An “also-ran” is, literally, “a horse that does not win, place, or show in a race.” The world loves an underdog but it never loves an also-ran. It forgets about an also-ran.
And so we reach nearly the end of Palm Pre madness and I’m afraid to report that after all the magic, all the tears, all the joy the Palm Pre will be just another phone. It won’t save Palm, it won’t change paradigms, and it won’t send the iPhone hegemony crashing to its knees. The Palm Pre will launch with a whisper, not a bang.
Why? Because we hyped it too much. Because the software is untested in real-life situations and we, as neophiles, are delightfully impatient when it comes to wonky design. Because the hardware is “plasticky,” according to Boy Genius and “you often hit multiple keys at the same time while typing.” Because, to paraphrase the old saying, no matter how much you obsess and how many Apple engineers you hire the last opinion always falls to the consumer.
I would equate this launch to the G1. Instead of creating an entirely new trunk Palm is branching off of the established phone environments. This new branch will be healthy and well-recieved and I’m sure they’ll sell a few models but this is carrier/OEM blindness at its worst. The pricing will be high, the feature set will remind the world of every other wonky LG and Samsung out there, and the OS will be half-baked at launch.
Then there’s the viral/goodwill aspect. You can’t unlock this phone in America or Europe because it doesn’t have a SIM card slot. The iPhone (I didn’t want to bring up that name but I’m trying to prove a point) was popular world-wide before it launched world-wide. This is an important fact. Then you have the fact that Sprint is considered a “meh” carrier with Verizon winner of the coverage wars and AT&T the go-to carrier for “3G.”
Eric Zeman, phonescooper, shares my opinion that this thing will be buried. The phone launches in nine days, two days before the new iPhone (and there will be a new iPhone or I’ll eat my hat (Caveat: hat must be made of jerky)), and when it does it will join blow out like a solar flare – majestic, powerful, but all too fleeting.
John, that’s a pretty strong prediction. I disagree with you. I think the Palm Pre will be a success. Now, we have to define success first to understand it. The Pre will sell well, but not at iPhone numbers. Palm from the beginning was trying to let people know that they are not fighting against the iPhone, but they are fighting to live among iPhones. You bloggers and us tech geeks want to put thins as the iPhone killer (or not).
I think the Pre will put Palm back in the map with the Pre and will continue to grow the OS (which is great) with other devices. Pre is the lifeline that gave Palm life, the upcoming devices decide whether it will keep it alive or kill it at a later date.
I hope it survives, but I hope they learned from their previous mistakes.
I don’t want it to be an iPhone killer. I’ve just seen too many feature phones to predict that this will be better than those.
John – you are drinking the iPhone fanboy koolaid like Arrington drinks Twitter koolaid.
It is making you dysfunctional.
you simply cant justify such a strong title.
“I don’t want it to be an iPhone killer.”
Hey Mike… how about hiring an impartial blogger who can report on tech without predetermined biases???? I know I am not the only one here who has noticed that your team is has a developed a bias toward certain items (Apple, Google, Twitter, etc). I am found myself becoming very bitter toward your writers and have stopped reading your site on a regular basis. Just my two cents…
” I know I am not the only one here who has noticed that your team is has a developed a bias toward certain items (Apple, Google, Twitter, etc)”
TechCrunch is a Tech blog. Those companies you named and claimed bias towards, are SUCCESSES of the Tech world. Success goes a long way in this fr*cfk fest of cynicism we live in today. When they report on the successes, they’re biased, and when they shine an equal light on the failures, they’re biased. Cmon.
I personally hope the Pré is a huge success, I love Palm… they are today what Apple was not to long ago. Pushed to irrelevance, on the verge of Bankruptcy. I root for the underdogs always. But I don’t call numerous posts on the positive a bias… Get over yourself Waldo.
Hmm… let’s see…
Apple has the highest satisfaction numbers for both their consumer electronics and computers. The iPod family owns the portable music player market and the iPhone has pretty much become the de facto standard for what a smartphone should be.
Google controls somewhere in the 90’s percentile of the search market. Their search engine produces unarguably the best results and their other services such as Gmail and the rest of the Google Apps gang are quickly becoming a stable for both individuals and businesses.
Twitter, love it or hate it, has revolutionized the way the world communicates. It is becoming more and more a part of every day life: even stodgy old white congressmen are twittering now.
So… did you stop and think that maybe these businesses get a lot of coverage not because the writers here are biased but rather because they are huge newsmakers? Nope, I guess not.
People who don’t have a pre-determined bias usually are too wishy-washy to give an honest opinion. It’s better to read the opinions of people who have strong opinions re: their subject, pro and con than an objective list of stats.
Popular does not equal success. Twitter has not made a profit and does not have the business model to make a profit. Recipe for deadpool but here it is god.
