Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

[hendo]

Apparently Nokia's appstore is a bit of a mess

 

[editor]

O2 are now downplaying the Pre exclusive deal:
http://palmgoon.com/o2-downplays-palm-pre-exclusivity-rumors/

 

[g force]

I hope so...I hate network exclusives but it seems to be the way of things. Orange or particularly Vodafone would interest me.

 

[sumimasen]

The Pre will so blatently be on exclusive, it's a more lucrative no-lose strategy at the point of entry. I think o2 are being delicate because of their bed partner iPhone.

 

[Sunray]

It makes complete sense to have both hot competing products on the same carrier from o2's business perspective. Then they dont have to compete with another operator if it gets popular.

 

[editor]

Curiously, the Pre made an appearance at the Google I/O keynote
http://mypre.com/palm-webos-makes-appearance-at-google-io-2009271707/
and there's possible new features being announced:

According to the host of All Things Digital: D7 conference, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, Palm will be revealing un-speculated newness at the is weeks conference.

Walt: “And they [Palm] are not only are going to come and talk in more detail about the Palm Pre than you have seen before, but they’re actually going to introduce some things that haven’t even been speculated, uhh, that the Palm Pre’s going to be about to do that haven’t even been speculated on the blogs, and they’re going to show some cool features.”
http://palmgoon.com/palm-to-reveal-more-secrets-at-d7-mcnamee-to-apple-bash/

Edit: full Palm Pre user guide now online:
http://www.scribd.com/SprintGurus

 

[editor]

First Pre camera pic has been posted and it's not bad at all considering it's a cameraphone.

​

Palm's official Twitter account just tweeted about testing out yfrog, the image / video sharing site -- and as you might expect from a manufacturer, it wants to share pictures snapped with its own equipment. Thanks to some helpful EXIF data parsed out by the site, we know the image you're looking at here was taken using a Pre, apparently smack in the middle of enjoying a few 5-cent horsey rides. As far as we can tell this is the first shot we've seen posted from the Pre's camera, and we're cautiously optimistic about what the 3 megapixel sensor has managed to do here. Sure, blowing the image up to full size reveals some nasty artifacting and muddy details, but when you get right down to it, that's what cameraphone shots are all about, right?

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/27/palm-pre-camera-used-results-shared-at-long-last/

And...

Pre Central is getting word from a tipster with a webOS emulator that the Pre is going to support IMAP IDLE. This means that users on GMail will have near instantaneous reception of new emails. That’s right, it’s getting pushed down to the phone from the GMail servers.


This is great news for Pre users. Currently, the only phone to support GMail push is the G1 (and soon any other Android device). Palm’s close relationship with Google and their heavy incorporation of GMail into Synergy and the Pre’s contacts and calendars is proving to be extremely beneficial for soon-to-be Pre users.


There have been some complaints recently over the inability to select which contacts are synced through Synergy on the Pre from sources such as GMail and Facebook. The system is an All-or-Nothing system, and makes it frustrating for users who have hundreds of useless contacts. This news of Push GMail however, makes it worth it to dig through those GMail contacts and clean it up.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Most cameraphones work ok in good light, it will be interesting to see some shots taken inside.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

And also whether this is a live or posed shot. Some cameraphones have great shutter speeds others don't.

 

[editor]

And also whether this is a live or posed shot. Some cameraphones have great shutter speeds others don't.

Some more pics here: http://gizmodo.com/5271677/first-photographs-taken-with-a-palm-pre

They're clearly not taken by a photographer trying to show off the camera at its best. It's easily good enough for my needs, although the critical part will be how responsive the thing is. My Centro camera is like a lightning bolt compared to the G1's!
http://gizmodo.com/5271677/first-photographs-taken-with-a-palm-pre#

Edit: this one suggest that it can freeze action (albeit in fairly bright conditions):

 

[Kid_Eternity]

BGR has itself a Pre:

The Pre feels really good in your hand in terms of size and shape, but there’s a real plasticky aura about it. Additionally, things aren’t looking good for that QWERTY either. And hey, you know we take them keyboards seriously! When you try and type on the top row of keys, your finger hits the bottom part of the front piece and on top of that, you often hit multiple keys at the same time while typing. It’s actually really frustrating and doesn’t bode well for such a fantastic social communication/personal/business tool.

The screen is really responsive and blends right in with the casing — awesomely executed and the capacitive touch is so damn beautiful. We’d rate it just behind the iPhone but in front of the T-Mobile G1 as far as screens go.

