The Palm Pre
 

Let me first start by saying I am the SVP of business development for a large telecom company in Europe and the Middle East. I am a hard core Blackberry fan...having a "ninja bold'...blacked out everything (which I love).
I had a rep come into my office today with the new Palm Pre. he had both the CDMA and 3G GSM versions with him. I got to play around with both for a day.
All I can say is WOW!!! This phone is amazing! The 3G version had a variable speed CPU that runs up to 1Ghz. The screen is the same (480x320) but at 3.1 inches...has more pixel density. The touchscreen is very fast...with no lag. The Linux based software is very fast...I experienced almost NO lag.
The interface is very cool and very intuitive. The slide out keyboard is a bit tight...and has gel like feeling to it. It doesn't have the "click" of the Bold's....but I could type very accurately and quickly with it. I was very surprised at the build quality as well. Very tight and clean.
I think it is going to be a great phone and will compete very closely with Blackberry...specifically with the 8900 and our 9000s.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry Curve 8320)

I agree with you, but don't have push and this the stronger side of Blackberry

I asked the same question...and I was told it will have real push capabilities. If it offers this, along with exchange integration and security...it will be a tough contender.

That's what they said about the iPhone as well .... but their version of "push" was worthless which is why I got rid of mine. If the iPhone had BB"like" push email + all it's available apps it would be the endall.

The Palm Pre has nothing to do with the Bold 9000, so why is it in this section?

Moving this thread to the "Blackberry Versus" forum.

Deploying the Pre on Sprint only is going to hurt Palm. Not because Sprint is that bad, but because its only one carrier. Apple could get away with it because they're Apple and are great at creating hype for a product. Apple also didn't depend on the iphone to keep them out of bankruptcy. If Palm was smart, they would have said f-that to exclusive contracts and dumped the Pre out to all 4 carriers. Limiting it to the #3 carrier is stupid.

The 3G GSM version will be on all of the Euro and Asian carriers. Eventually it will make it to AT&T and T Mobile US.

Did the GSM version have 850 and 1900 support? I see you are in westchester county (my old stomping grounds), is that where you tested the GSM version? Can you say what carrier you were using it on?

Palm is somewhat like Apple. Great product but without a good back end to manage, report, delpoy with it's appeal is limited to large enterprise. Considering what BES offers us and at an TCO nothing can match why would any large company with a sizeable deployment switch to Palm (or iPhone for that matter)?

A slick device is half the solution and while both offer some fantastic advances they are not business focused and I question if there is any Palm developers left? I got into this field back when Palm was everywhere and I can't even count the number of Palm Professional, V's, Vx I deployed.

The past few Palm's didn't make much of a splash and I seriously think the majority of their user base (both consumer and business) have migrated to another platform.

Now if they could snap into BES or Mobile Device Manager 2008 it would make an interesting choice but they'd need to be similar priced.

Hi Carl..
The 3G version is WCDMA (UMTS world 3G). It will run fine on AT&T, T Mobile and Vodafone, Roshan, Itisalat, etc.
Love Westchester...just moved here from the Island.
Didn't test it here in the states...can't say what carrier...but I will say that I had no issues there and wouldn't if I had it in the states.

thank Jerry, I figured you couldnt divulge too much and I certainly understand that. Do you know if there is going to be just one GSM version that will support both the US and European carriers or will they do like Nokia does and release a version that will work in Europe and one for the US, leaving out key freqs?

I grew up in Sleepy Hollow, over on the Hudson, nice place, very expensive. My Mom still lives there, so I visit several times a year, I'll be up there in March. I havent lived there though for over 30 years!

