Verizon training employees for webOS 2.0, we get warm fuzzies 95
by Derek Kessler
Mon, 08 Nov 2010 8:46 pm EST
Mon, 08 Nov 2010 8:46 pm EST
We might still be stuck with the “coming months” line from Palm, but it looks like HP webOS 2.0 (and presumably the Palm Pre 2) might be coming soon as we had hoped. webOS 2.0 Training is under way for Verizon employees, as evidenced by the above slide. There’s nothing on the slide that we haven’t already heard (including the admission that Exhibition won’t be packaged in the initial 2.0 release), but it’s still nice to see Verizon’s employees getting trained up on the next iteration of our favorite mobile operating system. We’re still hoping for that mid-November release, even if pre-orders didn’t begin today.
Thanks anonymous tipster!
95 Comments
about time
If I cared about being first this would be aigt ..but I don't. N E Way..comon Sprint!!!!
update : Nevermind :-p
if you didn't rant you probably would have been first.
I know ...I suck...lol
Come on, let's get those pre-orders going!
cmon sprint...
I happen to be at Virison now...the sales guy hasn't even heard of the 2.0 update for WebOS and has no clue about any new phones from HP/Palm. This is sad...
Also...the Pre Plus on display is running 1.4.1 rofl
The slide says "Indirect Sales" so I'm guessing this is going to tele-sales, not brick and mortar stores. Those employees may not have had there training yet.
no ... Indirect Means Non - corporate Stores... meaning Authorized Retailers
Who cares? http://www.palm.com/us/ Coming to VZW.
you should have updated that bad boy for them and edumicate someone.
Not all sales reps know what they are talking about. I got different answers from different sales reps the first time around with the Pre Plus. Dont take any of them seriously.
By the way, in general, how long do phones usually take to come out after training begins on new phones? Im perfectly fine with my Pre Plus, but I want 2.0 and I cant get that til the Pre 2 comes out. It sucks.
Yeah like when I went to a Sprint store in Kansas. The manager told me that no pre 2 that he knows of is coming. He only knows about the Palmpad that's coming soon. I'll keep my fingers cross.
doesn't mean much. I went to the sprint store the day Froyo came out for Evo and had to install it myself to see how Flash looked on mobile devices.
The in store techs either don't know much, or just don't care.
Probably a little of both. I've never met an in-store tech who either knew anything technical about the products or services, or cared about anything but selling us something.
If enough paying users cared about it, they would get informed, their management would make sure they were informed. So most people (all of which are not on this forum) don't care.
Let's hope HP does something so that they care.
yeah... my friend went to verizon yesterday to look at new phones. he told me he asked about palm phones. all the sales guy had to say about them is that they dont carry them anymore. nothing about the new pre or 2.0. wtf is going on? HPalm better get on the ball or webos really is going to b dead like some many other fanboys are saying. i hope it aight so
the bottom right it says the OTA update will precede Device Launch
a) the asterisk refers to Exhibition
b) it indicates that the OTA update that incorporates Exhibition is expected to be POST device launch.
it says post release. It doesn't day it will preceed release
Verizon employees are still going to tell everyone Palm sucks and everyone should get an Android phone.
So I don't see what good this is going to do and I certainly don't get any warm fuzzies over this.
It won't get better when Verizon starts selling iPhones...
When Verizon starts selling the iphones in early 2011, people will be saying "web-o-what?"
Yeah..... people are saying web-o-what right now.... Hell they were saying that this time LAST YEAR! Someone today at my high school thought i got the new blackberry torch. Needless to say I was disheartened, right now im looking towards the psp phone when that launches, and if its not on sprint and if theres not an awesome webos phone out im goin android forsure
sadly but u are right. hp and palm are going to b releasing a gaming style phone i believe. thats why they put the head of voodoo pc (which is a devision of hp that makes gaming pcs)over at palm to work on designs. if u havent already read some of the stuff Rahul Sood has posted u should... but the psp phone is kiiinda lame in some aspects. have u seen it? it has soooo much wasted space on the slider. good concept, bad execution
I'm not with Verizon, so I'm not getting the warm fuzzies about this either. AT&T is probably going to be last to get the WebOS 2.0 update anyway.
