Is Palm's "Pre" An iPhone Killer?

It could be a summer blockbuster -- the battle of the smart phones.

"I know the iPhone was like the leading phone on the market. This makes me feel a little updated," says Anthony Tate, a Sprint customer.

The challenger: palm's pre, launched this weekend with the aim of clawing back market share from the current champions: Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's Blackberry, reports CBS News science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg.

"This is our first smart phone and of course we're going to be wowed by it. Better than the iPhone," said Bill Aguilar, a Sprint customer.

The Pre generated a lot of buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. And so far, reviews have been good. Sprint says the phone has already sold out at a number of locations around the country.

Eli Rabinowich got the last one at a New York store.

"Great reviews, supposedly, great operating system. This is the iPhone killer," gloated Rabinowich.

Pre's monthly service starts at $70; iPhone's AT&T unlimited plan at $100 a month.

Both the Pre and the iPhone cost $200 with a two-year contract. But the Pre's initial monthly service fee, which includes unlimited internet and text messaging, is $70 dollars. iPhone's comparable plan runs $100.

Pre has the usual features: GPS, high-speed internet, a good camera. What's new is its physical keypad and its ability to keep several programs open at once -- something the iPhone can't do.

"You can be in the middle of using the Internet, minimize that to pull up a phone call, minimize that to then look up your address book, and never have to close any of the applications,'' said Robert Collis, a Sprint customer.

One possible problem with the Pre: its limited applications -- or apps -- the free or nearly free programs you can download for it. And with a lead of some 20 million devices, you can't count the iPhone out.

"I didn't cancel my iPhone, but I'm a gadget kind of person so we'll see which one is more fun and which one's more useful,'' said Ravi Rajmane, a Sprint customer.

Does Steve Jobs have a surprise for us tomorrow? A lot of mystery always surronds Apple product introductions. Indeed, we're expecting a new iPhone Monday that may include a compass feature and video.

But the real surprise will be if Steve Jobs shows up after being on medical leave for several months. He's not scheduled to be there, but with Apple and Jobs, anything is possible. Regardless, his appearance -- or not -- is expected to affect the Apple stock.


CNET's Natali Del Conte demonstrates features of the Palm Pre

[paddyhayes]

iPod and iTunes?

You mean to tell me that an Apple device runs an Apple application better than some other device runs an Apple application.

Nah! Really?

You Cupertino fanboyz really need to give yourselves a boost, don't you.

I came up with Unix. Then came M DOS, which wowed us. Then MS DOS and the reign of Redmond.

Apple, too, shall pass.

The most entertaining part about it is that Unix is still chugging along. And the weight of the Internet, where you are proudly cheering Team Apple, is borne primarily on the back of Unix' much-maligned red-headed stepchild, Linux.

Unix, Microsoft, Apple, Linux. (OK and Sun, but they had a bad business model). Intel, AMD, Apple. Each has its fanboyz.

Just keeping it real.

[BC Kelly]

Remember Folks

All the Computers and Cell Phones and Internet

Only about 10-20 years old


In the next 10-20 years ?

Forget Pre, Blackberry, all of them ... and even Microsoft

iPhone, Apple, Mac OSX will be #1 on the Planet


About 6B+ Folks here on Earth

Only 2B+ have a Computer and Internet

But 4-5B+ have Cell Phones


iPhone is a Computer on the Internet

In your pocket


Think Different

Change the World





Oh and p.s.

If you need help to understand Apple

What it means to Think Different

Always keep in mind 2 basic thoughts

Of how to do anything ... make anything

Or how a thing should do things


Simple and Elegant


And an example of that here ... just below

Is an answer to the question in this headline

The posting by Bush-cheney-R-Terrorists



;-)

[pcimaging]

I have been watching the evolution of the iPhone for a long time now. It is simply amazing to see how that phone caught on and found its way in to the hands of soooooo many. It's popularity is freakin amazing. I had an old model Palm Treo 700 and I enjoyed the heck out of it. But as a techno geek junkie I have to say, it just lacked the really cool factor of the iPhone. More and more people are coming to adore Apple. I say all this because although I encourage competition from companies like Palm and LG and others, I would give odds that together , they would not build an iPhone killer. Someone else mentioned the Google Phone G1 Android as a great phone. That is one I personally look forward to seeing develope into what it can be. Unfortunately for me I live in Ho-Dunk Montana and we do not have AT&T sountil something changes I just have to watch everyone else enjoy the great technology.

[Bush-cheney-R-Terrorists]

No.

[hln98]

Every time a review is written about new devices, people like "stoma4" always come in and will say something like "Why on Earth does no one mention that Windows Mobile devices have been doing ALL of this----: multiple open programs, A2DP Bluetooth stereo output...."

The fact that Windows Mobile can do any of this a while ago doesn't mean that it is any good. It is the how and how good the user experience it gives is what counts here.

To put it in a way for you to understand: a Ford Pinto will get you from point A to point B, but a BMW gets you there quicker, safer and in style. So please stop posting comments like Windows Mobile can do this many years ago. Get it straight. Windows Mobile is not any good. It sucks bad. Have you even tried out the Palm Pre or the iPhone?

Another way of looking at it: I can use a typewriter to type a document, but I rather use Word any day.

[slapppy]

"What are these people, 12 years old?"

No its about respecting a companies hard work and IP. It's more like Palm being the 12 year old running a hack to access iTunes.

[serversupply]

it is not defensive. i could care less what anyone does. maybe yes a little too enthusiastic but at the end of the day palm is really greasing "the palms so to speak" this is not less than the 15th time i have seen this Iphone killer nonsense. they must have paid dearly to get these google news listings.

[hmpierson]

These people who are so defensive about their iphones are so funny:

"it is bigger than life. and the entire industry can only copy apple."

(real perspective there, to call a phone "bigger than life")

"Hacks iTunes for media content without Apple consent. Pretty low, no class move there. "

(sounds like a real techie, being so offended by a hack, LOL)

"Hacks iTunes for media content without Apple consent. Pretty low, no class move there.

What are these people, 12 years old?

[stoma4]

Why on Earth does no one mention that Windows Mobile devices have been doing ALL of this----: multiple open programs, A2DP Bluetooth stereo output, Total BT voice command, True GPS ,Music. Video, Push e-mail, and thousands of Apps egual to both of these phones -------for the past 5 years---and so much more. True the interface (mini-windows) has been clumsy (fixed with any number of shell interfaces and remedied in the upcoming WM7) but a sthe proud owner of a Glofiish X800 running WM6.1--I had to defend my baby :)--
Cheers

[slapppy]

Hardly an iPhone killer, specially after 3.0 comes out.

No universal/global search as advertised - email, calendar,

No multiple email delete

Crippled copy and paste after bragging about it. You can only copy editable text. Can't copy web pages text for example.

Horrible battery life. Thats with limited apps. Once users load several apps that run wild in the background, get ready to carry 3 or more extra batteries.

Screen bleeding, cheap plastic feel to it and sharp edges when keyboard is out

Very little apps

Cannot play high res 3D games

Hacks iTunes for media content without Apple consent. Pretty low, no class move there.