Palm, Sprint provide few new details on the Pre
The world knows Palm's Pre is cool; but where are the details?
(Credit: Corrine Schulze/CNET)Palm and Sprint hosted a Webcast Thursday to discuss the upcoming launch of the Palm Pre, but they didn't say much beyond what's already known about Palm's comeback hope.
The partners did confirm that Sprint's "Everything" individual and family plans will be available for the Pre, but did not shed any light on the two most anticipated details about the Pre: when it will get here, and how much it will cost. Palm would only reiterate that it expects to launch the Pre in the first half of the year, setting it up for a likely collision with Apple's iPhone 3.0 software, which Apple plans to preview next week.
We learned a few small things: Palm and Sprint are definitely measuring themselves against the iPhone, with Palm's Matt Crowley and Sprint's David Owens pointing out rather snarkily that the Pre comes with a user-replaceable battery, among other subtle digs at Apple. And Palm seems to be planning to mimic Apple's early approach to iPhone development, allowing developers to build light Web-based "casual games" on webOS 1.0 but hinting that future versions of the operating system would be more robust.
Otherwise, Palm and Sprint executives spent most of the Webcast talking about how excited they are to be working with each other, which makes sense since both companies could use a boost. Two of the "key takeaways" helpfully provided by the companies at the end of their slide presentation were the Sprint marketing slogans "Simply Everything" and "Ready Now."
It's unclear why Palm and Sprint are still hesitant to talk about the Pre's price; it's understandable that they may not want to commit to a specific launch date just yet, but surely they've got some idea of what this thing is going to cost?
When Apple unveiled the iPhone, it got most of those details out of the way up front and then basically kept quiet until a television commercial onslaught in June. Palm is following a similar track in terms of the Pre's rollout (January announcement, expectations for a June launch), but by continuing to remind people that the Pre is cool (few people disagree on that notion) without revealing any of the important details, Palm is leaving room for skeptics to wonder if the Pre actually is far from finished.
If Palm launches the Pre on time and with a competitive price, it won't matter. Still, with a chance to steal some buzz away from Apple's iPhone 3.0 event next week, it's hard to see what Palm and Sprint accomplished on Thursday.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
I expect Apple to bring the hammer down on Palm with iPhone v. 3.0.
They are alot of people out there who dont want an iPhone and are waiting for something better.
Um, and you know this *how* exactly? No, there won't be a physical keyboard (probably), nor a user-replaceable battery (definitely), but I'm sure the new iPhone model will have a better camera, probably multitasking, etc.
Nor can I stand Apple's ham-fisted management of the platform and Gestapo-like treatment of the developer community.
I will never own an iPhone as long it is a TDMA/GSM/GRPS device. Never.
I had even defected form Palm over to BlackBerry after being a loyal Palm user for years--and watched each successive Treo, from the 600, to the 650, to the 700p, grow exponentially worse than the last. Palm too has got a loooooooooong way to go to win back my trust and confidence.
So I wonder if the war won't be the OS's and devices but rather the apps in the long run. And wow tying it to a single phone company was goofy for Apple but kind of made sense (consumer experience control freaks) but why the heck would Palm do it?
CDMA is dead (<10% market share, with most users in 4 countries: USA, India, japan, Korea). The world is using GSM.
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2008142
No mention of T-Mo or AT&T. Not a one.
Stop crying!!! You are still better off with sprint in any plan for the Pre, than moving to T-mobile and pay a lot more for a G2 plan.
People like you don't have any brains? Just check the prices, you will see what I mean!
There is a good living to be made in this space but it will take time (as subscribers are locked in). It was a major tactical error to directly target the iPhone though (like Zune vs iPod). It's not as though Apple has been asleep. I hope the Pre lives up to the promise but many a good tech product has died due to poor management.
1. Positioning against iPhone will come down to a feature by feature PR war, creating a commodity out of the product.
2. Their minor information leaks leave consumers disappointed, an emotion that should be guarded against at all costs.
3. Too much carrier-love - consumer are willing to switch carriers if the technology is better. Technology leads, not the network - a flawed messaging strategy.
http://blog.allisinc.com
This will be pretty much the same thing. Good bye and good night Palm.
@anilsudh
Why don't you get a brick and hit your iphone with it. Better yet, grab your iphone and hit your head with it
The new Pre looks to me at least, like cheap plastic Taiwanese junk that comes from an HTC factory.
Replaceable batteries?? - I never took the battery out of the Plams, Clies, Nokia's or Blackberry's unless I had to access the SIM card.
Camera - I have a dedicated camera, who needs a noisy tiny sensor? (amazingly all comments about wanting a built in camera because they don't want to lug around a dedicated camera are happy to lug around another replaceable battery )
Keyboard - no-one complained when we had to use the number pad on mobile phones to write an sms. I can type faster with the Iphone than i ever could with my blackberry. I am not typing War and PEace or large word docs just emails, web and sms's. The built in virtual keyboard is perfect for those types of uses. If you need to write more get a notebook!
Palm (as much as I loved them) will fail miserably with this device, because the world doesn't want or need built in keyboards, replaceable batteries or 5 megapixel camera's. If you are not happy maybe we can then add the ability to play cassettes! we can then bring on the early 90's!
Palm is bringing the same junk that eventually led to their demise
Time to move on!!
But I do agree with the keyboard thing, though not everyone can type with the iPhone's keyboard. But to add to that, everyone may love the Pre's physical keyboard as an idea, but why don't the actually try it out? It may not be out yet, but it's the same exact size and kind of keyboard used on the Centro and Palm Pro. It's useless.
