The Competition: Droid on Verizon to make things tough on Pre next year? 100
It's Droid Day, if you haven't heard, and our sister-site Android Central has been rounding up all the big Droid news of the day (also, check out their Droid Forums). The newest news is the official announcement of the Droid release date and price: $199, November 6th.
It's got us thinking: we've already heard confirmation that the Pre will hit Verizon in 'early 2010' (our money is still on January) - but it's going to be landing amidst a much more crowded field. The Pre will be up again the Droid, the Eris, and the Storm2. Had Palm not stuck with Sprint for so long, they could have had a window where the Pre would have have had a legitimate claim to be the solitary flagship device on big V.
Our pal Matt Miller took a break from telling us everything you could possibly want to know about the Nokia N900 to express some worry about Palm's chances in 2010 and we'll admit: Palm will be facing much stiffer competition in the coming months than they've faced before. What do you think, did Palm miss a critical window of opportunity?
100 Comments
that phone is ugly as hell
That was my first thought. I don't think I'll ever get a sideways slider phone.
Funny, I actually like the looks of it. I prefer flat phones (the pre's roundness makes it hard to type/surf/dial, while the thing is on my desk).
I am also really iffy about the horizontal slider. Makes single handed typing too much of a chore.
nb
It is, but its functionality trumps the Pre tenfold.
I really don't know how Palm is going to get out of this pickle, ut I want to see them try, and I won't abandon their awesome OS until they stop trying.
Might not be the most attractive thing, but I'll be damned if its functionality isn't drool worthy.
I honestly think the Pre is hte nicest looking phone out htere, although the Droid has some functionality that really cant be beat.
The phone looks really good.
It's Motorola. Its Ugly. When was the last time MOTO had a decient looking device? That being said, it's like my dads old Oldsmobile. It may be ugly, but when you have to screw the wheels to the tires to keep them from spinning inside the tires, you got some power. Same here. You better buckle up tight. Of course the Palm Pre can clock faster speeds, if they would fix the OS.
i love my pre/webOS, but after watching all the droid/android 2.0 news, it's readily apparent palm has a lot of catching up to do...
I agree! If they could just FINISH this OS, they would be in a much better world. Opening up system-level programming would be nice, too. Then someone could come up with a software suite that replaces all the lame built-in apps but utilizes the WebOS/Synergy platform.
Droid answered some of the limitations of the Pre, right out of the box. Expandable storage, video recording, autofocus camera. Just watched the Engadget hands-on video and looks to me that Google figured out how to utilize the GPU, as I saw no obvious performance lags. Even the novelty of a magnetic dock was taken to another level in their home and car docks.
To clarify... I mean finish WebOS. Droid will certainly be a kick in the pants for Palm. At least, it should be. Knowing Palm, they'll be content to sit with their mediocre product.
Android will eat Palm, and I for one am grateful. The Pre is my last Palm. Goodbye Palm, and good riddance.
You are grateful that there will be less competition in the marketplace?
I'm rooting for every player in the market and hope that they all make it so we can get parity in pricing and some standards in development. Every time a company makes a leap forward I cheer and wait for the others to catch up in stride.
Gotta love a free market.
nb
I'm sure hes just talking out of frustration... but I am in complete agreeance. Seeing where these companies are taking they're OS's is exciting... gets me riled up wondering what kinda of functionality we can bang out next! And I hope beyond hope that Palm steps up, because its clear that they can make something amazing, they just have to paint with a finer brush.
I'm personally moving on to this device (MOTO droid)...
I like the palm pre, and I've been using this phone since august, but it terribly lacks from speed while running several apps at the same time.... the pree needs some good apps like a grooveshark client... video recording, or a better/decent camera. The internal memory isn't enough for me...
besides my line is contract-free with verizon, and i definitely think this phone worths the contract renewal.
Let's get something clear, Sprint is NOT the only "carrier" to carry the Pre. Ever hear of Canada, Europe? America is not the only market, in fact, I am willing to bet Palm does better outside of America. That's like saying the iphone will not be success because it's only carried on Att's network in America. The fact remains, most Americans do not want an iphone. I do not understand why some folks think America is "the" market. Especially since Americas money system is in the crapper right now.
