Just a two short months after the official unveiling of Palm’s latest smartphone, the Garnet-powered Palm Centro on the Sprint CDMA network, the diminutive device has received its first official accolade. The Strategy Analysis Wireless Device Lab has bestowed the title of "Most Appealing Innovative Design" to the Centro.

No further word from the Lab on why the Centro specifically bests its larger-but-similar Treo brethren in usability and design, as it still lacks some commonplace features found on nearly all other mobile handsets such as native voice dialing. Perhaps the sparkly ruby red color scheme really does make a world of difference?

There's still a chance for Palm OS handheld stalwarts who might have missed out on Palm's superb Black Friday sale to pick up a heavily discounted Palm PDA for themselves or as a gift this Christmas season. Staples is currently offering the Palm TX for $179 with free shipping on Staples.com. For those of us that prefer instant gratification, the brick and mortar Staples stores are featuring a $199 TX and a $149 Tungsten E2 in this week's retail circular.

Palm Inc today issued a preliminary Q2 FY2008 results statement after the close of the stock market. In the press release Palm warns its early financial assessment for the current quarter will come in under previous guidance, which will likely result in a loss for the quarter. Full results will be reported on Dec. 18.

Palm says the projected revenue shortfall is primarily due to a delay in shipping an unnamed product they has expected to have certified within the quarter. While we can't get a confirmation, the delay is likely the debut of the Treo 755p on Verizon which has been in rumor and pre-announcement limbo since June.

As a followup to our previous article on Google Maps My Location feature not coming to Palm OS, we have new information from Palm. Palm says that they have in fact responded to Google's request to make the "My Location" feature available on quote "newer Palm phones."

A representative for Palm developer relations says that an API for determining cell tower IDs has always been on Palm devices, however it was private. Palm says they are now working to make the API public, which requires a change to the ROM, so My Location will be available on newer Palm OS phones. Palm would only commit to say that a update will be made available for the Palm Centro at some point and the API features would be included on Palm OS phones in the future.

VoiceIt Technologies has released a new version of their voice dialing software for Palm devices. VoiceDialIt is a simple-to-use application that allows you to dial your existing contacts by simply stating their name. You can also train the software for improved accuracy using only your voice. The latest version brings Palm Centro support, updated voice libraries and a few minor UI updates.

VoiceDialIt v2.07 for Palm OS sells for $24.95, and is currently on sale for $15.95 for a limited time. It is compatible with the Treo 600, 650, 680, 700p. 755p, or Centro and comes with a free trial period. It is also available for Windows Mobile.

Astraware has released a new Casino game for Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices. Astraware Casino is a collection of the most popular casino games all in one pack. You can now enjoy all the fun of a real casino on your mobile device without losing your shirt. The game includes 8 of the most popular gambling exercises: Blackjack, Video Poker, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, Slots, Video Keno and Texas Hold 'Em Limit Poker. Astraware starts you off with a $1000 virtual wallet to get you started and as you progress and play more, higher stake tables and games are unlocked, offering bigger bets and larger wins.

Palm is now selling an unlocked version of the Treo 750 smartphone in its online store and at Palm retail locations in the US. The unlocked GSM Treo 750 comes preloaded with the Windows Mobile 6 operating system with HSDPA wireless data compatibility. It is being offered in the standard blue case color for $549 USD.

After a long wait, Palm has made a Windows Mobile 6 update available for the AT&T Treo 750 smartphone. Windows Mobile 6 brings increased functionality, enhanced user interface and strengthened security and performance to the Treo 750 as well as a new HSDPA capability, allowing for faster data-download and Internet access on the device.

The update is available today as a free download for existing Treo 750 smartphone customers.

Landware's Leonard Maltin Movie Guide has been updated for 2008. Available for Palm OS and Pocket PC/Windows Mobile platforms, the movie guide program contains complete details and capsule reviews for over 21,700 films. This new edition includes over 470 new films, a significantly revised user interface with full one handed d-pad navigation and a new import/export movie list feature. It also now includes complete listings of both the Leonard Maltin 2008 Movie Guide and the Leonard Maltin Classic Movie Guide.

The Leonard Maltin 2008 Movie Guide is available for Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices and can be purchased for $19.95. The free trial version is fully functional for 14-days. You can read Kris' Leonard Maltin Movie Guide review here.

PhoneFavs is a new mobile web portal designed for smartphones and mobile devices. PhoneFavs is the first social bookmarking system completely designed and optimized for mobile phone users. The free service enables users to keep an always-available list of bookmarks for web sites that can be easily viewed on a mobile browser.

With PhoneFavs, users can store, organize and share bookmarks and access them on any device, anywhere. PhoneFavs' deceptively simple homepage serves as a gateway to PhoneFav's three main services: online bookmarks or Favs, a handpicked mobile link directory, and a "mobilizer" which automatically adapts standard web pages for improved viewing on smaller screen devices.

PDAPerformance has released LineUp for Palm OS, a widget environment based on their Saguaro platform. LineUp lets users download customized mini applications somewhat similar in concept to Apple dashboard widgets and Microsoft gadgets. However, LineUp differs as it acts as a environment all its own that allows you to view one widget at a time.

The 2.1MB application file unfortunately does not include any widgets, users will have to download each one individually from the developers website. There are 23 widgets available at this time, with almost all of them being relatively simple rss headline displays from popular news sites. The non-headline widget choices include a fortune cookie and magic eight-ball simulator. The company lists a weather display and world clock among the upcoming releases. The website seems to indicate plans to release tools for third party widget development, so hopefully the current limited selection will eventually improve.