The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas may have been less splashy this year, but that hasn’t stopped cell phones from taking over the center stage. Out of the new gadgets launched by LG, Motorola (who introduced world’s first 100% recyclable carbon neutral phone), Sony Ericsson (with its slick Xperia X1… still drooling on this one), BlackBerry, HTC and others, Palm stands out.
The new Palm Pre phone is not a technical wonder, but it does incorporate what every gadget needs in order to make it alive in a pool of sharks: the will to succeed. Palm Pre, and subsequently its mobile web platform (also freshly introduced by the company last week) are Palm’s last chance to make a comeback, and restore a more solid position on the mobile market.
Over the past few years, things have undoubtedly changed for Palm, in the sense that Apple’s iPhone made its way onto the market, and everything else seemed unable to compete. Now, two years after Apple first announced the iPhone, it’s seems harder than ever to catch up with it (the Android phone doesn’t make it easier either).
As if the iPhone weren’t enough, Google has also gained a lot of momentum with its Android platform, and a lot of phone producers have included Android-based phones in their plans for this year. This forced Palm to make a “now-or-never” comeback, and revive its line with a slick smartphone that incorporates everything a user could possibly want, and also an operating system to replace the old Palm OS Garnet.
Although everything sounds and looks quite ambitious, it’s easy to understand that the enthusiasm regarding Palm Pre is somewhat limited by an old habit all gadget fans have: look for the perfect device, that thinks ahead of you, never lets you down when you need it the most, and suits all situations.
Palm Inc. has obviously invested a lot in its latest creation, which looks like an iPhone-Android mutant (a good looking one), and offers incredible functionality. Yes, I’m impressed by Pre, and I’m sure there are a lot of smartphone enthusiasts out there who will be impressed too. The estimations look good for Palm, especially considering the price (which matches all offers available today).
Pre is strongly supported by another impressive creation from Palm, the operating system, which is said to play an important part in consumer choice. But however optimistic everything may sound right now, there’s also been a lot of speculation on how much momentum Palm has gained, and how much disappointment we might be in for.
I, for one, remain optimistic that is it not too late for Palm to make a comeback, and that if a comeback is indeed possible, then there is no better way to do that than with Palm Pre and webOS platform, and that’s just from a quick peek.
Pre comes with an impressive design, user-friendly interface, a touch-screen and a full (sliding) QWERTY keyboard. In addition to that, it offers Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities for Sprint’s network, 8GB of internal user storage, a 320 x 480 HVGA display, and a proximity sensor.
Palm Pre is ultimately Palm Inc. last chance to stay in the competition, and analysts have already predicted solid sales for 2009. The smartphone was designed to replace the need of a laptop, by bringing the user’s contacts, calendar and information all in one place.
The operating system is in one word ‘impressive,” and it works fast. The interface is not clustered, and the touch-screen capabilities offer incredible functionality. The QWERTY keyboard plays an important role while trying to write and email or surf the Web faster. And while the physical keyboard seems rather small, its design makes it hard to make any typos.
I don’t believe I will be disappointed upon really trying Pre’s full capabilities, and I’m sure the smartphone didn’t steal this year’s CES for nothing. Everything about it sounds good, from the capabilities to the pricing and availability (as you probably know, Sprint will be the official and exclusive carrier for Pre).
Palm Pre and webOS look like the tools Palm needed to boost sales and make other smartphones make a run for their money. The company said the smartphone will be available in the first half of 2009, and I’m sure expectations will be met in terms of sales.