 

[editor]

Seeing as the keyboard on the Pre is bigger than the one on the Centro (which I can hurtle messages out of), I'm taking their comments with a large pinch of salt.

 

[Sunray]

The k800i and beyond were the 1st camera phone that was 1/2 decent.

That was nothing to any proper camera I've ever used.

 

[editor]

Palm are certainly giving it some!

The Palm Pre will synchronize perfectly with Apple’s iTunes, copying across audio and video files as long as they aren’t copy-protected. The news, which comes courtesy of Fortune, was first tipped back in January when Palm VP of design Peter Skillman demonstrated the Pre on video.

However, at the time there was no follow-up, and the knowledge that the Pre will connect to a computer as a mass storage device indicated that third-party apps would be needed in order to sync with iTunes. According to Fortune, however, the required code for direct synchronization is baked into the Pre’s own firmware.

Apple have declined to comment on whether Palm’s actions might be considered impinging on its IP. Still, Palm must be hoping that there are enough people considering switching to the Pre from the iPhone (and hopefully with DRM-free media files) to put direct compatibility into their new smartphone.
http://mypre.com/palm-pre-syncs-with-itunes-out-of-the-box-2009281735/

Nice:

There is however, plenty of good news: the Pre will, in fact have IMAP IDLE (AKA Push) Gmail capabilities, meaning that you'll get your spam nearly the moment it hits Gmail's servers. Finally, the previously spied Reminder field in the Pre's Contacts has been found out, and it's a really awesome feature allowing you to make a note and attach it to a particular contact, so that the next time you are in contact with that person, the reminder will pop up and... remind you.
[Engadget]

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Seeing as the keyboard on the Pre is bigger than the one on the Centro (which I can hurtle messages out of), I'm taking their comments with a large pinch of salt.

Yeah I was thinking I'll wait to see what the context was (as in what keyboards they like)...be interesting to see the first proper review from them though.

 

[Structaural]

I like that reminder feature.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Yeah that's pretty fucking sweet!

 

[g force]

Seeing as the keyboard on the Pre is bigger than the one on the Centro (which I can hurtle messages out of), I'm taking their comments with a large pinch of salt.

True but the comment about the top keys and that ridge above it looks like it could be a legit concern...the typing in general I think just takes getting use to a new keyboard more than a desing fault.

 

[Piers Gibbon]

wow that Reminder feature is very GTD (Getting Things Done)

 

[editor]

True but the comment about the top keys and that ridge above it looks like it could be a legit concern...the typing in general I think just takes getting use to a new keyboard more than a desing fault.

Here's a different opinion:

Pre hands-on
Once you slide open the keyboard, which itself is pretty neat, it remains intuitively easy to operate. You may need to learn a couple of gestures for shutting apps, going back, etc., but in five minutes, you're in business. If you're used to typing on a Palm Treo or BlackBerry, the Pre will be very comfortable. For those who have become frustrated typing on the iPhone's screen, it will be a welcome improvement.
http://www.infoworld.com/d/open-source/hands-palm-pre-697

I guess the keyboard won't be for everyone - a lot of people weren't keen on the Centro keyboard at first. It looked tiny to me after having a Treo but I got used to it pretty quick and love it now.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

BGR's first impression have been picked up here.

According to the site, the top row of keys is difficult to reach without hitting the main part of the phone. Also reported was hitting two keys instead of the intended one. It should be noted that it looks like BGR only had the unit for a short time, so with practice the experience may change.

It should be noted my all-to-limited five minutes on the device in Janurary didn’t reveal this flaw, so one review does not a trend make.
Unfortunately, if you’ve used enough slider phones, you know this problem well. I’ve run into this issue on other slider phones, as it’s top row of keys were problematic. There certainly isn’t a lot of room for all those keys, but it does look like more room than say on the wildly popular Palm Centro. Time will tell.

The other low note of BGR’s quick review was the plastic-y feel of the device. All the curves, lack of metal finish and very visibly plastic features don’t seem to add up to a high-end feel. Other top end phones like the iPhone and Blackberry Bold meld materials leaving the user impressed. Perhaps this will be addressed by the Palm Pre Pro (oops, can’t talk about that one yet).

 

[editor]

This is very big news for Palm:

Think you'll have to wait until June 6th for all the Pre surprises to emerge? Think again. A breaking Reuters report has just dropped one of the biggest cellular bombshells of the year: Verizon Wireless, America's largest mobile operator, will soon be carrying Palm's Pre.

And you've got it to the company - they seem to be doing things right and putting in ample care and attention and churning up Apple-like amounts of publicity. First they slam in iTunes syncing (comments galore here) and even their choice of ring tones makes a news story!

