Palm’s new handset: Pre-mature hype?
There are many who would argue that Palm’s future success rides on the shoulders of of webOS, if not the Pre itself. While it most certainly seems like an exciting device, there are plenty of skeptics out there. Even those who were lucky enough to parade around with their units weren’t that impressed when they first got the handset. A recent survey conducted by ChangeWave Research is now showing that prospective smartphone buyers are looking to RIM or Apple first — of 4,292 adults surveyed, only 4% showed interest in purchasing a Palm Pre according to the poll. The most popular choices were BlackBerry, getting 37% of the vote, and the iPhone with 30% of the surveyed group. Add to that the fact that Sprint will be the Pre’s exclusive carrier and you have 1% of respondents who said they would be willing to switch carriers. Of course we don’t know how ChangeWave found its test group and we trust you guys much more — how many of you are going to pick up the Palm Pre, and are willing to switch carriers to do so?
Wow, you’re drinking some koolaid..
Verizon WILL have a larger 3G network once they finish the merger with alltel, but Sprints network is/was bigger before that. Which brings me to another point, verizon and at&t are both a hodge-podge of networks as they have bought out several small companies to get to their current size, which means services don’t work the same everywhere. Sprint built their entire network from the ground up. And Verizon cannot cancel a contract for roaming between Alltel and Sprint, it’s a contract. Let’s not even talk about AT&T’s 3G, it’s 1/3 the size of Sprints network.
Second thing.. JD Power has ranked Sprint as the most dependable 3G network in the country. Also, they are rated #1 in call quality in the West and Midwest, tied with Verizon. They are #2 in all other areas of the country.
Third… LTE will not be up anywhere by the end of this year. Sprint has a 2 to 3 year lead in 4G technology, LTE technology is not even close to being ready to be rolled out.
Get a clue…
i really hate sprint, but I wouldn’t mind a Pre!
if sprint had somewhat decent phones they might be a little more competitive. i mean the most recent bb they have is an old curve. price for the pre should be 199 tho. it doesnt do anything to justify a 299 price tag.
Palm Pre all the way. I would switch in a heart beat.
@backbeat
Read my post bro. What I’m saying is I have no interest in the pre, I do have interest in saving 852 a year compared to att and getting more for my money. The niagara is what I’m waiting for to do it. Obviously sprint works, you people act like you can’t make calls on the shit. Their number three, jesus
There is some deepseeded hate if people are planning on spending an arm and leg on an unlocked one which, as stated earlier, will only be available in european markets. I doubt Sprint/Palm would allow Best Buy, one of the best places to get unlocked phones and a supposed Pre seller, to sell it anytime soon. That’s not even factoring the capabilites of the network
@JB: Guess your point wasn’t coming through loud and clear for some reason. Sorry. Sure, savings is savings but always comes at a price. Use your 30-day trial wisely by scheduling your business or vacation travel during that time and you’ll come to a fair assessment.
I’m getting 2, will have it with me till a qchat smartphone is released
^Don’t forget one for your District Manager, bitchboy?
On Apr 17, 2009 @ 7:58 am, gotmacslikestevejobs Said:
if sprint had somewhat decent phones they might be a little more competitive. i mean the most recent bb they have is an old curve. price for the pre should be 199 tho. it doesnt do anything to justify a 299 price tag.
The CDMA 8330 wasn’t released on any network until May 1, 2008 on Alltel, which was the day I got it and Sprint kept pushing their date until the 3rd week in May, I believe, although they were set to release first. Personally I think the Sprint 8330 provides the best Blackberry experience for the money. Sprint bundles virtually every service imaginable with their simply everything plans which make them very hard to beat. The Telenav service alone is an additional $9.99/month on additional carriers when it comes as part of the simply everything plan. Although I think Verizon has the best network coverage, I just don’t think they provide a good value and therefore am glad that Palm is going with Sprint on the Pre.
Wasn’t the iPhone premature hype before release? Aren’t all new smartphones? Hats off to the author for a clever and controversial headline!
The Pre is an interesting device, and Sprint a reliable carrier. Upon its release I will switch and buy the device. I’m in the camp that doesn’t place a lot of faith in the recent survey. Not since the iPhone has there been so much talk about people wanting a device. See for yourself – go to search.twitter.com and plug in “palm pre”
The argument over ‘my carrier is better than yours’ is a cute one, thanks for the amusing commentary. iPhone lovers love AT&T and trash everyone else, iPhone haters trash AT&T. To each his own – it all depends on what works best for you, who has the best plans, most reliable network, CDMA/GSM, feature set of device, etc. Consider giving others a break. I’ve had cell phones since they were huge bricks back in the early 90s, and been subscribed to every major carrier – they all have faults.
Pre-mature, definitely. Exciting, you bet.
Of course the internet capabilities are going to look that much faster. Everything is preloaded to make the demo look really good. Its probably all running locally so that it can run that fast. Apple did the same thing with the IPhone in their demo’s and I’m sure that RIM does the same in theirs. That’s just how demo’s go. The true test is when you put an iphone and pre next to each other. Then you will see which one truly has better speed. Although it probably has more to do with the carrier then the phone.
