Thoughts on the Palm Pre

Ok, so after careful consideration, here are my thoughts on the new palm pre.  The phone will be amazing.  It definitely has the potential to give the iPhone a run for it’s money.  The touch screen looks very stable and responsive.  The design is clean and sleek.  The biggest parts; the Operating System and User Interface look AMAZING and fun to use.  The device is feature rich and has all of the technology expected of a modern smartphone.  However, this is the main problem.

Sweet Palm Pre Features:

• Design:
  • Integrated screen: The fact that the status bar and such look like they are part of the device hardware and not the screen is a nice design touch.
  • Sleek River-Stone look:  The entire device looks like it was slowly shaped by years of water running over it, making it look modern and classy.
  • Slightly Curved Shape:  The engineers hit the nail on the head by putting a slight curve in the device so it fits nicely against ones face.  It IS a phone after all!
• Functionality:
  • Slick OS:  From the “Deck of Cards” presentation of applications, to the unintrusive notification service, the UI is well thought out and planned.
  • Universal Sync Services:  The phones “Synergy” ability is truly what sets it apart from the rest.  Having a device that can switch between IM and SMS seamlessly is the only way to go.  Also, the capability to keep your contacts updated across non-conventional systems (such as facebook) is priceless.
  • Proximity Charging Station:  The Palm Touchstone device that allows your Pre to charge while simply resting on this hockeypuck looking device is almost sci-fi.  No need to plug it in, just rest your phone on top and let the charging begin!

The reason that the pre will not be able to kill the iPhone is not so much the device itself as much as it is Palm the company.  Palm is a purely reactionary company.  As the company sees the world of technology changing, they prefer to wait and see how it will change before devoting themselves to a new design.  This will always prevent them from creating the “next-best-thing”.  In-contrast, Apple is a visionary company.  They are more concerned with directing the bandwagon then hopping on it.  What does all of this mean in practice?  Well, next month when the Pre hits, we are going to see a spike in sales as everyone rushes out and gets their hands on the newest thing in the market.  However, when the rumored new iPhone is released later in the month, Apples visionary tendency will ensure that everyone will be rushing out to get their hand on the newest thing in the NEXT market.  Once out, it will be quite a while until any tech company has something that can compete in this new market.  The iPhone will be able to enjoy an extended vacation at the top of everyones wish-list.

So yes, go ahead and buy the pre and enjoy the two or so weeks when I am completely envious of all that it can do, because I think I will wait for the iPhone 3G-2 as I know it will be unlike anything we have seen yet.  Would you expect anything less from Apple?

[DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor have I gotten my hands on the Palm Pre.  I have watched endless videos and demos online, and I base my entire opinion on the assumption that the Pre with work as it SHOULD.  We all know how nice the Blackberry storms UI looked before it’s release, and it was one of the most horrid OS’s that I have ever used.  I do, however, own an original iPhone, and have used the new 3G extensively.]