Engadget Mobile just reported that an employee of Australia’s Telstra let us all know that HTC will soon be releasing a device that will be better than the Pre. Now, the big news is not that HTC is announcing a new device, or that it will be a good one. The amazing thing about this report is that manufacturers like HTC are now looking to create Pre-killers.
No more of yesterday’s iPhone killers. The iPhone is somewhat already part of the past, and the company responsible for this is no other than Palm. I don’t think anyone would have believed this scenario to be possible even a month ago. The truth is though, that Palm deserves the credit and a lot of it for their new Pre. It really is an amazing device that includes all the characteristics necessary to make what can be considered the best handset on the planet.
Like I said in the fourth episode of Likemob (the best podcast on mobile news), it is not the hardware that is getting everyone excited. Although, the hardware is definitely worth mentioning. They did manage to get a full QWERTY (even though it is a portrait one) into a 17 mm package along with a beautiful 3.1 inch multitouch touch screen display. But the OS is what makes this phone number one.
Palm really went all out with Web OS. I guess the two factors that make this OS a huge winner are the “card” interface and Synergy. The card interface allows the user to easily switch between tasks, such as viewing pictures, listening to music, and writing an email. All you do is press the Home button and the device zooms out for you to see all the tasks that are currently open. The coolest part, I think, is the ability to simply swipe one of the open tasks right off the display and by that, close the application. So unlike Symbian for example, in which closing a running app is a whole huge deal, this is completely seamless and could not be easier.
The other big thing that Palm introduced us to with the Pre, is Synergy. It is as it sounds. It basically combines all the different social circles of your life into one easy and basic interface. This includes a layered contact list with contact information from your Outlook, Web email account, Facebook account, and any other place the specific contact has info stored. This also includes a joined calendar and a combined email interface. It just makes things simpler.
What remains to be seen with the Pre is of course how well it will works in reality. Another huge question mark is the usability of the Palm App Catalogue. What will the installation process be like? Will it be similar to the Apple App Store or perhaps something closer to the hellish Symbian experience? We also do not know the pricing yet, although there is a rumor circulating that it will go for $399 with a contract.
Whatever the case may be, Palm has already succeeded in doing what no company has done in a long time. They have managed to finally give Apple something to worry about. There has been talk about various iPhone killers, but correct me if I am wrong, I have never seen anyone use the term “HD Killer” or “Omnia Killer” before. The mobile world has now moved on from the iPhone due to Palm, and the new goal of the cellular giants should be to create what is now called a Pre-Killer. Sounds better than iPhone killer anyway, doesn’t it?
-Hillel
hmmm. So we take some Apple produced technology (WebKit – which Apple handed back to the dev community). A group of ex Apple employees. And then produce a “product” that is basically a tick list of features geeks wanted Apple to do. This does not a product make. Problem is that there are not enough geeks to make this profitable.
Basically you have a phone that runs Dashboard. This is not new or special. I don’t think Apple will be unduly worried about this.
Honestly, it looks like Palm are lining themselves up to be sold to someone. They have basically killed their current product line until the release of this thing and that ain’t going to be pretty in the current economy. This site is supposed to be about tech and marketing but this is more like smoke and mirrors.
Well, I have to disagree with everything you just wrote. Sorry to say, but the experts are with me on this one. The entire industry is very exciting about this product. In terms of the actual phone, yes there are some features missing in the iPhone but all in all, the UI is just done very well, and the QWERTY really makes it a winner.
I am a bit confused that you disagree with “everything I just wrote”. It is a phone that runs WebKit which is rebranded as WebOS. WebKit was developed by Apple and then handed back to the community. It IS the same basically as Dashboard is in OSX. So I don’t really see what you have to disagree about those.
Basically all the industry wants an iPhone killer. This is not it. Yes it is something that the geeks want. The general public not so much. We shall see what happens when it is actually available for sale but suffice to say based on the Palm people asked it ain’t going to be as cheap as an iPhone and it ain’t going to actually appear for at least 5 months. In the meantime you think that Apple will stand still?
Let’s see what the phone market is like when this thing hits the stores. Remember Apple are getting a lot closer to the end of their exclusive deal with ATT. I wonder what happens when that lands?
FYI: HTC makes Palm’s phones. So your entire premise is flawed.
And nobody is talking about “Pre-Killers” because Palm’s phone isn’t even available yet. There’s nothing to kill. You may as well fantasize about “Foleo Killers” and “Zune Killers” and “Edsel Killers.”
Also, a “QWERTY keyboard” is not a physical/mechanical one, but rather refers to the standard key layout. The iPhone has a QWERTY keyboard, too. It just works via the touch screen, something the Pre can’t yet manage.
Hi,
Thanks for the feedback, but the Pre will NOT be made by HTC, SEE http://htcsource.com/index.php/HTC/A-few-clarifications-on-the-Palm-Pre.html. Good call about the definition of a QWERTY keyboard, I think most people understood what I meant. Keep reading, appreciate your feedback.
