Will the Pre and its shiny new webOS be enough to save Palm?
There you have it folks, the mystery Palm phone and OS are no longer a mystery and the world has now received its first glimpse at Palm’s hopeful savior. First impressions mean everything and for the time being it’s safe to say we were supremely wowed. Seriously, did you ever imagine you’d see the day when Palm would release a handset and OS combo so perfectly evolutionary and well designed? Once the initial high wears off however, we’re all brought back down to reality – a reality where Palm is a company on the verge of falling apart and the Pre represents what is likely the first in a series of handsets that will make or break it, literally. Is this sharp little piece of kit up to the task?
In another world, the Pre might very well devastate competitive offerings. Without having held the device of course, the hardware looks gorgeous and the new OS looks like it could just be the closest thing to a masterpiece we’ll see in 2009. What’s more, any web developer with a few 101 classes under his/her belt will be able to develop apps for Palm’s new OS with little or nothing new to be learned. The biggest wild card now however, might just be Sprint. By tying itself to a struggling carrier, Palm placed all of its eggs into a very, very fragile basket. Sure, there are pros and cons; an obvious pro is that the Pre will become a huge tool for Sprint. Sprint will invest tons of time, money and other resources into launching and marketing the Pre because, well, what else does it have going on? A WiMAX launch in Podunk, Iowa (calm down, that was a joke)? The Pre will be Sprint’s golden boy and it will get all of the love and attention Palm could ever imagine. Ok, so what’s the problem?
The major con, which is equally as obvious as the benefits mentioned above, is that Sprint is hemorrhaging subscribers and struggling more than any other US carrier to stay afloat. It is losing money like a Lions fan who can’t stop betting on the home team and short of recent layoffs, it is showing no signs of turning the ship around. By partnering with Sprint on this launch, Palm has basically created a relationship where each major player is standing on shaky ground. Does Sprint have a good network? Of course it does – blazing data speeds are nothing new to Sprint subscribers. There are tons of other factors however, such as customer service woes, spotty coverage and a Vista-like stigma that will prevent many from even considering the Pre when it is launched later this year. No, the Pre will certainly not result in a tremendous surge of business funneling through from competing carriers as the iPhone did for AT&T. Last time we checked, Palm fans are hardly as cult-like and fanatical as Apple fans and Joe the Plumber simply doesn’t care that much – that’s why he carries a RAZR.
We want the Pre to be a success, there’s no question. In fact, you can be sure you’ll find a few of these bad boys roaming the halls of BGR HQ. We also want Sprint to figure out how to plug all of the cracks in its dam. The issue here is that there may just be too many hurdles blocking Palm’s path to success and in its current state, Palm is most definitely no Dayron Robles. We can only hope that Palm managed to ink a good deal with Sprint that will allow them to bring its new handset to other carriers before it’s too late and upcoming competitive handsets make Joe the Plumber forget all about the Pre.
i gotta disagree with this report. its well know that most of the subscribers leaving sprint are on the iden nextel side and not actual sprint customers for the MOST PART.
Verizon has its storm. At&t has its iphone, tmobile has its g1 and g2 coming. Alltell doesnt exist anymore so they had no choice. Plus we all know verizon is going to get this sooner or later. Just like sprint will either get the storm 2 or will get the storm later on. while i am not a fan of the form factor I will try and test it out if its easy to type on then i may get rid of eitherr my curve or touch pro for it. It will be hard cuz my touch pro has the best damn keyboard out PERIOD.
nevertheless TELUS is getting this phone also
I don’t think Palm picked Sprint, I think Sprint was the only carrier that would talk to them.
Look at the Treo Pro that AT&T could have carried but didn’t. Palm’s track record with the Treo 600, 650 and 680 was not good and AT&T wasn’t going to risk anything to help Palm.
No matter how good (or bad) this phone is we may never know since it is only launching on Sprint and Sprint sucks.
It’s a shame they didn’t put it on Verizon, but it’s not the first time this has happened. The storm is great but this phone blows it out of the water.
You don’t have to use music or tv if you don’t want and anybody can have these plan w/o any fuss, this is proven, not speculation. They have 5 SE (SE unlimited is for music, tv, messaging, DC and nav) plans, 3 individual and 2 fam with all saving more than the competition based on messaging and nav alone, the only flaw in the plans is fams don’t include DC. This stuff is staring most people in the face when picking up carrier brochures, I get a employer discount with the top 4 and even if I used with others and not Sprint they would still cost more.
