Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

[sumimasen]

I thought there was a gentleman's agreement with o2 in place. But fair enough to Palm for re-considering. The hype of Pre is unprecedented, probably the best they will have for one of their products for many many years.

 

[editor]

oks like Palm may be fucking up the launch a bit with a shortage of phones, but the pricing is looking keen:

Palm Pre Buzz: Monthly Costs Will Be Lower Than the iPhone

Palm has finally confirmed the rumors that it will roll out the much-hyped Pre on June 6, and is partnering up with Sprint as the Pre’s wireless carrier. But just like iPhone adopters had to swallow a two-year contract with AT&T, Pre fans are wondering just how much it will cost them above to sign a two-year deal with Sprint.

The Palm Pre device itself will cost the same as an iPhone - $199 (the Pre actually costs $299, according to the fine print, but they’ll knock off $100 with a mail-in rebate and a two-year service agreement with Sprint).

According to the Sprint Nextel customer service blog, Pre users can choose from the “Everything Data Plan” at $69.99 for 450 minutes or $89.99 for 900 minutes, including unlimited data and texting, or the “Simply Everything” plan at $99.99 for unlimited minutes, data, and texting. The AT&T service plans for the iPhone, on the other hand, require $30 a month for unlimited data and $20 a month for unlimited texting over and above minutes, which range from $39.99 a month for 450 minutes up to $99.99 for unlimited.

So essentially, iPhone users have to pay $150 a month to match what Sprint will offer Pre users for $100, which may be why AT&T is rumored to be cutting costs on its monthly service plans.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/05/20/palm-pre-buzz-monthly-costs-will-be-lower-than-the-iphone/

American mobile rates are bonkers!

 

[Sunray]

$150 is 96 quid.

Isn't that what badgers has, gets you unlimited everything, unlimited roaming and data in the EU and a new phone every 6 months if you want it?

 

[editor]

It's now available in one big US store for $199 without any faffing about with a rebate. The phone's just received FCC approval ahead of its launch on June 6th, but shortage rumours abound - so we might get another bout of arses doing that 'camping outisde the phone store' nonsense.

And if the Americans techies get really excited, there might be some fresh 'high fivin'' footage to take the piss out of, although I can't imagine the store staff doing circuits of the block a-whoopin' and a-hollerin'.

 

[Crispy]

Do we know which specific factories the pre is being made in? might get some clues as to why there's apparent supply problems.

 

[editor]

Bloke from Sprint was saying that some shortages for the first 4-8 weeks are the norm when it's a big new product launch, while others reckon it's a bit of an Apple-like ruse to boost demand.

Chi Mei Communications are reckoned to be the Pre manufacturer but it seems no one knows for sure.
http://www.precentral.net/palm-pre-manufactured-cmcsfoxconn

 

[editor]

The ruddy thing's already out there for some lucky users, with it already showing up in mobile ad impressions:
http://www.millennialmedia.com/press/052009.html

 

[editor]

Latest rumour is that there's going to be serious stock shortages at launch, with one report saying that some stores are going to have as little as four models for sale, which is fucking stupid.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Oh dear...well let's hope production ramps and they get it together...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Looks like the Pre is getting into the hands of people now: http://www.precentral.net/palm-profile-pic-and-hands-video

 

[editor]

The screens look lush:

The phone automatically backs up all data onine and SlingPlayer is coming to the Palm too.
http://palmgoon.com/

 

[editor]

Browser's looking good too:

 

[Piers Gibbon]

grrrr get a bloody move on Palm

my Centro is doing the freeze instead of answer calls..just a tad irksome for a freelance voiceover doing insta-jobs (or anyone frankly)

 

[editor]

The iPhone Blog has an iPhone v3 vs Palm Pre face off and calls it a draw.
http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/05/22/iphone-30-palm-pre/

Seeing as it's an iPhone site, it's a very balanced article:

Applications

This one is a slam dunk for Apple and the iPhone, right? Not so fast! Sure, the iPhone has 35,000+ applications in the App Store, brilliant and terrible both. 1 billion downloads is nothing to sneeze at either. After all, Apple re-invented mobile software by putting one little icon on their home screen that gave instant access to tens of thousands of additional icons for every single one of their 15 million+ users (30 million+ if we count iPod touch as well). That’s a juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination. Based on the same, objective Cocoa superset of C, and using the same Xcode developer tools that Mac programmers are already familiar with, it gave the iPhone immediate access to just the type of design-conscious, experience-oriented developers Apple values. This has lead to great social network tools, awesome utilities, and games gorgeous enough to give Nintendo the night sweats. (And no, we’re not mentioning fart apps) Sounds like it would be impossible for anyone to catch up?