Hey, at least you got the Pre+, which has the memory specs that the Pre should have been on day 1.
As a Sprint customer I have been given zippo to encourage me to retain my stuttering, freezing Pre.
Palm is just lucky that I really don't have $200 to spend on a new phone, or I would be gone already.
Only WebOS fanboys are going to buy this. Maybe some new to the game who take the time to see the OS is better than Android, but that will be very few. The pre is sort of like the new flip phone. Well, I mean if it had blue tooth voice dialing like every other flip phone on the planet has had for half a decade. So, it really is less than a flip phone. Doesn't really bode well for this model. What is their new slogan "Almost a phone...and some other cool stuff"? You realy have to laugh and ask yourself who comes up with this cr$p? Say what you want, but handicapable this phone is not.
It's not "almost" a phone. It can make calls. It can receive calls. That's definitely a phone.
Haha. I think people have forgotten what a "phone" is.
I wasn't thinking as globally as you were. Maybe their new slogan is "Meets or exceeds 2010 North Korean phone standards".
If we use this site as a barometer, even WebOS fanboys don't want this pos.
the OP left out item #6 from the Verizon sheet above:
Tell customer webOS sucks and sell Android
/sarcasm
that is pretty much what is going on though... iv had it happen to me at sprint when i went in there like a month ago. the guy couldnt stfu about android. webos is screwed imho. its gunna b completely forgotten. WP7 will launch, the iphone will release for verizon, and 10 more amazing android phones willl come out b4 hp release anything that's worthy of the competition... im starting to lose hope for this OS. sad, but true.
It's over people.
November 8th came and went, and Palm did nothing. Now there are two cloud juggernauts (Google and MS) in the space and one consumer powerhouse (Apple). Worldwide, Nokia will hang on to a good chunk of sales for the foreseeable future, so there really is no hope. I suppose WebOS could eat at RIM and Symbian a little bit, but not with the craptastic PIM apps on the Pre right now. If Garnets' CANT applications somehow made a comeback, and VersaMail 4.0 were released with it's state-of-the-art "select multiple messages at the same time" feature, there might be chance. But as it is, sorry, best-in-class multitasking and notifications aren't going to to do it.
By the way, I will hang on for the next round of webOS phones if they are coming in January/February, but not after. And they must be on Sprint or T-Mobile (AT&T and Verizon's prices can kablowme).
I won't be getting my hopes up.
Not to be mean but if they didn't recommend android they'd be doing most customers a disservice. If you want to use google services or a large and capable app catalog, palm is not a real choice currently. Palm needs a lot more activity in the next 6 months to make up for lost time. Better API support, more refined pim apps, and more compelling hardware on multiple US carriers. They also need to make widgets for pdk apps so we have true native apps. Webos 2.0 brings none of these. I'm also dreading ces 2011, since there is a really good chance palm won't release a slate with an excellent software keyboard. If they just talk about the future and how webs 2 is the beginning of that future, we're doomed.
if palm doesn't release their "super" phone by CES (and I don't mean introduce the world to a beta device that will come LATER that year), the only thing that will come up in a google search for "palm" will be trees in florida.
hahaha iv gotten that... either that or articles talking about what Palm could have been. i keep reading articles talking about how hp is late to the game. its disheartening
Most of those phone store people know nothing about smartphones. They choose the path of least resistance which is the "Google" reputation. (or Iphone rep) The majority of new smartphone customers download few apps and will hardly take advantage of the android "large and capable app catalog". Having a couple of big name apps available on all platforms will make the majority of users content. Those, of course I would prefer the palm app catalog to expand.
