HP Pre3 and Veer running webOS

HP isn't giving up on webOS. The new Pre3 and Veer smartphones will be coming out over the next few months. The Pre3 will feature advanced Touchstone technology that will allow you to share a URL between your Pre3 and an HP TouchPad simply by tapping them together. Don't tap too hard.

Seems like a clever way to connect your devices. Speaking of the TouchPad, I'm eager to see how that device compares to my iPad. Maybe I'll get a chance to preview the TouchPad when I'm at HIMSS next week... (that would be a nice surprise, wouldn't it?).

New HP Palm logo

HP owns Palm. Now, they have a logo that combines both HP and Palm. I like it. It's clean, simple, and it still retains the look and feel of HP and Palm.

By the way, webOS is going to be called HP webOS. Are you getting in line to buy the new Palm Pre 2 running HP webOS 2.0? I hope the Palm Pre 3 has bigger buttons on its keyboard.

HP webOS 2.0 and the Palm Pre 2

Now that HP owns Palm, webOS has been renamed HP webOS and they're coming out with version 2.0. Plus, there's a new Palm Pre called the Palm Pre 2 (at least they didn't call it the Palm Pre Plus 2). I like the Palm Pre, but those tiny buttons are simply too small for my medium-sized fingers.

So, what are all the benefits of webOS 2.0? Read the press release below:

HP Introduces webOS 2.0, the Next Generation of Mobile Innovation

Coming first on new Palm Pre 2 in France, the United States and Canada

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 19, 2010 - HP today announced HP webOS 2.0, the most significant update to the platform since its launch in 2009 and a substantial step in HP's vision to transform how people think, feel and connect.

Should you lease a smartphone?

Many people lease laptops. Should you lease your smartphone? Just as an example, you can lease the Palm Pre (which is now an HP smartphone) for $13 month for 48 months. Here's the fine print about leasing an HP smartphone:

Lease products available through Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company (HPFS) to qualified commercial customers in the U.S. and are subject to credit approval and execution of standard HPFS documentation. Lease prices shown are based upon HPFS’ current lease rates for premium risk rating customers (as determined by HPFS in its sole discretion). All customers may not qualify for this pricing. HPFS lease rates may vary depending upon HPFS’ credit review and approval of the customer and the transaction. Other restrictions may apply. HPFS reserves the right to change or cancel this program at any time without notice.

Given that smartphones are changing so rapidly, it probably makes sense to lease them so that you can stay current with the latest technology. Otherwise, keep them in mint condition and sell them on eBay. That's what I do. 

Save 50% on webOS apps

For a limited time, save 50% on almost every webOS app that's currently available. You have until July 9th. If you have a Palm Pre, a Palm Pre Plus, a Palm Pixi, or a Palm Pixi Plus, then you're in luck to download some great apps to your smartphone.

webOS coming to AT&T (Palm Pre Plus)

webOS isn't dead since HP acquired Palm. It looks like webOS is coming to the AT&T network. As predicted, by the end of 2010, I think that we may see every major smartphone OS on every major wireless network here in the United States. The only uncertainty revolves around the iPhone: will it appear on Verizon and T-Mobile?

According to several rumors, the Palm Pre Plus is coming to AT&T on May 14. Given that Europe has already seen a GSM Palm Pre, this isn't a surprise. I'm still waiting for the next Palm to be branded as an HP smartphone. Maybe HP will maintain the Palm brand.

Palm: a timeline from the Palm Pilot to the Palm Pre

PC World has a nice slideshow titled, "A Palm Technology Timeline." This article reminds us of the late 1990's when "Palm was King." Remember the Palm Pilot 1000 that came out in 1996? It used AAA batteries and the first model didn't even have a backlight. Can you believe that people spent $300 for a little device that had a 16MHz processor and 128KB of memory? Then, Palm became quite progressive with thinner models, color screens, SD card slot for memory expansion, wireless capabilities, and more. The Palm V and the Palm Vx were some of the most popular models because they were so thin. Now, Palm has been acquired by HP, so what's going to happen?

To see the slideshow on PC World, click here.

Palm is up for sale

The creator of the Palm Pilot, the Palm Pre, the Palm Pixi, and webOS is up for sale. I wonder what that means for medical students and physicians who are loyal Palm OS and webOS users. Will Palm survive the smartphone war as Apple and Google battle with the iPhone and Android? How about the competition brought on by BlackBerry and now with Windows Phone 7?

