Kinoma has updated their popular Kinoma Player EX for Palm OS devices. This latest version brings a number of new features and improvements. First up, support for the Orb streaming media service is now built in so you can access your own personal media library nearly anywhere. Kinoma has also improved the internal bookmark capabilities for streaming content and improved much of the youtube functionality. In addition they have made some power management tweaks for better power savings and improved compatibility with lower rate mp3 files. A new Spanish language version has also been released.

Kinoma Player 4 EX v.4.5 for Palm OS is available now for $24.99. A free trial period is included. The software is compatible with Palm OS 5 and higher. This is a free update for existing customers which can be obtained over the air via the built in check for updates feature.

After a quiet period following several consecutive weeks this past summer of Palm handheld and Centro deals, Best Buy is back with another aggressively discounted Palm device. This time around, the still-Sprint-exclusive Treo 800w is being offered with a substantial instant rebate discount in next week's upcoming ad circular.

The Treo 800w is going to be offered for the week of October 12th-18th at a pleasant $199.99 for both new subscribers and current users eligible for a "qualified upgrade". This price represents a full $100 savings from Sprint's usual price w/ 2yr contract. I have noticed in my personal observations that certain smaller format Best Buy stores do not stock the 800w, so as always, these deals may vary in availability or price from region to region.

After several quiet weeks following the launch of the new Treo Pro, Palm's Channel Source ResellerPro portal has posted a few tidbits of information regarding product EOL status as well as Palm's new Education Purchase program.

After being announced barely five weeks ago, Palm has unsurprisingly decided to EOL one of the Treo 800w's Palm-branded peripherals. The 3291WW Vehicle Power Adapter with micro USB plug has received its EOL notification. We covered this item's release back in late August and discussed the unnecessarily overlapping SKUs . Presumably, Palm will be updating their remaining micro USB car charger, 3437WW, to reflect its compatibility with the new Treo Pro as well as the older 800w.

Mobile Streams popular and very handy USB Modem utility has been put on major discount mode this week. For a couple more days you can pick up the best selling app at over 60% off. USB Modem allows you to use your Treo or Centro smartphone as a USB modem for your laptop or desktop computer. The program is as simple to use as its name and works with Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS X and many Linux based operating systems.

USB Modem v1.60 for Palm OS is available now with a free trial period. There is also a version for Windows Mobile (v1.30) that is also on sale. It regularly costs $24.95, but in available now for $9.95 until October 10th.

Resco has recently released an update to their Brain Games application for Windows Mobile. The collection of games and cranial exercises promises to help you sharpen your mental capabilities in just five minutes a day by testing your memory, analytical skills and calculation skills. There are 36 different brain training exercises included and the app keeps detailed statistics of your progress over time. This latest version is fully finger friendly and includes new 320x320 display optimizations and Spanish language support.

Resco Brain Games v2.10 is available now with a free trial period. It is compatible with all Windows Mobile devices. The software sells for $19.95, but is currently available at 25% off with a $14.95 limited time sale price.

It's no secret that Palm's most recent Palm OS device, the Centro, is a popular smartphone. Launched in October of 2007, the Centro is available in numerouous colors and in nearly every flavor of GSM and CDMA both domestically and in a wide variety of international markets. The Centro itself recently passed the 2 million units sold mark in late July and there's no end in sight to the device's success, if the latest NPD report numbers showing it as the country's #4 smartphone are accurate.

CNET is reporting today that the latest NPD sales figures from June through August 2008 indicates Apple's new iPhone 3G in first place, followed by the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Pearl and then Palm's Centro in fourth place.

The Tucson iPUG will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, October 7, at 7 pm, at Something Sweet coffee-shop, in Tucson, AZ. The meetings are free and open to all. We cover Palm and iPhone topics.

For more details, look at the iPUG website. For those who are not in Tucson, the website is updated with the minutes of past meetings and other links.

Longtime Palm OS developers Megasoft2000 have released a major new version of their popular Billiards game for Palm OS devices. The game is a realistic recreation that features a solid-state physics engine and a "super smart" AI for playing against the computer. This new version brings an all new interface and graphics engine that adds new smoother animations with an overall 50fps frame rate and 180-degree table rotation. There are 7 game types: 8-Ball (Bar Rules), 8-Ball (BCA Rules), 8-Ball (UK Rules), 9-Ball, 1-Cushion Billiards, 2-Cushion Billiards and Pyramid. In addition, high-res+ 320x480 screens are supported.

Billiards v5.0 is available now for Palm OS 5.0 and above. It sells for $19.95 and a free trial period is included in the demo.

Resco Software has updated its discounted Palm OS application bundle. The Resco Suite combines six of their best selling software titles. The package includes five highly recommended applications - Explorer, Viewer, Backup, IDGuard and Neeews as well as its Sudoku game as an added bonus.

Resco Suite v2.01 for Palm OS is available now with a free trial. The full bundle is being sold for $59.95. Purchased individually, the total cost would be around $125, representing a discount of over 50%.

A newly posted editorial article has been published at Fortune entitled "Why Palm needs Android." The piece attempts to make the case that Palm would be better off going with Google's Android OS instead of forging ahead with its own longstanding Palm OS Nova plans. Mainly, the author feels that the "old reasons" for developing a mobile OS - "cool factor, pricing power and influence – don't carry the weight they used to" and that Palm is too small of a company to challenge its more powerful competitors.

It would certainly be an extremely risky strategy for Palm and would mark a complete turnaround from their own publicly stated plans. Personally I feel the argument here is a weak one, however the author does make one good point in the conclusion, "Palm needs bold moves, and it doesn't have much room for error."

Rumor: The Boy Genius Report has obtained and posted screenshots of Best Buy's internal inventory system this morning. Among their finds is possible evidence that the electronics retailer plans to start selling the unlocked Treo Pro in its stores soon. A screen capture (mirrored here) lists an Unlocked Palm Treo Pro in the company's inventory screen. It shows an in stock date of October 26th.

Palm began taking pre-orders on the Unlocked Treo Pro from its own website a couple of weeks ago, and has just begun sending out its first shipments to customers in the US. Having the devices out on display in retail locations across the country would certainly help boost awareness and sales of the currently carrier free device.