I agree with the rest of your statement. API support is not where it should be but new hardware is coming. I haven't seen any impressive native PIM apps on any platform. I use outlook and webOS works really well with that. Real productivity apps like quickoffice are coming (necessary now right now with webOS 2.0). HP is big and slow but its momentum is building. I'd rather be with HP/Palm than Rim's antique OS or one of android manufacturers trying to compete with other android companies and enriching google.
Exactly right on the apps. People will install between 14 and 40 apps. Not even half of smartphone owners even bother with an app store, and half of the people that do reach more than 14 installs won't install more. People only buy new phones because they're new phones. They want the new thing. Yeah, they'll buy some apps, but as long as they have the marquee apps, weather, music, email and web browsing, they could care less how many apps are out there.
Read the numbers.
http://www.intomobile.com/2010/10/26/apps-dont-matter/
http://www.intomobile.com/2010/09/10/study-iphone-users-download-average...
anyone can say apps don't matter, but it does. when i was in the verizon store picking up my replacement Pre, I walked over to the one on the floor. another guy came up and started looking at me playing with it. he then asked me about the phone and i started to sell it to him. then he dropped the bomb - yea but that phone doesn't have nearly as many apps as xyz... and walked away.
yes, people only download between 14-40 apps, but in reality, people want to know that their choices for apps are nearly endless. this is the same story in the reseller business. i see it daily with hundreds of customers. a product is well suited for their needs, but they'll still choose the product that stinks but has every option known to mankind, over a product that will do them justice, but won't have all the bells and whistles.
Did you not read those links at all? 46% of people buy new phones just so they don't look out of date, not for an "app store". After that, 25% want map and location services, and 21% want social networks on their new phone. People don't want to think about their apps. They don't want to have to go through soundboard after soundboard, fart app after fart app, when they could be spending that time on their Facebook or Twitter apps, or looking up a restaurant on their map app.
Anyway, I wouldn't expect some guy off the street to sell a phone to some other guy off the street anyway. That's why there's "training" for these phones, so you know how to sell them. He asks you how many apps it has. The correct response is what apps do you need.
good point my friend... its funny, i would say 80% of us on this p/c know more about mobile tech than 75% of the people that work at places that sell them. i sure as hell do. most sales reps are a joke
you guys keep patting yourself on the back and keep trying to convince yourself, but numbers also don't lie. where does palm stand in the phone industry... and why do you think that is?
My brother in law is in place for a new phone....Unfortunately he knows a little bit about the game and no matter how awesome I SHOWED him Web-OS was, he looked at what they have to offer and laughed. Not sarcasm either, he just laughed.....He is an ex-Iphone user and is moving to....of course Android..."Why the hell would I want another phone like yours?" I have no answer, I just laugh along with him...
AllState and I am not sure who else, just released mobile apps that would help me tremendously. I could log in and file a claim, pay a bill, etc. The other is a bank or a mortgage company (a bank); either way, I love that they have mobile apps., what I don't love is that they offer it only for BLACKBERRY, IPHONE, and ANDROID devices.....PALM? NOPE!!!!!
I tried to find a mobile app with my bank for the Pre -- and -- surprise, surprise -- nada! Of course it supported iPhone, Android & BB. The Pre was doomed from the start.
Guaranteed your bank has a mobile site that does everything an App would. Quit whining.
I'm so sick of hearing folks complain about the lack of mobile apps from companies like Allstate, ING Direct and others.
99% of these companies have mobile versions of their website that does EVERYTHING an App would. Why the hell do you need an app in such a case? Dropdown menu>Page>Add to Launcher. Boom, instant App in your launcher.
They prefer having all the javascript and html on-device instead of the bank's more secure servers?
Apparently.
If you're a bank or similar company, you'd prefer users use your mobile site, it's one less thing to maintain. But people are stupid and want Apps so you make apps even though you already have a portal that does more.
All the smartphone "experts" showed up as cued.
I hope they release WebOS 2.0 soon...Windows Phone 7 is just too tempting. I need something new and vibrant...come on Palm. France has it but we don't. What's up with that? It seems like Palm is always a step behind. The main reason I went with Palm is the pure multitasking capability. I love the cards, but time is running out. Tic, Toc Palm. Now there is yet another player in the game to beat Palm further down.