Since the article brings up other carriers (whether leaving or not) and there’s a lot of comments about respective carriers, where would either T Mobile or AT&T have a expansive enough 3g (not including WiFi) and that Verizon wouldn’t restrict and cripple the Pre like they’ve done before
Currently have Verizon, and although the Pre looks like a nice phone, there’s no way I’m switching to Sprint for it. I’m sticking with Verizon and getting the Blackberry Niagara when it comes out in the summer.
While I’m here I thought I would clear up the inaccuracies of a previous post which stated that “Verizons LTE network will be up at the end of the year, and will be in more places then Sprints WiMax”. In February of this year Verizon finally chose hardware vendors. They HOPE to have it in two cities by next year, and plan to expand to 25 more cities the year after that. Verizon CTO doesn’t expect LTE technology in phones until 2011 at the earliest. Given current economic climate and manufacturers’ perpetual wait for technology to come down in price before making devices, LTE is a long way off.
Also important to point out, while LTE has peak download speeds of 800Mbit/sec, average speeds are unknown until the network is complete.
Since Sprint/Clearwire are already rolling out (with backing from Intel, Google and others) their 4G WiMAX, there is, at least for now, a clear winner in the race for high speed wireless networks.
Correction to my post above – VZW hopes to have LTE in two cities by the end of this year.
What is *truly* telling about this survey is the Motley Fool’s summation that because 30% of those who got the iPhone 3G in 2008 *switched* carriers to do so, and among random sampling of active smartphone buyers, only 1% are willing to switch for the Pre. Therefore, Fool’s conclusion is that the iPhone was bigger than AT&T, and the Pre is smaller than Sprint does not bode well 1 month away from a supposed launch.
Keep tweeting, kiddies.
Nahh, there is nothing telling until release, and at least a quarter of results published. iPhone’s hype before release was way more prevalent than Pre, and Sprint hasn’t really started advertising. I’m with most others, that survey doesn’t say much.
Oh wait – one thing is truly telling, I’ve made a bundle on $PALM since January, and $S isn’t looking too bad either
I would seriously consider switching if the phone turns out well. I switched from Sprint last summer when I bought my iPhone and I really couldn’t be more disappointed. AT&T’s service costs 50% more for the same plan, and their coverage is FAR inferior – at least in my neck of the woods.
I do love the iPhone, however, so it will depend on the Pre being a great phone.
I will be getting a Pre ASAP, if the following conditions are met:
1) I am allowed to keep my SERO plan exactly as it currently stands.
2) It is not inordinately expensive. That is to say, it must not cost more than the closest equivalent iPhone in terms of memory.
3) It easily syncs with my current address and scheduling programs (Address Book and iCal).
If Sprint does not meet those conditions, I will be leaving Sprint for AT&T and the next iPhone this summer. Yes, annual cost is significantly higher (especially considering SERO) with AT&T, but Sprint would annoy me enough if they disallow SERO customers to keep their existing plans that I would not want further interaction with the company. Also, the designed-in airtight synergy with Address Book, iCal, and even iTunes and iPhoto add significant value to the iPhone for me.
The Pre looks really cool, and all things equal I think I would prefer it if only for the hard keyboard. I have been an Apple and a Palm guy for almost the same amount of time. Palm since I bought my Palm Vx in the summer of 2000, through several Treos and currently a Centro. Apple since I bought a rev. A. Titanium PowerBook G4 the day it came out (still probably the most beautiful computer design ever) through several PowerBooks, MacBooks, iMacs, iPods, and an AirPort Express.
Over the last three years, I’ve had T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. I liked the ease of global travel with Telekom’s GSM network and still keep my old BlackBerry 7100 with a bevy of local SIM cards for traveling, but their network in the college town where I was a grad student was unacceptably poor. I see nothing but price to distinguish Sprint from Verizon, with Sprint holding the obvious upper hand there.
Dual-Loyalty, I see your point about being able to keep that plan but only if it was a one of the old Free & Clear (America), Fair & Flexible or Power Pack Plans with a granfathered data plan but you have no leg to stand whining because your $30 or $50 plan that isn’t offered anymore isn’t allowed for this phone. Just think how the early adopters of the Instinct felt. I never had that plan but wanted the instinct when it came out but after a quick numbers crunch along with them giving me 4 #’s any network on all my lines with 7pm n/w’s I switched even thought I don’t have the Instinct anymore
@ levell
Yea but there is NO comparison to Sprints phones and the other major carriers. Their hardware selection is terrible. i mean att gets the iphone t mo gets the g1 and vzw got the storm. and sprint had the instink. and still waiting on the pre.
I will be switching carriers, when the phone comes out. I know very little about any kind of new technology but my brother keeps me in the “know” and I am excited!
The Storm isn’t really some to rave about. Sure it’s pretty, but for the hardcore user it gets to be really annoying. The Niagara, on the other hand, might be the perfect Blackberry for Verizon.
I have ATT. I will get a pre. I’ve tested the iphone and I’m only impressed with its screen functionality. I’ve had the luxury of handling a Pre. It is twice the phone iphone is. First, its like having a Blackberry and iphone all in one. Second. Multiple screens, cut and paste for addys etc. I get Sprint in our area much more reliably than ATT, so Its a no brainer: I just wish to *&^%$#! they’d release the damn thing so I can get on with life!
Philip.