I am trying to contain my ‘guarded’ excitement upon reading the building rumors about Apple’s event next week. While the concept of an Apple Tablet does intrigue me, my own selfish interests are looking upon an iPhone OS update with devilish eyes. I desperately want to see what Apple will do to the iPhone OS in what I hope will be an answer to the ever-increasing interest (and market share) of the world’s Droids, Pres and the like. Along those lines, BGR has just posted their own ‘exclusive details‘ with regards to the potential iPhone OS update.

Here’s their list:

There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)

“A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.

Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.

The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”

The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

Wow. I really want to see what they’ve come up with! Of course, there is no knowing when this rumored update might actually be available for consumers but I am hoping sooner rather than later.

Nexus One is hitting Google online shelves, Windows Mobile 7 is on its way and the 4th generation iPhone is behind the corner… so why on earth I bought a WM 6.1 device? Read on and let me know if you think I am out of my mind.

I have been I loyal and satisfied Palm user since my first Palm OS smartphone, a 2004 Treo 600 by Handspring (yes, that was the name) . After that I upgraded twice, first to a PalmOne Treo 650 and then to a Palm Centro. Even with no upgrade at all (Palm OS is basically the same since 2004), with no Wi-Fi, no fast data connection and no-all-other-cool-add-ons the devices were (and still are) great for me.

Until the Centro went for a swim in the toilet, which obliged me to think to a new device to buy.

I have tried, although for a limited time, iPhone OS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry OS and Symbian devices while I completely missed Android and webOS. However I read on a regulare base many tech-related sites and I know what I am looking for (advanced and usable PIM software) and what I can’t absolutely stand (sluggy OS and lack of apps).

Thus I had very clear in mind my possible choices, keeping in mind that I don’t care the price of the device I buy if it’s good for me:

• iPhone OS: iPhone 3GS
• Windows Mobile: HTC Touch HD2 and HTC Touch Pro2
• Android: Google Nexus One and Motorola Milestone (a.k.a. Droid)
• Symbian or Maemo: Nokia N97 or Nokia N900
• webOS: Palm Pre
• Blackberry: Bold 9700 (a.k.a. Bold2) and Storm 9520 (a.k.a. Storm2)

I can’t live without a physical keyboard, thus the iPhone, HD2, Nexus One and Storm2 are not an option for me.

I have read everything bad about Nokia’s N97 and the N900, while intriguing, still is in its very infancy.

The Blackberry platform is somehow a mystery for me, as I have never owned one and I am scared to discover a few days after my purchase to be obliged to need a contract to take full advantage of the device. Moreover Blackberry OS seems to be plagued by overpriced apps, and I don’t want to double my expenses just for the sake of paying much more than twice a 99 ¢ app on the iPhone. Please BB users, pardon me for my limited comprehension of your platform of choice. This is also a great disappointment for me, as I like the Storm2 form factor very much.

So we are left with the Palm Pre, Motorola Milestone and HTC Touch Pro2.

First the Pre: I have been (and still am) in love with Palm OS for its easy to use and extremely productive OS, but the Pre is not arrived yet in my country, and I should buy the German version with a wrong (for me) keyboard layout. Moreover the keyboard seems too cramped to be useful and quality applications are still lacking.

Milestone/Droid turn: this is now arrived in Italy. The keyboard is there, but is still reported as being too small. Moreover, I want a symmetric keyboard and I don’t like the left placed d-pad that oblige you to “jump” with your right thumb while typing. I admit I did not dig deeper, but here too quality applications for the platform are not ready yet if you want to be productive from day 1.

It seems that only the Touch Pro2 is left, then you may guess what I bought in the end.

Fortunately, the reviews of the Pro2 are all very positive about the hardware (be it a branded or a no branded version), which shines for its completeness and versatility. Keyboard in particular is one of, if not the, best available on mobile devices nowadays. The camera does an average work but is good even in a macro-like usage scenario. The screen is a huge 3.6″, which is good, even if it is resistive. Finally the Microsoft platform has tons of apps, with many good low priced software’s and well reputed developers.

Only gripe… It has Windows Mobile 6.1, another zombie OS everyone has been complaining about for its manifest incapacity to renew its core and UI. But again, the HTC makeover TouchFlo3D (a.k.a. Manila) does a good job and give some fresh air to WM, even if only on the outside.  And if you add the xda-developers forum support the Pro2 deserves a chance.

In the end my Pro2 purchase was a pleasant choice, even if I never expected to buy a WM device. Or maybe it’s only my taste for dead OS’s, what do you think?

Dear Palm,

Ithinkweshouldseeotherpeople!  There, I said it.  I know, that is never easy to hear, but I really think we should start seeing other people (devices).  I hope we can still be friends. 

Last summer, when I was having a bit of a bad time with HTC Touch Pro, which deserted me, you were there.  You appeared as if by magic, ready to fill in the hole Windows Mobile had left.  I leaped without looking onto your bandwagon, and was instantly dazzled by what you showed me, and started screaming my love for your WebOS from the rooftops of JAMM.

