Check out Motorola’s new phone, the Cliq. Reuters reporter Sinead Carew scored a demo after Motorola debuted the phone in San Francisco.

It should probably come as no surprise, but Apple has again cut off iTunes syncing privileges for Palm’s Pre, the latest dig in their tit-for-tat over Palm’s smartphone. Apple’s newest version of iTunes, launched yesterday, disables the sync.

In July, Palm updated its webOS software to allow Pre users to sync the handset with iTunes, Apple’s ubiquitous media management software, where millions of people store their music and videos–after Apple had disabled such functionality in an earlier iTunes update.

At the time, Palm also complained to the USB Implementers Forum — which helps support and promote the USB interface –  about the sync cutoff.

Apple’s unveiled iTunes 9 yesterday in a splashy media gathering that featured the return of Steve Jobs. It boasts plenty of new features but won’t sync for Pre users, at least for now.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said, “As we’ve said before, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with unsupported digital media players.”

In an emailed statement, a Palm spokesman said: “Apple’s decision to disable Palm media sync again is yet another direct blow to its own iTunes customers who will be deprived of a seamless and familiar synchronization experience.  That said, people have other options: They can always choose not to upgrade to iTunes 9 and continue to sync their music.  The Pre has a second option for transferring music and other media content to the device and there are third-party applications that provide syncing functionality.  Our view is that Palm media sync offers a great user experience and is an ideal way for customers who already use iTunes to manage music, photos and videos from their computer.”

 Some analysts worry that T-Mobile USA may have missed a trick by opting for a new Android device, myTouch 3G, which is mostly the same as HTC’s first one, the G, except for its slimmer shape and lack of a physical keyboard.

According to T-Mobile USA Chief Technology Officer Cole Brodman, the No. 4 U.S. carrier currently has no plans to sell Hero, another HTC phone that runs Google’s Android but has an updated user interface that looks similar in some ways to Palm Pre.

From today until July 28, T-Mobile USA customers can order the myTouch online with the potential to have their phones deliverd before its national launch stores on Aug. 5. Brodman says myTouch, with its nifty travel case, personalizable covers and T-Mobile recommendations for hot applictions, will appeal to a broader audience than G1. The idea is that myTouch’s sleek shape and Android’s straightforward user interface will encourage T-Mobile customers who had never bought a smartphone before to now consider this one.

“We think it’s a great opportunity to bring them into the smartphone space with a portable easy to use device,” said Brodman in an interview at a myTouch demo event. “It felt like the right choice for the target we were going after.”

Brodman also promised that T-Mobile USA will have more Android devices later this year. He would not give any hints about the vendor but said integration of mobile social networking could be a key feature in a future Android phone. 

But Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart was not convinced by myTouch and questioned why T-Mobile chose it over Hero, which like Pre cleverly integrates social network services such as Facebook and it can operate multiple applications at the same time. “That’s just T-Mobile being shortsighted,” said Greengart who also worried about the myTouch’s $199 pricetag, which has to compete with a $99 iPhone that has twice as much memory. “You’re paying $50 to lose the keyboard,” said Greengart comparing it to the G1, which has a physcial keyboard and a $149 price tag. Brodman argues that T-Mobile USA customers would be able to make up the difference in a matter of months as its service fees are cheaper than those of AT&T, the exclusive U.S. carrier for iPhone. 

NPD analyst Ross Rubin says myTouch faces tougher competition but could still do better than G1, for which T-Mobile USA has more than a million customers. “This is a sleeker device. It will likely do better than the G1 did if T-Mobile continues to build out its 3G network,” he said. 

Another analyst Michael Gartenberg of market research firm Interpret was less than impressed by myTouch. ”It’s very evolutionary. In an era of new devices offering new functionality and new features this doesn’t feel particularly exciting,” he said.

As to the device’s appearance ahead of Hero, which a rival U.S. carrier is expected to sell, Gartenberg had this to say: ”It’s hard to introduce a product when your supplier has already announced the next update … It would have had a lot more excitement around it six months ago. It almost feels very dated.”