Also, some food for thought:
AT&T Subscribers: 81.6million subscribers
Verizon Subscribers: 89million subscribers
Sprint Subscribers: 49.3million subscribers
T-Mobile Subscribers: 33.5million subscribers
Bell Mobility in Canada: 5.8million subscribers
Entire Canadian Population : 33million people
You do the Math...
You're able to bring up the number of subscribers each American carrier has, what is your point? I can tell you this, not all 81Mil subscribers on ATT have an iphone, 89Mil subscribers on Verizon do not have an iphone. By your logic (or lack thereof) Verizon, Sprint and Tmo, should be out of business. After all you said this: "most Americans DO want an iPhone." Most Americans want a car, they have a car. Most Americans like to eat out, they do... Most want an iphone... NOPE! You probably believe most people want a MAC too.
Whoever built you assembled you with silly putty... I am very aware that not every person on every network has an iPhone, and that not even every subscriber on AT&T has an iPhone. To think that would be ridiculous, however, people who use Smart Phones want either an iPhone or iPhone like usability (Note: NOT an iPhone, but the ability to do the things an iPhone is capable of doing). Why would my 'logic' have me thinking that T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon would be out of business? Android is delivering on functionality that the iPhone has made standard practice, and with Android 2 its going even farther. I own a Palm Pre, I love Sprint but I do not, I repeat, DO NOT drink the Kool Aid. I won't be a blind fanboy. I want WebOS to mature, I want it to become successful and most of all, I want to do the crap that people are able to do without issue on they're Android/iPhone phones. Simple things like change my TXT ringtone, have WebGL accelerated apps, a better way to remove contacts I don't want, etc., etc.
Also, I brought up the numbers of the Canadian network that currently offers the Pre, now imagine that 10% of the users use Smart phones and extrapolate that out... it looks like there would almost be more smart phone users on the Sprint network than Bell Mobility has total subscribers. In case you forgot your own argument this is in direct relation to "I'm sure that Palm sells better outside of the united states". I'll do the same for European cell providers as well if you'd like... but keep in mind that O2 also offers the iPhone on the same network, as well as Android phones.
And no, I don't believe most people want a MAC to, in fact I feel the opposite, but hey, you can think what you want.
You didnt list world wide carriers. Nokia rules the smartphone market world wide, because of Europe and Asia.
Well the idea is to look at carriers that currently have or offer the Pre. Theres no question about where Symbian stands in terms of domination, even if it is an old, out of date, horribly boring OS ;)
You know who cares about the American cell market? Pretty much everyone that lives here in America. Oh right, and the fact that American Popular Culture dictates what folks in Europe end up Listening/Wearing/Eating/Buying. I'm not saying its right, but its the truth. The whole world has been Americanized no matter how much people in Europe despise us. While Sprint isn't the ONLY carrier in the universe to carry the Pre, it was the first and it is THE flagship carrier for Palm, so STFU about your personal pet peeves with America and our 'money system' if America disappeared Pre-June you wouldn't even have the damned Pre. Oh, right, and yes... most Americans DO want an iPhone, its why RIM's stock is dropping and Apples is rising, and its why just about everyone that posts here on this site wants Palm to do well... competition.
What the heck are you talking about??? Toyota's stock is stronger than GM and Ford, does that mean every American wants a Toyota? I travel to parts of Asia, Europe and Africa for business. I know first hand that America no longer sets the standard. Why would I have a pet peeve about America and "OUR" money system? That does not make any sense. That country over in Asia called China, owns a significant piece of Americas money system, don't give me that crap, "The whole world has been Americanized." Who doesn't want Palm to do well?
Are you serious? I mean, seriously? American's don't want Toyotas? Thats right, we LOVE GM, Ford and Chrys... wait, thats right, they haven't really been doing all that well have they? I wonder why... does it have anything to do with Americans buying *gasp* Toyotas and Hondas? I would hardly call American cars part of Popular culture, and yes, I will feed you that 'crap' all day about how Americanized the world is until one day I go over to Europe and don't dance to Kanye West in the club, track American movie stars every move in the tabloids, walk down the street to a BK or a McDonalds, shop at a Best Buy, pick up some new Nike's at a Wal-Mart in China... give me a break man. Makes me wonder what kind of business you do over there and how often you get out.
Bringing things back to the phone deal though, look below this post at the subscriber numbers. For a country that ranks third in world population we have a HELL of a lot stronger influence on what phones become popular and survive WorldWide. If the Pre fails in the US, it fails in the world. That sir, is the bottom line.
