Last week Apple handed Pam Pre users a set back. For those who wished to take their (Itune) music with them, the latest version of Quicktime builds in a function to prevent the transfer to the Palm Pre.

Nice job Apple, and Yo Palm? Maybe next time you should hold back on using your competition’s selling points.  Also, interestingly there is some buzz out there about the lack of a soft keyboard on the Pre. Seems that some users would like to see one, meanwhile Iphone users are pining for a hard keyboard. Go figure. Will we never be satisfied?

Apple Hands Palm a Problem and Gets Slapped By Microsoft

John Naughton: Microsoft’s next offensive suggests that the company still has a thing or two to learn about strategy

It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the technology jungle. For the best part of two years, Apple’s iPhone has had the top end of the smartphone market to itself. But then along came the Palm Pre, which has had a very favorable reception from the geek crowd, and is a much more polished product than early versions of the Android (aka Google) phones. Personally I thought it unlikely that the Pre would seriously challenge the Apple product, but it seems that Steve Jobs & Co are taking no chances.

How do we know this? Well, the Palm phone had an intriguing feature: it could sync (techspeak for synchronize) with Apple’s iTunes software, thereby enabling Pre owners to take their music with them, just as iPhone owners can. Quite how this was possible is an interesting question. Was it a happy accident that the Pre could exploit a loophole in the iTunes system? Or was it a clever wheeze dreamed up by Palm engineers? Either way, Apple was not amused.

So last week Apple released an update to iTunes that closed the loophole and effectively screwed Palm, whose share price immediately declined. How did Apple describe its tactic? Merely by saying that the upgrade “addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices”, which upon translation reads “Yay dudes! You’re stuffed.”

Meanwhile, in another part of the jungle, Apple itself was getting grief from Microsoft. Of course, with only 7.6% of the PC market, Mr Jobs’s outfit is a flea compared to the Redmond-based giant. But this particular flea has infuriated the elephant over the past two years with its “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” ads, which went viral and successfully implanted in the public mind the idea that Macs were chic and efficient whereas PCs were worthy but dull, and distinctly uncool. It took Microsoft a while to find out how to hit back: an advertising series with the message that consumers were paying a pretty steep premium for Apple coolness. In other words, while Macs might be OK for trendy folks with lots of money to fritter away on fashionable kit, real people on a budget would always find Windows-based machines a better buy.

Last week, Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, claimed that this campaign has rattled Apple. “All of our research shows that our ‘I’m a PC’ ads, [which] talk dramatically about the price of Macintoshes, work quite effectively,” he said. “We’ve gained market share quite effectively against Apple over the past six to nine months.”

Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he? But his colleague Kevin Turner reported that “two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, ‘Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.’ They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call that I’ve ever taken in business.” So, Turner went on, “we’re just going to keep running them and running them and running them.”

Microsoft’s next offensive suggests that the company still has a thing or two to learn about strategy, though. It announced that it’s planning to attack on another front - by opening Microsoft retail stores next to Apple stores.

This looks like a bold move. After all, Apple has managed to transform tech retailing by creating stores that customers appear to enjoy visiting (and which are still thronged, despite the recession). What could be better than to prove that the elephant can go head-to-head with the flea on the high street? And to show that it’s serious, Microsoft has recruited a senior Wal-Mart executive to lead its assault on the world’s shopping malls.

The prospect of Microsoft and Apple stores side by side is rich in comic possibilities. For one thing, what will the Microsoft store sell? It’s a software company: its hardware range consists of the Xbox games console, some keyboards and mice, and the Zune music player - which, compared with the iPod, looks like something produced by the Soviet Union in its heyday. But a retail store needs exciting hardware to attract people in off the street and create a buzz.

Stand by, then, for a new range of viral ads from Apple. A Tale of Two Stores, perhaps. One establishment is crowded with teenagers browsing Facebook and trying to get off with one another, watched by benevolently smiling, T-shirted geeks. The other is a deserted cavern, rather like one of those Sony outlets, in which dispirited chaps in ties try to interest passing tramps in the new features of Office 2009. YouTube here we come!