Yeah. "Training". Let's call it that.
SFR doesn't have exhibition but VZW pre2 will launch that feature?
there's an asterisk at the exhibition section and if you follow it and read the bottom it says it will come *after* the release in an OTA update.
This makes me really wish HP wasn't so tight-lipped about future products. I want the Pre2, but I don't want to upgrade now if a "super phone" I around the corner at CES.
I think CES will make or break palm. if you can hold out for 3 more months, you'll know whether you'll be buying another HPalm device in the near future or whether you'll be jumping on an iphone on Verizon or Android on other networks.
Okay, seriously? You're not talking about Palm, you're talking about HP, a company that has the resources to fall on it's face a couple hundred times in smartphone launches before it even begins to feel it.
HP is not going to abandon the mobile computing market and they're not going to toss out WebOS, it would take them a couple years to get to where WebOS is right now.
You're not talking about Palm anymore, Palm doesn't really exist except as a label at the whim of HP. You're not talking about a dinky little tech company whose glory days are in the rearview mirror.
I have no choice but to hold out and for more than 3 months. I'm not due a phone upgrade until 10/9/2011. WebOS 2.0 is going to have to keep me occupied until then.
Me too. I would MUCH rather see 2.0 on Pre Plus than the debut of Pre2. I can't imagine why someone would buy the Pre2 NOW knowing that something better is less than a contract duration away.
Another poster mentioned that he was tempted by Windows Phone 7. It is a nice experience. The XBox Live connection is pretty cool if you are an XBox user. I also like the idea of hubs. The really cool feature, to me, compared with Palm is their implementation of push. I could write a Palm app that polls a server for updates, but that takes CPU and therefore battery. With MS and Blackberry, the server can push a message to the phone instead of having the phone pull. I don't know about iPhone and Android.
I've been porting my Palm app to Win Phone 7 and it is mostly a very nice environment. There are a couple of gotchas however.
To me the super strength of Palm is that it is the most open platform for developers. Android is second. Then Windows and last iPhone (pretty close together for lack of open-ness).
Oh, one other thing I wish Palm would "borrow" from Phone 7 is the Trial Mode. Microsoft has made it dead easy for a developer to release one version of his or her app that has trial and paid modes. THEY manage the details. Your app just calls a license API and asks if the app is in trial mode. That's pretty sweet.
Enough rambling. This should really be a blog post...
a couple of months after the hero came out, android had like 30k-40k apps. I went to search for a nice 3d game (which were already available on pre) & I got like 2000+ ghey puzzle apps, & a lot more sound boards apps. I still couldn't find a decent 3d game. The amount of apps doesn't mean sh*t. (they have 3d apps now, but only for high end phones.)
I was @ best buy and they were pushing android over webos aswell. I'm glad I still got the pre.
oh, I hope HP will release the unlocked version they were talking about around the same time verizon gets it. That way I can stay with sprint.
if not, I hope we will be able to switch the sprint com board to the verizon pre2.
They are GSM-unlocked, not compatible with Sprint at all. Also doubt you'll be able to switch the com board. They may look similar, but the Pre and Pre 2 sport fundamentally different hardware.
Another piece of paper for VZW employees to cast aside because it doesn't say Android anywhere on it.
ABOUUUUUT TIIMMMME +1
silly Palm. We are scratching for moresels of news.
One of my friends works at Palm as an intern long before webOS and he said the culture there was horrible. Nobody was excited, nothing was fun. I wonder if it's the same way. Maybe the team isn't motivated enough to want to make release dates.
FIRST!