Did I say Americans don't want Toyota's? No I did not! If you haven't heard, Toyota, GM, Form, etc. Are all part of the Global economy, yes, GM, Ford and Chrysler sell vehicles in Europe, Asia, Africa. I guarantee, there are more GM vehicles on American roadways than Toyotas and Hondas. You're using Kanye West as a benchmark? LOL. let's visit that route. Most of the reality shows on American Television are foreign influenced, a lot of the horror films are as well. A lot of the top actors are from, Canada, Europe, Australia... The majority of the rock groups from the 80's were from Europe, some of the top entertainers (musically) in America today, are not American. America has always been influenced by European culture, look at the Spanish architecture, for example. LOL, American movie stars are tracked by the Tabloids in America as well... LOL
I could do this all day sir, but in lieu of it not getting us anywhere (And apparently not accomplishing anything), I won't instigate further flame-war like behavior.
We'll have to agree that we both want Palm to succeed, and leave it at that, as in the end that IS what we both want.
Agreed, an "American" company like Palm succeeding, is highly beneficial to us, Americans. No matter how great of a device Verizon has, I will never support a business that isn't entirely, American. Even if Verizon carried a Pre that had 16Gigs, video recording with a years free of service, I still would not jump ship.
I don't really follow other smartphones close enough so I'm not sure if that's a normal example of a droid phone.
But, really, could you pick a picture that's creepier than that? I switched tabs and thought I was staring into the soul of Sauron.
re: "the soul of Sauron"
I just laughed my head off in the middle of the Post Office!
Webos its just a flick and a click, vs. Android where you have to click 5 menus just to get to some system settings.
Of course it will hurt the pre, but each phone is for a different demographic.
Co-signed! WebOS is hella more elegant than Android (as seen in the Hero phone).
A flick and a click. I like that.
If Palm gets WebOS where it needs to be and Verizon does a marketing campaign for the Pre like they did for Android. I think Pre will do awesome. Pre still has the potential to be the best. Hardware needs to get utlized better and some basic functions need to get added. I hoping sprint/bell was like a beta version of webOS and come Jan. when pre gets ready for verizon we get some major updates, and everything that is needed within webOS is added including system level programming.
First of all, this phone, the Droid, by itself doesn't pose much of a threat to Palm as far as I'm concerned. While be technically astounding on paper, it's way too big to be taken seriously. The thing is 6 oz. That's 27% heavier than the already lead-weighted iPhone. Only the most serious of geeks will buy the Droid, as it doesn't have nearly the sort of mass appeal that an iPhone or Pre have.
I am however concerned that Android will be some stiff competition. It's already light years ahead of Windows Mobile, which has been around forever, and while starting off a bit behind WebOS, will have far more headsets in the near future.
But what's with the "did Palm wait too long to get off of Sprint?". Hello, the better question would have been should they have not gone exclusive to begin with. Clearly Palm has a legal obligation to Sprint to remain exclusive through the end of the year in the US. Given Palm's hurting business, Palm felt it was the right call to get some funding from Sprint to help with the launch and to help market and promote the phone. You know all of those Sprint commercials that feature the Palm and WebOS? Those are part of the deal that Palm and Sprint agreed upon and its advertising that helps promote the Palm brand. Had they not gone exclusive they wouldn't have benefited as much. It's a tough call, but sure I'd like to see more WebOS devices out there on more carriers.
I keep waiting for some GOOD news about the Pre or WebOS. We are certainly due.
I love my Pre and it sure as hell beats that phone looks wise. The sad thing is at $199 with 16gigs expandable to 32 gigs and video recording it sure does beat the hell out of what the Pre offers. I know this is a Pre site and all, but I have to be honest. What this phone does out of the box kinda pisses me off the Palm didn't do more or atleast have video recording ready along with a few other basic functions. Thank god for the homebrew guys. I'm not going to leave Sprint and my Pre over this phone. Who really wants to pay those inflated prices at Verizon? I will tell you this though. If Sprint would get say their version of the Droid I would drop the Pre in a heartbeat. As long as they redesign it. Damn thats ugly!
"What this phone does out of the box kinda pisses me off the Palm didn't do more or atleast have video recording ready along with a few other basic functions."