@Chris Pratt:
Another example: Barnes and Noble electronic reader – TC deamed dead before they released.
They like what they like then pan the rest whether or not they are good. Predetermined responses is not a sign of a true reporter.
If Google were to launch today, TC would call it crap because they like MS or Yahoo (sorry not Yahoo) or whomever would be the leader in a non-Google world.
Sorry, but I stand by my comment and will slam any TC article that reports on their emotion toward a product or service.
Using success as a criteria for bias cannot be the reason you advocate so strongly for Apple. Last time I checked, MICROSOFT was THE most successful software company on the planet, yet I don’t see it mentioned at all!
its his stories he could do whatever he wants with them
“Eric Zeman, phonescooper, shares my opinion that this thing will be buried”
I dont see where he shares your opinion OR says it will be buried.
I know your job it to drive comments, which drive banner impressions, but this post makes you look like an uneducated fool when it comes to mobile devices/platforms/development.
You should have a better understanding before playing the TechCrunch hype card.
Dear John,
Reserve your judgement before you bash the Pre. You haven’t even had an opportunity to test one out. I have: http://www.prethinking.com/home/2009/5/11/hands-on-review-with-the-palm-pre-amazing.html
and heeeere’s Johnny! Another impartial twit – has a website by the name of PreThinking…. shilling for your own site are we….
you had the phone for ONE hour. You can hardly call that real world testing.
Most people love there phones for the first day, week or even month. Its only after several reuses that we begin to discover the serious flaws.
I agree. Despite the flaws, there are many many good points about the Pre…and so even if it doesn’t reach the heights people expect it to, I’m sure it will give them enough of a base and user interest to build upon
@Moe said: Palm from the beginning was trying to let people know that they are not fighting against the iPhone, but they are fighting to live among iPhones.
Didn’t one of the venture backers of this device give an interview predicting that everyone was going to not renew their iPhone contracts when they were up so they could buy a Pre?
Yeh, right, not competing against the iphone, that’s why they hired very senior apple employees and tried to copy the entire concept of the iphone…. whatever happened to companies actually innovating? Like Apple does better than anyone else… Sooooo many companies consistently seem to take the easy route of copying others rather than managing to build a successful business through their own innovation.
Copy the iPhone? How so? Is it because it has a touchscreen with multitouch? Apple wasn’t the first company with that. Apple’s main OS screen with the 4 icons along the bottom and the other icons to launch programs sure looks a helluva lot like PalmOS.
The iPhone is a big flat screen with a touch keyboard and and OS this is only good for launching apps. If it weren’t for the app sotre, the iPhone would have been pointed out as an inferior device long ago.
The Pre has a physical keyboard in addition to it’s touchscreen. Does that mean they were copying HTC/Blackberry/others? WebOS is far superior to the Apple OS because it actually does something other than launch Apps. It has multitasking with an innovative way to flip through multiple programs. WebOS is the big story here, not the Pre. The reasons Macs became popular again was because of OSX, not their inferior but overpriced hardware. With WebOS, Apple is the one with the inferior software.
I’d say the Pre is a bigger innovation than any other phone that has released since the iPhone. And, as I noted before, the iPhone OS really is less powerful than the old PalmOS. Apps saved the iPhone, not it’s hardware and software.
fanboi fag alert
So Apple copied the Windows Mobile device and built a touchscreen PDA/phone. Damn! Apple needs to get some originality!
Just another piece of sensationalist journalism posted to get blog hits.
Horrible reasons. “Why? Because we hyped it too much?” In the history of products, (particularly Apple), products succeed or fail due to product design & marketing, not because of public hype, if it were hype alone, all Apple products would be failures.
I think this John Biggs guy is a bit bitter that Boy Genius Report got first dibs on the Pre and he didn’t.
Agreed. This author is a complete douche.
This is a terrible article.
You’re suggesting the phone will fail because of the hype in the tech bubble online? What about the actual phone? At leave give it some credit. It’s good.
You’ve used one?
Yes, and this review is pointless. I used to actually like this site as well. Now it is becoming drivel. This device is fantastic, and yes it is not going to come out of the gate blazing like the iphone. Then again is doesn’t have everyone in the country wanting to give it fallatio like the iphone fanbois do for the iphone. (disclaimer: every single one of my immediate family members own an iphone, and I work for a competing carrier, its a fantastic device and I would personally thank Mr. Jobs for raising the bar)
I am an 8330 user, and love the device more than anything I’ve ever used, until the Pre. The keyboard is NOT as good as the 8330, but it’s not a deal breaker. You know what is a deal breaker? An Effing on screen keyboard! BGR must have a lot bigger fingers than my 6′7” self does. I just don’t get how innaccurate keys are compared to an onscreen that is notorious for being innaccurate?
