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Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

Normally I'd agree with, but this is different. The iPhone is on diminishing publicity returns now whereas an exciting new product *and* a new OS from one of the most famous smartphone makers on the planet is sure to generate more publicity than a third product refresh, even if it's for the mighty iPhone.

The buzz about the Palm Pre is huge. And if you don't believe me, check out the leading gadget site Engadget's poll on 'most anticipated gadget of 2009'.

That site is famed for its Apple fanboydon, but check out the user comments - the Pre is leading by miles.

True but their points were regarding mainstream press...I doubt a lot of mobile phone buyers regulalrly visit Engadget (they bloody should though!!) and instead take cues from Metro, Guardian, Times etc who do fawn over apple.

If Apple did release multi colours for the iPhone plus new features it would get massive coverage.
 
The buzz about the Palm Pre is huge. And if you don't believe me, check out the leading gadget site Engadget's poll on 'most anticipated gadget of 2009'.

That site is famed for its Apple fanboydon, but check out the user comments - the Pre is leading by miles.
At the moment it doesn't qualify for nominations though:

"It has to be a real gadget people can buy! Pre-orders don't count."

and

"Don't nominate anything that wasn't sold for the first time in 2008."

Those rules make no sense though. If you can buy it, why would it be anticipated, and if it was sold for the first time in 2008, why would it be most anticipated of 2009?

Bizarre!
 
True but their points were regarding mainstream press...I doubt a lot of mobile phone buyers regulalrly visit Engadget (they bloody should though!!) and instead take cues from Metro, Guardian, Times etc who do fawn over apple.

If Apple did release multi colours for the iPhone plus new features it would get massive coverage.

Who do you think the Guardian, BBC etc take their cues from?
 
If Apple did release multi colours for the iPhone plus new features it would get massive coverage.
I'm sure it would because when it comes to PR hype, Apple are the absolute kings. Eve minor product refreshes get press way out of proportion to the content.

But I very much doubt a few pretty colours is going to be much of a story to sustain compared to a brand new phone with a brand new OS with some absolutely stunning features. What do you think is going be the biggest story: "Apple release the same phone with a few colours and a few tweaks," or" Ahoy! The real iPhone killer* is in town it's smaller, with amazing features, stunning functionality and a real keyboard!"

At the moment it doesn't qualify for nominations though:
The total dominance of the Pre from user comments just proves how keenly anticipated the device is, regardless of Engadget's bizarre rules.

*example claim. Not my opinion.
 
That would be a possible mad moment to launch... I think getting the launch well away from anything Apple do would be a sensible idea.

Totally.

A big part of my job years ago was planning product launches, and you just don't go head to head if you can avoid it.

There's only so many column inches to be had, and there's no upside to sharing them with a competitor.
 
Totally.

A big part of my job years ago was planning product launches, and you just don't go head to head if you can avoid it.
Unless, of course, you're quick to reveal some 'spoiler' press releases of your own around the time of the rival launch.

Happens quite a lot and can be an effective way of diluting the impact of the other product.
 
Even if Apple did nothing more than make the handset a different colour they'd still get more publicity than Palm, and would still sell more.

Sunray is right, Palm would be insane to go head to head with Apple on lauch dates, they need to get in first by a significant amount, or wait till any new iphone fuss has died down.
Tee hee! Right on cue:

Palm Pre is officially year's hottest gadget
T3 decides the iPhone not as exciting any more

The year's hottest gadgets have been announced, and a few surprises have been sprung - namely the Palm Pre hitting the top spot, despite only being announced a month and a half ago.

T3, which like TechRadar is published by Future, has put together a list of the 100 hottest gadgets of 2009, coming up with this year's Hot 100 (you see what they did there?).

The iPhone has dipped out of the top ten this year, with the Toshiba TG01 taking its place as the 'tablet phone du jour'; in fact, there are no Apple products in the top 10 at all.

http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/palm-pre-is-officially-year-s-hottest-gadget-567551
:D


A big theme of this year’s Hot 100 is time-worn brands redeeming themselves: Toshiba phones and Sony Walkmans in the top 10 is surprising enough but… a Palm phone? A hot product from a company that, like Vanilla Ice, was big in the 90s?

Believe it. Palm has taken the best aspects of the iPhone and BlackBerry Pearl, thrown away the things that users don’t like about those handsets and produced this year’s hottest gadget. Even more than Nokia’s N97, it’s the first true “iPhone killer”.

Its capacitive, 3.1-inch, 320×480 touchscreen matches Apple’s device for size and resolution and has a strikingly neat menu system with the lower half of the screen used as a context-sensitive “gesture area” for cycling through apps and the like.

Unlike the iPhone, it doesn’t force you to type on the touchscreen – there’s a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Despite that, the Pre is still only 1.7cm deep and weighs just 135g.

The Pre has push email, GPS and an accelerometer. However, it then trumps the iPhone with both ambient light and proximity sensors and a three-meg camera with LED fl ash. It’s got HSDPA, Wi-Fi (G) and Bluetooth, but unlike the iPhone, the Bluetooth is A2DP and you can use it as a wireless modem for your laptop.

The file compatibility list is endless and includes essentials such as MP3, AAC, H.264 and JPEG. Add a 3.5mm headphone jack and you’ve got a very healthy spec list. The only downer is the lacklustre eight gigs of storage, with no card slot to expand it.

Remarkably though, the spec is only the beginning of the story. Palm has developed a bespoke operating system, webOS, for the Pre that not only makes for a gorgeously slick menu system but allows other applications, such as instant messaging clients, to be built into the home screen. It can also aggregate content from various calendars, contacts and even social networking sites, organising them in one place on the phone. Palm also plans to release a software development kit for anyone who wants it, hopefully ensuring strong application support.