Gosh I hope they come out with a GSM version, so I can ditch my iPhone, though if it remains CDMA only, I could ditch my corporate blackberry for this and also ditch the iPhone.. I do just love the freedom of GSM, but I don’t do as much international travel anymore so it isn’t a dealbreaker I guess.
Well I have Sprint and love it. Most of my friend and family have it as well….so we love the free mobile to mobile feature. My daughter have the new Instinct and I have the Palm Centro. We both love our phones. I love the Palm features and the touch screen that the Centro has. I am looking forward to the release of the Pre.
@littleDonnie: Why can’t you speak any full, uncompromised truth? Is this like a “step on a crack, break your mother’s back”-kinda thing for you? Somebody gets hurt if you’re forced to tell the truth?
Sprint’s data cost for _new_ customers is $30/Mo. Simple as that.
** All I got to say is 30.00 SERO plan with unlimited Palm data when this thing comes out. **
Unless they require a non-SERO plan, a la the Instinct….
will it have an on-screen keyboard for typing quick, brief texts (e.g., “ok c u there”) without having to extend qwerty keyboard?
@kevin whited: You’re not Sprint’s/Palm’s target audience. Converting VZW/AT&T and WM/iPhone/Blackbery users is the only result that benefits either company. Lacking that result is colossal failure to both.
This won’t work with sprint for the exact same reasons BG said above, it’s a failing network. VZW sure as hell won’t work because they will suck out all the good things from this piece of art. AT&T is the only network where the Pre can flourish.
^And according to the Palm press release, there are no plans for American UMTS/HSPA.
How many strikes until someone finally calls the game?
The Pre probably won’t be the only phone to run this new OS (which I think is what had the code name Nova?). Its likely that while the Pre may be Sprint only in the US it won’t be the only new phone coming from Palm, so customers on other carriers will eventually get a shot at something Pre-like.
I am buying the Pre unless the next Android phone blows the doors off of it (doubt it).
I haven’t been this excited about a phone since the original iPhone, which i didn’t buy, because I refuse to allow AT&T or Verizon to overcharge me for the same or lesser service I already get with Sprint
This is _NOT_ Nova. There is _NO_ Nova. That’s the greatest unspoken truth that isn’t coming out of CES.
is it just me or is the whole vertical keyboard a stupid idea?
and for $400 i would never buy this…
Flop this new OS on a HTC Fuze and i’m sold.
Easy question to answer. NO!
@joshua who said “is it just me or is the whole vertical keyboard a stupid idea?”
That’s just Palm’s special way of dictating to the market what it needs and wants. They have 1 ear and TWO mouths.
Dinosaur/Ostrich [pick your metaphor] companies like that never survive over the long-haul.
Jeez guys…. What’s with all of the Sprint hating?!?! Give it a chance and let them have their moment.
When Verizon inked a crappy deal with BlackBerry, AT&T signed their life away with the iPhone (not that that was a bad deal for them) and Google blessed T-Mobile with the first Android phone we sat by quietly (some of us kept our mouths shut and just switched to a different carrier). But now it’s time for Sprint to get their phone and I hope that they’ll show the love to the existing customers first making it something that the people outside of the circle have to wait for (I know that won’t happen because of the subscriber position they are in….but you know what I mean).
Finally all of the Sprint hating comes to bite you all in the a$$…. This phone will be a knockout success. What you all don’t remember is the fact that not all of AT&T’s 80 million subscribers purchased the iphone….just a fraction of that (those of us looking @ these advanced phones are a small minority compared to people looking @ phones like the rumor or the latest FREE phone available from your carrier of choice). Sprint attaches smartphones at a rate higher than any competitors and has a data plan to match. This phone was perfect for Sprint.
So eat it!!
^ Sprint must _convert_ VZW and AT&T subscribers for them to “have their moment”. If a high percentage of current Sprint subscribers simply migrate to this shiny distraction, both Palm and Sprint lose. Palm must _convert_ current WM, Blackberry, iPhone users for them to measure this a success.
I’m glad you think this Pre(o) will be a huge success, since it’s a direct rip of WM7. Ballmer is laughing his fat ass off at the clique of Palm fanbois who keep pissing down their own legs every time there is a mirage of hope.
Too tall an order too late in the game, kiddies!
^ Have you seen WM7? Has anyone?
You’re a fucking idiot!
^ Thanks for removing any doubt of your ignorance.
Get a mirror. Study its owner manual. Use liberally. Repeat.
Bitchboy.
HUH???
^ Can’t follow the little bouncing ball of logic? No reflective surfaces where you live, idiot?