According to BusinessWeek, "The company is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Frank Quattrone’s Qatalyst Partners to find a buyer...the sale isn't public"

So, will webOS survive? Will HTC or Lenovo purchase Palm and install Android or Windows Phone 7 on the Pre or Pixi? Speaking of Palm, I still have a few of my old Palm Pilots. My wife also had a Palm (made by Sony and it was called a Clie). What's going to happen to Palm? 

Try Epocrates on webOS (for Palm Pre and Palm Pixi)

Epocrates has launched a beta version of a native app that runs on webOS. So, for all you Palm Pre and Palm Pixi owners, go out and try Epocrates on your smartphone!

Please note, the clinical content will not be updated for the beta version of Epocrates.

To learn more, visit: http://www.epocrates.com/products/webos/

Instructions for Palm Pre/Pixi

To download Epocrates Rx free software to your Palm Pre/Pixi, follow these simple steps:

1. On your Palm Pre/Pixi device, tap the “Launcher” icon, then the “App Catalog” icon and search for “Epocrates”
2. Select “Epocrates” and tap on “Download for free”
3. When the download is complete, tap on “Tap to Launch”
4. Once Epocrates launches, you will see a welcome page.
   Existing user: Tap on “Sign In”, enter Epocrates username/password and tap “Sign In”
   New user: Tap on “Register Now”

Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus now on Verizon Wireless

If you're a customer on Verizon Wireless, you may like to know that the Palm Pre Plus and the Palm Pixi Plus are now available on Verizon Wireless for $149.99 and $99.99, respectively.

I wonder if this is the smartphone my wife will get. She's a family physician in private practice. She used to have a Sony Clie running the original Palm OS. Then, she switched to a Palm Treo and began using Windows Mobile. Now, I think she's ready to try webOS (although I'm trying to convince her to go with an Android smartphone). Given that she needs to run Epocrates right away, neither webOS nor Android are optimal for her. So, what's she going to do?  Hint: she's waiting for the Apple iPhone to arrive on Verizon.

Top 10 smartphones according to PC World (and my thoughts)

According to PC World, the Motorola Droid running Google's Android OS is the #1 "top smartphone." Surprised? The Apple iPhone 3GS is #2 and the Google Nexus One (Android OS) is #3.

• There are no Windows Mobile phones on that "top 10" list.
  
• Also, the BlackBerry Storm2 didn't make that list.
• 5 out of the 10 run Android
• 2 out of the 10 run webOS
• 2 out of the 10 are BlackBerries
• There's only one Apple iPhone
  

Speaking of the iPhone, many people will argue that the iPhone 3GS should be #1. For 2010, I could make a very compelling argument that the iPhone is the #1 medical smartphone. However, I'm also a strong believer that this could (and probably will) change over the next few years. Having said that, let me say that I still highly recommend the Apple iPhone to physicians who are interested in getting a new smartphone. Many physicians still use older devices like the Palm Treo and they're accustomed to the original Palm OS. They have a Mac at home and all their colleagues in the hospital have an iPhone. Should they get an iPhone? Yes! Should they get an Android smartphone? Not unless they're willing to wait for the release of additional medical software like Epocrates or PEPID.

If you're planning on getting a new smartphone in 2010, go with the iPhone (unless you can't switch to AT&T). If you can wait, then wait and see what happens with Android. You may also be fairly happy with webOS as long as you can wait for software, but why would you want to choose webOS over Android?

To view the PC World list of the "Top 10 smartphones," click here.

Free Palm Pre with 3-year contract

If you're in Canada, you can get a Palm Pre running webOS for free if you sign a 3-year contract. Would you be willing to commit to a wireless provider for 3 years?

Sometimes I can't believe that I've been with Verizon Wireless for over 10 years. My wife wants to switch to AT&T to get the Apple iPhone, but everyone in our family uses Verizon. She's really hoping that Apple will announce a Verizon iPhone later this week. If it looks like the Verizon iPhone will get seriously delayed, then she may end up getting the Palm Pre Plus for Verizon.

