It seems like Palm’s new webOS PDK (plug-in development kit) can be used to port over iPhone games in a matter of days — or even hours. Given how fast some iPhone games have turned up on the Palm Pre we’ve kind of suspect there was a little something something going on behind the screen, and our sibling site PreCentral.net confirmed it by way of Digital Daily’s pre-GDC coverage.

As just mentioned, I’ll be at GDC to have a look at what they’re doing. If it’s really just that easy to get your iPhone games onto webOS, then Palm has once again made their platform as frictionless as possible for developers (on top of the web technology SDK and Classic PalmOS emulation). Smart.

Windows Phone 7 Series looks to be packing Xbox Live gaming muscle, so they likely won’t go the same route as Palm… but could Android and BlackBerry? And if developers can keep making great iPhone games and get webOS (and maybe others) as a bonus, is that ultimately better for iPhone gamers, or does it weaken the uniqueness of the platform? If it does, will there eventually be “exclusives” like there are on Xbox and Playstation, or will Apple do more first-party games like the console makers — especially Nintendo — do?

iPhone Games Can be Ported to Palm webOS PDK in “Days”? — The Competition is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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CrackBerry.com celebrates its 3rd birthday this week… and all they get is a BlackBerry Slider?!

First, we’d like to wish our sibling site, and best frenemy forever, CrackBerry.com and their fearless leader, CrackBerry Kevin a very happy 3rd birthday! They’re the #1 site for BlackBerry users… and abusers! for a reason, and they’re giving away a TON of free stuff to celebrate. If you have a BlackBerry in your other pocket, or know someone who rocks the pushy keyboard, get on over there and win you some stuff!

Now what do you get for the CrackBerry fanatic that has everything? How about leaks of a new BlackBerry slider that was once-upon-a-chuckle code-named “Mr. T”. Far as we can tell, it’s not anywhere close to what anyone would call sexy, but it does show how far RIM will go to try and get the full, touch screen but keep the physical keyboard.

It should ship with BlackBerry OS 6.0, which should include their new WebKit browser (as in the rendering engine behind iPhone Safari, as well as Google Android and Palm webOs).

Anyone wish Apple was making an iPhone slider, or are we thinking mainstream adoption of some 50,000 units shows the era of physical keyboards is over?

All CrackBerry.com Gets For it’s 3rd Birthday is… a BlackBerry Slider?! — The Competition is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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While yesterday’s Mobile World Congress news was all about Windows Phone 7 Series (henceforth WinPho7s), the Android invasion has returned with news of the HTC Desire, which looks to be Nexus One-style hardware running a new version of Sense UI, and the HTC Legend, a unibody update to the Hero.

Android Central has your details and your HTC Desire hands-on.

In terms of competition to the iPhone, it’s probably not too different than the Nexus One either. The specs remain over the top but the polish in terms of capacitance sensitivity isn’t likely improved. The big question will be whether or not Sense UI on the HTC Desire is more consistent and if multitouch is in the keyboard’s future.

There’s also a new, uber-version of the Hero called the Legend, so check out details and an HTC Legend hands-on over at Android Central as well.

Overall, the main contrast to Apple’s steady, once a year pace with extreme fit and finish is Google/HTC/Android’s release fast, fix later, polish never strategy. The sheer amount of “superphone” class devices they’re putting out, however, should keep the pressure on Apple as we round the corner towards a 4th generation iPhone.

Also, unlike Apple’s one, global iPhone, HTC is — as is all too often the case — releasing the Desire and the Legend without any support for US 3G bands. (Yeahbuwhy?)

Check them out and then come back and let us know what you think Apple has to do, if anything, to compete in the newer, hotter 2010!

HTC Desire = Nexus One + Sense UI — The Competition is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Microsoft today announced their long anticipated — possibly long delayed or oft re-started — Windows Phone Series 7 and showed off a brand new user “experience” including deep social network integration and full on Zune services. (Every Windows Phone is a Zune, but they’re not Zune phones — clear?).