Droid is a "out of the box" running a 2.0 OS (a full year or more after the initial commercial release of said OS). You're dreaming (or at least in possession of incredibly unrealistic expectations) if you think that the two platforms will be on the same foot, features-wise, given that inescapable fact.
While I can understand what your saying, you have to question release timing. If companies are releasing 2.0 devices its got to be your priority to release an OS that can run with 2.0 devices at 1.0, no matter the situation. In the end, his expectations were set by the competition.
If the OS can't run with the rest out of the gate, it will inevitably be left behind. If we were comparing WebOS to other 1.0 devices and OS'es I could stand behind your argument, but as it is meant to be a direct competitor with the iPhone and Android we have to expect more from it and Palm. We all have a right to be angry, as long as we can be constructive about it.
I think I was constructive about it. Atleast I hope I was.
No, no, I wasn't directing that part at you, it was more of a global thing.
They will fix it all before it gets to Verison. Sprint probably undercut the price, so released a inferior product.
Android has its own skeletons in the closet but the bigger picture is Verizon for the longest time has been hurting for a REAL phone. Which ever comes there first like HTC TP2, Android, or webOS will sell in troves while the laggers are gonna get scraps.
+1 (I wish I could promote comments properly :P)
I also think that Android 2.0 definitely is a tough competition. I just ordered my brand new GSM Pre in Germany, even though I knew about Android 2.0 and the Droid. Palm really has to work hard and get those big feature updates out we all want. Plus, bring the big apps to the catalog, enhance the APIs so we can get Shazam, etc.
Palm is a little slow right now, they need to speed up.
Hopefully, webOS 1.3 will abate some of our major concerns. I have a feeling we're in for a couple surprises.
good or bad ones?
Keep on dreaming. Unless Palm provides at least:
* Video recording
* Repeating missed notification audible alerts (nags)
* A fully functional landscape and portrait virtual keyboard
* Voice dialing
then it won't impress me. I have been very positive and patient with the Pre/WebOS over the last five months. But that patience is wearing thin now (and I am far from alone). Even the majority of NON smart phones have video, nags, and voice dialing.
Im easy, I just want visual voice mail.
that DROID looks hideous! Seriously why would somebody actually want a phone that looks that awful?????
maybe because there are people who are primarily interested in a working phone, even if it's not that flashy..
Most people bye their phones for looks. They want to hear "whats that cool phone on your hip?" Not "what the h*** is that thing attached to your belt? an old laptop?"
The pre's design in my mind great...fits in my pocket without an awkward bulk to it (iphone & this "droid"), and also in my hand...i would hate to have to always flip my phone sideways to use the keyboard or be forced to use an onscreen keyboard each time. WebOS is not even 6 months old yet and everyone expects it to be on the same playing field as these other multi year old platforms. The market is getting tougher and tougher but palm was there since the beginning so im sure they will do ok but only time will tell!! If not then heck it was a fun ride while it lasted!
Problem is they have to be on the same playing field to compete. Right now that's not happening.
without a major upgrade in webos 2.0, palm is screwed. and that damn google gps app...
and how did moto get facebook contacts right andpalm can't?
Wow, so the Droid is still ugly, but Android 2.0 is something else. I love my Pre, but Google Maps with Navigation single-handedly almost makes me want to switch. But then again, I hate VZW and made a blood oath never to use them again, so oh well.
I think things got very interesting for Palm, definitely. I would say that Palm would have been hard pressed to get anyone to back the Pre as much as Sprint did, especially not Verizon. And if they launched multiplatform to start with, who knows if they could have gotten a good concentrated message out there (cf Palm's Pre commercials vs. Carrier Pre commercials).
Get off the stupid google love fest and the Sprint hating. I mean you spent what 20 minutes talking about the Hero on the Podcast. Here's an idea, write some real life reviews of Apps instead of second guessing Palm and Sprint all the time.
The Fact is the thing is a tank manufactured by a company that is not known for clean design. It looks like they took the Hero and slapped a keyboard on it.
Palm went with Sprint because of their network. Still the faster of the 3. I would have dumped the Pre if the service was as poor as AT&T or Sprint was nickel and diming me like Verizon.
"... would hate to have to always flip my phone sideways to use the keyboard."