And John, really? You run a tech blog and are using the fact that the phone can’t be “unlocked” (it is CDMA my man) as a “knock” against it? I would expect better than this from you. There is a GSM version planned for the rest of the world in case you didn’t know. And us 150+ million CDMA users here in the US will never ever get to use Stevie wonders Jesus phone.
And yes Sprint is “meh” when it comes to popularity vs VZW, but is a far more economical carrier. Not to mention has better 3G coverage, better handsets, and possibly 4G sometime in the future? (how strong was ATT before the iphone? where would ATT be if big red had gotten the iphone?)
I tested the software recently and the last word I would use to describe it is “wonky”. Have YOU used the phone Mr. Biggs? I opened up a youtube video, put it into card view, opened up my fantasy baseball page, logged in, put it into card view, sent a text, went back to the browser and looked at the previous days fantasy stats, closed the browser and watched my 9 minute youtube video that was already 75% loaded. You know a lot of Samsungs and LGs that do that? Can the iphone do that?
Let’s face it. This article was a pointless prediction (which certainly could come true) using a bunch of preconcieved notions and stereotypes from a “writer” who hasn’t gotten to use the phone and is probably jaded over that fact.
Very well said. You slapped the taste our of this douche monkey author’s mouth.
Really? I thought he was being a real dipshit!
John, you’re a Palm guy, are you sure this isn’t just you trying to prevent yourself from being disappointed? Setting expectations low so that you can be pleasantly surprised on launch day?
yes, I am a palm guy. I’ve been watching them spiral out of control for the past few years and this – in my humble, educated, and very ranty opinion – will not save them. I even gave them the benefit of the doubt on the Treo Pro, a WinMo phone.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/08/27/review-palm-treo-pro/
Our guys have seen the phone, I’ve seen too plenty of hands on reactions, and this is what I foresee. I am psychic.
Yeah…I gave you the benefit of the doubt for the article, but it’s fairly obvious that with your replies here that your opinion is only one of the three things you stated it was. Three guesses which, first two don’t count.
The Pre itself won’t save Palm; they positioned it as “an iPhone killer” on purpose. They’re really counting on WebOS to save them, which is a much safer bet considering it, like Android, is the new hot property, otherwise AT&T wouldn’t have gotten their own WebOS phone.
This was anything but a humble article.
sprint is a corrupt company and everybody knows it that is why users are leaving in droves. this phone is over priced. 299 plus tax and another 85 bucks for a charger cool charger. were in a recession here. seen those stupid ads about being real time? nobody cares about how many babies are being born or how many videos are being uploaded. yeah the multi activity cards function might be cool but not enough to make it a winner. timing and a crooked wireless carrier will kill this product. kinda like a self inflicted gunshot would.
MyLocator.mobi – find your presence
this article is an also-ran.
well-done sir
here here!
That would be:
hear hear !
(otherwise it really makes no sense)
it’s actually, “hear, hear”.
also, if you want an iphone, go get an iphone. I don’t understand why everything has to be compared to that phone. is it a great device? YES! will I finally cave and buy one in 2009, probably. but only because it does certain things better than all the other devices. and these certain things are the most important ones to me in mobile tech. but that’s not to say it does everything better than every phone out there.
in the same vein, the pre will answer a need for a strong alternative to RIM, Apple, and HTC products in the U.S. I’m not 100% sure any 1 device can save Palm but if they keep innovating webOS, they’ll be at least be on their way to a position on the winners podium with RIM and Apple. what position that is, I don’t think, is predicated on how well the Pre does. but how their next 2 devices & subsequent OS patches do in the next 2-3 years.
hear hear!
yeah, i guess you’re right about it being “hear.” British is so hard!
John Biggs is an also-run. He works for one of these overhyped US techblogs of the TC group. I suggest he will fail once he is released. ;-)
I have never seen him in person (like he has never touched the Palm Pre), but I have this gut feeling.
Seriously. If I’d work at Palm I’d be rather pissed about articles like this one… Is this journalism? I guess not.
This is a pretty harsh article. I’m an Apple fan boy but give these guys a chance.
I’m an Apple fan too… but really, really, really want Palm to succeed with this phone. Will I buy one? No. Cause Sprint blows Monkey Balls. Perhaps when it hits Verizon in 6 months… but it looks like a really good product, which pushes other manufacturers of products to make good products. In the end its good for us the consumer. But I see Palm as where Apple was upon the release of the iMac… the only thing is Palm is tied to such a crappy service (and AT&T is no gem) that if anything sinks this phone, I believe it will be that, not the “also-ran” factor. The Pré does some pretty innovative stuff that my beloved iPhone doesn’t do… yet.
John is clearly allowed to have his own opinion. And I understand him. Everything I’ve read, seen and heard about the Pre is wonderful. But we need real life people giving real life review. The fact that no-one has had a loaner for review before launch worries me.
