No Palm Pre App catalog, no problem!

NEW YORK, USA: Palm Inc.'s fortunes lie in the success of its new Pre smart phone.

As it becomes available the morning of June 6 with a meager App Catalog still in "beta" stage, Pre buyers will have extremely limited access to third-party games, applications, and other software offerings.

Some major exceptions are Cellufun's browser-based games, including its recent smash-hit Ponzi scheme game, "Made Off."

Cellufun is the largest mobile virtual community in the world, where millions of people play dozens of different social games and connect with each other. The Pre's web browser will support access to Cellufun's games, mobile blogging applications and mobile commerce opportunities, making it one of the few non-Palm applications available to early adopters of this new smart phone.

"When married to the right mobile application, smart phones like the Pre allow consumers to have an engaging and fun experience for every day things like gaming, social networking, and commerce. The Pre looks to be a runaway hit for Sprint, and we believe that the millions of Pre buyers will sprint to Cellufun.com to play our social games and tell their friends about it. There is a reason why Cellufun has been a top 10 download on the BlackBerry App World since its launch. We turn smart phones like the Pre into a social and entertainment network for consumers," said Neil Edwards, CEO of Cellufun (or m.cellufun.com on mobile).

The Palm Pre is available to the public, Saturday, June 6 onward, and will be sold throughout Sprint stores across the United States.

Obama strikes right chords for science and technology!

Finally, the USA has Barack Obama as its 44th president! There are bound to be lots of expectations from the new president of the United States.

Very interestingly, and aptly, Obama referred to science and technology in his inaugural speech. Surely, it is not a place for any US president to detail his policy, but from what everyone heard, the new President struck the right chords.

Savor some of these extracts from his inaugural speech:

"The state of the economy calls for action—bold and swift—and we will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids, and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together."

"We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost."

"We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories."

Wonderful! The US President clearly hinted at the role science will play during his tenure. Also, his suggestion of 'harnessing the sun and the winds' points to the growing importance of renewable energy, hybrid cars, and of course, solar photovoltaics.

I've indicated in an earlier blog post that Obama's, New Energy for America Plan could have a significant impact on the US solar industry.

The plan's provisions include:
• A federal renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that requires 10 percent of electricity consumed in the US to come from renewable sources by 2012.
• A $150 billion investment over 10 years in research, technologydemonstration and commercial deployment of clean energy technology.
• Extension of production tax credits for five years to encourage renewable energy production.
• A cap-and-trade system of carbon credits to provide an incentive for businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The focus on healthcare could see more attention on medical electronics -- just my guess -- and use it to provide affordable healthcare services.

I'd be very interested to see even more activity on hybrid cars. Closer to home we have had two great prototypes of hybrid/fuel-efficient cars last year -- the Chimera, said to be India's first plug-in hybrid car, and the Garuda.

As I am about to unwind for the day, I received a press release from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), USA, where the CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro congratulated Barack Obama on becoming the 44th President of the United States of America, saying: "On behalf of its 2,200 consumer technology member companies, CEA congratulates President Obama, our first digital president, on his inauguration."

Indeed, Obama is the USA's and the world's first digital president! I'd go on to add that he's the world's first Web 2.0 president! For instance, the amount of activity on Facebook has been overwhelming. Take a look for yourself!

Oh, in case you happen to visit the White House web site, it's brand new! The site says: "WhiteHouse.gov will be a central part of President Obama's pledge to make his the most transparent and accountable administration in American history."