Dude, if you've got a widescreen TV do you prefer watching it in vertical orientation instead of horizontal? Seriously, I actually know someone with a widescreen computer monitor who likes it better vertical, but he's a weirdo.
I suspect most people would prefer horizontal once they see how gorgeous the Droid's widescreen mode is.
"Why would someone want a phone that looks so awful"
Because most people aren't going to be staring at the Red Eye of Mordor, they're going to be staring at the 3D street level photographic navigation maps and "Ooh-ing" and "Ahh-ing" so much they'll never notice what the hardware looks like. I don't consider my laptop computer to be a fashion accessory, why would I treat my phone like one?
"Dude, if you've got a widescreen TV do you prefer watching it in vertical orientation instead of horizontal? Seriously, I actually know someone with a widescreen computer monitor who likes it better vertical, but he's a weirdo."
that's not weird, that's practical. your comparison is not valid. sure it makes no sense to watch a film in a vertical orientation. but that has to do with films wider than higher. with nor web pages e.g. it is the other way around. they are normally higher than wider. so it makes sense to have a vertical orientation.
it appears to me like Motorola has a potential monster hit here.
Sprint's service plan is excellent and the 3G quality here in Chicago is vastly better than my prior AT&T service.
But I spend alot of time on the web on my phone and I really covet the larger screen. And while it is nice to be able to type with one hand, it's not that big a deal and a bigger keyboard would be welcome. The expandable memory is a giant plus too.
Frankly, this phone seems to address the primary negatives of the iPhone AND the Pre. If the reality of this device matches the expectations I can see Verizon selling this phone by the millions much like AT&T and the iPhone.
Wow. Looks like my daughters Samsung Messenger 2 on metropcs.
I just saw the phone on Engadget... WOW.
It is feature packed RIGHT outside the box... I feel like it has many of the apps people make for the phone already on the phone when you get it...
I have the Pre... but the Droid blows the Pre, Hero, Iphone, and all other phones out of the water.
I don't like Verizon pricing, but I would definitely pay good money for that phone.
Gizmodo's hands on Droid review takes a gratuitous swipe at the Pre:
"The keyboard works way better than it looks. It appears flat, but there's a slight bump to every key that, combined with the soft rubber texture, just works. It's way better than the Palm Pre keyboard."
ARgh, this phone is really ugly. The OS will have to be really good to be successfull against the Iphone or the Pre.
It looks like a mini Atari Game console from the 80's.
That said (and I have not looked at the details), Palm better wake up fast if Android is that good. Stocks kept going down today at a crazy rate. I have been with Palm and supporting for 5 years, but this time, it all looks very smoky.
Bottom Line: Someone other than Palm needs to build the next WebOS device on multiple carriers, soon. PERIOD!!!
Palm is hurting ITSELF, more than anyone else is. This is because they're being stubborn with allowing deeper dev access for SERIOUS apps and sssllllllllooooooooooooooowwwwwwww with updates that will please the masses. All those updates, and i still have to miss alerts because Palm does not care to implement notification nags. I have to flip the phone around while in landscape to see why a page is taking so long to load, because landscape is so limited; I cannot see what kind of signal I have, can't get to any menu in it, nor type in it..... And it goes on and on and on with this over-rated "smartphone" .... (Not to mention, it's slow as you know what).......
When it comes to WebOs, while it does look beautiful, when all is said and done- more is actually SAID, than done.
*** Update: Somebody corrected me in the forum. Pressing volumn keys while in landscape will pull up menu and signal staus. I stand corrected (and embarrassed) on that. :)
Palm is slow with updates? Palm is putting out significant updates faster than any smartphone company in existence.
They have to. There is soo much more work they need to do to make it at least as capable as its competition.
Exactly, mech. No other OS was as half- baked as this one is.
A lot of phones are release half baked. Look at the iphone. They release one that's inferior, then six months later release a better one. Why not try to fix the crap you sold to start with. Because they know the cows will line up for slaughter, bye the 3GS. That's why I switched from iphone to Palm. At least they are trying to make their product better. Most these companies dont care.
No, the iPhone was pretty nice when it came out, and every release is nicer. It was full of features when it was released and new features are added with every iteration. Palm can't even get Gen1 right, and I doubt there will be a second generation Pre.
release the droid on sprint and we can all be happy!!!!
if verizon were smart they would buy sprint and keep there plan pricing, and it would overtake at&t and t-mobile by storm!
even though I'm not planning to abandond my pre, I do like the verizon ad for the droid.
