Palm introduces the new Palm Pre smartphone!
Pretty huge news from Palm today as the company used CES to announce a new integrated solution based on cloud computing called the Palm Web OS that built on top of CMS, HTML and XML. The company also introduced a new phone, as we all knew would be the case, dubbed the Palm Pre! A black oval shaped touchscreen phone with a portrait slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The handset will have the latest TI3 OMAP CPU, EV-DO Rev. A, 802.11b/g, GPS, Bluetooth, 8GB of internal storage, a 3MP camera with LED flash, MicroUSB connection, mass storage support, 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth A2DP support. This thing is a Palm? The phone will also have a 3.1-inch multitouch display with a 320 x 480 resolution.
Among the Pre’s unique features, a touchscreen gesture area right underneath the main display allows for gesture controls and makes common tasks a breeze. The UI leaps and bounds beyond the Palm of old, sporting flick scrolling and swiping and a quick launcher available throughout the UI for apps, contacts and more. Palm’s tie-in service, Synergy, allows for one log in for multiple online sources, bringing Google, Outlook and facebook into your phone without duplicating entries. The same applies to the calendar, which displays color-coded entries indicating each separate sync source. The email app and IM also feature integration of multiple accounts into one location on your phone.
Last but most certainly not least, the Pre makes use of wireless conductive charging that Palm has dubbed Touchstone – a very cool finishing touch. Palm is shooting to make the handset available as soon as possible in 1H 2009, and it will be available in the US exclusively through Sprint. Hit the jump for some pics while you try and figure out how in the world you’re drooling over a Palm handset.
Ok, this is the greatest day EVER for phones.
FINALLY…a REAL device on a network to back it up!
Sprint has the best coverage, biggest and fastest 3G network, best customer service, best pricing, and now the best phone! What more could you want!
Go Sprint! Go Palm! Get Pre!
This might be the electric shock Palm needed to revitalize them!
“Certainly their braintrust cannot be THAT arrogant to dictate to the market what the market wants and needs!”
Damn straight! That’s Apple’s job!
A couple things after reading the posts on here.
1) I agree that the new OS looks cool however no one has actually interacted with it so I think it is too soon to say how good it really is (no one knows if it is laggy, crashy, or unresponsive).
2) To each their own in terms of carriers however it is important to point out that it will be tough for Sprint to make the claim that they have the largest 3G network after tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 9th) as Verizon officially purchases Alltel. It is also important to note that Sprint will be struggling with WiMax as NO ONE ELSE is adopting it! They will have to deploy their own 4G Network since they can’t roam anymore.
3) As for this device being exclusive to Sprint, it very well may be however it does not mean that the OS will be. Palm will not keep their brand spankin’ new OS out of Verizon or ATT’s stores because they combine for more than half the mobile market. I would expect to see variants launching throughout 2H09.
4) Palm will still face the challenges it always has with the dominance of either WinMO or Blackberry in the corporate arena which is where the large majority of smart phone users are. This device will undoubtedly be adopted by consumers however that may not prove to be enough save Palm.
Let me finish by saying that I hope this device does prove to be a resurrection for Palm. I think good products from anyone are good for the market and better selection is good for consumers.
After looking at some hands on vids and photos, and browsing the palm site, this thing looks sick. The OS is awesome and the device itself is sleek. Palm keyboards are notoriously bad IMO but we’ll see about that. Hopefully it gets to AT&T somewhere down the road.
@Alareth: The difference being that one company communicates with the market, produces frequent updates, measures consumer requirements and satisfaction with its products … and the other (cough … Palm … cough)? … Not so much.
AT&T = iPhone
VZW = Storm
TMO = G1
Therefore…
Sprint = Pre
Flagship devices. It WILL stay exclusive.
That’s a very nice looking device…
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodafone – let your email find you!
Then you haven’t looked at Sprint lately. They are kicking the other networks in speed and the latest Pali Survey has them also, for the second quarter in a row, subtantially out performing the other carriers in Customer service call response with 89% of a 1000 Customer calls in under 30 seconds. Especially Verizon @ 68% and iPhone AT&T @ a whopping 43%. Sprint was also listed as the top Telecom Carrier by the nations’CIO’s in their latest survey. YOU are about to be BEHIND the curve. Funny how historically companies struggling before the nation goes into a down turn end up doing well during the down turn because they were already making the changes necessary to weather the storm.
If it lives up to the hype, Palm has a winner and others will be scrambling.
The one thing I still miss from my Palm 700P is single handed typing with very few mistakes. I’m getting a bit more use to my BB Storm keyboard, but the Storm OS has a way to go just with stability and speed.
Application-wise, I have been very disappointed with the lack of choices on the BB platform. If the new Palm OS is as easy as they say it will be to write for, all other platforms will have some serious competition and I probably will go back to Palm if they come out with a Pre or Pre2 on VZW.
Sprint? No way for me. God bless the people who have good coverage in their areas. I wish I could use Sprint. I’m a NASCAR fan would love to support Sprint for their support of NASCAR. However, I’ve got to have a phone that works.
Word to RIM…get busier!!!
Word to Palm…if it’s for real, get it on VZW if you want me back!!!
^ You obviously either received your Blackberry from work or got it without knowing much about the platform. Otherwise, you would not be talking smack about “lack of app choices”. If you want to be entertained by your phone, maybe the Pre is for you.
Actually I bought the Storm because VZW doesn’t have the Bold. I’m mostly a business user, but I like to have some fun with my phone too. If it weren’t for the bigger/better screen, better email and web browsing, I’d probably would of kept my Palm 700P.
I felt the Storm had (has) the potential to take the BB platform into a more of the “fun” territory. I still like a real keyboard, especially one I can use with one hand. The “Pre” looks like a good form-factor, but how well it is navigating around is something I’ll just have to see in person.
RIM needs to get more developers writing for it’s OS, otherwise it’ll slide back to being just for corporate types.
Any plans for ATT on Palm Pre
Who will the carrier be? When will it be released?
Sprint will have it, the speculation is by March. Sprint is for sure, the release isn’t
^Commenting on those too lazy to read 2 sentences into the blog post, shill? Or, simply changing your name to protect the guilty?
And to correct you, Palm specified May as the general timeframe for arrival.
Idiot.
Again with the name calling, “speculation” is what I posted. You can come and refute all my post civilly, the subject isn’t to your liking and can be characterized but leave the person out of it. david, if you want this phone, when it comes out it will be a Sprint phone
You’ve brought the assessment on yourself via your trolling/shilling for the Jesus-carrier. No apologies offered nor required.
Yin. Meet Yang.
Bitchboy.
I even stop characterizing but you continue to call me out internet toughie, and you call me a troll. I know my carrier is the right choice for me and invite all to try them before commenting, service older than year ago doesn’t count. The phone is still exclusive to Sprint at launch. truth Opinion in the 1st sentence and fact in the 2nd
That 3rd sentence is a fact too
@BitchBoy who said: “I know my carrier is the right choice for me and invite all to try them before commenting, service older than year ago doesn’t count.”
That speaks volumes beyond your comprehension level, idiot.
I’ll say this, my money is for me to spend and the carrier of choice is my decision too.
^And it’s none of our business what your choice is. Take out a banner ad with BGR if you’re so intent on promoting *your* carrier.
It’s not rocket-surgery.
Just refuting your misinformation, without the incessant name calling. This can go on forever so just respect my views, as any adult would, point out my mistakes and move on. I’ve done so or am I wrong in calling you an adult?
You get what you give, bitchboy.
Deal with it.