I think many people want Palm to succeed, but we need to also take into account that the hype also plays a big role. Over hype leads to disappointment.
I totally agree with you John, Palm made a big mistake by launching it 2 days before the iPhone, the iPhone will kill all that hype about the pre
second is that the phone’s keyboard is so cramped and it’s made out of plastic
Hey, its two days before the iPhone announcement. At least a month before we actually go hands-on with the iPhone 3.0.
Pre appeals to Nokia e61,e62,e61i,e71, Blackberry users and old Treo users like me. We need a physical qwerty.
Palm said the Pre was going to be an iPhone killer; and I agree with the article that it will not even come close. Even if it is a great product, will it get customers before a healthy Steve “the hand” Jobs releases the next iPhone less than a week later? No way.
At least you made it through without mentioning Twitter.
I agree Palm cannot (should not) have any aspirations to dethrone the iPhone, at least not in the foreseable future. If the Pre is as good as it’s hyped up to be (and I’m hoping it is), it’ll at most secure Palm a spot in the smart phone world and allow them to survive.
Which is all anybody should want… Palm not to die. That would suck.
Just another useless and sensationalist article from TechCrunch. Move along, nothing to see here.
Heh, but you’re posting… so there gotta be something.
If it fails, it will be cause Palm should have used Android instead for it’s operative system instead of that WebOS.
I think the iPhone will soon fail too, yet it has sold 13 million units or more. So if that number equates failure, Palm has a pretty big margin to sell lots of device, ample enough for a company like Palm not to be in any trouble. Until Palm and everyone else, even Nokia and Apple, finally understand that Android is the future for all to be successful.
I disagree with you. WebOS is much sleeker than Android. Look at what it can do. Your argument is so weak. I had a G1, returned it. It shows promise, but it’s very “clumsy”. G1 has been out for a while now and never put a dent on the iPhone.
I disagree also, WebOS looks really nice, and does things Android AND iPhone OS currently don’t do.
I know a lot of people that have been die-hard Palm fans for years now. I think that a lot of them have moved on to find other tools to help them out, but this could be something to rekindle their devotion.
So, I think it’s a bit too soon to count Palm out of the race. However, i agree that they will more than likely end up as an “also-ran”.
Can we be sure that the device BGR has is not a prototype? a unfinished model?
Was the iPhone software tested in real life conditions when it launched 2 yrs back?
There is always a beginning. I strongly feel that Pre would be a hit, not in the iPhone Killer sense, but the success story its making for Palm would be remembered for years.
I’ve been a Palm user since the Pilot. Always loved the company and products. Still have a TX great little thing, but I think John is correct. The iphone is just too much to overcome, plus the new os really hurts it for enterprise buyers. I’m sure it’s very cool for sure, but it won’t be a game changer or anything.
Feldman, the argument of “iphone is too much” is bs, ok? You could say that about a lot of dominant products or companies in history, ok? Stuff happens and then you repeat, ok? Such is the word of Sanjay.
Loren,
While I have grown to respect your opinion, by your logic all phone manufacturers should simply close up shop, because the iPhone cannot be beat. Is this really what you want to see in the tech world – total domination by Apple?
I thank my lucky stars we aren’t saddled to just one horse in this – or any other – technology race.
John, have you actually used a Pre yet? If not, then this article is not news, nor is not a review, just your own opinion supported by questionable sources and an attempt to reach your weekly quota before Friday.
i’ve never understood the pre hype. it doesn’t look great and doesn’t have any of the powerful tie-ins that the iphone does. when the iphone came out it was natural to want to carry one phone w/ipod built in instead of both devices. now, people feel compelled by the apps, which you can’t access unless you have an iphone. those are two things that the pre isn’t going to be able to recreate. it will take an incredible amount of luck for the pre to become the default device that developers build for and that consumers gravitate towards. it will need to be twice as good as the hype, and that’s not likely. android will eventually be the default platform, it just needs more devices on more networks. sprint is killing itself with its eom choices.
The pre can play multimedia files just like an iphone and it will be about 10 times easier to build apps for the pre with the mojo framework because its based off existing web formats like HTML, CSS, and javascript. That means Pre developers pretty much won’t need to learn anything new to create an app.
And we all know how good HTML, CSS and javascript is for making good solid apps… its terrible!
I actually agree with the article.
The worst point is the “no sprint/no palm pre” thing.
I still do not understand why hardware companies thinks they need service providers to sell there phones.
“I still do not understand why hardware companies thinks they need service providers to sell there phones.”
Because without subsidy very few people would be buying them? Do you think Apple would have sold 13 million iPhones if they cost consumers $600 a pop?
I do get the subsidies part, what i don’t get is the exclusive part.
It feels like shooting yourself in the foot when you have so much hype around a handset and then limiting it’s avalability.