It's all about the phone not the vendor. Look at how many folks jumped to AT&T (even paying out an ETF) to get the iPhone. Feature for feature, Palm is facing an "also ran" situation against the iPhone and Android. For $200 one can get a smokin' device or they can get a Pre and continue waiting for the App Catalog to grow and for basic features to be delivered.
Members of this forum may be willing to wait, but the average consumer probably isn't.
As for the Pre owners I know, Sprint's the reason they own the phone. Has nothing to do with the Pre's features and everything to do with Sprint's prices. Where else can someone get a decent smartphone for $70/mo?
first let me say that the specs are the same except for the droid has 16gigs and a 5meg cameria which is not that great otherwise its processor is the same as the pre and iphone so the same speed but the same android phone 2.0 is nothing new and if you look around the internet on verizon sites (like, http://www.prethinking.com/home/2009/10/24/will-the-new-droid-prevent-yo...) GUESS WHAT most people are going to wait for the PRE they are excited about the pre and want that and want to wait for it to come to verizon if its upgraded or not so threat not palm the pre is a hit
>first let me say that the specs are the same except for the droid has 16gigs and a 5meg camera
AND it has removable, upgradable memory
AND it has a landscape keyboard (which some will like better)
AND it has a larger screen
AND it has a higher res screen
AND it has a 5-way nav (think gaming and editing).
Saying it has the same specs is like comparing the Pre to a Treo.
Yes, the Droid is ugly
Yes, WebOS is slicker.
But the Droid does things that the Pre can't.
I've said it a million times, Palm needs to add some basic features the Pre is sorely lacking... and fast.
also most of the comments stated that the new droid is ugly and after seeing the review its the same ole android phone nothing new and nothing amazing about it also currently if you have a pre and patched it you know it know has more then everything any phone has out there including the android phones and a stock pre already beat out the iphone 3gs its been 4 months let palm get a chance to keep updating the phone so in a month or so you will have video, facebook, all the messengers, a rumored 50% better battery life, all the patches interegrated into the phone to make room for more preware patches so simply put the pre is here to stay and remeber the iphone struggled too when it launched and in a better economy the difference is palm will be on every major carrier with its web os by 2010 and 3rd party programmers will have all the super games and applications that matter android to me has not impressed me at all sorry.........WEB OS TO ME IS THE NEXT IPHONE YOU'LL SEE
I think everyone forgets that Palm's outlook of their future does not just rely on the Pre. Droid will only slow the popularity of Palm phones due to the time frame it's being released on Verizon, but Palm will continue to grow. The Pre was their "show" phone to show what they were working on. Palm's success will depend on their WebOS, and how it adapts to newer, more feature rich phones. They will continue to update and fix the WebOS, and start to port it over to more carriers on new phones.
what is the pre lacking that you cant patch until palm gets to it with the next couple of web os updates im confused ........ do you own a pre and the droid does nothing better then the pre im a programmer and developer for over 15 years and understand alot about operating systems on mobile devices and in my opinion and my collegues opinions Web os is revolutionary and as long as palm listens before they update like they have been doing and allows for 3rd party developers to help them with the Web os (via hombrew or others) and applications and patchs they re still in the driver seat......bottom line if your not happy with it go to android simple as that just know android OS is very limited I know personally by disecting it and the limitations on it is very abroad very abroad is dosent have a cabailitie of a Web OS or a Apple OS
i don't really like droid. (edit: i change my mind. i saw it on video. I like droid). But i think you have understand that the huge majority of consumers are not going to patch their phone. They have no interest in patching a phone. That to them is tech geek stuff. If Palm wants to take market share it can't rely on patches for the minority while not delivering solutions to major issues to the overwhelming majority.
If you a Palm user i think you're bottom line may end your discussion but it doesn't help the palm cause to offer people a sort of take it or leave it solution. Because most people will just leave it. And if customers leave so do everyone else. Consumers just want a solution. They don't know or care about sdks, how long apple had to make their apps store, or whatever the reason people give for failures to execute. They just want things fixed.
Man, Android is really making me regret getting a Pre. If Android gets some of WebOS's features, like awesome multitasking, I'll be pretty annoyed. If it does, hopefully someone will port Android to the Pre...