Palm has legacy applications, however, and in a stroke of genius, they commissioned a Classic app that will virtuamulate (not sure of the exact technology at work there) the old PalmOS giving many (though not all) of those old apps new life. In a stroke of far greater genius, Palm based their new webOS on existing web-based technologies including HTML, CSS, and Javascript (AJAX if you prefer). Since the Palm Pre will run these locally rather than in the cloud the way WebApps do, they’re closer akin to “widgets” (or “objects” for you Vista fans) but go one step further by hooking into many of the Pre-specific hardware features as well — like the phone. Cocoa may be tasty but it’s user base is tiny compared to how many people already know web application development. Combine the PalmOS back catalog with the ease of widget-style deployment and you just may have a contender.

One more thing: while the iPhone only allows Apple’s apps to background multitask, Palm Pre’s “card” feature allows for (around a dozen or so?) apps of all kinds — 1st and 3rd party — to stay open, live, and instantly accessible. Sure, iPhone 3.0 will mitigate this slightly with Push Notifications and rumors of next-generation hardware maybe supporting, but Palm Pre does it for real and does it now.

This one is tough to call. Already huge vs. potentially huge marketplace. The multitasking spear vs. the native app hammer. Which one has the advantage here will depend entirely on what’s more important to you. We’re wussing out.

Tie

grrrr get a bloody move on Palm

Tell me about it. I want this ruddy phone NOW!

 

[Kid_Eternity]

grrrr get a bloody move on Palm

my Centro is doing the freeze instead of answer calls..just a tad irksome for a freelance voiceover doing insta-jobs (or anyone frankly)

Yep this has started happening to me in the last few weeks. It's gone from being a real fucking pain to now interfering with business. Think I might have to buy a cheapo phone to see me through the next few weeks or follow the Editor and bag a 2nd hand G1 until when the Pre is released...

 

[editor]

You won't be disappointed with the G1. It's a great phone but I want the Palm Mojo!

 

[sumimasen]

HSeconded. I've had the G1 for a week now and it's really exceeded my expectations. So much so that (and I dare not admit it to myself too much yet) after months of pining worse than a cat on heat for the Pre, I may not be rushing to put it on my shopping list as soon as it's released.....

 

[Sunray]

The iPhone and Pre are all at the leading edge of a wave that will eventually see the demise of the existing candy bar type phones.

I think there is plenty of space for expansion once people realise how much of a step up in both usability and functionality these phones are from the current generation of phones used my the masses.

 

[editor]

The iPhone and Pre are all at the leading edge of a wave that will eventually see the demise of the existing candy bar type phones.

You think so? There's an awful lot of people who don't need phones to do much more than make calls and send texts and although smartphones are becoming hugely popular, the candy bar form factor has a lot going for it.

My Treo 650 was by miles the most usable handset I've ever tried - and that includes the Centro, G1 and iPhone. The Pre looks like it'll be better than most smartphones because the physical keyboard is in the 'right' place.

 

[editor]

A ton of Palm webOS emulator videos have been leaked here.
The OS looks very, very good. Full multi-tasking when on a call (send/text/receive email, look up maps etc etc) and a nice clear UI. Love the status bar.

http://mypre.com/palm-pre-interface-video-demos-from-webos-emulator-2009241592

 

[editor]

It's official. The Pre will be on O2:

O2 is set to follow up its success with the iPhone in the UK by grabbing an exclusive deal to stock the device that gadget fans reckon is the closest thing to a real competitor to the Apple device, the Palm Pre.

The UK's largest mobile phone operator, with more than 20 million customers, is understood to have seen off fierce competition for the new handset from Vodafone and Orange, and it will be available in the UK in time for the crucial Christmas period.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/may/24/02-iphone-palm-pre

Gizmodo The Definitive Guide and FAQ to the Pre: http://gizmodo.com/5133554/palm-pre-the-definitive-guide-and-faq

And here's the entire leaked Sprint Business launch doc for the Pre: http://www.engadget.com/photos/pre-launch-manual/2032689/

 

[Sunray]

You think so? There's an awful lot of people who don't need phones to do much more than make calls and send texts and although smartphones are becoming hugely popular, the candy bar form factor has a lot going for it.