So, after my recent Round Robin Windows Phone review concerns, how did they do? My quick take, after the break!

some 3 years post original iPhone 2G, they showed off a new Start screen that’s a series of big square or rectangular tiles. This is the least impressive part to me, however, as I’m not sold on the glance-ability or use of space. Even the animated flips and slides, as slick and sexy as they were, didn’t really amaze me as much as something else Microsoft showed off — a deliberate, decided attempt to reduce the amount of taps it takes users to accomplish tasks, and to make workflows (and fun-flows!) as streamlined as possible.

We’ve had great looking on Windows Phone before, thanks to HTC, Sony, and others. Now Microsoft is pulling a Palm and aiming for great working. That’s key, and huge kudos to them for it.

And while I’m not sold on the static screens of the UI (Georgia remarked that big blue screens/squares is something Microsoft has trained us not to enjoy), the typography was phenomenal, with Microsoft raising the bar on their already fantastic ClearType. (Apple and iPad need to pay attention to that).

There was an Xbox Live! tile, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed there, but it was unclear how apps would deploy at scale. While 180 icons currently fit on an iPhone screen, many users don’t use anywhere near that many — still, apps are where it’s at now and it’ll have to handle whatever users do require. Hubs, as shown for pictures and contacts, might be part of that answer.

Microsoft — again like Palm — has re-invented themselves for the modern mobile era. They even said the phone isn’t a PC, something everyone else got years ago but when turning a ship as big as Microsoft is still worthy of a cheer.

Furthermore, our old friend AT&T showed up to be their premiere partner for launch. Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen much Android from them, and why we expect iPhone-on-Verizon rumors to bubble up again as if on cue. But at least it shows some traction.

Some problem areas might be the reported lack of Flash as a differentiator (it’s coming later), no or limited multitasking (not sure about that yet, could just be a rumor), and no or limited backwards compatibility with previous Windows Phone/Windows Mobile apps (again, nothing solid on that yet).

While many clamor for an iPhone 4.0 UI overhaul as well, Apple keeps stating they’ve just trained 75 million people to use their UI, so while a Lock Screen/Home Screen reboot could happen, they likely don’t want to lose or confuse existing users. And could you imagine if iTunes App Store apps didn’t work on iPhone 4.0? (They work on the iPad, after all). That’s a problem Microsoft faces on the Windows desktop side, but was obviously willing to risk on the mobile platform — and who can blame them at this point? (Due especially to fragmented UI in Windows Mobile 6.x — HTC Sense, Sony Xperia, Microsoft Tatanium, etc. probably helps them out here.)

All that aside, however, Microsoft worked wonders last year with the Zune HD and ultimately the mainstream market didn’t care. That has to be the Windows Phone teams greatest concern right now. Is there still any mindshare left for them?

So is Windows Phone Series 7 competition for the iPhone? Hopefully enough for Apple to really give us that A+ 4th generation iPhone Steve Jobs referenced following the iPad announcement, but likely not enough to dent mainstream consumer market share. At least not yet. If Microsoft was really serious about it selling, they’d have quit the typically ridiculous “Windows Phone 7 Series” branding and released it as the Xphone, along with a Call of Duty Special Edition.

[via WMExperts]

Windows Phone Series 7 — Is it Competition for the iPhone? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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By all accounts, Microsoft is set to unveil it’s next-generation mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7 Series (say that 10 times fast!) at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona today, and WMExperts will be live-blogging the whole thing.

Join Dieter and Phil starting 9am ET, 6am PT, 2pm GT, 3pm CT for all the Steve Ballmer keynote action!

Microsoft to Unveil Windows Phone 7 Series at MWC Today — The Competition is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Former Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates, and Windows Vista honcho, Bill Allchin, had an email exchange back in 2003 when Apple launched iTunes and were rather candid about how well Steve Jobs put it together, and how badly Microsoft was caught off guard.

Gates says Microsoft was caught “flat footed”. He also praises Jobs and doubts the subscription model Microsoft now uses for the Zune HD:

Steve Jobs ability to focus in on a few things that count, get people who get user interface right and market things as revolutionary are amazing things.

[...] With the subscription who can promise you that the cool new stuff you want (or old stuff) will be there?

Allchin was much briefer:

1. How did they get the music companies to go along?

2. We were smoked.

Gizmodo, via Groklaw have the full emails online. The question now becomes, is Apple still catching the competition flat-footed, or is Apple the one who now needs to be careful, lest they be smoked?

