How bad was Palm’s quarter?

Apple and Nokia, who are suing each other over mobile patents, will not meet in court until mid-2012, Reuters reports.

This is a guest post from Gregor Schauer, who has worked in tech in Silicon Valley since 2000. Gregor has also recently spent 2 years in equity research at JMP Securities and Jefferies, covering the Internet sector and enterprise software. You can follow him on Twitter here. Disclosure: Gregor owns Apple and […]

When Apple’s iPhone hit the market, it looked like it was only a matter of time before Apple ate BlackBerry maker RIM’s lunch. While that could still be case, RIM has done a great job defending its turf to this point.

OK, he didn’t quite put it that way, but that’s the message we take away from CEO Jon Rubenstein’s letter to employees explaining the company’s sales shortfall.

Palm shares dropped 20% today after the company warned that its smartphones aren’t selling as well as expected. The announcement follows a few downgrades of its stock, on the premise that RIM, Apple, and Google Android are running away with the smartphone industry, while Palm will be an also-ran.

Palm is slashing its guidance, confirming that its Pre and Pixi smartphones and WebOS platform have been off to a slow start. Palm shares are down 18% on the news.

[preserve] [/preserve] Dan Frommer, Deputy Editor, Business Insider

New data from comScore shows Google’s Android doubled its US presence from September to December, and is now closing in on Palm.

Apple’s worldwide iPhone shipments grew by 98% in the fourth quarter on a year-over-year basis, giving its market share a nice bump, according to new data from IDC.

While Apple’s iPhone has been a runaway hit, the iPod touch remains a stealthy success story.

Here’s Verizon’s plan to move some Palm handsets: It’s offering a buy-one, get-one-free special with the Pre Plus and the Pixi.

Elevation Partners, the private equity firm heavily invested in Palm, announced today Avadis “Avie” Tevanian was joining as a managing director.

During CES, Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein told All Things D’s Kara Swisher he’s never used an iPhone.

At this week’s CES, Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein let slip a whopper on stage when talking to Kara Swisher. He says he’s “never even used” the iPhone.

FROM GIGAOM:

Palm says slightly upgraded versions of the Pre and Pixi are coming to Verizon Wireless.

Palm is expected to announce that its Pre and Pixi smartphones will be available on Verizon (VZ) Wireless today. What else does it have in store?

Just in time for Google to unveil its own Nexus One smartphone, ChangeWave Research reports the public is more excited than ever to buy an Android based handset — at the expense of Apple, Microsoft, and Palm.

Bono’s smartphone investment, the Palm Pre, didn’t do very well in the UK this Christmas.

Editor’s note: We ran this post last Christmas, but given how popular Gizmodo’s reprisal of a year-2000 gadget gift guide was earlier this month, we thought we’d republish it. Enjoy! And happy holidays!

Elevation Partners, the private equity fund featuring star investor Roger McNamee and Bono, is raising a new fund, reports Adam Lashinsky at Fortune.

 

Apple’s iPhone 3GS is driving its market share higher and higher, according to a new study from ChangeWave Research.

Apple could unveil new iMacs as early as this month, potentially including Blu-ray drives, AppleInsider reports.

We’ve heard rumours about a Palm (PALM) acquisition ever since the firm launched the Pre in January.

Good news for Apple and Palm: The U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board unanimously approved an accounting rule change that will allow the companies to record more revenue under GAAP when certain products are sold, Reuters reports.

An industry group has backed Apple’s (AAPL) right to block the Palm Pre from syncing with iTunes.

Palm will no develop devices running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform, Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein said on the company’s earnings call this afternoon. The company will invest all of its effort on its new WebOS platform, he said.

Leading up to Palm’s announcement of the launch of its new Pixi smart phone many wondered if the company would sign on to another initial exclusive with Sprint or go with larger rivals AT&T or Verizon. 

Ahead of Apple’s iPod announcement today — and Motorola’s Google phone announcement tomorrow — Palm just unveiled a new phone of its own. The Palm Pixi will go on sale at Sprint Nextel (S) later this year, potentially for as little as $99.

Sprint Nextel is not actually offering a $100 service credit for new Palm Pre buyers, we have confirmed.

Update: Sprint confirms this was an error, and that this deal is off. More here.

Apple’s iPhone 3GS and Palm’s Pre are the two most powerful mobile phones on the market. And people have plenty of things to say about them, according to new research from ChangeWave.

Palm (PALM) CEO Jon Rubinstein — who used to head up Apple’s hardware engineering — continues to fill his new company’s ranks with old friends.

Update: Commenters note that Palm’s complaint was disclosed late last month. We misinterepreted today’s New York Times report as news. Our apologies.

Telefonica SA has won an exclusive deal to sell the Palm Pre in Europe, reports the WSJ.

Palm Pre owners are complaining about cracked or wobbly screens and problems with the Pre’s sliding hinges, says GigaOm. Another common complaint is the gap between the two sliding units of the phone.

Earlier this week, we complained that Sprint (S) hasn’t done enough to market the new Palm (PALM) Pre. We may need to revise our position after spotting this full page ad in the New York Times this morning. 

Apple (AAPL) announced today that its iPhone app store now includes 50,000 applications, vastly more than rival next-gen platforms like Google’s (GOOG) Android or Palm’s (PALM) new webOS, which has just 18 apps.

Palm’s (PALM) new Pre smartphone goes on sale Saturday. Reviews are pretty good, but sales will have to be great. Since Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone launched in July 2007, Palm has been in a downward sales spiral.

Palm’s (PALM) new phone, the Pre, goes on sale Saturday, and the gadget gods have spoken: It’s a very good phone, they say, but not as good as the iPhone, which is getting an update next Monday. But will it sell?

One of Gizmodo’s qualms with Palm’s (PALM) Pre, which goes on sale this Saturday, is a problem with its plastic case: An “absurdly sharp ridge digging against your palm.” So sharp that it can cut cheese.

Palm’s (PALM) attempt at a Jesus-phone, the Pre, gets buried before its birth in BusinessWeek, courtesy of disgruntled developer William Hurley.

Big bad Apple (AAPL) probably won’t sue Palm (PALM) over stealing its features for the Pre, says Therese Poletti, backing off an earlier theory.  

Palm’s rivalry with Apple just got a little stickier, as the smartphone maker takes a bold step.