I'm hoping this will light a little fire under Apple's butt to give us some long-time requested missing features.
I also really like the cloud computing aspect of the Pre. I've been really hesitant to move to cloud syncing because of my own fear of losing data in the cloud, either by a sync gone wrong, or by not being able to restore from a backup. The one thing I've moved to the cloud are my tasks, since the iPhone doesn't offer a native Task sync, I've been using Toodledo for this.
Calendar/Contacts I still sync with my PC because Google has limitations when it comes to syncing contacts and Calendar, and I like to be in control of my own data (maybe I have control issues lol).
I agree 100%. The Pre's hardware is tasty and webOS looks incredible. I personally prefer a flat tablet form-factor device and I've been happy with the iPhone, so I don't plan to get a Pre. But other than the G1, this is the only phone (since the iPhone) that's really impressed me. The Pre's AJAX model is especially intriguing... unlike Apple's initial web-app approach, Palm is allowing for locally stored apps and more hardware/OS access (though it's unclear just how far developers will be able to take it). And while the iPhone interface and responsiveness are excellent, it's obvious that some trade-offs were made to get mobileOSX to run so well on such limited hardware and the Pre's application switching is slick.
However, some questions:
How do you type in landscape mode? If there is an onscreen keyboard, will it have predictive text?
Without syncing, how do you restore applications, media files, and non-cloud data if you replace your lost/stolen/broken phone?
What's the deal with flash support?
Will GPU intensive apps/games be possible?
On a side note, what is Microsoft going to do with WinMobile? At this point they have too many customers locked into the current WinCE model to make a clean break like Palm is doing... so how will Microsoft create a handheld with a decent finger-input interface? (not just a pretty outer layer like HTC has tossed on) A capacitance screen is a must, but most of WinMobile's interface is still stylus-based.
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HP 48s, 200lx, USR Pilot 1k, Palm 3, V, M100, Handspring Visor, Sony N610c, T615c, T655c, HP iPAQ 1910, 2215, Palm T3, HP hx4705, Dell X50v, HP rx1955, Apple iPhone, 3G, 3GS, 4, Samsung Galaxy Nexus
While I'm not a huge fan of cloud computing, synchronisation is the one area where I find the cloud to be of immense value. I use MobileMe to keep my Macs in sync and is the primary reason I have the service at all. If Palm is really moving to cloud based synchronisation, I agree it's a welcome change in philosophy. Not having to deal with desktop based syncs and all the vagaries thereof would be a godsend!
Well said, and I agree completely.
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2.4 20" aluminum iMac - August 2007
2.2 15" MacBook Pro - January 2008
8GB 1G iPhone - January 2008
If you've read anything I've written over the past few months, you'll know how I feel about "iPhone killers." I'm tired of the moniker being slapped on every new phone that shows some kind of gimmicky new feature set and usually these "killers" end up being roadkill under the wheels of the iPhone. The Verizon Voyager? Sold great at the beginning, but by Christmas, a mere two months after its release, no one cared anymore. The BlackBerry Storm? How many have you seen in public? The HTC Touch Diamond Special Super X1 Mobile Monster Mega Edition HD VGA? Never seen one on the NYC subway, arguably a melting pot of mobile devices.
I agree the "iPhone killer" label is stupid, or more correctly, marketing crap. Nothing will kill the iPhone as long as there are Apple fanboys around. But let's face it, you compare yourself to what's hot and nobody wants to call their devices an "iPhone clone" (why buy a clone when you can have the original?).
What I'm tired of is the "how many have you seen" argument. At work, I've seen one iPhone and one G-1. Does that mean hardly anybody has bought them? No. I think I've also seen more Zunes at work than iPods. Does that mean the Zune is outselling the iPod? Of course not. It's just anecdotal evidence without a statistically valid sample.
On the Windows Mobile side, for example, Microsoft has said 20 million devices were sold in 2008, with 11 models selling over 1 million units each. I'll bet that one or more of those models were HTC Touch Diamond Special Super X1 Mobile Monster Mega Edition HD VGA (or some other dismissive label you may make up).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vincent Ferrari
Yet, with all those flops and over statements, I truly think Palm has a winner on its hands with the Pre.
Oh sure, it doesn't run "real" applications. And yes, it's completely incompatible with every prior iteration of the Palm OS.
Wasn't that first knock also used against the original iPhone? And it still sold a lot of phones.
The second issue may be more problematic for Palm. Will your traditional Palm OS developers want to learn a new development system? Assuming they want to learn a new development metaphor, maybe it would make more sense to write for the iPhone, Windows Mobile or Android that have larger user bases. It may be only the true believers and pioneers who want to write for the Pre.