Thanks for your answer anyway.
I’d like to know why an unsubsidized iPhone is so expensive when Apple sells the iPod Touch for $229, which is basically an iPhone without the camera/cell radio/and microphone, and I really doubt those three things cost several hundred dollars.
you gotta be f’n kidding me, at&t is the worst provider i’ve ever experienced in my life. More dropped calls. less 3g areas.
I can’t figure out whether I’ve read words from a Esopo’s fox and grape, or just from a jealous Mac fan… only a few days from its launch, I’m not buying words from you (expecially when those who have tested it were just enthusiastic)… don’t worry, I’ll wait the next few days, try it, and then decide… just as I have decided not to switch to the iPhone and stay with my nokia a few months ago, when I realized I needed something useful and not just a toy…
Love&Peace ;)
Everybody’s allowed to have their opinion, no matter how uninformed or negative.
There is going to be a European GSM version of the Pre which will more than likely be able to be unlocked. Comes out with the awesome release date of “2nd Half of 2009″.
Hell, I could’ve told you the keyboard would’ve done this; it’s the Centro keyboard, but it’s slide-out portrait. Tis what you get.
However, you did stumble onto a good point; the Pre is Palm’s G1. It’s their G1 in the sense that it’s the first phone in their hot new mobile OS that they want to catch fire. The phone doesn’t have to beat the iPhone.
Android and WebOS are going to have a massive duel soon, and it’s going to be dynamite.
Even less space for Microsoft… sounds good.
Majestic? The only people who care about Palm are nostalgic Pilot users back from the day when they were the best gadget in town (and Psion was already terrible back then)
Or people who refuse to use AT&T and are looking for a decent phone on Sprint or other carriers.
Look, competition is good. Force Apple to continue providing better features to their IP by having a competitive phone in the market.
That’s pretty lame article. Just another catchy headline to bring in hits to the site.
anything is an improvment over the instinct. Keep in mind that is the smart phone that us sprint customers had to deal. I dont care about Iphones or blackberrys because they are not offered by sprint and with sprint having the $99 unlimited everything plan you guys can keep your iphones and blackberrys and enjoy spending that extra $30-$40 more a month than me.
John, you come across as angry, which doesn’thelp your message here.
It’s also easy to predict doom, anyone can do that.
Yes, but it made you post. +1 for John and TC. Such is the word of Sanjay.
Wow. Talk about a rant against a product that you haven’t even touched or tested. The iPhone will be the iPhone no matter what it has it’s people and also it’s culture.
I think it’s too early to be so harsh.
Also we have Developers who are already building cool, sophisticated apps for the Pre. This reminds me of those horse movies where everybody says the horse will fail and then at the end the freaking horse ends up kicking ass.
The future will tell.
Sorry, this is the most terrible i ever read in 2009.
I’ve used Palm for many years (before switching to the iPhone a few months back) and haven’t seen anything above “meh” coming from them.
So although the article is a bit harsh, it’s warranted.
This is a terrible article. TechCrunch – 240 pts. I really disrespect the overall tone here. No respect given, as no respect was shown here.
But I cast Wall and Heal on all the rest of the party! Why 240 points!
Conveniently trying to respond to a number of “tame,” critical responses with “funny” comments doesn’t make you seem more involved with the readers. It just makes you look like you a phony who’s terrified of giving a straight answer to any real argument against yours.
Are you kidding? John wrote a good piece here, showed some balls with a prediction and backed it up with solid points. When a few commenters replied with childish attacks kept things loose with friendly humor.
What’s the alternative? Take crap silently? Apologize profusely? Stoop to the mean-spirited antics of the attackers?
BTW – John’s right that the Pre will fall below expectations. To become the success Palm needs it will need a clear positive identity, and ‘the multitasking OS’ won’t stack up against ‘the cool phone that has a million useful apps already’ or ‘the best business communicator’.
A million useful apps?
Which cool phone would that be?
Look: I wrote a piece based on our own experience with the phone, current reviews, and my experience with phone that have been similarly hyped. There is a huge disconnect between what Palm was promising at CES and what this phone will be. All and sundry were excited with the Storm, for example, but pushing these phones through the machinery of carriers grinds away much of the quality and performance.
The only thing I can do in this thread is read it and take much if your comments as a gauge. I enjoy the back and forth here but most of it is ad hominem attacks on me and my benighted opinions so I’m trying to work in whatever levity I can. This is a phone. It will cost money and make Palm money. I am trying to express reservations and put it back into that context.
OK John, this is where you go to work. If you will, list out the “huge disconnect” you feel exists between CES and now. Since I’ve been following news of the Pre since CES, I don’t see it. In fact, I see the opposite – there are more features and functionality with the device than what we saw back in January.
Thanks.
