Palm Pre versus the iPhone? What the...

[Roessnakhan]

Well first off, the iPhone isn't compatible with Verizon's network, so that would have to be changed. But I'd like to see the iPhone on different carriers. It would require more manufacturing on Apple's part - different carriers have different 3G frequencies, and as mentioned with Verizon, the phone would have to be made CDMA.

 

[nick9191]

I've watched some Palm Pre videos on Youtube. The interface looks similar to the iPhone, I don't care what anyone says. I think it looks like a nice device, but certainly wont have any impact on the iPhone even if the Pre was better (marketing, brand awareness etc.) which it isn't.

For me the iPhone is better than anything I've ever used, and I hate to say it but I think most of the Pre's media attention comes from people thinking Palm was dead. If the iPhone had been like the Pre, no one would have really cared.

Roll on June and roll on iPhone 3rd gen I say.

 

[kas23]

The PP was probably a better phone. It was the anti-iPhone. They listened to all of the complaints with the iPhone and incorporated them into their OS; MMS, c/p, note syncing, background apps, SMS forwarding, etc.

However, I believed they showed their hand much too early as Apple has turned around and basically neutralized the PP's hype by now allowing all these features into OS 3.0. I really wonder if we would be seeing so many new features with 3.0 if Palm had kept its lips sealed. Perhaps Palm could have caught Apple with its pants down if they made their announcement in May instead. This would have given Apple little time to play catch-up. Instead, it appears Apple has leap-frogged Palm.

 

[kage207]

My friend uses his jailbroke iPhone on Verizon.

 

[Roessnakhan]

My friend uses his jailbroke iPhone on Verizon.

I think that's impossible.

 

[nutsnbolts]

That's understandable. In that case, you're probably not a Pre buyer. Other people like being able to type accurately without looking, or just like the feel of physical keys.

I think the Pre's big breakthrough will be if/when it also shows up on Verizon and ATT, like the HTC Touch Pro did, and many Blackberries do.

I truly believe that in future histories, Apple's decision to put greed & control over availability will go down as a longterm mistake. It's given other phone makers a lot of time and space in which to build competition. The other companies are selling millions of devices to people who would otherwise have gotten an iPhone.

Don't quote me on this but this has been something that I have read and people have chanted about how Apple operates. Part of the "control" model is the fact that they want to ensure that they give the best quality, innovative products that come from them. In other words, if some genious idea is about to be thoughtout, it would have to come from Apple. Yes, us "other people" can come out with bright ideas (RSS player/Podcaster, for example), great idea, but as far as implementing, Apple will have to bear the fruit. Who is to say Apple never thought about this...

On the other hand, quality control is another thing that gets spread around on how Apple operates. The theory of less hands in the mixer.

I think we can go on forever debating what makes or breaks a device but that is what makes Apple different. I don't agree with Apple but the fact that they can come out with a demeanor such as "arrogant, controlled freaks" is otherwise known as "Apple, inc."

Guess what, we either bow down or we jailbreak (who will not take this crap).

 

[dongmin]

The iPhone might have started out as just a phone with a nice UI but it has evolved into something much much bigger, a platform. It has a huge catalogue of 3rd party applications at the touch of your fingertips and a large stable of mostly happy developers. And they've just released a very promising new set of APIs with hooks to hardware accessories that will make it a even better platform.

You can see in Apple's recent marketing efforts that it's really about the 3rd Party software. So Apple is investing heavily into extending the platform and getting more developers on board.

That to me is potentially where Palm will fail. The WebOS seems to be a relatively accessible OS to develop for, but do developers really want to spend the resources to develop for it, when they have the iPhone OS, Android, Blackberry, AND Windows Mobile???

It'll take more than just a slide-out keyboard and a rehashed version of the Multi-touch interface to become a real threat to Apple.

 

[bigchief]

My friend uses his jailbroke iPhone on Verizon.

Your friend is not telling you the truth. AT&T is GSM, Verizon is TDMA.

 

[renewed]

I definitely think that if the Palm Pre would of been made available in say, November of 2008 then it would of made some what of an impact, being that it would of had a lot of features the iPhone did not. At this point people would of seen what the iPhone 3G had and if they were not impressed (saying well it's the second iPhone and it still doesn't have CP or MMS etc..) then the Pre would of been a great alternative.

Now that they have showed what the Pre is about without releasing it yet, and Apple being able to integrate many missing features people complained about, I think that Palm has done too little too late.

Now I will say that I hope the Pre can end up competing with the iPhone strictly to keep Apple on their toes. One thing I love about American business is competition. Keeps products continuously being improved and also keeps the price reasonable. iPhone needs a competitor and Google and t-mobile have falling way short, hopefully someone else (Palm?..BlackBerry?) can be up to the task.