On topic- It probably would be better if the Pre got on other carriers right from the start, but then I'd probably still be using Verizon. Sprint rules!!
it think droid is ugly, other then the androids that are skinned black i think android is ugly, but Palm has to fix the crapload of issues with it's web os, from bad music player, app limits, slow response time, bad calender, add all the darn tweak functionality, and get professional applications by the boatloads along with 3d games, quick. not in 7 months, i mean a few months. i'm stuck with this phone for a while but i alreay feel Palm can't come close to delivering what i thought they would.
without homebrew i'd have returned it in two weeks. unfortunatetly homebrew got me to keep the phone past 30 days along with the anticipation of good apps. They didn't deliver. Tehy don't look like they can deliver on much of this. just half ass improvements to shit i don't use. Sad, it's a great O.S. but if iphone comes off exclusivity, i'm gone as soon as i can stomach a contract cancel. In the mean time i'm there as a customer to be won by palm.
The Droid is ugly. But it has nearly everything we Pre users lack:
* Removable memory
* Higher res camera
* Large, landscape keyboard
* Dual virtual keyboards
* 10,000+ apps
* Removable SD storage
* Higher resolution *AND* larger screen
* Video capture
* 5-way nav controller
And all that, right out the door. Based on my understanding, about the only advantage of the Pre has is the Touchstone, and a nicer look on the hardware side.
I am thankful I finally had a "real" phone choice on Sprint, but phones like the Droid really could destroy Palm/WebOS. About the only way Palm could hold on would be to IMMEDIATELY add *TONS* of software features, and work on a new Pre with a larger, higher-res screen, better keyboard, faster, more mem, removable mem, etc.
I could be wrong but android still doesn't allow two finger jesters. That is a really big thing with UI.
Also with video and 5mp, you are going to start to see a lot of lag in Verizon's network. That is a lot of data being transferred. 3mp is better than your average user needs. I do wish that the Pre camera was auto focus and had adjustable shutter speeds but both may come with updates in the future.
Understand that this is the second generation of Android and the OS and UI are still ugly and complicated. The WebOS is still heavily in development and will be greatly improved over the next 6months.
I agree that WebOS/Pre has some innovative stuff- slick design, gestures, best way to handle multitasking. But I fear it is just too little too late and will get rail-roaded by much higher profile phones based on Android, like the Droid.
I still believe that unless Palm immediately fixes the base issues with the Pre and also gets it on another USA network, it is doomed. In 6 months, it might be all but over :(
IanCarr you are in fanboy denial. You have "disected" Android and given it your thumbs down? You must be pretty fast at dissecting OS's since the Eclair 2.0 SDK has only been available for less than 24 hours.
You think that WebOS has "everything out there" that anyone would need? I guess you don't think we need voice dialing, video recording, or direct access to the hardware.
You don't think there's anything amazing about Droid running Eclair? You really need to watch the Google Navigation video. Especially the 3D photographic street view. NO other phone has that. Not even any dedicated nav device has it and its a FREE app that comes with every Droid, which is why TomTom and Garmin stocks dropped more than 15% today.
But you don't think that's anything to get excited about do you? You think its nothing that can't be patched in the next couple of updates? Do you think Android OS will be standing still waiting for WebOS to catch up? When Google released Eclair yesterday they simultaneously promised ANOTHER update before the end of this year. What date has Palm promised?
As nice as Droid is, I cannot justify buying one and paying the monthly fees that come with verizon for a few extra bells n whistles...
The success of Palm is based on consumer awareness / perception, or lack thereof. The average consumer is not aware of the Pre and how great it is. Success for Palm has nothing to do with the quality of the phone and OS right now, because the average consumer is not aware of the phone in the first place. Palm needs to generate some awareness fast.
It also doesn't help that Palm's partner (sprint) has very low perception by consumers...
I'm not sure I buy this. I think there is an awareness out there. And it goes something like this, "The Pre is a great phone that's hampered by poor battery life and a very limited selection of apps."
At least that seems to be what a good chunk of the reviews say.
I just watched some videos of the Doid on my iTouch. I get the same feelings about the Droid that I get with the iPhone: they do so much and they do it well....but the Pre is just more fluid and FUN to use.
