PDA News - Loox upgrade delayed, Treo TV, iPaq rx1950 approved

[Adama D. Brown]

Fujitsu Loox OS upgrade delayed

First the iPaq hx4700, now this. Semi-official announcements from Fujitsu have revealed that the Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade for the Loox 718 and 720, originally slated for release on the 14th of this month, will be pushed back to January of 2006. A specific date was not set, and it's possible that the delivery will be pushed back even further. Fujitsu is the second manufacturer to announce a significant delay in upgrades for their flagship model. The only major manufacturer that remains committed to releasing an OS upgrade this year is Dell, who plans to deliver some time in October.

 

Live TV on a Treo 650

If you're a hard-core cell phone user, you may already know about MobiTV. For those who aren't, it's a service that allows you to stream live TV to your cellular phone. Now, they're extending service to users of the Treo 650 on the Sprint, Cingular, and Verizon networks. The service offers 20 channels, including MSNBC, The Weather Channel, and the Discovery Channel.

This seems pretty cool in some ways, but I really can't see paying $10 a month for mobile C-SPAN on a tiny screen. For those who are into the sports channels on offer, or who can't bear to be parted with cable news, it may be worth it, but not for most people. Perhaps, when and if they broaden their array of channels, it might become more useful.

http://www.mobitv.com/treo.html

 

iPaq rx1950 approved by FCC

It would appears that the rumored sketches of the upcoming iPaq rx1950 were correct after all. FCC filings by HTC show a new device in the styling of the iPaq 4150, complete with a blurred but readable HP logo in the upper left corner.

There's no word on release date, but the letter to the FCC specifies confidentiality until September 30th, so there's a good chance that it will see release on or about the beginning of October. According to rumors, the device will have a 300 MHz Samsung processor, 32 MB RAM, 64 MB ROM, WiFi, 240 x 320 screen, and an 1100 mAh battery.

FCC filings

 

Palm lowers Treo 650 price

Palm has reduced the price of the unlocked GSM Treo 650 by $50 on their online store, sparking speculation about a new release this fall. Frequently, Palm's price drops preceed replacement models. This follows reports late last month that warehouses were shipping all available Treo 650s to retailers for immediate sale. Rumors have suggested that Palm is planning one or two new Treo models for some time later this year.

http://web.palm.com/products/communicators/config/unlocked_gsm.jhtml?categoryId=30025&cjsku=1040NA

[Brian]

I got a chance to try out TV on the 650 earlier this week. I watched CNBC for several minutes. While the ticker was impossible to read and the graphics were grainy, it was quite serviceable. Not all of the channels are mirrors of the cable versions though. Anyway, it's a nice service and worth checking out. It would surely look better on a larger display.

[mgrosner]

I assume the broadcasts come across the data network. Without high speed service (EVDO), do the frame rates keep up? or are you constantly buffering?

Mark

[Andrew]

I'd imagine without EVDO you'd be in a bit of pain, what I watched was actually pretty impressive given the screen size and the frame rate good. But if that frame rate dropped it'd be a painful viewing experience.

[Brian]

We saw it on the Cingular network that was probably Edge, with no dropped frames, it was very nice.

[Vishalca]

About the iPaq, it seems like an interesting device....as long as it is priced properly. HP has been notorious for bad pricing. Make the device under $250ish and you have a winner.

Someone on Brighthand posted this link to the 2005-2006 PDA releases for HP; it seems that the rx1950 and a bluetooth-only 2100 series PDA are the only releases this year.

LINK: http://h20195.www2.hp.com/search/pdf...ad821eb794.pdf

[Adama D. Brown]

I would be shocked and horrified if HP had nothing else planned for 2006 besides those. Given how badly their current lineup is playing, keeping them around for another year would be tantamount to surrendering the #2 position.

However, if I had to guess I would say that the new model numbers assigned to the 2000 series represent the models that have Windows Mobile 5 preloaded, rather than completely new models. That being the case, this document probably just sketches out the existing line, rather than being a full year's roadmap.

[Adama D. Brown]

Whoops, scratch that--I just checked the spec breakdown, and it looks like the 2000 series is getting an actual refresh, though with the same design and most of the same hardware. They're actually decreasing the battery capacity on the 2100 and 2400 to 920 mAh, from 1440. Foolish. Even more foolish, they're trying to keep the the rz1710 around, even turning it into a GPS navigation model. Talk about your ridiculously bad ideas. HP really doesn't have any clue about the market, do they?

[Vishalca]

Adama, let's hope there's some hope in the 1950!!

Everything else looks dismal for them. Like I said before, make it priced comparably with the Tungsten E2, and it will have a chance.