TG Daily - Apple: No more iTunes for Palm’s Pre

Cupertino (CA) – Apple today…

Apple breaks up Palm Pre-iTunes lovefest | Crave - CNET

With the release of iTunes<…

Technorati Tags: Palm Pre Apps

Now that the Palm Pre has been released we will begin to see articles such as this one making comparisons of the features.  It will probably take six months or so before we see if the public has gotten sufficiently enthused to make the "Pre" a major player in the market.  A lot will depend on how Palm responds to the chalenges of it’s user base, and how they package the future releases to other vendors when the "6 month Sprint exclusive" runs out.  Personally I am interested in seeing how 3rd party developers will integrate older applications into the new "Web OS".

Palm Pre Takes On Iphone

Many of the newer phones have been declared the ‘iPhone Killer,’ but most of them simply don’t deliver. In the end, it seems like the iPhone is still a big deal, but is it really the king of all smart phones? Some of the newer devices are certainly giving it a run for its money and one of those is the Palm Pre. While it hasn’t been released yet, we do have a good amount of information regarding the Pre. Based on this, we’ve done a point by point breakdown of the two devices to help you decide which is right for you.

1: Multitasking. Everyone multitasks these days, and if your smartphone can’t keep up with you, it’s just not going to be that helpful. Well, the iPhone actually has some major issues with running more than one application at a time. In fact, multitasking on the iPhone really isn’t possible. With the Palm Pre, however, you can run multiple programs at once with no problem. Point for the Pre.

2: The Touchscreen. All new smartphones seem to have a touchscreen, but few support multitouch. This means you can use two fingers to register input on two different parts of the screen. Both the iPhone and the Pre support multitouch, with the Pre being the first phone other than the iPhone to do so. This area looks to be a tie.

3: The Keyboard. People still like physical keyboards, and the Palm has a full QWERTY keyboard. The iPhone, of course, features an on-screen virtual keyboard, and while that’s really cool, it’s not what a lot of people want. Point for the Pre here, although this could change depending on what a users preference.

4: Design. You can’t help but notice the iPhone’s very slick design. It’s incredibly sleek, and while the Pre looks better than previous Palms, it still looks a bit dated with the way the keyboard slides out. The advantage in design probably goes to the iPhone.

5: The Internet. One of the main reasons of buying a smartphone is for the online functions, and the Pre really shines here. It will automatically pull in your contacts from a variety of sources, including IMs, Gmail, and even Facebook! It kicks out duplicates, too, which is great. On top of that, the Pre’s web browser claims to be four times faster than Safari. What more do you want? Winner: the Pre.

6: New Apps. Palm has traditionally been, well, traditional when it comes to apps, and some have noted they seem to be behind both Apple and Windows. However, Palm is working to correct that, although they haven’t released that much information. The iPhone already has an established market of available apps, so the Pre will have to play catch up.

7: Battery Life. Hate charging your phone every day? Battery life is a major concern, especially if you’re going to be out of the office most of the day. The iPhone doesn’t have a removable battery, so there’s no way to carry a spare and swap them out. The Pre’s battery can be popped right out and replaced, so there’s no question about who wins here.

8: The Camera. If you want to snap some pics with your phone, you’re going to want the Pre. It features a 3 megapixel camera, while the iPhone only has a 2 megapixel one. The Pre also features an LED flash, which the iPhone does not. Once again, the Pre picks up the win.

When it’s all said and done, the Pre comes out slightly ahead. It really comes down to what you need. The iPhone has a line of established applications and has new ones being developed. They’ve also got the cooler looking phone, and if you like the touchscreen, the iPhone is for you. However, if you like the traditional physical keyboard, want a better camera, and need to multitask, the Pre is your phone. Is it an iPhone killer? Probably not, but it does trump Apple’s device in several ways.

By: Michael Ferrerya

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Michael is a writer for Everything Pre, where he reports on the latest Palm Pre news and also is in charge of writing reviews on Pre accessories and Palm Pre cases. In his spare time, you’ll find him chatting in various Palm Pre forums.