I love flipping my thumb up to raise the app launcher, hitting an icon to open one app, raising the waive to open another, full swipe left to right to switch, flip up to card view...you get the point.
I get back on my iTouch and its boring old hit icon...hit home button...hit icon...hit home button. I think its the Gestures & Cards that makes WebOs so great...and Droid w/ all those hard buttons (home, search) seems the same boring old moving around like the IPhone.
IF Palm can bring all of the same functions as iPhone & Droid e.g. Video, "real" landscape v-keyboard etc. I think the Pre would truly be the best device to own. IMO.
Am I the only one who actually finds the larger screen to be a negative? One of the big reasons I did not get an iPhone was because it just felt awkward to use as a phone. I still think it's a great device, but using it to talk was just too strange.
And every other touchscreen smartphone continued that... except for Palm. The form factor of the Pre is almost perfect. It could be a hair bigger, but not by much. And it could use a landscape keyboard instead, but overall I still prefer it to what's out there now.
Same thing goes for a BB (aside from the pearl, but that was crap).
Now, OS wise, WebOS just got smacked, and I really hope Palm is working overtime because google looks poised to really steamroll into the market over the next 6-12 months. I'm one of the few who jumped Verizon's ship (even paid $300 in ETF for my family plan) onto Sprint's. Mostly out of the cheaper data plan for a family.
But man, the ass slow loading times of the Pre is starting to feel very old, very fast. Especially when I pick up my mom's 1st gen ipod touch and see how quickly I can get to music. Yes, I know the Pre trumps w/ multiple apps, but when I just want to play a song, it takes eons longer to get to it than it does for over the iphone because apple made it happen almost instantly.
New apps in the app store. Nothing interesting though. Still have almost no apps that aren't homebrew. the original few at launch are better then most of the crap palm is releasing.
I just watched engadgets hand-on video (to you curious folk: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/motorola-droid-first-hands-on/)....
GTFOH, DROID DOES!!!! Palm better get their SH*$ together NOW!!! That phone was extremely fast, compared to my Pre, and just kinda made me mad about it... The voice searching and recognition was sickening..... WHY DONT WE HAVE THIS COOL ISH!!?!
Google is taking over the world, by storm, and I'be been saying that for a long time. They qwill compete with TVs and cable next, watch. smh, is Palm FAILS..... DROID will be my last stop, Google can't fail... they haven't yet... :-\
The problem is you cant compair Google to Palm. Palm is more like Apple. They build a phone and insert their operating system. Google does not build phones. All they sell is their operating system.
Has anyone heard if the new google maps navigation is coming to the palm pre? Looks pretty slick with the street view. I like sprint navigation in all but that is an advantage I would like to have.
Highly unlikely. At least, not in the foreseeable future.
Besides one of the coolest features is the voice recognition. Unfortunately, the Pre can't even voice dial.
Am I missing something? Do people actually record video on their phone on a regular? It's a novelty at best IMO. Now voice recognition and a functional onscreen keyboard, different story, those are actual useful improvements!
if anyone walks into a store and BUYS a phone because its 'Pretty' or 'Looks Nice' as to its functionality and capability, your an ass and a sucker. I'm a die-hard pre owner. I bought the pre like Everyone else on this site, not because its 'Slick and Sexy', but because of all that it could and will do. Yes I very much so HATE the battery life, and wish they would step the apps up and give us Flash (hurry)!! But it JUST came out a few months ago! Droid and other new phone phones did nothing but sit back and took Everything the Pre brought to the table and fed off of that! And its still a great phone in manys eyes, the Only comp that the iPhone really has. So to everyone whos just down talking the Pre like its the worst phone out, go buy the Droid! Palm already has your money anyway lol! I feel the comp will just cause Palm to step it up sooner then later..
First off I love my Pre plus...Did tons of research before I switched carriers to get one. Almost went to the Droid but it was too heavy and unwieldy compared to the Pre. That being said...even with Preware, Web OS MD and Homebrew apps available, our app catalog is sadly lacking :( compared to the Android / Iphone market. Which sometimes leaves me for wanting one of the multiple 2nd gen phones.
I'd love to see some vast improvements in the app catalog, off the shelf capability and a little more ruggedness for the Pre. I've dropped mine on more than 1 occasion due to my own lameness leaving some pretty good scarring on the chassis, and my screen is beginning to wear in the middle from flicking stuff off the screen.