As a devoted Mac Hater, I hope you’re as right on this one as Mike was with Hulu. http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/09/game-over-hulu-wins-they-have-the-daily-show-and-colbert/
Giving it that small keyboard that slides out was worthless. They should have made the screen an inch bigger and made a keyboard similar to the iPhone. I realize not everyone likes it, but if you use it long enough you learn to love it. Makes me never want any kind of slide out keyboard again
Very true.
Most people who doesn’t like touch keyboards is because they haven’t tried it.
I think the problem is that people don’t like to learn. They stick with what they got, and complain and whine about it.
When they suddenly tries something new, like a Mac or a iPhone, they go like “wow, that’s easy!”.
Old habits die slowly.
Yeah… Boy Genius did a review where his fingers kept bumping into the bottom of the slide case when he typed on the top row keys. It was a pointless addition… but an addition nonetheless. Just like this comment.
It’s success will be because there are few real options for that type of phone for Sprint. Those that would have jumped ship for iphone have done so already (most of them). The rest of us are waiting for a good phone for our current carrier (damn you Verizon).
I wouldn’t think the Pre would be a failure, but it certainly wont have a user base like iPhone in 12 months time.
Question out of ignorance… What should the keyboard be made out of instead of plastic? Organic? Metal?
I don’t think this is necessarily a bad phone (especially since I haven’t seen one yet), but what I can’t understand is why on earth anybody would choose it over an iPhone or a Bold….or even an Android. I had several Palm devices in the past, so I have nothing against Palm, I just don’t think they can compete in a market with these other options. Maybe after it’s released I’ll see the light and throw my iPhone in the gutter, but I’m skeptical.
I would choose it over an iphone or the bold because I have Sprint as my carrier, and their service is excellent.
The price and service I get with Sprint is top notch. Way better than what I have to deal with when contacting others on ATT.
This phone looks pretty beast. I’m glad Sprint is getting it. My wife will get hers, and then assuming all goes well afterwards, I’ll get mine after playing with her pre.
its Sprint, not AT&T (coverage, 3G reliability, pricing)
It multitasks without being jailbroken
Synergy
Physical keyboard
Removable battery
WebOS
Reasons just at the top of my mind why someone would want this instead of iphone. Others exist should you care to do some research.
So with all those *nice* apps running all the time, you know what? Battery time is gonna be real short.
Oh, removable battery you say? Hmm, what happens when I switch the battery…
*spoock*
…The phone is dead, and I have to start everything up again.
Removable battery is not the future.
Physical keyboard? Sure, if you don’t mind typing a bit slower than a touch keyboard, and have that plastic kvink feeling, a slideout keyboard gives.
WebOS? And Palms history for making OS’es? Come on, they even use Windows CE on some of their phone for christ sake!
What are you smoking?
Like the battery life on an jesusphone is so stellar?
“…the phone is dead and I have to start everything up again.” OMG! That’s so horrible that you’d have to wait 1 minute while the phone reboots. Much better than waiting 2 weeks while apple replaces the battery for you.
And typing slower on a physical keyboard than a virtual one? BS.
Palm doesn’t use CE on any phone, some models use WM.
Palm’s history for making OSes? It was pretty good.
The problem wasn’t PalmOS, it was that they were STILL using PalmOS.
It passed it’s time.
I still think the SmartQ 7 is the best phone to drop…check out the videos…http://whollysblog.com/wordpress/hands-on-video-of-the-smartq7/
My contract with ATT is up in June and I have the original iPhone. I plan on getting rid of it (recyling it) and switching to Sprint for the Palm Pre phone!
check it out at..www.whollysblog.com
AT&T is the “go to” network for 3G? SAYS WHO?
Sprint’s 3G network is not only more dependable, it is a heck of a lot faster.
The next time you write an article, it would be good to check your facts. Just because the New York Times gets away with doing that, doesn’t mean you can.
As for the Palm Pre, I am very excited for this phone. Ever since I saw it unveiled at CES on FOX Business Network, I was hooked.
I love how people are talking about the crappy keyboard. Its got tactile feedback! It may not be the best, but the worlds WORST physical keyboard is 100 times better then the worlds BEST OSK.
You say “Sprint is considered a “meh” carrier with Verizon winner of the coverage wars and AT&T the go-to carrier for “3G.””
– maybe it is considered that. However, in reality, independent studies show Sprint has the fastest 3G in the US. And they don’t limit how much bandwidth you use, like AT&T does.
“…but the worlds WORST physical keyboard is 100 times better then the worlds BEST OSK.”
Really? :)
I wonder what kind of keyboard you are typing on right now… ?
Ok so let me get this right, “The Palm Pre will launch with a whisper, not a bang. Why? Because we hyped it too much.”
And then you say “The iPhone was popular world-wide before it launched world-wide. This is an important fact.”
