Beleaguered Palm, Inc. today unveiled its Palm webOS mobile platform and the Palm Pre, the first phone based on the new platform.(1) Pre, which looks sort of like an Apple iPhone with a midlife spare tire, is scheduled to be available exclusively from Sprint in the first half of 2009.
According to Palm, Palm webOS was invented exclusively for mobile use. webOS recognizes that you want your people, calendars and information to move with you, wherever you are, wirelessly, as opposed to being bound to a personal computer. Palm dubiously and incorrectly claims in their press release that “Palm webOS is the first mobile platform to automatically bring your information from the many places it resides – on your phone, at your work or on the web – into one simple, integrated view. The new Palm Pre and webOS are designed to be so in sync with your needs that it feels like Pre is thinking ahead for you.”
MacDailyNews Take: Been there. Done that; and better, too. In 2007.
“Palm products have always been about simplifying lives and delivering great user experiences,” said Ed Colligan, Palm president and chief executive officer, in the press release. “webOS and Pre bring game-changing simplicity to an increasingly mobile world by dissolving the barriers that surround your information. It’s technology that seems like it’s thinking ahead to bring you what you care about most – your people, your time, and your information – in the easiest and most seamless way.”
“Pre continues Sprint’s leadership in open access to the content customers want for a great web-connected experience,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint chief executive officer. “We look forward to bringing this remarkably innovative device to our customers on America’s most dependable 3G network.”
MacDailyNews Take: Blah, blah, blah. Do these guys have any idea how late they are to the party and that they’re arriving with so little?
Anyway, Palm’s webOS leverages several industry-standard technologies, including web technologies such as CSS, XHTML and JavaScript. On top of that, Palm claims to have “included creative and innovative advancements to enhance the overall user experience and provided a deep integration of all elements within the platform.”
Palm’s press release states:
The new platform was designed to allow a vast ecosystem of partners, including developers, hardware suppliers, and accessories manufacturers, to develop core solutions to complement the platform and product line. For developers, webOS shatters traditional barriers to mobile-application development by offering a rich open development environment that’s familiar to tens of millions of web developers. More people can develop for the platform and can do it faster than ever before. The platform’s flexible environment will also allow developers to distribute their applications over-the-air via an on-device Palm application store.
MacDailyNews Take: Somebody send these guys a newspaper or a radio or, God forbid, an iPhone. Oh, wait, by the looks of the Pre, looks like they’ve already seen an iPhone. They should’ve turned it on while they were copying.
The rest of Palm’s press release verbatim:
The new platform introduces Palm Synergy, a key feature of webOS that brings your information from all the places it resides into one logical view. You don’t have to worry about tracking multiple calendars, contacts and messaging applications – Synergy brings it to you for a more comprehensive and truly representative view of your life.
Linked contacts – With Synergy, you have a single view that links your contacts from a variety of sources, so accessing them is easier than ever. For example, if you have the same contact listed in your Outlook(3), Google and Facebook accounts, Synergy recognizes that they’re the same person and links the information, presenting it to you as one listing. And if you update a contact on your webOS device, it also will be updated in your various accounts, whether on a personal computer or on the web.
Layered calendars – Your calendars can be seen on their own or layered together in a single view, combining work, family, friends, sports teams, or other interests. You can toggle to look at one calendar at a time, or see them all at a glance.
Combined messaging – Synergy lets you see all your conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, even if it started in IM and you want to reply with text messaging. You can also see who’s active in a buddy list right from contacts, and start a new conversation with just one touch.
Your Information, Effortlessly
By smartly integrating your information, webOS is designed to think ahead for you and keep you on top of the things that happen in your life, but that’s just the first step. The platform’s unique interface brings your information to you with the ease that only Palm can offer.
Web-connected applications – Applications are seamlessly connected to the web and always active(4), ensuring you have the most up-to-date information.
Run multiple applications at the same time – Palm’s revolutionary webOS lets you manage multiple activities more effectively than any other mobile platform today. It lets you keep multiple applications open and instantly flip from one to another.(4)
Instinctive user interface – With its multi-touch interface, webOS lets you move easily between activities like flipping through a deck of cards and rearrange items simply by dragging them; when you are done with something, just throw it away. And finding what you need is easy with universal search – as you type what you’re looking for, the OS narrows your search and offers results from both your device and the web.(5)
Intuitive and unobtrusive notifications – When important things come up or new updates arrive, you’ll receive notifications with a diplomacy that’s a radical departure from other mobile platforms. For example, if you receive a text message or email, a scrolling notifications bar at the bottom of your screen lets you address it right away or leave until later. webOS alerts are one step ahead, ensuring that you never miss a thing, but never lose your place or train of thought.