HTC has not said which U.S. carrier plans to sell Hero in the fall but Gartenberg sees AT&T as the most likely contender, since HTC has already built a version for Europe’s Orange based on the GSM wireless technology that AT&T supports. 

Sprint often sells HTC phones but since it already has an exclusive deal to sell Palm’s high-profile Pre phone until year-end at least, Gartenberg sees it as a less likely candidate than AT&T. ”Do they (Sprint) really want to take on another big device that requires a lot of marketing?” he said.

(Photo from T-Mobile USA: myTouch white black and merlot versions, T-Mobile CMO Denny Marie Post and CTO Cole Brodman at Wednesday’s event)

Hollywood has its blockbuster openings, and Baseball has Opening day: the gadget world has cellphone debut days — in particular iPhone launch days.

While the latest iPhone 3GS has not drawn the crowds that flocked to previous Apple phone debuts, a handful of shoppers were lining up a couple of AT&T stores in New York before dawn today.

AT&T employees at this store near Grand Central said that pre-orders would be satisfied at 7 A.M. and those walking in off of the street would get theirs at 8 A.M. if supplies last.

They wouldn’t say how many units were in the store.

(Photo: Reuters)

Braving a downpour at Apple’s New York flagship store in midtown, three college students were already lined up waiting to be first to nab the new iPhone 3GS when it goes on sale on Friday.

Oddly enough, none of the trio planned to buy an IPhone: two already had the iPhone 3G, and the other was saving up for a Palm Pre. Hunkered under broad umbrellas graciously supplied by Apple, they were holding a place for another buddy, Sidney Sanmartine — who was still at work. He owned the original iPhone from 2007, and is eligible for the lower priced upgrade.

“It’s more evolutionary than revolutionary,” said Matt Dodd, 18. “But for the kid who’s getting it, it’s a big deal — he’s going from 2G to 3G.”

Perhaps by 7 a.m. Friday, the line will look as long (and dry) as it did about a year ago when the iPhone 3G debuted. Until then, Keith Hobin, the lone rain-soaked student/shopper left when his two buddies took a break, seems pretty upbeat. (Only 15 hours to go…)

In a rivalry that should only grow more heated in the months to come, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Curve moved past Apple’s iPhone in the first quarter to become the best-selling consumer smartphone in the U.S., research group NPD said on Monday.

RIM had three of the top five best-selling consumer smartphones in the period, with the Storm at No. 3 and the Pearl at No. 4, NPD said. T-Mobile’s G1 ranked No. 5.

NPD credited a “buy-one-get-one” promotion by Verizon Wireless for the Curve’s push past the iPhone.

“The more familiar, and less expensive, Curve benefited from these giveaways and was able to leapfrog the iPhone, due to its broader availability on the four major U.S. national carriers,” NPD’s Ross Rubin said in the release.

RIM’s consumer smartphone market share climbed 15 percent from the previous period to nearly 50 percent in the first quarter, as Apple’s and Palm’s share both fell 10 percent. But don’t be surprised if those numbers change soon. Apple is widely expected to unveil a new iPhone in the coming months, while Palm’s highly-anticipated Pre smartphone is set to launch some time in the second quarter.

The smartphone market as a whole continues to grow, even as the larger handset market stagnates. The devices made up 23 percent of U.S. handset sales in the first quarter, up from 17 percent in the year-ago quarter.

One billion makes for a catchy and memorable milestone. The world’s population passed the 1 billion mark in 1804. McDonald’s sold its 1 billionth hamburger in 1963. The 1billionth PC shipped in 2002.

Apple’s App Store hit that mark today, in just nine months, with much fanfare.

Granted, downloading a small program to your iPhone or iPod Touch is an entirely different sort of commerce than selling a burger or a PC, but Apple’s app universe has managed to acquire a remarkable amount of cultural currency in a short amount of time.  As evidence, look at the controversy over the “Baby Shaker” app, which Apple quickly removed and apologized for on Thursday (the company’s statement said in part “this application was deeply offensive and should not have been approved for distribution on the App Store”).