So it was hyped too much, but not enough?
also, Sprint has supposedly the best web/data coverage in the US.
I think it largely depends on your definition of the word “fail”. If you see failure as anything short of what the iPhone has done, then yes, it will fail. If you see failure as not being profitable, then no, it won’t fail.
The Palm Pre seems to be a solid, if flawed, phone. At the very least, it will provide a reasonable alternative to everyone saddled with a Sprint contract who wants a smartphone.
This is probably the worst “article” (if you can call it like that) i’ve read all day.
So without actually using it and based on a complete ‘non review’ on Boy Genius, you think it sucks?
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat. Thanks for that.
Sorry moe, but I have to agree with John. I have been trying to say this from the beginning when Pre was just a rumor but noobs like you will always point out how its not trying to be an iphone, how they have their own market, how they’re not really competing with apple, etc, etc, etc… But noobs who try to be geeks like us ( who actually are geeks for a living ) will never understand why the palm failed in the first place. Noobs are easily drawn to the hype, bringing their camera with them, taking shots of the new shinny Pre. I mean, come on moe… web OS. Even if you dont do your reading, the name itself suggest why it has already failed. Mind you apple almost made the same mistake and if it weren’t for jailbreakers and dev toolchains they may have never learned their lesson and we would still be stuck with those javascript APIs that makes webpages look like native iphone apps. I’m not saying that javascript is not powerful because it is but it will always be a virtualized app in the wrong platform.
I still believe palms greatest mistake was on their OS and if you know anything about programming you would agree with me.
You sir have no idea what you are talking about. The phone will support HTML5 out of the gate. I’m guessing you know jack about HTML5.
http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/05/google-bets-big-on-html-5.html
With Javascript, CSS, and HTML, you can do almost as much as you can on the iphone using their C language.
Plus, everyone forgets how the iphone started out with even less options in their OS…..
You can’t seriously say that HTML +css +javascript is better to create apps, than a fullblown native API.
HTML5 is *only* ment to close that gap.
1. You don’t know exactly what’s available for developers to make apps for the Pre. Therefore, your “HTML + css + javascript” claim is unbased. Their framework for developing apps gives you access to the Pre’s functionality with a low learning curve.
2. Palm’s Mojo SDK can pretty much do anything a “full-blown API” (which I assume you mean is a framework for natively compiled apps in the language. Of course, Mojo is a “full-blown API”, so you lose on that account as well) can on the Palm Pre.
3. TJ, “Noobs” … “Noobs” … “noobs”… “If you know anything about programming you would agree with me.”
As a software developer, this comment makes me smile. Realize, TJ, that, as you acknowledged, a powerful language like JavaScript CAN be adapted with the right framework to create as compelling an experience as any compiled language on a smartphone.
We will see if Palm’s Mojo SDK is indeed that framework. For now, passing any judgment in this regard is pointless as we don’t have all the facts.
Lol, Noob!
It is very tough to have somebody take your argument seriously when it’s spattered with the word ‘noob’.
You are right about the European market. Also, having just tested out android, makes me wonder why didn’t palm switch to android but instead created their own platform. this is android’s year
This article should have included more details on the phone itself. However that being said, I would agree that the new Pre definitely LOOKS like an also-ran. Its clearly not an iPhone killer. I guess if you really want the physical keyboard that’s a nice place to start.
Perhaps the new features/OS will win the day? As a longtime Palm customer they have never impressed me with their software development. The Handspring/Palm Treo was THE hot smart phone to have a few years ago, and for various reasons it just faded away. Are you really expecting that Palm can compete with Apple in software/OS develpment? Especially given their slow start?
Sprint is a 2nd-tier mobile carrier. Good idea to carve out a niche for the Pre, but Sprint’s niche is shrinking by the day it seems. Assuming Sprint stays viable, Palm could do well there.
At any rate, I personally am happy to see Palm back in the game. I wish them much success! However, if you add it all up, the Pre definitely feels like a niche play, not a world beater!
While I’m not certain as to your definition of “2nd-tier mobile carrier”, its worth pointing out to both you and the author that Sprint’s exclusivity is for 6 months. AT&T and Verizon have both announced that they would carry the phone. Add that to the international market for which the Pre is destined, its clear that Palm’s success does not rest solely with Sprint.
[quote] You can’t unlock this phone in America or Europe because it doesn’t have a SIM card slot. The iPhone (I didn’t want to bring up that name but I’m trying to prove a point) was popular world-wide before it launched world-wide. This is an important fact. Then you have the fact that Sprint is considered a “meh” carrier with Verizon winner of the coverage wars and AT&T the go-to carrier for “3G.” [/quote]
you’re lack of knowledge says enough about the value of your opinion.
First, You can unlock the phone, since the gsm version will have a sim card slot, and a gsm version has already been confirmed at mwc.
