Palm Pre
11th January 2009
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Palm is making a comeback in a big way with its recently announced Palm Pre device. Nobody has touted it as an iPhone killer but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s damn near close. It is simply put, the best example of an iPhone-class device that anyone has managed to come up with. Microsoft and HTC has tried but failed miserably, Palm may just have it in them to pull off a coup. Just take a look at the video below showing the new webOS interface:
Announced at CES on 9th January 2009, Palm released the details of the hardware, design and software that will be running on the Palm Pre which is expected to arrive in the US and European markets within the first half of 2009. Sprint in the US will be getting the exclusive rights to the device which they are hoping will win back some of their customers that defected to AT&T when the iPhone and the iPhone 3G launched.
Featuring a brand new OS platform built by Palm dubbed the Palm webOS, the interactive and animated elements help to create a user experience that is on par with the quality that can be seen on the iPhone but done tastefully in its own style. The name of the new mobile OS is very much akin to the way it works. Using web browser technology such as JavaScript, CSS and HTML, Palm have been able to create the responsive and graphically rich interface.
The internal specifications were also revealed at the press conference and will be a 3G-class device with a 3.1-inch touch screen display sporting a 24-bit colour 320 x 480 HVGA resolution. Alongside the 3G wireless, you’ll also get WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth with A2DP support. At the back there’s a 3 megapixel camera with LED flash. Ambient light, accelerometer and proximity sensors are all included as is the internal 8GB of flash storage.
Whilst the specs look fairly standard, potential buyers will also be interested to know that it uses a standard USB connection for syncing to your PC, has a removable battery, the 8GB flash can be mounted as a mass storage device and the device multi-tasks. We’re not talking about Windows Mobile multi-tasking either. The OS has been designed to allow for smooth multi tasking and smart memory management. According to hands on tests by those lucky enough to be at CES, the processing power in the Pre is capable of handling a large number of applications open at one time without the huge performance hit that we’re all so familiar with on Windows Mobile.
I for one am excited at this resurgence within Palm, who was once at the brink of death. But it seems the Pre may be the first of many devices from Palm that will give Palm the confidence and direction that they need to get back on the saddle.
Check out the Palm CES keynote at http://www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pre/palm-pre-ces.html