Everything about the Pre has been thought about, worked on and buffed to a sheen. Even the Touchstone charging panel – an accessory that wirelessly docks the Pre and refuels by contact alone – is exciting. As far as we’re concerned, the Pre is the hottest, most mouth-watering piece of gadgetry on the planet today.

Its UK launch can’t come soon enough.
T3 Top 100: http://hot100.t3.com/1/
 
I'm sure it would because when it comes to PR hype, Apple are the absolute kings. Eve minor product refreshes get press way out of proportion to the content.

But I very much doubt a few pretty colours is going to be much of a story to sustain compared to a brand new phone with a brand new OS with some absolutely stunning features. What do you think is going be the biggest story: "Apple release the same phone with a few colours and a few tweaks," or" Ahoy! The real iPhone killer* is in town it's smaller, with amazing features, stunning functionality and a real keyboard!"

The total dominance of the Pre from user comments just proves how keenly anticipated the device is, regardless of Engadget's bizarre rules.

*example claim. Not my opinion.

I totally agree...I just fear your average punter will keep up with the Jones' and plump for iPhone. The Pre needs to be sold in big numbers, mates seeing mates using it and then it won't have a problem...and that might require Palm offering killer deals from the off to grab market share quickly*.

It's just that for many, many punters Palm has no brand value (god I hate saying that)...they know Nokia, Apple and Blackberry. I believe that's why HTC struggles to really break in because it's a nothing brand that relies on networks taking it's handsets and promoting them.

*issue here being Palm is losing money hand over fist right now so is constrained
 
It's just that for many, many punters Palm has no brand value (god I hate saying that)...they know Nokia, Apple and Blackberry. I believe that's why HTC struggles to really break in because it's a nothing brand that relies on networks taking it's handsets and promoting them.
Point to bear in mind here is that while Palm have never been that big in the UK, they are a very well known brand in the US and that's where they'll look to make a killing.
 
Ah, my phone contract expires in May. Might actually need to pick up a new battery to tide me over til then. I hope it's out by June over here. Needs to be HSPDA for me to bother with it though... :p
 
Palm's struggle with cash:

Link
Seems to be going well though:
Palm increases stock offering, nets $83.9 million

Palm shares rose sharply in early morning trading Tuesday, after the handset maker increased the size of its secondary offering and netted $83.9 million.

Palm resold 23.125 million shares, as part of a follow-on offering it announced the day before. Although the company had initially anticipated offering only 18.5 million shares held by its investor Elevation Partners, Palm added more stock into the deal, which it priced at $6 a share.

Elevation Partners received $49 million from the offering, while Palm netted $83.9 million. Palm plans to use the proceeds for working capital, as well as bolstering its resources for the launch of its highly anticipated Pre smartphone.

Palm rose as high as 9.5 percent to $6.59 a share in early morning trading, up from its close Monday.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10192384-94.html
 
...I believe that's why HTC struggles to really break in because it's a nothing brand that relies on networks taking it's handsets and promoting them.

Not quite true, they are a nothing brand but rely on making handset for everyone and as such are a multi-billion dollar company.

Didn't have a design team, but got one and started using their muscle and production technology to build their own handsets.

Give it a bit longer and they will be up there in terms of brand recognition.
 
Not quite true, they are a nothing brand but rely on making handset for everyone and as such are a multi-billion dollar company.

Didn't have a design team, but got one and started using their muscle and production technology to build their own handsets.

Give it a bit longer and they will be up there in terms of brand recognition.
HTC and "struggling" don't really go together right now!

HTC's sales revenue totalled $2.2 billion for 2005, a 102% increase from the previous year. It was listed as the fastest growing tech company in BusinessWeek's Info Tech 100

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Tech_Computer_Corporation
 
$84m won't last long... still sailing close to the wind I'd say.

I really hope the gamble pays off. In a sea of me-too-smartphone dross, the Pre is something bringing some genuinely new ideas. Would be a terrible injustice if Palm fails whilst the likes of Samsung, LG et al keep trotting out uninspired touch-screen nonsense.
 
I really hope the gamble pays off. In a sea of me-too-smartphone dross, the Pre is something bringing some genuinely new ideas.
It'll be good news for iPhone users too if the Palm Pre proves a hit. They've already come up with a load of fresh ideas that no one else had thought of, and the more true innovators in the market, the better for all.
 
It'll be good news for iPhone users too if the Palm Pre proves a hit. They've already come up with a load of fresh ideas that no one else had thought of, and the more true innovators in the market, the better for all.

Perhaps LFO should do the pre's promotion music.

"There are many imitators, but we are the true creators. We're back "
 
The product, it seems, will be able to stand up for itself, so it's a bit crap when you have to make an SEC filing fessing up to talking shit. :rolleyes:
Yeah because Steve Jobs & Co have never, ever employed any kind of hype for their products at all, ever, have they?

*erects crash barriers outside store
*starts countdown
*high fives
*runs around the block

:D

The Elevation Partners guy is an idiot but he's doing a grand job of garnering pre-release headlines.
 
Nokia 'incentivised' (100 Euros) people to queue in Regent Street for the 5800. Nokia didn't need to make an investor declaration about it. Subtle difference between hype and making statements that could mislead investors. It is subtle at times, but there is a difference. ;)
 
Though that was the local telco, Orange, not the handset manufacturer.
I didn't actually say that Apple were responsible.

They certainly co-ordinate chanting lines of fuckwits outside their stores before product launches and pay their staff to whoop like hyperactive hyenas and charge around blocks high fiving people, though.

It's not a job I'd fancy, to be honest.
 
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