Sadly, these last six months revealed that my love for you was really little more than infatuation, couple with new tech blindness.  To be honest, you just never reached the potential those early days promised.  What I once called a revolutionary new operating system has proven itself to be an incredibly well designed operating system, with just abysmal execution.  I still do believe that WebOS could have been the future, but those minor annoyances we discussed last summer have lingered, becoming significant problems.

The first warning sign came when none of my favorite mobile developers jumped on the new platform.  They always say that when your long time friends do not get along with your significant other, then something is wrong.  I should have heeded that advice when longtime stalwarts like Fizz Software, SPB Software, Ilium, and most of the game developers I know looked at WebOS and quickly moved along.  Sure, a few developers tossed apps into the WebOS fray.  Longtime Palm developer SplashData was chief among them; while some others have apps in the pipeline.  But the truth is that while there are a lot of apps in the App Catalog (and many more available from other sources), most of them lack the professional polish which iPhone and even Windows Mobile apps offer.  I also found far too many holes in the App Catalog, with far too much functionality which I have come to expect, simply not represented (such as RSS readers, ToDo Lists, and even Weather Apps which were far underrepresented).  

More importantly, however, were the memory issues.  The Palm Pre has suffered from these issues since its inception.  Several upgrades have been released which change the way memory is handled, in an effort to make for a smoother user experience.  Each time, however, I found that Palm would fix one area only to break another.  This led to several instances of an update to fix the last update.   Frankly, this became tiresome, and never really did a very good job of fixing the underlying memory and app lag issues.  When it was all said and done, when the dust from these updates had finally settled, I am still receiving the dreaded, “Too many cards open” message (which require a soft reset) on an almost daily basis; and the lag time associated with loading and operating various apps (especially the calendar) continues to plague the device.

The final straw for me, however, came earlier this month, with yet another operating system upgrade: WebOS 1.3.5.1This update brought on the collision of my two biggest problems.  While the update log claimed significant changes to the App Catalog.  The biggest change for me, however, was the apparent inability to download or update any apps.  This left two of my three most frequently used apps (The Weather Channel and Evernote) dead in the water after new updates failed to install.  After several days of frustration, I finally made the decision last night to switch over to the Android Operating System, with the purchase of an HTC Hero.

I will admit that I am a little saddened by the decision.  WebOS really did have a lot of to like, with its revolutionary interface, Palm’s contact sync system, and email handling.  I have never seen any mobile device which could compare with WebOS’s management of cloud-based data.  It easily drew contacts from numerous online sources (Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and others), and seamlessly combined them into one universal contact list.  Likewise, I will really miss the Touchstone charger, which is one of my all time favorite accessories.  Still, these two areas are no basis for a relationship, which has otherwise lost its foundation of trust. 

I still love what Palm offered with WebOS, I just think it has become apparent that Palm is not the company to pull this one off.  So, Palm, I think it is time for us to see other people.  My HTC Hero shipped this morning.

Few hours ago Clayton Morris at FOXNews posted what he knows will be revealed at Apple January 27th event, and it makes sense to me.

Image courtesy of FOXNews

On his post at FOXNews, Clayton says:

[…]

I spoke to a source at Apple this morning, before the invite hit my inbox, who said the event would likely focus on three projects: The tablet device, iPhone 4, and a new round of iLife 2010 software. While we won’t see new iPhone hardware just yet, we will see the next-generation software

[…]

Thus we are going to see:

• the Apple Tablet;
• iPhone OS v.4;
• iLife 2010.

I don’t like rumors, but if the long awaited Apple Tablet is going to be revealed at the event, the whole thing seems reasonable.

The Apple Tablet is told to be sporting something in the middle between current iPhone OS V.3 and the PC class Mac OS X, thus the core of the Tablet itself could be a new iPhone OS, bringing together the power of the desktop version of Mac OS X and the clever touch interface of iPhone OS.

If you call this iPhone OS v.4, Apple will us some insight into the new OS. The new version could also be scalable, so that you can adopt it both on Smartphones like the iPhones or on more powerful hardware like the Tablet.

And then comes iLife, which I expect to be place in the clouds, like Google Documents. This has been told before and speculated many times, but now it makes sense as it could be part of the new Tablet experience and services that Apple may want to sell to us. And it could also be available for iPhone users.

I here dare too much, but the possible event schedule could be as follows:

• the new iPhone OS v.4;
• the iLife 2010 cloud suite;
• the Apple Tablet (introduced by a cathartic “… one more thing…”).

Feel free to comment on my brainstorming in the comment area, while we wait for the ground truth on January 27th.

Via: FOXNews

Alright, as some have said, this year will be the year of the eBook.  Asus, the makers of the Eee PC, may be entering this market with the potential introduction of an eBook reader with a full color OLED display.  Featuring a 6 inch screen and the ability to play Flash videos over 3G and WiFi, this rumored device sure has potential.  To top it off, it is said that it would have a 122 hour battery – now that is long!  I wonder what type of conditions it would need to be in to get that kind of energy efficiency.  How will this potential upcoming eBook reader fare in comparison to e-Ink type displays which are soft to the eyes?  Well, I for one can stare at an LCD screen all day, but I thought the goal of an eBook reader would be to simulate a book and not be hard on the eyes.  In any case, I’m excited and wonder what’ll be of this gadget toy.

via Liliputing