I especially agree with the camera thing. People are always wanting more megapixels on their camera phones because they think that's what makes picture quality better. It annoys me because most of those pixels are wasted when you view the picture anyways because your phone's screen and your tv probably don't have 2 million+ pixels. It's the lense that makes the difference and what they should care about. Don't brag that the Pre's camera has 3 megapixels when the iPhone only has 2 because when you look at picture quality you'll see that a lot of the time the iPhone's camera is better than some other 3 megapixel cameras on smart phones, like the Touch Diamond.
I love Palm and still have a Palm m515, but am waiting for the new iPhone and will switch from Sprint.
Now if only I could sync all my iphone data to a desktop application (like the Palm Desktop) other than MS Outlook.
Perhaps maybe I should rephrase may statement, it may be made or assembled in Taiwan/China but it has been designed in the US or like Sony who design in Japan to have a quality sturdy and solid feel. Just by looking at it I know it is going to be cheap plastics, too light and prone to scratches. SO YES IT IS JUNK!
I don't care how you convince me otherwise since nothing out of Taiwan has ever had the slightest bit of quality to it, it has always been shove the most features into a product for the lowest common dollar denominator. Now I am fine with that, but I would rather have a decent product out of Singapore or Japan or even Taiwan that is well built than a do EVERYTHING.
The iPhone lacks basic features like MMS, Video Recording, ability to attach external key boards via Bluetooth etc.
It is a phone for consumers that will never make it to business.
IPhone is a non starter and has failed miserably in India, China and other countries (world's largest mobile markets).
I have used many products including Acer laptops made in Taiwan. They are high quality.
Anything American I have bought (those RCA players, GE Cordless phones, Motorola mobiles, Windows Vista, or Grand Cherokee) have turned out be duds. I am of the opinion that America makes lousy quality products that have tendency to break down.
This is the reason why Storm, even though it's exclusive to VZ - it has GSM capability in order to run outside US. Can't do it with Pre (at least not from the current details disclosed).
I would rather have a carrier who can keep their data network up and running (Sprint and Verizon), as opposed to one that is almost contstantly dealing with some level of outage (ATT), or virtually non-existent 3G coverage (TMO).
I also find it funny all the people who are crucifying the Pre without even touching the device, when it's not even on the market yet, and will not be for another couple of months, and likely not going to be for several months. Having many nighmares stemming from the Treo 600/650 days, I do have reservations about the Pre, but am not going to pass judgement on it until I can actually get some hands on time wit hthe device. It will fall between that, the Diamond 2, or possibly the Touch Pro 2.
No matter what apple comes up with in its 3.0 OS, it won't come near to competing with the Pre. There's maybe less than 10 apps worth having with the iphone..the rest are junk. The Pre will have much more than that at launch...useful apps..
Finally the iphone will not have multitasking, not have the Pre's notifications, synergy, or universal search, will have slower hardware, no kb, and is dependent on itunes bloatware.
Sounds like a nobrainer to pick the Pre. The iphone continues to be a kiddie phone for beginners with a simple UI. If you're an iphone user that wants more in a smartphone, you upgrade to a Pre...and get a faster, better quality network that's much cheaper to boot.
I have used, Sprint, TMobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint's coverage is the worst out of all them.
AT&T is far from perfect, but the iPhone plan I moved to was cheaper than the comparable VZW unlimited data plan. AND it had visual voicemail, which is not a must-have, but pretty ingenious once you use it.
A simple UI serves me well when I am travelling, trying to do 10 other things at once in an airport. Why make it complicated? The myth that devices have to be ugly, convoluted, or esoteric to be "serious" or business-oriented needs to stop. The market has spoken, and more people value convenience and simplicity that a stab at an end-all, be-all laptop in a pocket.
I'm sorry you don't like your slow, kiddie iPhone - but I CAN see the future: The Pre will have its little faction of elitist supporters... and they will be scrambling for the next fringe device in 18 months, as Palm and the Pre die a slow, quiet death. Goodbye.
The Iphone has brought proper multimedia to a smart phone and the ability to finally utilise the web. Who used to browse the internet with their phone or even listen to music before the iphone? I had a sony-ericson and other devices liek blackberry's and nokia's. All had multimedia capabilities - I used NONE of it....Too hard to use on the phone! too hard to get stuff on and off the phone and too hard to use the internet
GET REAL!
The Pre will fail and fail miserably, and while no apple fanboy it is the features that phone users like yourselves ask to have every conceivable tick in the box that makes most gadgets TOO COMPLICATED and TOO HARD to ever use properly!
I'd rather have a kiddies phone that does everything right than a gownup's piece of junk that does everything wrong!
I did a quick Google search and haven't been able to find any solid information about it.
ars technica has a good article about it.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/01/the-palm-pres-possible-achilles-heel-battery-life.ars
Palm are busy extolling the virtues of a replaceable battery. How about telling us how long it's going to last?
They seem to be keeping that little detail close to their chest.
They know that any bad press about the Pre is going to make their stock price tank.
PALM and Windows Mobile are dead.
and honestly so many people have the iphone and love its apps that they are not going to switch unless the pre is worlds better than the iphone, it cant be just as good or a little better or it will fail compared to the iphone.
- by b_baggins March 13, 2009 7:58 AM PDT
- How much you wanna bet that the Pre's delays have to do with the fact that their lawyers realized their rip off of Apple's multi-touch will get them sued into bankruptcy if they release the device and they are in frantic negotiations with Apple right now to try and find some sort of licensing deal.
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- by oversight68 March 14, 2009 3:35 AM PDT
- Or, Apple's saber rattling could be a sign they are a bit nervous about the potential of the Pre, should the device truly deliver. A fast, flexible, powerful, useful, and OPEN device that isn't forever wrapped up in iTunes and Apple's expensive penchant for all that is proprietary, all while being raped by ATT for data charges.
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