Here is some bottom-lines from an article which covers Apple and Palm’s strongly opposed stances.

SEARCH

• In iPhone OS 3.0, Apple have added Spotlight which searches contacts, email headers, calendar and notes items, iPod media, applications and finally the web.
• Palm have introduced a “Universal Search” which intelligently takes one search query and checks it across first contacts, local apps, then the Internet.

SYNCHRONIZATION

• iPhone OS 3.0 adds CalDAV and .ics to its Exchange support, meaning that you can view information from multiple calendars, together with create appointments in each (including meeting invitations).
• With its Synergy system, Palm not only combines Outlook, Exchange, Google and Facebook calendars, but does so intelligently, stripping out duplications.

BACKGROUND APPLICATIONS

• iPhone OS 3.0 will simply not allow apps to run unchecked in the background, due to battery consideration.
• The Pre resolutely supports background applications: in fact the company has made a point of highlighting how the individual ‘cards’ representing each app are not mere snapshots but live previews.

Check out the full comparison here.

[via SlashGear]

“Palm has a long history of innovation that is reflected in our products and robust patent portfolio, and we have long been recognized for our fundamental patents in the mobile space. If faced with legal action, we are confident that we have the tools necessary to defend ourselves” Lynn Fox, spokesperson, Palm.

Yeah, the story continues…

[Digital Daily via PreCommunity]

SlashGear wrote:

Both the Pre and the iPhone have capacitive panels capable of recognising multiple points of contact and complex gestures; judging by the state of the technology, it’s fair to assume that today’s implementations of multitouch are simply scratching the surface of what is possible.  Palm is believed to be using a capacitive panel by Cypress Semiconductors, who boast their technology is capable of individually tracking ten touch-points; the origin of the iPhone touch panel is still unknown, although in Cypress’ video demo they do show the Apple smartphone at several points.

[via SlashGear]

You will be able to grab the software needed starting in July, when more information is released by StyleTap. When the information comes forward, they will also announce price points, how to get it, and how the software will be marketed. StyleTap also said that they will have members from their team attending WWDC. They will be available for interview, and hopefully a demo.

The question really though is how well does the device’s capacitive touch screen work for the resistive touch driven OS? After all, Palm’s OS was designed for a stylus. Though the smallest parts of the interface may be a little hard to use with your finger, the answer is surprisingly well. Check out the demo video to see the software in action.

[Via SlashPhone]

Supporting Latin and Chinese characters, as well as full punctuation and symbols, letters are drawn on the input grid in the lower half of the screen and converted as you write.  Since the iPhone doesn’t use a stylus, you might find you need to train your finger to make the shapes clearly.  Alternatively there are a couple of compatible styli available, such as from Pogo.

iPhone Graffiti is still in early beta form, so the advice is to back up your handset before installing it.  Some users are experiencing an issue with uninstalling the app, too, so if you’re overly cautious then maybe wait for a version further down the line.  Still interested?  Add iphonecake.com/src/all as a source to Installer and go from there.

[via ModMyiFone]

RIM – which has recently revealed healthy 2007 performance figures – has been successful primarily due to the “simply inept” offerings of rivals, primarily using the Windows Mobile OS.  Wolf suggests Microsoft’s smartphone software is unnecessarily difficult and off-putting to home users.  Palm, meanwhile, is hampered by the absence of a strong OS or of a well-performing device, with Wolf describing the Centro – one million of which have been sold – as a “cushion” to soften the blow until Palm’s new range emerges, a range the company has already admitted will be delayed until the Summer.

And the argument for the iPhone will only get stronger once Firmware 2.0 is released in June; then, Wolf highlights, the enterprise functionality and security RIM has so-far led with will be available on the far more appealing Apple handset, at which point not only the whims of home users will affect the BlackBerry bottom line.

[via Electronista]

According to PalmInfocenter, two independent sources have posted what seem to be images and specs of two new Palm smartphones. Both devices are nearly identical except one is running Palm OS Garnet and the other sports Windows Mobile Standard (formerly known as WM Smartphone Edition).

The Gandalf supposedly feature EVDO (rev. A), integrated camera, 320-by-240, Bluetooth and microSD expansion slot. This contradicts what the image, since the device blurrily shows the Vodafone logo. The last time I checked, Vodafone is a GSM cellular network and EVDO is only available on CDMA network (i.e. Sprint and Verizon).

The Palm Gandolf should have a price point of $200, saying it is aimed towards teenagers who text message frequently. Expect the Gandolf late this summer or early fall.

• New iPhone Ads Now Available on Apple.com!
• Apple iPhone release date is June 29th, and new video of iPhone ad!

Palm just wrapped up their webcast where they talked about their new Foleo. It looks like a laptop, but it’s more of a mobile email machine. I can honestly say after watching this, I want one.

Jeff Hawkins described a lot of the features about the Foleo, the biggest being a full standard keyboard and the instant-on feature. The Foleo only has two states: off, and on. You never have to wait to turn it on. The applications are always ready, everything is instant.

By now you’re thinking that this is cool and all, but what do you care, you came here to read about iPhone news. While talking about the different phones that the Foleo will work with, he said that it will work out of the box with all of the Treo line, and most Windows Mobile phones. He then mentioned that if Apple opens up their code to allow 3rd party applications, then they can make it work with the iPhone as well.

Now that Steve Jobs has said that they will in fact open up for 3rd party applications we will almost definitely be seeing these two working together. This device could really revolutionize the mobile computing industry, and what better phone for it to work with than the iPhone?