 

[BergerFan]

The iPhone might have started out as just a phone with a nice UI but it has evolved into something much much bigger, a platform. It has a huge catalogue of 3rd party applications at the touch of your fingertips and a large stable of mostly happy developers. And they've just released a very promising new set of APIs with hooks to hardware accessories that will make it a even better platform.

You can see in Apple's recent marketing efforts that it's really about the 3rd Party software. So Apple is investing heavily into extending the platform and getting more developers on board.

That to me is potentially where Palm will fail. The WebOS seems to be a relatively accessible OS to develop for, but do developers really want to spend the resources to develop for it, when they have the iPhone OS, Android, Blackberry, AND Windows Mobile???

It'll take more than just a slide-out keyboard and a rehashed version of the Multi-touch interface to become a real threat to Apple.

Palm will have it's niche, and it's fans, but yeah, I agree, iPhone OS will become an even bigger platform in the coming years, because they have the full package behind it: The ease of use, the 10+ years of consumer brand awareness(that's huge, and can't be made/bought overnight) since the original iMac and explosion of the iPod, word of mouth, the stellar 3rd party support, etc, etc.
Apple's rivals may build devices where some features are superior, but when it comes to the whole package, they'll always be playing catch up, take the iPod as an example.

 

[psywzrd]

Your friend is not telling you the truth. AT&T is GSM, Verizon is CDMA.

Fixed.

 

[nutsnbolts]

You know I beg to question...where Japan is in all this?

Heck, they are already running around watching TV on their handsets where we are still struggling how or when or whatever can we get a static image up on the phone (MMS). Obviously this is being addressed but as we talk about how the iPhone is ahead of it's time, I bet sales in Japan (I don't know if iPhone is available there), is not doing as well as, everywhere else.

 

[renewed]

Your friend is not telling you the truth. AT&T is GSM, Verizon is TDMA.

It is CDMA and you can unlock the iPhone for Verizon.

 

[renewed]

You know I beg to question...where Japan is in all this?

Heck, they are already running around watching TV on their handsets where we are still struggling how or when or whatever can we get a static image up on the phone (MMS). Obviously this is being addressed but as we talk about how the iPhone is ahead of it's time, I bet sales in Japan (I don't know if iPhone is available there), is not doing as well as, everywhere else.

*I stand corrected Japan does have the iPhone*

 

[BergerFan]

Japan has great services, but no idea when it comes to UI and the user experience. Many writers have commented on how they just cram features onto their cutting edge devices, with seemingly little thought on how the user would operate them.

 

[iAlan]

You know I beg to question...where Japan is in all this?

Heck, they are already running around watching TV on their handsets where we are still struggling how or when or whatever can we get a static image up on the phone (MMS). Obviously this is being addressed but as we talk about how the iPhone is ahead of it's time, I bet sales in Japan (I don't know if iPhone is available there), is not doing as well as, everywhere else.

iPhone is not in Japan because the whole country is already 4G

Japan has great services, but no idea when it comes to UI and the user experience. Many writers have commented on how they just cram features onto their cutting edge devices, with seemingly little thought on how the user would operate them.

First off, yes Japan has the iPhone.

Secondly, yes you can watch TV running around everywhere - and for the first time I think all the country was tuned into the WBC all at once on every conceivable TV viewing device - thank God (or the Emperor) Japan won! That being said, I very very rarely see anyone watching TV on their 1Seg phones.

Lastly, Japan phones do have features all shoved in there that people just either don't know how to use or don't know are there in the first place. The iPhone offered something different, but the selling point was lost when competitors said 'Can you watch TV on it?", "Is there space for a keitai strap?", "How about emoji?", "Blah Blah Blah". And people listened and the iPhone has not been the successes it could have been. Hopefully 3.0 will rectify that!

 

[eastercat]

Ok, maybe I missed the boat but what's so great about the Palm Pre that is actually gaining some traction against the iPhone? I know that there has been "other" phones to have tried and rivaled the iPhone but now I'm hearing Palm Pre here and Palm Pre there, etc.

Can someone just give a high level of specifically what's so great about the Palm Pre?

Some people have forgotten the lessons of pre-release products. To quote Public Enemy, "Don't Believe the Hype".
Now, the Pre looks very promising. It has a touch screen interface that seems to be easy to use. It also possesses useful features that people here have wanted for the iPhone.
There's also the story of Palm itself. If the Pre is a success, it'll save Palm's ass. That's the sort of underdog story that would play well with tech writers.
However, there are no guarantees until the day the Pre is released (on Sprint). Depending on where one lives, Sprint's service could make or break the Pre. At least Palm has stated they'll eventually make a GSM version eventually.