(using dial-up)
I walked into Verizon today to view the phone, the employees knew nothing about the release of the Palm Pre 2. This was said to have been released today from this site from days leading up to this date. Now looking at it the Palm Pre 2 truly looks like a kind of quick knock off palm pre. I really hope there aren't quality defects in the newer device. Still excited about 2.0 but the bulkier design on a 1 ghz processor meets the characteristics of a defective product quality. Strange that the size of the processor and ram have little effect on the actual size. Though the bulk increases, but it's a sure warning.
umm u know that the faster processor in the pre 2 is actually thinner than the one in the origional pre? because a comp is faster than another it doesnt mean its bigger... remember the intel p2? it was fricken huge and was like 200 mhz. im actually kinda shocked some1 on this site made a statement like that.
You wouldn't be surprised if you realized all the "experts" who comment here don't know diddly-squat.
I am a fan of the Pre and webOS and even though I talk it up to friends and family it's sad that I always have to qualify it with all of the hardware issues I've had, the small app store and the continuing GPS problems with Verizon. I bought the phone almost a year ago, when Verizon's Palm Pre+ page still clearly said GPS / aGPS - how has there not been a class-action lawsuit yet? You can rest assured if/when the iPhone launches on Verizon (please God NO, there goes "the network") it won't have these issues, and if by some chance it does they will be remedied with the utmost of speed.
With HP obviously Palm has second chance here but it's going to take a miracle at this point (what we need is massive units sold) for webOS to succeed with all of the head-starts the competing platforms have. As a Verizon user I'm happy the Pre 2 is coming but I know it will continue to be treated 2nd rate by the carrier (should have been there from the start, not just Sprint) and needs to be everywhere to be truly successful.
I hate to say it, but I just can't see this Pre 2 doing well @ Verizon retail outlets, unless HP does something dramatic. I would like to be proven wrong, but I can only see it happening if HP can generate some kind of buzz or create some kind of serious financial incentive. There's a bit of a catch 22. One the one hand, HP needs to keep these units fairly "low to reasonable" (maybe in the $50-$150 range) if they are going to move them in an significant number. On the other hand sales rep are sales and they are going to push units that they can make more $$ on. Due to the flashier hardware, the buzz, and probably Vzw's own previous incentives, they are going to work Android over WebOS. I am still hoping HP is slowly wheeling the big guns in for CES & the Super Pre.
Verizon may be training employees on webOS 2.0 but what are they actually running commercials for?
Why, the iPad, of course:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzsMSijofvc&feature=player_embedded
Now that's a mobile platform that really is for moms...
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Ok a bit off topic, but does anyone else find the Verizon Droid Pro advertisement hilarious? "It's got a 3.1" skyscraper of a touchscreen mounted on top of an intuitive QWERTY keyboard."
Its a Pixi with a Pre screen.
But it's Android. Ooh, wow...
One note though, verizon is just as happy to push palm if the market changes but that relies on significant amounts of webs devices selling. Price is a factor, if palm launches the pre 2 at $99 and continues that sort of incentive they may grab customers who won't pay $199 for a phone. If they manage to sell a million press over the next 12 months I'd be impressed, maybe they are going to release this phone and rely on ces 2011 buzz to spike sales.
Sorry to rant here, but I'm not expecting anything good out of Verizon's training. As was mentioned above, the Palm Pre 2 will more than likely get the second rate treatment shaft... again.
I went to Verizon's website (I'm on Sprint) just pricing plans for the fun of it. I was looking at phones first and it almost irritated me that all these droid phones are listed on their page in all caps. Check it out... How about a DROID INCREDIBLE? Or a DROID by Motorola? DRIOD X?? DROID PRO? Stop f**king yelling at me to sell you Android shtuff. REALLY???
Also, I went to a kiosk in the mall this past Saturday. I'm like "hey, do you have a case for the palm pre?" The sales rep looks at me for a second and just says "No..." He was really cold about it too. I'm like, wtf dude? I bet if I asked for case for an Android case, he would've been all over that! All of this Android brown-nosing by Verizon is ridiculous...
Anyways, rant over. I wish the Palm Pre 2 on Verizon good luck. It's going to need it...