Second, the CEO of AT&T confirmed that the palm pre is coming to AT&T, so you’re wrong about that.
also, the fact that it may not sell more then the iphone, and therefore not “win the race” does not mean it won’t be a very succesful phone. And up until now, everyone who had handson with this phone says it is the best or the second-best phone there is.
you have absolutely no solid arguments against the pre, except that bgr says it’s plasticky, which is just one of many opinions.
you assume the os will be half-baked at launch, but you name no sources for it. maybe that’s because there can’t be any sources, since the launch is yet to happen.
so, all that’s left is that a guy named eric zeman thinks you’re right. wow, very convincing.
He’s talking about the phone that launches in June, not the phone that could launch in coming months. Additionally AT&T said they’d love to have it if it gets out of exclusivity with Sprint.
the world doesn’t end after june.
the race doesn’t end at the same time it starts.
Splashes as you try to row away from your misreading of “this phone” as apparently meaning every future release of the Pre.
For twelve years, Duke Nukem Forever was going to be the game all other games would be measured against… just saying.
So, no, the race does not end after June. But a contestant who arrives at the starting gate long after the rest have left the posts is unlikely to catch up with the leader.
Thanks for the mental conflict you’ve given me.
You detailing it as an “also ran” and then providing us a Pre countdown via Sprint advert…
What do I do…be excited about it coming in 18 days, 13 hours and 19 mins or forget because it will be a whisper??
Plam pre is going to compete with Blackberry!! It is not an Iphone Killer. It will be the start of war with the pre being the little guy, until it createas an eviroment around it and gets turn into a fashion statement…
Retract the article… It’s not good blogging, it’s just a negative rant.
Get your own blog and you can say what you like, including rants.
The phone will crash and burn just like the OS. Nothing will ever be an iPhone killer unless it comes from Apple.
The people designing/developing these phones, in the Palm org, are the same people who designed/developed the last ones and those before that and before that….
The same thing is happening in Detroit with the autos. You can’t have truly new ideas and products without starting over. Fire them all, and I mean all, and start over without letting the analytical people into the design room. Let the analytical team draw up the road blocks and slip them under the door and then lock them out of the room.
it’s indeed not of very high quality, but we must remember that this is just a blog. it’s not real journalism as you can see.
“you often hit multiple keys at the same time while typing.”
You mean like the iPhone, right? I guess you weren’t trying to said that word but hey… after reading such a poor story, I couldn’t resist. BTW, I’ve owned everything from a Motorola Timeport, to Palm Treo 650 to my current Blackberry and ALL of the keyoboards took some getting used to. It’s too early to tell if the keyboard is ergonomical. It’s too early to predict anything.
I love Apple products, but the iPhone is not for me, for many reasons. The Pre is the phone for ME. Everyone needs to stop wanting to see American companies fail. Just get the phone that works for YOU and get over it.
I wonder how many people read techcrunch just to bash the writers. You guys are brutal. Just think of it as an OpEd guys, it’s not the WSJ. Let John have his opin.
I *personally* do not think the pre will save Palm. While it may be a good phone it’s not a great phone and there are many other choices out there this summer it will be competing with. The Samsung i7500 looks great, the Nokia N97 also looks good, LG EnV and Env Touch and of course new BB models coming out this fall. All offer qwerty keyboards and support apps. And while Palm might wish to say they don’t compete with the iPhone (which is probably true for corporate customers) they absolutely do in the mind of consumers.
IMHO I think Palm really needed a kick ass phone that shook the world upside down to save the company. Unfortunately the Pre is just another smartphone. Regardless, the “summer of smartphones” shall be interesting indeed. @robblewis
I read techcrunch because of the very high quality journalism (and sometimes opinions) of michael arrington (and a few of the other writers). But it’s a shame that there are so much bad writers that make it to techcrunch’s frontpage.
I think you can see that variance across many other media and news properties. I may be in the minority then but I see TC writers, Michael Arrington included, as just hanging out with friends talking about interesting things in tech. I also enjoy the many comments from people like you as I think that’s what helps give TC its personality. I don’t equate TC to a lengthy in-dept story that I get from the NYT or WSJ.
“I read techcrunch because of the high quality journalism …”
I spit on my screen. Arrington does a lot of good stuff, but he has so many conflicts of interests that it can’t be considered high quality journalism.
Wow. Bold statements without a shred of solid analysis. Everything I’ve come to expect from the TC brand.
Actually, I just figured out what’s going on here. John is trying to make sure he gets a free Pre to change his mind.
Or it’s an epic troll job.
ding ding ding! HOOK ME UP, SPRINT! HOLLLA!
Hey! The article got 90+ comments – what do we do when a blogger trolls on his own site? hmmm…
~ Fellow iPhone owner (who hates Apple’s iron grip & would love to jump to the Pre if it is “good enough”).