Palm Pre: The First webOS Phone
Pre has a breakthrough interface and hardware design that makes it the most integrated and user-friendly phone for mobile users. Featuring a smooth, rounded ergonomic design and a physical keyboard that slides out only when needed, Pre is engineered to feel natural in the hand and comfortably small in the pocket. When closed, the phone is ideal for phone calls, web browsing, music, photos and videos; when open, Pre is optimized for email and text messaging. With its curved slider and gesture-controlled touch interface, Pre fuses exquisite design with the revolutionary webOS software for fast access to anything on the device or web. It’s an instinctive user experience that seems to anticipate your needs.
“As our lives revolve more and more around the web, devices like Palm Pre that transform how we interact with the web will lead the way,” said Hesse. “We are focused on bringing our customers a superior experience that includes easy-to-use devices, simple pricing and value with Simply Everything all-inclusive offerings, plus Ready Now, our exclusive retail program that helps customers leave the store feeling comfortable and confident they know how to use their new device.”
Pre will support a variety of differentiated on-device Sprint services, including Sprint TV(R), offering an extensive selection of live and on-demand programming. Sprint Navigation provides GPS-enabled audio and visual turn-by-turn driving directions, one-click traffic rerouting and more than 10 million local listings. Sprint also offers more than a dozen streaming-radio applications, including Sprint Radio with more than 150 channels.
Palm Pre features include the following:
– High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A or UMTS HSDPA)
– Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g(6)
– Integrated GPS(7)
– Large 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320×480 resolution HVGA display
– Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
– Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
– Email, including Outlook EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers), as well as personal email support (POP3, IMAP)
– Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)(4)
– High-performance, desktop-class web browser
– Great multimedia experience and performance (pictures, video playback, music), featuring a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field, and a standard – – – 3.5mm headset jack
– Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
– 8GB of internal user storage (~7.4GB user available)
– USB mass storage mode
– MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
– Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
– Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
– Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
– Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
– Removable, rechargeable battery
– Dimensions: 59.57mm (W) x 100.53mm (L, closed) x 16.95mm (D) [2.35 inches (W) x 3.96 inches (L, closed) x 0.67 inches (D)]
– Weight: ~135 grams [4.76 ounces]
An array of compelling accessories also will be available for Pre, including the first inductive charging solution for phones (sold separately). Simply set Pre down on top of the elegantly designed Palm Touchstone charging dock without worrying about connection, orientation or fit. Pre is active while charging, so you can access the touch screen, watch movies or video, or use the speakerphone.
Availability and Pricing
Palm Pre is scheduled to be available first in the United States exclusively from Sprint in the first half of 2009, and will be followed by a world-ready UMTS version for other regions. Sprint’s pricing for the phone has not yet been determined.
(1) Use of this device requires providing a valid email address, mobile phone number, and related information for account setup and activation. Unlimited usage data plan strongly recommended; additional data charges may apply. Within wireless coverage area only. Number of applications and actual performance will vary depending on applications used and actions performed.
(2) Claims: Largest based on square miles (including roaming). Based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from March ’08 to Sept. ’08.
(3) Within wireless coverage area only. Requires data services at additional cost. Microsoft Direct Push Technology requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 with SP2 or Exchange Server 2007. Additional fees may apply.
(4) Within wireless coverage area only. Use of some third-party web applications may impact performance.
(5) Searches web and user’s applications, contacts, and dialing information. Web search within wireless coverage area only, requires data services at additional cost.
(6) Within range of 802.11b/g Wi-Fi network. Some Wi-Fi hotspots require fee for usage.
(7) GPS requires data services at additional cost. Coverage not available in all areas at all times.
Palm, webOS, Pre, Synergy, Touchstone, Treo and Centro are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.
Source: Palm, Inc.
MacDailyNews Take: This is sad. It’s like the Acme Buggy Whip company bringing out something they excitedly describe as an “automobile” in 1955.