It goes without saying that apps have changed smartphones and mobile computing. They have also given rise to a lucrative cottage industry for developers and entrepreneurs, and made Apple a serious player in the mobile gaming space.

Such success invariably invites competition,  which is already here and promises to heat up further. Research in Motion recently opened its app store for the BlackBerry, Nokia will launch its Ovi store soon, and Palm will soon follow with a store for its forthcoming Pre smartphone.

At a show where reporters have cellphones and other devices thrust into their hands around every corner, Palm took a novel approach: treat its hot, unreleased handset like Forbidden Fruit.

Palm showed off its upcoming Pre smartphone at the CTIA annual wireless showcase in Las Vegas. The company was still very, very coy about its launch date for the device except to say that it will appear on Sprint’s shelves before July 1.

It was also very careful about letting reporters play with the device to the extent that the product demonstrator, Tina, would not let it fully out of her hands. Reporters were allowed to play with the keyboard — as long as the demonstrator was able to keep her hands on the phone. One reporter asked if she could feel the weight of the phone in her hand, but TIna again kept her hands on part of the phone.

(Perturbing? Some said no. Some say so…)

Touching and holding issues aside, the demonstration showed many of the features that have fueled buzz about the Pre. Tina made a phone call from the device and showed Pandora, the streaming music discovery service, and Sprint applications such as mobile TV (which looked great) and its Nascar application.

The device, which also allows easy movement between different applications, is seen by some as Palm’s big chance to claw back market share from rivals such as Apple iPhone. At the same time it represent to some the basket referred to in the cliche: “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.”

Palm said on Wednesday that it was widening the availability of its developer kit for third-party software vendors to more developers from very select group to more developers but that availability would still be limited until “later this year. ” At a wireless show where much of the discussion this week is about wireless application stores, that may be a disappointment for some Pre-enthusiasts.

(Mediafile did touch the Pre at CES. Watch the video here.)

(Photo: The Pre at CES, Reuters)

Call it a case of doing more with less. Or maybe, how Palm advertises a product without, you know, paying for advertising.

Thats what happened last night with a de facto infomercial for Palm’s as-yet unreleased iPhone rival, the Pre, on Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk show. The five-minute segment between Fallon and Engadget Editor-in-chief Joshua Topolsky (and subsequent distribution of the video around the web), is the kind of marketing that Palm — whose market capitalization is easily 1/70th of iPhone maker Apple — probably couldn’t afford as typical commercials.

You have to give some credit to the marketing minds at Palm. For all their missteps — the Folio comes to mind — they have managed to score viral hits that create buzz for their limited line of mobile phones.

Years ago, a hidden-in-plain-site leaked photo of the Palm Treo 600 in the hands of founder Jeff Hawkins (at an event about something completely different) sent smartphone fanboys a-fluttering. And at this year’s CES, in the midst of PR blitzes from the like of Sony, Samsung and Microsoft, Palm’s unveiling of the Pre phone walked away with the buzz crown.

One wonders what is next. Might there be a tie-in on the horizon with U2’s Bono — an investor in Elevation Partners, which owns a piece of Palm? Could we see a launch event with Bono flashing a Pre and belting out “Hello, Hello” from the chorus of the hit song “Vertigo”??

Oh wait… Apple (which might have a beef with Palm over the Pre) did that already in an iPod commercial. Nevermind…

(Photo: Screenshot of NBC’s Jimmy Fallon Show)

Palm surprised many and racked up cool points with the introduction of its new mobile phone, the Pre, here at CES. How much Pre will cost at retail, whether Palm can deliver it on time, will Apple eat Palm’s lunch with the next iPhone — all those hugely important questions remain unanswered for now.

So with that in mind, we strolled into Palm’s swanky mood-lit lounge at CES, and recorded bits of the demonstrations of the Pre.

Here’s how the phone takes pictures, with its 3 megapixel camera:

Check out the curved view of the Pre, and the peek-a-boo mirror that pops up: Yes, a viewer at my demo said “The Ladies love that.” O-K…..

Here, we see a demonstration of how Pre manages contacts.

And finally, closing applications is done with the flick of a finger.