Palm's Pre-dicament
Palm has announced that they will be releasing their much anticipated smartphone, the Pre, on June 6th - two days before Apple's WWDC and presumably, the announcement of the new iPhone. There has been much speculation as to how the Pre will stack up against the iPhone, as well as other heavy-hitters like the Google Android Phones and Windows Mobile phones. My hope for the Pre is that it succeeds, that it becomes popular with those on the Sprint network and eventually sprouts up at other carriers. Why? Because it's a damn good-looking phone with a really nice operating system, that's why. The webOS is slick - sometimes slicker than the iPhone's OS and offers some features that Apple's golden child doesn't, like support for Flash, a 3 mega-pixel camera, LED flash, wireless charging capabilities, and real use of cloud-based computing services.
The touch functionality doesn't look like it was added on at the end, as was the case with the Blackberry Storm. From the videos I've seen and spec sheets I've read, the Palm Pre could be the phone that breathes new life into a company on the verge of disintegration.
Of course, Palm's history doesn't paint a very good picture for the future of the company. Its Treo "smart" phones were notorious for impromptu restarts, dropped calls, and a variety of other problems. Most of this was due to its very outdated software, which didn't look like it was improved upon since the Palm V. The webOS, however, appears to be quite polished and a great step in the right direction for Palm - as does the lack of a stylus. The user is able to exact a variety of different touch gestures on the device's 3.1-inch screen, several of which are very similar to another popular touchscreen device, and they all have those little nuances that make the experience much more rewarding. For example, flicking a window to one side when there is no window beside it forces that window to "bounce" from side to side slightly before it settles into its original position.
I have not had the pleasure to use the device just yet, but from the many user-generated videos I've seen on YouTube and the demos I've viewed from various tech conventions, I can say that this is the first non-iPhone touchscreen mobile device I'm excited about. I wish I had been selected as a "Real Reviewer" of the Pre after applying for a chance on Palm's site, but I'm sure one of my friends will purchase it and I'll have a chance to try it out then.
It's this kind of eagerness from potential users that Palm needs in order to succeed. I'm not anticipating that they'll beat Apple or RIM, but they need to contend with them for awhile for two big reasons: 1) More touchscreen smartphones mean more reasons to jump ship. If one carrier has the more desirable phone, the other carriers will do everything they can to remain competitive - which means lowered data rates and/or better deals on new phones. 2) Competition breeds innovation. The Pre does some things that other smartphones can't do. When the other guys catch up, Palm will need to up the ante with the next big thing. The more competition for the iPhone and Blackberry, the better for all of us.
On the other side of the argument, there are three things working against Palm that could hinder the success of the Pre. 1) Apple's new iPhone will (allegedly) be announced two days after the Pre's release. Once that happens, all blogs/tech publications will be fixated on Apple's latest iteration of their touchscreen tyke and other devices will fall by the wayside. 2) Sprint's network is mediocre at best. I know a lot of people carry on about AT&T, but in my experience Sprint's customer service and cellular service are atrocious. It may be different elsewhere, but I doubt it and I doubt that a lot of people will make the switch the way they did when the iPhone was released. 3) Palm itself. Palm's history of lackluster software and awkward cellphones (Centro anyone?) isn't helping it push this new phone to the masses. It needs to get a couple of solid professional reviews under its belt and then let the blogosphere take over. Once word gets out that the Pre is the real deal, that should help boost its popularity and keep it afloat.
My word to those of you quick to put down the Pre - use it first. I've seen so many comments in various forums saying how the iPhone is a toy and isn't worth the price. Many of these (for lack of a better word) stupid comments come from those who've never used one for more than five minutes and I'm sure similar sentiments will be expressed about the Pre. That's the problem with the majority of people who post in forums - they feel that if the piece of technology they've been waiting for is missing even one item off their laundry list of desired features, that it's a worthless piece of trash. No phone is perfect. No computer is perfect. Nothing is perfect, so my best advice is to stop worrying about what this (or any other phone) doesn't have and enjoy what it does have. I've gone two years without cut, copy and paste on my iPhone and I've been quite pleased. I went many years without a touchscreen - I'm still in one piece. I'm sure that you'll go for awhile without one or two features on the Pre and you'll survive. Maybe Palm will address it in a firmware update or a new unit, maybe not. However, don't let that deter you from trying something potentially awesome.
Here are some links to different resources on the web concerning the Palm Pre:
Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Pre
YouTube demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRnlzbuLRwM
PS: Here are some great comments from the YouTube demonstration I linked to above (I love these things - stupid people make me laugh...):
By 8850407: i f*****g hate the iphone, but i dont think this is gonna beat it apple justs has too much cool applications for everyday life, what could i possibly do with this phone other than browse the net and other media are there even games for this, dont think so , games are a must for a mobile device without downloadable its gonna be boring but the touch is fantastic, its on par with the iphone and, thats my non biased comment
By timcarlisle77:
I just took a huge dump, and I pooped a new Palm Pre. It came out real smooth, like it wanted to be an iphone. However, I never pooped an iphone.
and finally, by mexicano899: i have an iphone & i thought it be the best but i was wrong it freezes & turns off soo dont get an iphone the palm pre look very good looks like it will make life easy sooo im switching 2 sprint when it comes out my friend works in sprint & she say the palm pre look very good & smooth lol soo i think everyone should get the pre & plus it has wireless charging SOOO BETTER THEN AN IPHONE WAY BETTER SOOO SAY GOODBYE 2 THE IPHONE CHEAP ASS PHONE LOL
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