Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

[Sunray]

Yup, didn't know they were actually things you could buy.

I think I'm more excited about the concept of that large coil resonance idea they had powering a 40w light bulb.

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/30211

So you could just plug it into the wall and all your devices would charge when they were near. This could lead to wireless power being everywhere and you'd have an extra item on your bill for power.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

If this is a widespread experience this is great news, it should mean well and quickly made apps:

TheStandard.com published a report on the initial reactions to the Mojo developers kit that Palm announced a few weeks ago. The feedback is good. Developers are claiming that Palm has made it incredibly easy to access the best features and functions of webOS and the Palm Pre. They’ve addressed the issues associated with multi-tasking, such as memory usage and other reasons that Apple cites as reason for their restriction of the feature.

These restrictions are basically non-existent on webOS. Palm is using HTML and Javascript, two coding languages that nearly every developer has been using for years, so they already have an army of coding experts at their disposal. API’s are easy to access and incorporate into applications, and the results are impressive. Developers have been able to push out final versions of applications in as little as a few weeks. FlightView was one of those, where the company was able to develop the application in a short period of time thanks to the ease of webOS.

 

[editor]

So one of these perhaps - http://www.powermatdigital.com/product-line.html launched at CES the day before the Pre was announced.

Apart from the fact it looks nowhere near as elegant as the Pre, have you got any pricing or availability on these?

Oh, I just checked. It's not available until this autumn at the earliest (if it ever shows up).

If this is a widespread experience this is great news, it should mean well and quickly made apps:

That does look very exciting!

There's a short video of the old OS emulator in action here:
Look how fast GTS Racing starts up!

 

[Lazy Llama]

Apart from the fact it looks nowhere near as elegant as the Pre, have you got any pricing or availability on these?

Oh, I just checked. It's not available until this autumn at the earliest (if it ever shows up).

Yes, Q3 and $100 for the mat, $25-35 for the adapter.

Better to go to http://www.uk.wildcharge.com/ if you want to get a wireless charger today.

They do mats for £50, and adapters for £25-27, including iPhone.

I wouldn't pay for one, but then I wouldn't pay for a Touchstone either.

 

[editor]

Yes, Q3 and $100 for the mat, $25-35 for the adapter.

Better to go to http://www.uk.wildcharge.com/ if you want to get a wireless charger today.

You're 'aving a laugh! That thing has fallen off the ugly tree and hit most of the branches on the way down. Who'd want that fugly thing hogging their desktop?!

Oh, and it's £50 for the big shiny thing and then you have to keep on paying extra for each hideous clunky skin you have to bolt on to every single item you want to charge.

http://www.firebox.com/product/2128/WildCharge

Mmmm.. looking good!

Compare with:

 

[Sunray]

I like the shiny mat, its really shiny.

But until this sort of things comes built to devices, its all very meh.

I would prefer them to include better security, like wireless key fob detection rather than wireless charging.

 

[Lazy Llama]

Sorry, I didn't realise we were talking aesthetics, we were taking availability of wireless charging.

Palm are giving an option for charging one device, which may or may not ever be available in the UK; Sunray was asking for a mat-based charger and I've linked to two.

If you want ugly, look at the Palm kit currently available. It's uglier than the Vx was all those years ago

 

[editor]

I like the shiny mat, its really shiny.

How do you like having to fork out for a really ugly plastic skin that has to be stuck onto each and every item you wish to charge?

 

[editor]

Sorry, I didn't realise we were talking aesthetics, we were taking availability of wireless charging.

You don't think aesthetics come into it? LOL!

I know you're determined to be, like, really down on the Pre, but that pug-ugly, botched up, strap-on-a-ghastly-skin 'solution' you posted up is hardly an example of integrated wireless charging. I'm not that bothered about the Touchstone, but come on!

If you want ugly, look at the Palm kit currently available. It's uglier than the Vx was all those years ago

Now you are talking bollocks. The Pro and and the Centro are both very well designed phones, and the Pre is even better. Still, each to their own....

 

[Kid_Eternity]

.That does look very exciting!

There's a short video of the old OS emulator in action here:
Look how fast GTS Racing starts up!

Fucking christ that's fast! It's almost instant.

 

[Sunray]

How do you like having to fork out for a really ugly plastic skin that has to be stuck onto each and every item you wish to charge?

Rubbish.

 

[Lazy Llama]

You don't think aesthetics come into it? LOL!

I'll take availability over aesthetics when I go shopping LOL!

I know you're determined to be, like, really down on the Pre, but that pug-ugly, botched up, strap-on-a-ghastly-skin 'solution' you posted up is hardly an example of integrated wireless charging.

Tell me where I said it was? It's just an example of wireless charging that someone could buy if they wanted it. It's a first gen product from a third party, it's never going to integrate as well as 1st party add-ons.

As for being down on the Pre, accusing me of being "really down on the Pre" is like someone accusing you of being really down on the iPhone. And we all know what you say to people who accuse you of that, don't we?

I think the Pre has a lot of potential. Until it's on the market, all it has is potential.