Living in Canada? Click here to see the details about the free Palm Pre on the Bell Canada website.

webOS coming to Verizon and AT&T

The Palm Pre was the first smartphone released in the United States running webOS. It was only available on the Sprint network as a CDMA smartphone. Then, the Palm Pixi came out on Sprint. Last year, a GSM version of the Palm Pre was released in Europe, but it never made it to North America.

Now, we know that the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi are coming out on Verizon later this month. We've also heard that AT&T will be getting 2 smartphones running webOS. Wonder which models those will be, right?

It's great to see webOS expanding, but I don't think they're going to catch up with Android since Palm is the only manufacturer building smartphones running webOS. If Palm really wants webOS to spread among smartphone users, then they need to allow other handset manufacturers to release smartphones running webOS. That's exactly what Google is doing with Android and we're seeing HTC, Motorola, Dell, and other phone manufacturers releasing smartphones running Android.

Palm Pre Plus coming to Verizon Wireless on Jan 25

If you're on Verizon Wireless and you've been waiting for the Palm Pre running webOS, your wait is almost over! On Jan 25, the Palm Pre Plus is coming to Verizon. Expect 16 GB of storage on this smartphone.

Palm Pre Plus coming to Verizon Wireless

I love to propagate rumors as long as they don't cause harm. I don't know if this rumor is true or false, but it sure is interesting: The Palm Pre Plus is coming to Verizon Wireless.

We've been hearing that Verizon should be getting a Palm Pre. However, the version that launches on Verizon will probably be superior in some ways to the Sprint Version.

It sounds like the new phone will be called the Palm Pre Plus. What will make this version a "plus" compared to the standard Palm Pre? Let's speculate for a few minutes based on circulating rumors:

• Larger screen
• More memory
• microSD slot

Sounds like a nice upgrade, even if a few of those rumors are true. So, are you compelled to get a Palm Pre Plus running webOS? Are you willing to have a smartphone that currently has a limited number of native medical apps? Of course, you can run old Palm OS medical apps. but who wants to do that when you've got webOS?

Save 20% on Unbound Medicine

Unbound Medicine has some great titles for smartphones, including Apple iPhone, RIM BlackBerry, Microsoft Windows Mobile, and Google Android. You could also run their apps if you have a Palm Pre (webOS) as long as you're running a Classic Palm OS emulator. Otherwise, you can access some of their titles via a mobile web browser. Use the code "GIFT09" when you're checking out to save 20%.
Visit: http://www.unboundmedicine.com

Why is webOS limited to Sprint?

Does it seem fair? Currently, Apple's iPhone OS is limited to AT&T. Palm's webOS is limited to Sprint. That doesn't seem like it's the best way to market a product if you ask me. Let's take a look at a few other smartphone operating systems:

• Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS can be found on all the major carriers.
• RIM's BlackBerry OS can also be found on all the major carriers.
• Google's Android OS is now on almost every networks (currently on T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint, but not on AT&T yet)

Does it make sense to limit iPhone and webOS to single carriers? From a marketing perspective, the answer clearly seems to be 'no.' We've heard rumors that Palm's webOS devices will begin to appear on Verizon Wireless. The international GSM version of the Palm Pre can be used in the U.S. if you can find it on eBay. We've heard rumors of an Apple iPhone for Verizon as well.

So in 2010, will all the major smartphone operating systems be available on all the major U.S. mobile phone networks?

Get a new Palm Pre for $79.99

You can get a new Palm Pre for $79.99 from Amazon.com

You'll need to sign up for a new service plan, but $80 for a smartphone like this one is a great deal (the list price is $499.99)

Palm Pre webOS gets updated to 1.3.1

Palm's webOS is getting updated to 1.3.1 this month. The last update (1.2.1) was released on October 2.

The update to 1.3.1 brings some fixes and also adds some features such as Yahoo calendar and Yahoo address book. If you have a Palm Pre, have you already updated to webOS 1.3.1?

Lexi-Comp for the Palm Pre (webOS) - coming soon

If you want to get a preview ("sneek peak") of Lexi-Comp medical and dental software for the Palm Pre running webOS, then take a look at this link: http://www.lexi.com/pda/palm-pre/

The software is still in development, but you can get a sense of how the medical app will run on webOS. They have screen shots and a short video. The software interface reminds me of the iPhone, and I think that's the direction we'll see things move as more smartphones rely on finger-touch input and navigation.