“It’s the same old, same old in an iPhone-inspired wrapper… You can judge the distance behind and overall cluelessness of iPhone’s future roadkill by the amount they copy the iPhone’s exterior… This ceaseless quest to dress up antiques in Apple veneer is pathetic and sad… The question I’m left with for [all] of these companies rolling out imitation iPhones this year is: Exactly how stupid do you think your customers are?” – SteveJack, MacDailyNews, April 01, 2008
As to patent enforcement:
Apple has APPLIED for over 200 patents, but many of them have not yet been granted. When Apple has these in hand, then they will determine the best way to go about enforcing them.
Remember when Creative was finally granted the “zen interface” patent a few years ago? It was right after they had it granted that they sued Apple over the iTunes/iPod menu interface design. Creative did not sue for infringement until AFTER the patent was officially in their hands. And Apple paid them to settle out of court.
Don’t worry, Apple knows what they are doing. However, Palm may know they are likely to get sued, but they figure they may be DOA before that ever happens, so they have this one more chance to salvage the company and they have decided to take the risk. If they survive, they’ll deal with Apple when the time comes, otherwise it won’t matter anyway.
MDN needs to come up with a substitute for the word ‘Beleaguered’ – it’s just overused.
What kind of a name is ‘Pre’??? Palm Redundant Edition?
Well, I am actually quite delighted to see Palm doing something. Make no mistake about it. I am an iPhone user and very much a Mac user. But options will keep Apple on its toes.
I was just thinking the other day that I typed a lengthy SMS (several combined) and it was not delivered. Guess what? I couldn’t even forward the thing or resend it. I had to retype all of it. Chances are, Palm will not have this oversight.
They’re making one mistake however. It already seems to be Windows-centric. The presenter spoke of compatibility with Outlook. Palm never fixed the synchronization with the Mac. Addresses always ended up in the wrong place. Now, they’re ignoring the fact the Mac users tend to be a very loyal base and going strictly Windows again. All this as the number of Mac users are growing. Bad move!
I’ve been reading about this all day, and as nice at the device looks and as nice as the OS looks, what worries me is the lack of detail or any real info on it.
They talk all that crap about “bringing everything together” and all the tech writers are copying it verbatim, but *how* does it do that?
Also they talk about it being a “Web OS” but they don’t actually say what it is. What’s the kernel? Are those Web OS apps the same as plain old web apps? iPhone does web apps, so does this mean that anything developed for it will also work on the iPhone anyway?
Is the whole phone just a customised Chrome browser with off-line storage? If it isn’t and it’s based on Linux or something, then why can’t developers write Linux programs for it? This is exactly what all the developers were so mad at Apple about. What are they actually offering here?
I like the inductive power accesory and the universal search. Plus, the graphics actually look cool and fun.
Yet, thanks but no thanks, iPhone for me.
MDN might want to scale back its sarcasm on this one. Yeah, Palm is VERY late to the party, but by many accounts, its effort here is noteworthy. Ok, the physical package lacks the elegance of the iPhone, but it isn’t horrible. As for the software, it appears to be relatively refined and has some interesting features. The most important thing I’ve read is that the WebOS is less modal than the iPhone and that, correctly implemented, would be a Good Thing.
In short, like Android, the new Palm OS is good enough to be worth criticizing. And for consumers, some competition with the iPhone might be a good thing.
PALM SHOULD BE ASHAMED.
Of all the iPhone copies to date, this one is ridiculous. Apple should sue them for bringing the design into disrepute, because for sure it will be half the phone under the wrapper.
It actually looks pretty nice from the pics on the Palm.com website, but too bad it’s most likely not going to live up to the expectations. I’m guessing it’ll be underpowered, slow and buggy, and there will be lots of annoyances and poorly executed design choices. It’ll also probably feel much cheaper and flimsy than it looks too. But I’ll be happy to be proven wrong. Definitely looks better than Android and the Blackberry Storm.
Is is just me though or did this webOS just come out of nowhere? Last I heard they were designing some Linux based OS that was going to have compatibility with legacy Palm OS apps. Suddenly out of the blue, a completely new OS out of nowhere. For their sake they better have been developing this OS for a couple years in tandem with their old projects as a contingency, because if they only started developing it after the iPhone launched, I don’t have a lot of confidence in it’s robustness, stability or security. If the entire OS is based on web code, I’m also expecting it to feel really sluggish and clunky. Nothing like having your basic user interface “load” bit by bit like a web page.