As someone who has owned four PalmOS devices starting with a US Robotics Palm Professional in 1997, I liked Palm a lot back when they were making good products. I'd say that they lost the plot about 6 years ago when they stopped supporting the Mac, stopped any significant PalmOS development, moved to make Windows phones and concentrated on a bunch of pretty average products which held no interest for me.

I'm pleased that things are changing and think the Pre is the first sign that they're back on the right track

What I don't think is that all that Palm (or any other company) do is good and should be accepted without question, and that everything about the Pre is new, completely innovative and made of chocolate kittens. You know, like your own approach to the iPhone.

Bringing the thread back on topic, any idea whether the Touchstone will work if you put your Pre in an in-use case? All the cases on the Palm site involve you taking the phone out of the case to use it or charge it. How close to the Touchstone does the phone have to be to charge?

 

[editor]

As for being down on the Pre, accusing me of being "really down on the Pre" is like someone accusing you of being really down on the iPhone. And we all know what you say to people who accuse you of that, don't we?

Yes. I'd say they're a bit confused or just dishonest, because I've done nothing but praise the iPhone recently. I've never liked Apple's control freakery, but the iPhone is an excellent handset.

Back on topic, here's a vid showing .

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Dell would probably make a lot of sense. They want in to the smartphone market abd could just grab a ready made set up with huge potential. Palm could do with a big cash injection too...

 

[editor]

'Kin schlebs are getting first dibs on the Pre: http://mypre.com/angelina-jolie-likes-her-pre-will-adopt-8-more-2009201354

 

[editor]

Wall Street are still loving the Pre with one analyst thinking they may ship over 6m handsets. I'd be happy with just the one shipped to me please.

Palm Stock Continues Climb on New Upgrade
April 20, 2009 11:24:18 AM

Even on a largely down day for the Dow, Palm's stock is surpassing its 52 week high and is now trading above $10 for the first time since the Elevation recapitalization. Palm shares have continued to rise since the unveiling of the Pre back in January. Despite a number of claims that PALM is fully valued amid all of the hype and expectations for the Pre, the stock continues to receive analyst upgrades.

Today the stock obtained another endorsement from Bank of America/Merrill Lynch analyst Vivek Arya who changed his rating to buy from hold. Vivek also upped his target price to $14, from $8.70 and says "[WallStreet] underestimates Sprint's commitment to Palm's success and [the] strength of the [the] underlying smartphone market." He thinks Palm could ship up to 2.5 million Pre smartphones in the 2009 second half; for 2010, he thinks the company could ship as many as 6.2 million phones." (via Tech Trader Daily)

At the time of publication PALM is trading at 10.05, up ~2% on the day, while the Dow is down ~254.

More: http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2009/04/20/palm-merrill-ups-rating-to-buy-sets-14-target/

 

[jayeola]

I'd be happy with just the one shipped to me please.

Join the queue, bud.

 

[sumimasen]

This is getting ridiculous. Palm obviously know their release date, for what possible reason would they not share it. It's bordering on childishness!

 

[Kid_Eternity]

This is getting ridiculous. Palm obviously know their release date, for what possible reason would they not share it. It's bordering on childishness!

They're playing cat and mouse with Apple I think...

 

[editor]

They're playing cat and mouse with Apple I think...

It would certainly be in Apple's interests to try and divert attention from Palm's big day.

 

[jæd]

They're playing cat and mouse with Apple I think...

They have to release the Pre sometime in May. Any later and they will bump into Apple (almost certainly) announcing the new iPhone at the start of the 2009 WWDC in June. The new iPhone will probably be released in July. (No-brainer...)

 

[Radar]

Well whenever the 3G version comes out, anyone with a bit of cop spending their own readies will hang back for a month or so to see if there's any show-stoppers lurking in there.

Can you really see the 3G version coming out in Q2 ??

 

[Sunray]

They have to release the Pre sometime in May. Any later and they will bump into Apple (almost certainly) announcing the new iPhone at the start of the 2009 WWDC in June. The new iPhone will probably be released in July. (No-brainer...)

Well, they are saying 1st Half 2009. Thats Jan-Jun. They have 10 weeks to launch in the US. Plenty of time if they have the warehouses filled with phones. Much tougher if they are still fixing critical bugs in the software.

Its not like Palm are short of expertise in releasing hardware, so I'd say the former is probably the most likely scenario.

 

[jayeola]

I've just seen a palm treo pro on kinsington high street. It's running win mobile. This aint the pre is it? What os will the pre run?

 

[Crispy]

I've just seen a palm treo pro on kinsington high street. It's running win mobile. This aint the pre is it? What os will the pre run?

Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

 

[sumimasen]

Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

 

[jayeola]

Ahem.

 

[Crispy]

webOS

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Well you're all wrong, I named this thread and I say the focus is Palm.

 

[editor]

No one actually knows for sure of course, but Credit Suisse analysts reckons that the Pre could sell for significantly less than the iPhone, which would certainly help it gain market traction.
http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=15156&news=Palm+Pre+webOS+Sprint