Video Interview With Palm Pre Software Product Manager 0
Ben Smith from Mobile Industry Review got a chance to talk with Sachin Kansal, the Palm Pre Software Product Manager to find out more about the Pre before he got the hands-on demonstration at MWC.
Sachin has been with Palm for seven years as part of the product management team and has been responsible for the product management side of the apps that ship on the Pre.
Ben asked about what inspired the move away from the Palm OS and Windows OS?
Sachin replied that Palm had realized over time that control over the definition of the software is very important. Both technically and from a user experience perspective, Palm feels that without control over the software, and the integration of the software and the hardware, they wouldn't have been able to achieve the goal that they have, which is to redefine how people use their smartphones overall.
Sachin says that given the demand of current users, the Web is really important for Palm, and they felt that they needed to completely redefine the mobile operating system in order to take advantage of the Web. And that's what they did with the Pre using WebOS.
Ben asked what really innovative features (regarding software) of the Pre would change the way that people use their smartphones. Sachin replied that there are about three things that he thinks are high level items that will redefine the user experience:
- Synergy
- Ability to handle multiple simultaneous applications (Card View)
- The way Palm handles interruptions and notifications on the Pre
I was glad to hear that according to Sachin, Palm feels that quality is paramount, and they will not ship their device until they're happy with how it works, how stable it is, and whether or not there are a very high level of bugs.
According to Sachin, the WebOS is going to be Palm's platform for the next decade. As Palm is designing the WebOS, they are making it very flexible so they can do various kinds of hardware devices. And there will be certain common aspects across all those hardware devices. Palm's goal is to have a broad portfolio of products based on the WebOS. I can't wait to start hearing about all those other devices after the Pre is released!
No word on when the Pre or other devices will be released but the interview was very interesing. Ben Smith asked some great questions. You can watch the full video interview here.