G1 and countless other phones have also been dubbed iPhone killers. Maybe one day, someone will release a phone that's a worthy iPhone competitor. Perhaps with that goal in mind, it'll do better than the alleged iPhone killers.

 

[slapppy]

Seems the like the Pre can sync ToDo's... yet iPhone still can't.

 

[plumbingandtech]

Seems the like the Pre can sync ToDo's... yet iPhone still can't.

ZOMG! I'm switching to sprint NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Cause' the Pre can do 3D graphics too right?... oops, it can't....


Seriously, if you are going to pick a reason why you favor the PRE over the iPhone can you at least pick one that can't be solved with a simple (albeit for whatever reason apple has not implemented) software update?

In the mean time, there are plenty of To Do's apps to choose in the 25K + apps in the iPhone library.

(and they are not written in html and javascript so you get full compiled speed fluidity with them).

 

[Eso]

Cause' the Pre can do 3D graphics too right?... oops, it can't....

I don't see a reason for there to be. Even Apple didn't anticipate the type of gaming platform the iPhone/Touch is turning out to be. Their more recent commercials have highlighted this capability and I think they will be pushing it more seriously as a gaming platform with the next generation. At the same time, I doubt Palm is very interested in going that direction, and 3D gaming isn't really a smartphone feature.

25K + apps in the iPhone library

25,000 apps for nearly 100 unique tasks. The "books" section alone is technically 3000 individual apps. But, I agree, people are wooed by big, meaningless numbers - I imagine it's the same evolutionary mechanism that causes animals to puff up when they want to appear intimidating.

(and they are not written in html and javascript so you get full compiled speed fluidity with them).

Actually, the app framework is called "MoJo" which is based on the web standards so it will actually run faster than compiled iPhone applications and run with less memory. I haven't researched it much but it appears that the UI will be styled with Javascript and CSS as there are things the Pre has been shown to do which can't be done with web standards alone.

 

[Jpoon]

It is CDMA and you can unlock the iPhone for Verizon.

No you can't lol. The iPhone is strictly GSM. The only reason why people have SIM cards in BB's on Verizon is to roam, or use the World Edition in different countries.

 

[nfl46]

You should change the title. It should say Palm Pre versus iPhone 3G.

We don't even know what the new iPhone is going to have. It could have an updated camera, video camera, etc. I think the comparisons should begin when the NEW iPhone comes out. I don't think its fair to compare it to the 3G since the Pre isn't going to come out until the NEW iPhone is released.

 

[Eso]

iPhone apps

Apple is throwing that 25K figure around on their site too, so I have been browsing the app store just to see what random apps it offers.

Found iWiFi - Free Wifi Hotspot. The icon is really ugly, but it actually looked like it might be useful, plus I was just dying to know how it could produce a free wifi hotspot. It was worth a laugh. It looks like some High School programming homework assignment. All it appears to do is import a google maps search of "Free Wifi" into the app window. 25,000-1.

I went through categories and into weather. There's 7 pages of weather apps - that's 140. There's EZ Radar - FL - no doubt we'll be seeing 49 variations of this app as time goes on. And look, weather specifically for the Northern Rockies. They are both made by the same guy too.

Say I actually want something, ya know, useful... an e-book reader. I'll try the reference section, and sort by popular. Ok let's see, we've got a wikipedia app, and another wikipedia app. They do mean wikipedia as in the easily-accessible-through-safari wikipedia.org, right? Hrm, a constitution (I need this on my phone why?), the "Xbox achievement guide", hrm. Well, let's try the next page. Oh, another 3 wikipedia, something about police codes, um... ok on to page 3. More bill of rights/constitution, oh even a constitution they want to sell to me for $2, and a pizza searching app.

So, basically nothing so far that I can't get with one google search in safari. You can't filter apps by criteria like rating, newer than a specific date, or (most obvious) by device requirement. But hey! You can search, let's try that. "ebook Reader". Oh, bother, it doesn't search within only the app store, but that's OK, I'll just "see all" applications. And look at that, it seems I get a random assortment of books and Kindle. I'll try "eReader". Ok, two results, one useful. It's the "eReader" app, just like kindle. No results for Stanza or Bookshelf, which I was really searching for. Yeah, the app store is lame.

 

[Macman756]

I wouldn't buy a Pre just because of Sprint.

 

[kas23]

I wouldn't buy a Pre just because of Sprint.

Sprint just gets a bad rep, but half of it isn't true. I had Sprint for 7 years before jumping to get the iPhone. I never had a problem with them. And they have a better network. If Sprint somehow magically offered the iPhone tomorrow, I would switch back.