Palm Garnet v 5.4.9 apps on Palm Web OS - Treo Forum - Treonauts

Will applications from my Treo 680 running on the Palm 5.4.9 OS work on Palm Web OS? 

Palm Pre hitting UK, Ireland, Germany & Spain by Christmas - SlashGear

Palm Pre, the first phone based on the new Palm webOS(TM) mobile platform, brings your information from the many places it resides – on your phone, at work or on the web. 

Palm Pre, webOS Hands-On Review: Promising Software, Disappointing …

Palm’s first webOS device, the Pre, certainly marks a step in the right direction for the struggling handset maker:

Apps key to Pre success, says Palm | IT PRO

Palm Pre. Palm is confident that the ease of writing apps for its Web OS powered phone will give the Palm Pre an edge when it finally comes to the UK market 

Technorati Tags: Iphone, palm pre, Palm Pre OS

The Pre has been out for 2 weeks as of this writing. I have had one comment so far about a major short-coming of the Pre and that is the lack of a hard wire connection to your pc. I do not own one yet as I have 18 months left on my current contract and I am waiting for my carrier (Verizon) to make it available to it’s customers. That said, I want to know what your experience has been, good or bad.

The new interface is designed for social networking purposes. With instant connectivity to the social sites and the ability to carry on multiple conversations at once. Is this something that appeals to you? As I understand it the web interface is “always on” How is that aspect affecting you. Does the unit keep it’s charge when it is constantly connecting to the net to update information? How is the Sprint deal are there extra connectivity charges involved with Messaging or SMS? How is the service? Have you had any issues that required tech support? From Palm? From Sprint.

Regarding legacy applications. Did you have any previous palm applications that you used on other hand held devices that you have you been able to port over to your new phone? Are you able to sync your calendar and outlook applications? Do you use any windows applications that now work in the Palm Pre? Are there new third party applications that you have found to be useful and if so would you share them?

This site is getting about thirty visitors a day and I am sure that many come to find out more information before they make a purchase. I have used what small sources of information I could find with a lot of the info coming from sites interested in promoting the Pre. The Best source right now would be the current new users of the product, so if that is you please comment. I will post all valid comments good or bad. (Druggie spammers and Linky lookers Forget it!)

When I found myself at the beginning of May trying to come up with more information on the Palm Pre and finding the same old tired articles, with new twists. I figured that they would take the entire “first half” of the year before they got it done. Indeed that is exactly what happened. As of the 6th of June the Palm will be available from Sprint. But, you already knew that I am sure and have come here looking for some other information to aid in your decision to actually make a purchase.

Here are a couple of things that I have been able to ferret out. Essentially if you are a palm aficionado, you already know that the system of being able to operate on exactly what you want is the way you like to do business. Let me explain. My current phone is a Motorola “Moto Q 9c” this system uses “Windows Mobile 6″. Typical of windows mobile 6 is clunky difficult to navigate and generally time wasting. The “intuitive” feature is very frustrating, this feature bases it’s offering of programs on the frequency of usage so if I use the camera today it is the #1 Icon that I see when I open my programs. As the days go by, if I don’t use that program for a couple of weeks or months, the Icon will literally disappear from the programs area and I then need to search 3 more pages of icons, to find the icon and reactivate it. The scroll feature is equally frustrating in that to get to a certain link on a web page you must scroll down through the entire page from top to bottom and then back up to the link that interests you. If you passed a link on the way down that caught your eye and now want to go back you sit there and push the “up” button until that link is finally highlighted and then you can operate on it!

The palm system has always had a stylus that enabled you to go anywhere on the screen and operate on that portion of the screen. In the Palm Pre the stylus has been replaced by your thumb and fingers. (Years ago I got an add-on app called “Fat Finger” that used to do the same in my 515) Now you are able to open your favorite applications and keep them open in the background, available at the flick of your thumb, move up or down through your lists or pages and select the item you want… all with the motion of your thumb and fingers. You can use your thumb and index finger to expand and contract views, zoom in and out, and generally operate on everything you wish with a few new movements. The features you use the most are waiting in the background ready any time you need them. The Palm SDK has been available to developers for nearly 3 and a half months and there is talk that several legacy applications from previous versions of palm will be available.