+1
I've been through similar experiences at Radio Shack, Walmart, and mall Kiosks. I actually found a case before I got the Extended battery but after that, the only case I can get is a leather side oriented pouch. That is it. No love for the Pre Plus...
I have to agree with most of the other posters. if the phone is due out this month where is the buzz? how come HP isn't doing any advertising? and who in their right mind would by a Palm now? I am a long time Palm fan boy and last year switched from Verizon to Sprint just so that I could get a Pre and also got my wife a Pixi, but what can I say these phones are just pure garbage, plain and simple (not to mention that Sprint is much worse then Verizon).
I am eligible for a upgrade in 3 weeks and unless there is some big announcement by then I'm gone. HP has done nothing to keep it's long time Palm users informed so why should I wait until CES to see what's up?.
I've switched to the Epic, but still love the webOS and have my old Pre on standby. Any idea if I can upgrade my Pre to 2.0 via wifi, since it's not activated any longer?
probably not. the update is released via your service provider.
It may not work over WiFi but the 2.0 WebOS Doctor should do the trick. Once the update is out head over to palm.com/rom to get it for your phone.
that won't work either. when you doctor the phone it will ask you for your email to enable the device. i do not believe wifi is enabled by default and i don't believe there's a way to do this without service from the phone company. i recall someone a while back saying something about a patch, but good luck finding it, as i can't remember where i saw it.
You could also swap your active ESN for free on the sprint website which would activate the pre on your account and allow you to get the update. Then just swap the ESN back to your Epic.
It should update fine over WiFi, activated or not. My Wifi-only non-activated $50 on eBay Sprint Pre- got the 1.4.5 update long before it was pushed out (PAALLLLMMMMM!) to my activated Pre+ by Verizon. It's a bit redundant honestly but the battery life is so much better with the cellular radio off on the minus it's what I mostly use around the house while the plus charges, it's battery nearly exhausted from a half-day of moderate usage. And less wear and tear on the plus, which itself was a "good esn" $90 eBay "backup" Pre.
My last Pre+ (having already been swapped 3 times with Verizon for mostly keyboard issues) developed the USB crack and was replaced with a refurb by Palm and sits waiting for duty. My current plus fell out of my holster ONCE (though it wasn't new) last week and I could see the crack starting. FROM ONE DROP. This time I used a dremel and drilled a hole (bolstered by having a backup anyway) so hopefully the crack will stop there. Although now I have to constantly check the speaker (so I don't miss a call - it's also the ringer) because it's becoming intermittent. I tap it a few times and it comes back. Geeze, maybe Palm deserved to die, huh?.... Best phone OS, worst build-quality phones ever.
All HP has to do to make this launch on VZW a hit is bump the sales commission for VZW reps. Palm couldn't do that because Palm had no money. HP can and I'm sure HP understands that you have to spend money to make money. Get the reps on board and they'll sing the praises of anything you put in their hand.
they ALLLL own android phones... we webos fans try selling our phones to people even though we are not sales reps. hmmm i wonder what a vz sales reps going to push HMMMM
If you're gonna make 10-20 bucks more per phone, you'll push that phone. Most sales reps aren't exactly rolling in dough, it's not a high paying job. You'll sell what will make you more money. If you can push 5 people from Android to Palm in a day, that's a not-insignificant amount of money for someone living off of commissions.
I'm sorry to say this but the pre 2 is dead in the water.
The OS has a lot of good stuff in it but it's to late in the game,and the hard ware is ok but that's it. I think this phone was made for the people who really like palm that's it. Every body I knew who had a pre 1 has left and said they will never buy another.
HP is not going to make a big thing of Palm's last baby the Pre 2. HP's eye is on 2011 to push out new WebOS devices with new names. Also, it seems that At&t will be the first to get the new HP devices as they were the only one to hold a WebOS Webinar.
If HPalm is smart, they won't have the word "PRE" anywhere in the name of the new devices. This is it for the PRE, PRE PLUS and PRE PLUS + (PRE 2).
HP needs to come up with a new developers handbook and better guides on how to program with the new apis.