I do agree with you...but I see it in a different light. Most of the world does not need instant, secure email. The iPhone, as well as the Pre, is not targeting the hard core corporate email user. it is targeting the other 90% of the world's phone users. They simply want a phone that makes calls when they want to, get a few emails, and text themselves silly. They want to plug in their headphones, turn on the music or watch a movie on their commute on the train. The iPhone is fantastic for this...and the Pre will also. The BB (I have a "ninja bold")....is a fantastic device...but it is a small niche compared to the world's users.
There are very few of us mobile tech geeks...pulling our phones apart to change bezels, trackballs, etc. 95% of the world doesn't give a damn about what OS they have on their phones as long as it works. They aren't going to spend hours updating their OS with betas, deleting vendor files, etc. They just want to plug the thing in to their computers, transfer their contacts and music...and off they go. if they have a software update...they just want to do it automatically...without the tech stuff we love.
The Pre and iPhone fit that bill perfectly. They are built well...simple to use...add music and games...and occasionally email and send text. You won't find 95% of the world's users writing about their phones on forums or tearing them apart. Only the select few...like us. They don't have the time nor the patience for this stuff! I think the Pre will do very nicely in Europe and Asia...and eventually the states. It fits the masses.

I am in Croton on Hudson. They are going to release 2 versions...one strict CDMA for Sprint...then the world 3G version later this year. The 3G version will work in the states....and not on EDGE like the Nokias. I had an E90 in Europe and it worked like a charm on 3G. Brought it home...and was stuck on EDGE! Such an expensive phone and it was slow as hell here...and the video conference didn't work!

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry Curve 8320)

I think that the PRE will be a good contender for the iPhone and Blackberry

I guess the question is how many devices are purchased by companies for their employees vs. personal bought. There is already a huge debate in many companies over personal liable devices accessing corporate data so as mobility grows (and I agree it will grow tremendously - likely slower in the current economy)

The biggest issue is carriers need to cut the costs of data plans as it is cost prohibitive to the average consumer.

I agree...the cost of unlimited data plans are high. Just look at the number of iPhones that have/are being purchased. Most of them are for personal use (few are corporate vs the blackberry). So...the market is very receptive to personal tech devices.
Blackberry will always have a niche market in the corporate arena...but the number is small compared to the general mobile market. Look at Nokia...most of their phones are personal use data phones and they have sold millions and millions of them. The Pre will do very well in markets such as Europe and particularly Asia...where "coolness" and data (particularly SMS, MMS) is huge.

I also had an E90 and it was a bit of a disappointment. No 3G here (although I knew that going into the purchase), and after a while the size was a problem for me.

My Dad worked in Croton on Hudson for 30 years... rode the train up every day. Small world.

Thanks for your info. I understand there will be a CDMA and GSM version, I just wanted to be sure the GSM version would work here, and preferably on 3G. I guess we will know more about the 3G version after MWC next week.

The point here is you can get instant push and sync with other devices now besides a blackberry. Trust me, I LOVE my BB, and for me the killer app is mail, followed by it has to be a good phone. Of course the BB excels in these areas. However, with Exchange active sync, you can get instant mail and sync. Most MS mobile devices and now the iPhone work very well with no delay for mail delivery. On S60 device, I could never get instant active sync to work with mail for exchange, but even at 15 minutes intervals, it worked fine for most situations.

I think the Pre will do well, but I still think RIM/BB will rule large enterprise installatons. Any company that implemented a BES infrastructure along thousands of BBs is unlikely to ditch it all and switch to either a Pre or iphone environment. However, I think both Apple and Palm have done a smart thing by supporting EAS, since it can be deployed side by side with a BES server. I dont know about the security aspects of EAS (I assume it support SSL), but that will allow other devices to coexist with a BES.

The real question will be, will corporations want to support multiple phone platforms and will users, especially higher up execs, demand support for their iPhones and Pres. At my company, we have a BES server and also have users using EAS to sync their iphones and WM devices. It all works nicely together.

The real question will be, will corporations want to support multiple phone platforms and will users, especially higher up execs, demand support for their iPhones and Pres. At my company, we have a BES server and also have users using EAS to sync their iphones and WM devices. It all works nicely together.[/QUOTE]

I agree completely Carl. The BB will stay put in the corporate environment and I don't think it will be pushed out anytime soon. I just think that the Pre will target the 90% of phone users who do not need the secure, instant email....just as the iPhone has done. I think Palm and Apple, as an added feature...include integration into corporate email synchs...but it was not its intended purpose. They just want to reach a broader/niche market and penetrate it a bit as icing on the cake. But...it will complete very fiercely with BB (Storm, 8900 & 900) and iPhone for the all purpose media, text, browser and personal email users. Plus...that damn charging stone is VERY cool!