The announcement today from Palm (May 28) is that they have indeed listened to a few of the suggestions made by the general public on the Facebook forums and elsewhere. Media Sync will be included to enable downloading your favorite itunes or pictures from your PC via USB (Wasn’t there at CES) the camera is now a 3 mega pixel (2.2 at CES). Twitter search has been integrated into their general search offerings and much much more. Here is the direct link to their announcement today.

Now as we know for the first six months the Palm Pre is going to be exclusive with Sprint.  The announcement above indicates that the phone will be available for $199 with a 2 year contract.  (I signed on with Verizon 6 months ago Ouch!) For those who have a challenge with Sprint, if you are willing to wait another 6 months the phone will be available from Verizon and perhaps others according to PC Magazine at this link.   Happy shopping and if you are among the “Gotta have mine now crowd”  I would appreciate any feedback you wish to give after you have had a chance to play with your new toy!

Technorati Tags: Palm Developers Network, palm pre, Palm Pre Release Date

The wait continues, but I feel better now as the first half of the year is indeed running out.  Today I picked up this snippet from the ongoing conversations over at Facebook.  It seems that legacy applications will be supported in the palm pre.  This is good news for those of us who have been Palm followers from the “Pilot” days through its many iterations.  With the legacy applications covered some of our favorites will now be saved, whether or not stylus functionality is retained is still a question in my mind but I am sure that it probably will be.   We are all going to be learning new motions with our thumbs when we finally get our hands on the actual phone.

I also like the fact that it will contain many new features such as social connectivity and email functionality with built in gmail and other apps that are a pain in the ???? to configure in mobile 6. The scalable view of websites will be a great boon over my current MotoQ which renders so little of the page as to make web browsing essentially useless.  The always connected aspect is a nice feature as well, imagine as they have explained the search function will automatically go onto the web to answer your question if it does not find it in storage.  Of course the built in GPS with mapping will eliminate the need for a separate GPS device or an added charge for the service with your current phone.  The big question also un-answered is of course the release of an unlocked version for the millions of palm aficionados who are not in the sprint network.  The Facebook questions from the outside of the US clients, also anticipating a gsm version…when,when,when?

Palm is being very tight lipped about the actual release date.  I am guessing that the now 8 exec’s who have come on to answer questions in the Facebook forum have been threatened with a public skinning if they reveal the actual date.  I am however encouraged by the fact that the Pre is back on the front page of their website in leiu of the Treo.

Post #29

Christopher Hayashida (Los Angeles, CA) wroteon April 3, 2009 at 9:42pm

Trying to stay on topic:

Honestly, you guys have done a great job betting on what Palm users were looking for. I think all of the gripes I have about other smartphones (no real keyboard, bad web browser, no 3G, no 3.5 mm headphone jack) have all been answered by your device. There were even some of the nice-to-haves: free development kit, and Gmail and Facebook integration.

You are building the phone I want. Just make sure you get it out fast enough so that you’re not beaten to market by someone else.

Post #30

Stephanie Rancourt-Richardson wroteon April 3, 2009 at 9:51pm

Seeing a lot of you ask for some love to old Palm fans – and thank you Palm fans for sticking around all this time! We love having such a loyal following and we are excited to get your reactions to the Pre.

Keep in mind that the same core principals were used to create this phone as were used to create the phones and PDAs you guys fell in love with. That main concept being that we put YOU - the user - first. User experience and ease of use are paramount in pretty much everything we do. So sure, for those of you who have been using PalmOS for many years, the Pre and Palm webOS will be something new. BUT, it will be as easy, if not easier to get going on than your first Palm was. Trust me, I’m a creature of habit when it comes to technology, and being lucky enough to demo and test a Pre, I can honestly say that the learning curve was quick and painless, and now I often catch myself looking for the activity cards on my older devices.