Of course, that worked out pretty well for the iPhone, which had about zero developers two years ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vincent Ferrari
[...]Palm has rethought the touch screen in much the same way Apple did, and I think the Pre might very well be the first smart phone released post iPhone whose creators can say they've learned the lessons of the iPhone. UI is primary above all else. Not the screen. Not the network the phone is on. Not the stupid tangential features thrown in. If the phone isn't usable, people will notice.
Palm has learned the lesson of the iPhone, and it'll be interesting to see how well it demonstrates what it learned when it's released in April.
Believe it or not, it may not be all about Apple. Palm has always been a company that prided itself on having a simple, easy-to-use interface. Sure, they have probably taken some cues from the iPhone, but let's not give Apple all of the credit if WebOS is easy to use. It's part of Palm's heritage (just like it's part of Apple's heritage).
How do you type in landscape mode? If there is an onscreen keyboard, will it have predictive text?
How do you type in portrait mode on a G-1?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deslock
Without syncing, how do you restore applications, media files, and non-cloud data if you replace your lost/stolen/broken phone?
How does Android or Windows Mobile handle that? WM can sync media files, but you generally have to restore your applications from scratch (unless you installed them via ActiveSync, but even then you have to reconfigure the settings). What about Android?
Of course, you can always get a backup program (at least on WM).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deslock
On a side note, what is Microsoft going to do with WinMobile? At this point they have too many customers locked into the current WinCE model to make a clean break like Palm is doing... so how will Microsoft create a handheld with a decent finger-input interface? (not just a pretty outer layer like HTC has tossed on) A capacitance screen is a must, but most of WinMobile's interface is still stylus-based.
I think you'll hear about Microsoft's response in February. But see my Windows Mobile New Year's Resolutions editorial for a suggestion on how to handle finger-friendly UIs.
And I don't think a capacitive screen is necessary. It makes swiping easier, but I've heard you can even do multi-touch with resistive screens. I also wrote an editorial on Why Windows Mobile Needs A Stylus.
The G1 has on-screen keyboard options (though AFAIK they don't have the iPhone's predictive text or touch-location-correction). Also its (somewhat crappy) hardware keyboard is bigger than the Pre's, so many users are willing to forgive the G1 for not having a portrait keyboard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pony99CA
How does Android or Windows Mobile handle that?
Dunno about Android, but when I used WM its syncing handled restoring everything *horribly* (had to reinstall apps manually). I've read that there are now backup solutions (though I dunno how long that takes, how automated it is, if it's automatically interrupted if you receive calls, etc). The iPhone (and every app on it) is absurdly easy and convenient when it comes to syncing and restoring.
A 3rd party syncing app has been announced, but it's not clear if this will backup apps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pony99CA
I think you'll hear about Microsoft's response in February. But see my Windows Mobile New Year's Resolutions editorial for a suggestion on how to handle finger-friendly UIs.
I think your suggestion about having both finger-friendly and traditional stylus modes is a good one. Legacy support would still be there and new apps could be developed for one or both modes (depending on which is appropriate).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pony99CA
And I don't think a capacitive screen is necessary. It makes swiping easier, but I've heard you can even do multi-touch with resistive screens. I also wrote an editorial on Why Windows Mobile Needs A Stylus.
Yeah I read that editorial a while ago; I agree with some of your points and not others (IMO, copy/paste should be easy to implement for finger-input and scrolling is easier/faster with finger-input). I agree with you that a stylus is better for some specific types of apps (in addition to being useful for legacy support).
However, I disagree with you about capacitance vs resistive screens as I've never seen an effective finger-input resistive screen device (other than large screens that require only button presses). So I think WM should switch to capacitance screens and also include a stylus.
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HP 48s, 200lx, USR Pilot 1k, Palm 3, V, M100, Handspring Visor, Sony N610c, T615c, T655c, HP iPAQ 1910, 2215, Palm T3, HP hx4705, Dell X50v, HP rx1955, Apple iPhone, 3G, 3GS, 4, Samsung Galaxy Nexus
The G1 has on-screen keyboard options (though AFAIK they don't have the iPhone's predictive text or touch-location-correction). Also its (somewhat crappy) hardware keyboard is bigger than the Pre's, so many users are willing to forgive the G1 for not having a portrait keyboard.
No, this is incorrect. Currently, the G1 only has text input in the landscape (keyboard open) mode. There are builds of alpha releases that have soft keyboards floating out on the web, so a solution is there long-term.
Palm Pre
Linear Mode