[Image via WikiMedia Commons]

Gates/Allchin Email: iTunes “Smoked” Microsoft, Caught them “Flat Footed” is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Dieter’s got his Palm Pre Plus on Verizon complete review, and Palm Pixi Plus on Verizon complete review up on PreCentral.net, and is here to tell us how the new button-reduced, memory doubled, gaming enabled, built-in MiFi sporting, webOS 1.3.5.1 rocking device(s) hold up. Which is totally unfair, given this is TiPb’s week to look at Palm and webOS for the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin! But whatever, Palm can change the game all they want, the question is — is it enough?

On the Palm Pre Plus:

The Palm Pre Plus is the flagship for Palm, then, but can it legitimately be called a flagship for Verizon? Almost, but not quite yet. The key is Mobile Hotspot, which is awesome and one of the best reasons for recommending the Palm Pre Plus to a business user. Palm already has pretty decent push email and Exchange support – all they need now is full Document editing (and perhaps some battery life improvement) to make the case that the Palm Pre Plus is amongst the best business smartphones on the market.

On the Palm Pixi Plus:

The Palm Pixi Plus is marketed as “First smartphone” or a “Starter Smartphone.” I don’t find that moniker especially fair, as the Pixi Plus is as capable as the large majority of other smartphones out there. It compares well against the BlackBerry lineup and even the Android lineup in my opinion. Still, you can’t get around the fact that it’s less powerful than the Pre Plus and so if you are expecting you’ll be using your phone heavily, seriously consider springing for the Pre.

I’ll have my take on the platform for you by the weekend, but go read Dieter’s now. Then come back and let me know what you think. Has Palm done enough to stay competitive with an upcoming iPhone 4.0 and 4th gen iPhone hardware in 2010?

Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus for Verizon, PreCentral.net Reviews — the Competition is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Rumors about Windows Mobile 7, or Seven as our sibling site WMExperts is calling it, are near-iTablet level over on that side of the smartphone space. If you read my Windows Phone (based on 6.5) review, you know I had only questions and no answers for Microsoft when it came to what they could do to become competitive in the increasingly important consumer space.

Well, Mal over at WMExperts has put together a ton of whispers, mixed it with keen insights, and unleashed a Windows Mobile 7: What we expect and what we are hearing article of epic proportions. Here are some highlights, but you need to go read the whole thing:

• Two versions, stripped-down Business and pimped-out Media.
• Business Edition will be more like current WM, skin-able by HTC Sense UI and the like, and is more complete right now.
• Media Edition (yes, ME is back, baby!) will be the closest thing possible to a ZunePhone without being a ZunePhone, with maximum Microsoft Experience, but it’s not yet as far along.
• Office 2010 super-integration
• Silverlight (Microsoft’s inversion of Flash), Mediaroom (Microsoft’s TV center), Xbox Live (possibly gaming!), Facebook and Twitter, and Zune Music integration.
• New “Orion” platform to do GPS faster and better.
• 720p (!!) 1280-720 resolution screen on LG “Apollo” handset.
• Dieter and Phil should get the first glimpses for us at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona next month.

Again, go read the full article and then hurry back an let us know if you think this is finally Microsoft getting Xbox 360 and ZuneHD serious with Windows Mobile/Windows Phone, and if it’s enough to make them competitive — or more than competitive — with the iPhone in 2010.

Windows Mobile 7, Microsoft’s Attempt to Leapfrog iPhone 4 — The Competition is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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I had a chance to use Dieter’s Nexus One during CES 2010, and while I’ve shared my thoughts already, Android Central’s Phil Nickinson has just put up a complete Nexus One video review of his own. While I am jealous at how often they (and he!) get new devices to play with, I’m not jealous at how much reviewing he has to do. Phew!

Check out his video, then come on back and tell us what you think — how does the Nexus One measure up?

Nexus One Video Review — The Competition is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Our sibling site, Android Central, will be doing a meta live blog of Google’s big Android/Nexus One event at 1pm ET/10am PT, and yours truly is going to be online with them to help them out and get a sneak peak at the competition.

What will Google announce? Just the mega-phone? Free candy? Who knows with them! Join us for the meta live blog!

The Competition: Android Central Nexus One Meta Live Blog: 1pm ET/10am PT is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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