Also, we recently (just a few days ago!) announced that our partners Motion Apps will be creating an emulator called Classic that allows you to run your legacy PalmOS applications on your Pre. So for those of you who have gotten very attached so some of those older apps, you can use the emulator to keep using them on your new Pre. That will help ease you through the transition!

Reply to StephanieReport

Technorati Tags: Palm Legacy Applications, palm pre, Palm Pre Web OS

I mentioned last week that the opening page for the palm site had switched from the “Pre” to the “Treo Pro”.  I see now that Palm has announced that it is releasing the Treo Pro on the 15th of March.  This will be the last Palm product to use the old operating system that has been the palm trademark OS from the beginning.  The interesting thing is the use of Windows Mobile 6.1, as a system basis.  Palm claims “providing the user with more mobile power”  to which I would add “and the same clunky drawbacks typical of Microsoft that leave you scratching your head wondering why did they do that”?  For companies and individuals who have Palm OS applications that are proprietary to old OS this is your last chance to get a model that will run those applications.

“Our agents rely heavily on their phones since they’re a truly mobile workforce, and Treo Pro is really convenient for checking business email, connecting to fast Wi-Fi and running our custom TurboApps application. With TurboApps, agents can submit insurance applications, get quotes and complete the application process — all from their Treo Pro. The Palm innovations added to the Windows platform make accessing the most used functions even easier, so staying productive and efficient is a breeze.”

The new Pre is apparently not ready for “prime time” and the Palm company is looking for ways to generate operating cash until the Pre is ready for release.  They are however continuing to build the “Buzz” for the new release.  This week they managed to get on the “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” show.  They are actively posting on “Facebook“, and “Twitter” as Colleen Bullington discussed how the company is seeking promotional opportunities, where ever they can find them, including renting time on a “Times Square” video billboard.  For the european market a deal has in the making for the GSM version of the phone.  One source says “VodaPhone” and another says Movistar”  will be carrying the Pre.

On the carrier scene Sprint held a webcast on Thursday 03/12/09, to tout the “Palm Pre” saying that it would continue to carry thefull line of palm products as well as the Pre. As with all the PR blasts, nothing so far on a release date.

Pre browser looks mighty fast in Palm webcast

Pre seems very promising. Its got a good OMAP under the hood, and so far terrific looking OS with seamless integration with most of the web and desktop applications out there. On the other hand, Opera Mobile 9.5 with flash stomps all … Read more…

E-Commerce News: Wireless: Sprint, Palm Offer a Few Tidbits on Pre

Palm is trying to get its Palm OS application developers to work on webOS applications, Lett said. That’s a smart move, and one that will boost Palm’s chances, IDC’s Llamas said. “Mobile apps are no longer just one of those things that .

» Palm Pre could run high-end games…one day -> TamsPalm - the Palm …

Palm acknowledged this again, saying that games for the Pre will initially be relatively simple, web-centric ones, such as Sudoku. But Matt Crowley, Product Line Manager at Palm, said something that could raise hopes that this situation .

Technorati Tags: palm pre, palm pre cell phone, Palm Treo Pro, pre cell phone

Since we don’t know the exact release date of the Palm Pre, and most of the technical feature articles have now been published it is interesting to watch the rumor mills and other commentary getting bandied about on the net.  Last week Andrew Nusca from ZDNet had an article speculating on Palm betting the farm on their Pre when they are in financial straights (as if every other manufacturer in this economy wasn’t).   Anyway he complained that they should have released the Pre shortly after the show at CES.  I don’t necessarily agree with him but he makes an interesting point.  The longer it takes to get the pre to market the longer it will take for them to make a return on their investment and the wait is hurting sales of their current products.  

Over at Precentral they are having a naming contest for those who want to express their loyalty to the "Palm Pre" over the Iphone and the Blackberry.  

What do to with the terms PreVert and PreJect?  I think:

• PreVert: A CrackBerry user who has a secret lust for a Palm Pre
• PreJect: An iPhone user only rejects the Pre because of his rampant Apple fanboyism.

You might want to head over and leave a comment or vote for your favorite.

Today if you check out the Palm.com opening page they are pushing the "palm pro" the windows mobile 6.1 version of their mobile offerings. The Pre has disappeared from the front pages of their site as well as the top pages of their blog, replaced by the "Treo Pro."