“MDN might want to scale back its sarcasm on this one. Yeah, Palm is VERY late to the party, but by many accounts, its effort here is noteworthy.”
Agreed. Also, to turn the sarcasm back on MDN…
Pre will support turn-by-turn directions. Where’s that on my iPhone? Pre will support MMS. Where’s that on my iPhone? Pre has a 3MP Camera With Flash? Where’s the flash on the iPhone? Where’s the Bluetooth Stereo support on the iPhone?
But, hey, the iPhone has fart noises! Beat that, Palm!
MDN: Just because they are late to the party doesn’t mean they cant have a good time.
I wont be getting rid of my iPhone any time soon, but this thing certainly looks pretty polished. Some of the videos of it show a ultra smooth UI even smoother then the iPhone. There is plenty of room in the market for a #2 phone above the G1 and the Storm.
the hardware is ugly, but the gui looks great and it has a lot of features and ideas in it the iphone lacks. looks like a good competitor and hopefully keeps apple innovating. something the company stopped doing for whatever reason about 12 month ago.
Well, all I can say is this: As long as Apple has an exclusive with AT&T;and the carrier has no networks in South Dakota, I’ll be forced to consider this phone about a year from now or so.
Some of us have little choice.
@ralph from berlin
They were quiet for 12 months because they were busy copying the UI from the iPhone, without being to obvious to get sued out right.
looks like a nice phone with plenty of features.
I don’t know what the MacDaily zealots expect. There’s only so much you can put into a phone and the range of possibilities has been pretty much covered.
Until something comes along that moves the technology forward in a big way, all Apple, Blackberry or Palm can do now is tweak and refine.
Isn’t this new product probably the fruit of labor from Jon Rubenstein and Steve Bell, who left Apple’s executive ranks in late 2006 to join Palm?
If so, the Palm Pre really represents a tip of the hat to the iPod and iPhone.
Fear. You know Apple always stays on the thin and skinnies – that’s why you’re a fanboy, you support the underdog. They’re always teetering on the brink of collapse. They should have stayed with Macworld. Now Apple has given a larger presence to CES and their competition. Oh, well,
If I can’t have an iPhone for whatever reason, I’d rather have one of these than a Blackberry whatever or a Windows Mobile phone.
i’m kind of happy for palm that they are trying to compete at this point. competition is very good and brings out the best in everyone. if apple had not made the iphone, this “pre” would never have come about.
there are still some things that palms can do that irritate the crap out of me on the iphone. such as the directory. why can’t i create a new folder in the address book on the iphone? Or Search… why can’t i search for a name in the native application? in google mail, why can’t i send from the proxy address, instead of the gmail address? these small things show that there is still room for improvement on both ends.
never the less, palm may be joining the party a bit late. although i love the slide out keyboard, something i fully expected (jon rubenstein), given the palm tungsten 1 – a design miracle back in the day, being tied to Sprint may diminish the thunder. However it is still good to see Palm innovating again.
Looks great.
Good for them.
I also checked out the Palm website. I gotta say, it’s a compelling offer next to Windows Mobile, or Windows Vista for that matter.
This phone looks good.
They have an INTEGRATED MAILBOX!!
It annoys me so much that Apple could not do that.
I think this new Palm is a good tool. Too bad they made the mistake of announcing it at CES – it was competing for limited press.
To understand why Palm is failing so badly, read my comment on Dan Eran’s site (regarding BeOS and Palm).
Snore… what I want to know is, does this phone sync my iPhoto, iTunes and Facebook?
Apple will just update the iPhone software to match or exceed any Palm innovations
I agree this is a valiant attempt but it is still a loser
Winner takes all
2015 will see iPhone and Android rule the market.
As for the programmers who made this happen, more power to them, and just keep your resume impressive but find a new job ASAP.
The guys who thought this up, good job given what you have to work with but the seeds of destruction were sowed a long time ago by people who don’t really care about technology. Again, read my comment on Eran’s site.
Beleaguered? Yes, we know. Everyone was mean to Apple in the 90s and called them beleaguered. But really? Is it possible you guys could stop acting like 7th graders for about five minutes.
Is there a point when MDN figures out that it looks like it’s run by a bunch of Mac Fanboi morons. No? Didn’t think so.