The Official Palm Blog

Gary Krakow: Centro Tells its Foes to “Talk to the Hand”

“I've always said that if you give the consumer a good product -- and sell it for a good price -- you should have a winner.”

On the heels of Palm's IDC market share gains,TheStreet.com’s Gary Krakow elaborates on why Centro has been such a successful product for Palm, and how it stacks up against other smart devices: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10419811/1/palms-centro-tells-foes-talk-to-the-hand.html?puc=lhhome

-Paul Loeffler

Texting with the Stars

Palm showed off the Palm Centro smartphone at the Kari Feinstein MTV Movie Awards Style Lounge last week, where celebrities like Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie, Dancing With The Stars), Jesse Metcalf (Desperate Housewives), Laura Prepon (That 70’s Show), Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray) and Julianne Hough (Dancing With The Stars) learned how to look good while they text, IM, email and make calls on one small device. We hear that Debra Messing popped the SIM out of her BlackBerry and put it right into her new Palm Centro!

-Paul Loeffler

(Debra Messing - photo credit: Wire Image/Amy Graves)

(Shannon Elizabeth - photo credit: Wire Image/Amy Graves)

(Jesse Metcalf - photo credit: Wire Image/Amy Graves)

(Nikki Blonsky - photo credit: Wire Image/Amy Graves)

(Julianne Hough - - photo credit: Wire Image/Amy Graves)

IDC: Palm market share up to 13.4% in Q108

IDC just released a report detailing the latest smartphone market share numbers for Q1 2008. The new numbers show a jump for Palm to 13.4 percent from 7.9 percent in the previous quarter (Q407).

A big reason for the increase–the $99 Centro is selling like hotcakes. Here’s a Bloomberg article with more details.

-Paul Loeffler

The Hang Up Act: Yay or Nay?

Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio recently introduced an appropriately titled bill, “The Hang Up Act.” If approved, the bill would prohibit the use of voice communication via cell phones during flight, but would allow airline passengers to send text messages and email. The bill would continue to allow the use of the in-flight phones that are built into the back of seats.

A survey released by Yahoo Mobile last week shows that this is what the majority of Americans would prefer on airplanes: 74 percent said it’s OK to use the silent features on mobile phones such as email and texting while in the air, but are against allowing voice communication. If passengers are allowed to talk on cell phones, 69 percent would want a designated area for talking.

Palm says “yay” to the “Hang Up Act,” and makes smart devices that allow people to communicate with their hands in a number of ways–email, texting, IM–that don’t impede on their neighbors.

-Paul Loeffler