My Treo 650 was by miles the most usable handset I've ever tried - and that includes the Centro, G1 and iPhone. The Pre looks like it'll be better than most smartphones because the physical keyboard is in the 'right' place.

What I'm basing this on is that it will be increasingly hard to differentiate these products, if that's not already the case. I'm talking about the low to middling end of the market.

CPU power, batteries, screens technology etc etc are all marching on apace.

Somewhen in the future the cost of the hardware for a smart phone with all the functionality of the current iPhone and Pre will be trivial. So technology will essentially force the hand. Clearly they can still do the standard phone but that will be so cheap it'll be hard to make and real money unless you sell 100 million.

The profit will be in higher end models, and what goes in high end models filters down. somewhere in the future all the things that are uncommon in the iPhone and Pre will be standard on lower end phones.

Steve Jobs stated Apple reckon they are 5 years ahead of everyone else. That means they (everyone else) will catch up in 3 years time?

 

[editor]

This is rumoured to be the low end WebOS handset to follow the Centro. Not entirely convinced it's real, mind.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/24/palm-eos-on-track-for-atandt-release-second-half-of-2009/

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Christmas???

 

[editor]

Steve Jobs stated Apple reckon they are 5 years ahead of everyone else.

That's patently bullshit.

 

[g force]

It's official. The Pre will be on O2:


Gizmodo The Definitive Guide and FAQ to the Pre: http://gizmodo.com/5133554/palm-pre-the-definitive-guide-and-faq

And here's the entire leaked Sprint Business launch doc for the Pre: http://www.engadget.com/photos/pre-launch-manual/2032689/

Damn..instantly a no go for me

 

[editor]

Apparently, the Pre has a better battery life than the iPhone 3G, with a claimed 5 hours talk time.
I'm a little doubtful myself, but the OS is a lot leaner than the iPhone's so it may be possible. I hope so!
http://www.intomobile.com/2009/05/24/palm-pre-battery-life-revealed-5-hour-talk-time.html

I'm liking the way that Pre handles contacts:

http://palmgoon.com/follow-up-on-contacts/

 

[editor]

The Pre 'gestures' navigation explained:
http://www.engadget.com/photos/leaked-palm-pre-gesture-guide-1/2034098/

 

[editor]

There's a really interesting article on Forbes about how Palm and Apple have developed a bitter rivalry:

Palm fights back (against Apple)
The beleaguered handset maker says its new smartphone, the Pre, is an iPhone killer. Apple isn't laughing.

(Fortune Magazine) -- Not much rattles Apple. Disciplined and focused, the company lavishes attention on its own elegant products and rarely deigns to discuss rivals. Yet here was Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer and designated stand-in for ailing CEO Steve Jobs, erupting during an earnings call in late January at the mere mention of a pip-squeak competitor.

The pest in question was Palm (PALM), the fallen pioneer of handheld digital organizers, which two weeks earlier had unveiled a new smartphone, the Palm Pre, to rave reviews. Not only did the Pre have features the iPhone couldn't match - snazzy multitasking, universal search, a drop-down keyboard - but it also showed the kind of multitouch screen technology that Apple popularized with the iPhone. Cook didn't try to hide his annoyance. "We're going to go after anybody" who rips off Apple's technology, he said. "We'll use whatever weapons we have at our disposal."

Open hostility from the world's hottest tech company cuts two ways for Palm, which says its years in the mobile business have produced plenty of patents of its own. On the plus side, Apple's obsession with the Pre makes it look as though the little company may have a winner on its hands. (Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) is 25 times the size of Palm, which had $1.3 billion in 2008 revenue.)

http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/22/technology/lashinsky_palm.fortune/?postversion=2009052604

 

[Crispy]

The Pre 'gestures' navigation explained:
http://www.engadget.com/photos/leaked-palm-pre-gesture-guide-1/2034098/

Hmm. Some interesting stuff there, but I'm worried it's not intuitive enough for new users. One of the fundamental rules of UI design is that you should have a good idea what an interaction will do before you make it. AFAICS, there's no obvious onscreen clue that a particular gesture will have a particular effect. A button with a left-pointing arrow is more direct and obvious than a stroke left on a blank area of the device. Stroking upwards from the gesture area has different effects depending on context, but it's not obvious what effect you'll get. Likewise swiping sideways to delete an object from a list - what's wrong with a red X?