining vestige of Palm’s classic Treo-design, we’re going to miss the bloated sucker. And, we’re sure business-users needing a keyboard with keys larger than the Tic-Tac’s on the Palm Centro’s keyboard will be missing the Verizon Palm Treo 755p.

[Via: PalmInfoCenter]

Palm (NSDQ: PALM) has released a software update for Sprint (NYSE: S)’s Centro. Firmware version 1.07 offers the following enhancements:

• Improved Gmail IMAP compatibility and an updated setup wizard with the new Gmail settings
• Updated compatibility for Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Mobile Maps “My Location” feature
• Improved ongoing delivery of email sent to VersaMail accounts using Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s Direct Push Technology via Exchange ActiveSync
• Bluetooth usability enhancements and updates
• Sprint TV performance enhancements
• Enhanced AOL Instant Messenger performance
• Improved performance when adding a contact using “Mobile Voice Control”
• Improved email attachment handling
• Changed default camera shutter sound to “ON”
• Allows Preferred Roaming List updates over the air

Interested? Sure you are. Hop over to Palm’s support site to download the latest Sprint Centro firmware.

The iPhone 3G will be launching at 8am local time on July 11. And, as soon as sales go live, the US is going to see a tremendous shift in the smartphone market. According to a new survey from ChangeWave Research, consumers are looking more toward the iPhone 3G than either the RIM-made BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) lineup or any smartphone offerings from Palm (NSDQ: PALM). So much so, in fact, that the iPhone 3G could have a “tsunami-like” impact on the US smartphone market.

While the iPhone 3G currently ranks as the third most popular smartphone in the US with 11% market share, compared to RIM’s 42% and Palm’s 14% share, ChangeWave suggests that the iPhone could skyrocket to at least second place with the iPhone 3G.

Surveying 3,567 consumers following Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s June 9th iPhone 3G announcement, ChangeWave found that 56% of consumers planning to purchase a smartphone in the next 90 days are looking to fill their needs with Apple’s next-generation iPhone 3G. Of the respondents, 23% plan to get a RIM-made BlackBerry handset, while only 3% of smartphone enthusiasts have a Palm device in mind.

The BlackBerry Bold will likely hold up RIM’s side of the smartphone market, while the Palm Treo 800w will be giving Palm-fans a does of new hardware. But, with the iPhone 3G-fighting BlackBerry Thunder reportedly delayed until the end of 2008 due to developmental struggles, how will RIM fare against Apple in the US?

If these figures project reliably in to real-world consumer intentions, we’ll be seeing twice as many new iPhone 3G handsets hit the market over the next few months than we will any BlackBerry handset.

ChangeWave Research

Note: the chart focuses on those respondents indicating interest in smartphones 

Like they won’t have all the attention they need this Friday when the new iPhone 3G launches, AT&T (NYSE: T) will be also adding the Centro in color – Electric blue. Specs remain the same, and the newly colored device joins the other two versions – “glacier white” and “obsidian black.”

But that’s not all. Palm (NSDQ: PALM) seems to want to catch the younger audience with the new “eye-catching” Centro, hence they’ll make them more affordable for back-to-schoolers from July 11 to September 20, 2008. We don’t know the details at this stage, but we guess you’ll be able to grab the Centro for 50 bucks on a contract. Who knows, maybe even prices for the unlocked versions go down. We’ll see…

[Via: Palm Blog]

What better way to keep that aging smartphone from feeling a little less “wise” in years, especially when compared with the new wave of smartphone hotness slated to drop in the coming months, than to give it a quick firmware update? To be fair, the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Treo 755p isn’t exactly old, but the Palm handset’s Palm OS sure is getting long in the tooth.

So, to keep things as fresh as possible and make good on their promise, Palm has just released a firmware update, something they call a “tune up,” for Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Palm OS-powered Palm Treo 755p.

The new v1.08 firmware apparently improves the phone application, stability, and usability of the Treo 755p. We’re not sure exactly what those improvements entail, but there’s no reason why Verizon-loving Palm Treo 755p owners shouldn’t hope on board and upgrade their smartphone immediately.

Find the Palm Treo 755p firmware update here.

[Via: PalmInfocenter]

This sounds all too familiar. Like Helio’s inability to turn a profit despite increasing their cash inflow, Palm (NSDQ: PALM) has posted their Q4 earnings to disappointing effect.

Palm highlighted the fact that their revenue was up 29%, based on smartphones sales of 968,000 units totaling $296.2 million. But, it wasn’t enough to hide the fact that the Palm Centro’s spectacular success wasn’t enough to bring Palm any profit. The outfit ended the fourth quarter with a $43.4 million net loss.

Palm’s fiscal announcement works out to an adjusted loss of 22 cents per share, falling short of Wall Street’s expectation of an 18 cent loss per share.

What can we say. Palm’s return to profitability is likely going to be a long road, and a loss was expected for this particular quarter. But, the good news is that smartphones sales saw a much-needed upturn.

[Via: Unstrung]

There’s nothing worse than being stuck at home asking that dreaded question of your significant other – “What should we do today/tonight?”

To help ease the brain-racking search for new and fun things to do in your area, the Travel Channel is bringing their travel-expertise to the mobile space. Travel Channel GO is a web-app that puts the power of the Travel Channel’s worldly knowledge in the palm (NSDQ: PALM) of your, well iPhone.

Find out about food, nightlife, shopping, and events in your area (or while on vacation), as well as the Travel Channel’s “Top Picks” – complete with maps to get you to where you want to go. Or, if you’re a bit more certain about the type of adventure you want to partake in, Travel Channel GO offers a search feature to quickly bring up all relevant events/places near you.

The new Travel Channel GO interface has been optimized with sliding-panel graphics for your iPhone. And, with the iPhone 3G on the way, we’re sure Travel Channel Go will be a hit for some time to come.

But, that doesn’t mean the Travel Channel has left other mobile platforms out in the cold. The entire gamut of major mobile platforms is covered – Windows Mobile, Mac OS, Palm OS, S60, BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM).

Simply point your mobile phone’s browser to go.travelchannel.com, and you’ll be offered a choice of mobile applications or web-applications depending on the mobile platform you’re currently using.