Since the Pre has no recordable market share yet, it can not be said that it has overtaken the iPhone, hence…you know, has not achieved the extraordinary level of success that the iPhone has as you would have it appear.
I suggest that you take the more rational approach: Make a note that it is comparing itself to the Pre only because it can’t touch the iPhone.
Hi Vito,
Thanks for your feedback. I did not mean that it has literally overtake the iPhone of course. Just the fact that HTC now wants to design a Pre-Killer is impressive to me. Don’t you agree?
how can you praise a product (pre) so much before it even got out to the market?
just as a quick reminder: before the mobile me service was launched, apple and the press have praised its greatness and uniqueness and especially what it should do better then the .mac service till then.
do you remember what happened when mobile me was launched?
although those are totally different products by definition, over-praising them both might lead to a similar outcome if pre turns out to be a flop.
Hi Lior,
Thanks for your feedback, I actually agree with you and will even tell you that there is a better example than Mobile Me, the BB Storm, everyone was so excited by it, but it became a flop. However, there is no debating that the major industry buzz is surrounding the Pre so I decided to write about it.
As an iPhone user, I have to admit that the Pre looks fairly impressive. Of course, making a product look good in a demo is one thing, but making it work well in the real world is another. It definitely has a few advantages such as the removable battery and the cards metaphor for application switching. How well Synergy really works is yet to be determined.
Apple should consider making an iPhone with a similar form factor (including drop down keyboard) in order to suit a larger audience.
That said, the development environment looks week. Very simple apps will be find in HTML, CSS and Javascript. Apple tried that approach too, but developers weren’t impressed until they received the real development kit with Cocoa and Objective C. Also, while Palm does deserve credit for rethinking the user interface just as Apple has, RattyUK is correct in suggesting that a WebOS based on Apple’s Webkit doesn’t really put Apple at a disadvantage. Apple can very easily make a few minor changes to trump the few advantages seen with the Pre.
Still, hats off to Palm for getting my attention (and others as well). I was certainly in the category that all but written Palm off as dead and dying. They may well be back in the game. Good for them! Though, I not sure being tied to Sprint in the US is necessarily a good move.
Hi Hilzfuld,
But what it tells me is that HTC is not chasing the dominant and most elegant phone, the iPhone, making it seem as if it’s shooting to dominate the third-best, at most. The question to be asked is why HTC it’s not attempting to out-do the iPhone, the standard of excellence (if market share is to be considered as the indicator of excellence in this case)?
Hi Vito,
That is what I am saying, I do not think market share is the only measurement. The Pre offers many things that the iPhone does not. Just to list a few: Hardware keyboard, a2dp, replaceable battery, copy and paste (I am assuming), running multiple apps at the same time etc etc. There are more. So HTC seems to think that the Pre will outdo the iPhone and I am not sure I disagree.
At $399 this phone sucks… plus ur missing a very important point in why people lve their iPhones… its not the screen, or the elegance. Its the Apps. period.
OK so first of all, unless you are the CEO of Palm (which I doubt based on your comment), you cannot possibly know how much the phone will sell for. $399 is a rumor. Second of all, Palm will have what they call the App Catalogue, which will be similar to the App Store, so let’s wait and see how the apps are.
It’s quite easy to tell who owns an Iphone. I am a Treo user who’s anxiously awaiting this phone. You’d think as a diehard Mac user since ’84 that I’d have the original Iphone, but I will never write another check to AT&T regardless of how great the Apple hardware is.
My wife has a touchscreen phone with virtual keyboard. I quickly learned that I cannot get used to that. I’ve even used an Iphone for an extended period of time and can’t get the hang of that keyboard either. The Pre looks to be the exact copy of my Treo 755p.
I’m not looking for an Iphone or an Iphone killer. I was looking at the HTC Touch Pro before the Pre was introduced. I’ve never stood in line for a new product before, but I’ll probably be among the first to buy one. It may not have all the apps that the Iphone does, but I just can’t figure out how an animated image of a Zippo lighter makes my phone cool.
The Pre looks to have enough of what I need in a phone, and as a web developer it sounds like if I need it extended that it could be a DIY project.
Can’t be a lover or a hater until the product ships, right?
Tomascco, thanks for that comment. I love that Zippo app 🙂 No, but in seriousness, you are right, this phone has some major advantages on the iPhone, although I disagree with you about the keyboard, the iPhone’s correction software makes it totally usable for me at least. Keep reading…
Hehe, don’t you know that arguing with Apple fanboys is like trying to milk a bull? 🙂
I dont see the Pre as an “iPhone killer”, I see it as the anti-iPhone. I great option for people who don’t want to buy an iPhone.
Preeminent and Miles, thanks so much for reading. Miles, you are probably right about that, it is the Anti-iPhone 🙂