Composer, professor, publisher, and Chair of the UCLA Department of Music, Roger Bourland was commissioned by Palm to provide eight ringtones for its new handheld device, the Pre.

Bourland praised Matias Duarte for having the vision to commission “micro-compositions; not just phone emulations, or paid-for chunks of pre-existing songs.” Each ringtone is roughly 24 seconds long before it kicks into the message service.

Titles include “PRE”, “Flurry”, “Raindance”, “Scamper”, “Discreet”, “Triangle”, “Dulcimer”, and “Anticipation”.

The ringtones were composed using Apple’s LOGIC 8 software, and played-in in real time, so they have a “human” feel.” The instrumentation is international, and all virtual.
http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2009/05/27/bourland-tapped-for-palm-pre-ringtones/

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Yep they're doing well in a lot of ways, the number of units they'll have ready for launch leaves something to be desired though...

 

[jæd]

Interesting analyis of how the iTunes sync works : http://nanocr.eu/2009/05/28/syncing-music-and-video-to-the-palm-pre/ . Can't see this working long-term... (Anyhow I thought we were supposed to hate iTunes...? )

 

[editor]

Interesting analyis of how the iTunes sync works : http://nanocr.eu/2009/05/28/syncing-music-and-video-to-the-palm-pre/ . Can't see this working long-term... (Anyhow I thought we were supposed to hate iTunes...? )

The point being is that it's another carrot to tempt over early iPhone users reaching the end of their contracts and also to lure iPod users who are looking for a more interesting/cheaper/keyboard-toting handset.

It's a very smart move.

 

[jæd]

The point being is that it's another carrot to tempt over early iPhone users reaching the end of their contracts and also to lure iPod users who are looking for a more interesting/cheaper/keyboard-toting handset.

Would have to be very early adopters to see 8gb as anything other than a down-grade. Palm need either a 16Gb unit or a SDHC reader asap... That would be

 

[editor]

Would have to be very early adopters to see 8gb as anything other than a down-grade. Palm need either a 16Gb unit or a SDHC reader asap... That would be

I'm sure the next version will have that, but for a lot of users, 8GB will be absolutely ample (that's up to 2,000 songs and even Apple says that most users have less than 1,000 songs.), and they're far more likely to be persuaded by the functionality and keen pricing.

Remember: the Pre is not a high end device. It's a third of the price of the N97*.

(*according to web reports)

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Would have to be very early adopters to see 8gb as anything other than a down-grade. Palm need either a 16Gb unit or a SDHC reader asap... That would be

The SDHC would make far more sense, an 8gb card is about a tenner and 16gb cards will fall to that soon enough.

 

[editor]

First proper hands on review - it's a winner!

Conclusion:
Everyone’s expectation are set enormously high for this device and it really feels like the original iPhone launch again. Well, maybe not quite as insane but still. Palm has done a masterful job of crafting and molding the hype factor, but there seems to be an underlying issue. In being so secretive, they’ve let people’s imaginations run wild and expectations couldn’t possibly be higher.

The OS is great. There’s no ifs ands or buts; it’s really refreshing to see something that’s brand new with a UI unlike anything else out there. The only problem with this is, Palm’s never been a hardware company that anyone’s really cared about.

They have been the furthest thing from innovative since circa-2003 — their hardware has always been second rate at best and it doesn’t seem to be changing now. Couple that with the nation’s underdog carrier at a $299 price-point (before rebate), and we’re not sure how many people are going to be lined up overnight, yet we’re pretty confident once people are able to play a real unit themselves, there will be more than a lot of happy Palm Pre customers.

Once the initial Pre launch is over and done with and all the hype, smoke and mirrors are clear though, we can see Palm being pretty successful moving forward. Hell, Palm has converted tons of people into raging Pre fanboys before they could even see the phone in person! Very Apple-esque. More carriers will get the Pre, more handsets will be released and WebOS could very well keep things interesting even if the hardware is lacking.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/05/29/palm-pre-review/

(It's worth noting that they have a pre-production or not-quite-finished model, by all accounts, and it's a bit of a rushed review)

 

[Kid_Eternity]

The only problem with this is, Palm’s never been a hardware company that anyone’s really cared about. They have been the furthest thing from innovative since circa-2003 — their hardware has always been second rate at best and it doesn’t seem to be changing now.

Wow that's some endorsement!

But seriously, looks like we'll have to wait to someone gets a real unit in their hands rather than the glitchy app barren one BGR got...