The facebook conversation continues this week with Collen Bullington, a Palm advertising exec answering questions about the promotional end of the campaign.  For all the questions she refuses to be drawn in and reveal a release date. 

And then we have those who go overboard and make the prediction on pure speculation:

[RETRACTED]Palm Pre: hits stores March 15th By  Tom Hanna, Site Founder  

Palm Pre Release Date Update - Treonauts

Sprint CEO Reiterates Planned Palm Pre Release Date First Half (by June) 2009 Although hopeful rumours that the next generation Palm Pre smartphone might be released as early as April. 

Palm wants $49 million for launching the Pre, developing other …

For the moment, the actual release date of Palm Pre is not known, but the smartphone is said to be outed in the US first, via Sprint (the carrier apparently has exclusivity on the handset)

Technorati Tags: cell phones, handheld phones, mobile phones, palm pre, Palm Pre Release Date

I want my Palm Pre Now!

So a month after its introduction, how much do we know about the Palm Pre?  Last month Palm  took the Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by storm.  The audiences and experts were wowed by the elegant new technology they had seen.  Now a month later we are in speculation mode.  What will the final product look like when it finally hits the market?  Palm sent two of its development team members Adam Kaufman and Matt Crowley to join a discussion on facebook.com and the commentary has been very informative and lively.  The current form of the Palm Pre will not essentially change from what was shown at CES.  There will probably not be a provision for adding an extra SD card and increasing the memory and backup abilities of the unit.

Initially it will be released to Sprint exclusively, so those with other carriers are left out in the cold, at least initially.   World wide there is still a mystery as to what form the “unlocked” or GSM version will have but there were certainly some concerns expressed that several users might be left out in the cold.  A locked phone will require that users stick with only authorized carriers and until this is sorted out there are liable to be many unhappy campers out there who are dyed in the wool palm enthusiasts contracted with a non-palm carrier.

Two weeks ago Palm announced a developers  SDK which I commented on here, and in the ensuing two week there has been a lot of activity as developers learn what they need to know about the system so that they can begin writing programs for the new operating system.  The new Web OS will indeed make a break from the past palm operating systems.  Meaning the legacy applications you have known and loved through all your iterations of palm products until now is probably gone.  But I would be willing to bet that there are a lot of developers who are at this present time re-writing at least some of those favorites for the new Web OS.  Will the palm desktop survive?  At present this is another one of the unknowns.

The  “Touchstone” created quite a stir at CES, the charging device that looks like a sloped hockey puck.  It charges the phone through magnetic induction and eliminates the need for wires… at least into the phone itself.  The list of accessories is growing and Adam Kaufman assures us that it will continue to  grow.

If you have an hour here is the O’reilly webcast with the latest developments from the palm developer network.

Developing apps for Palm Pre webOS webinar: Q&A round 1

Mon Feb 23rd 2009; Palm Pre gestures video demo in slooooow-motion. Sun Feb 22nd 2009; Sprint to delay release until next fall!!! Sun Feb 22nd 2009; webOS (skin) for Treo or Centro - Tea.

Video: Palm Pre webOS hands-on - Crave at CNET UK

We were treated to a very detailed look at the new operating system powering Palm’s new smart phone at the recent Mobile World Congress. Plus more technology news in Crave, the gadget blog .

Palm posts WebOS MOJO SDK tutorial - Proves WebOS development is easy

Following on Palm (NSDQ: PALM)’s WebOS MOJO SDK development book announcement, it seems Palm has finally gone super official with their Palm Pre-powering MOJO.

Video: Palm Pre webOS Hands On

Palm Pre webOS hands on video demo of web browser, Palm Synergy and more.

Technorati Tags: Palm Developers Network, palm pre, Palm SDK, web OS

An Overview of the web OS

This is the title of the first chapter of a book released on the Palm Developer Network.  The whole chapter is 9 pages long so settle in with a cup of coffee for an excellent education…

"Architecturally, Palm webOS is an embedded Linux operating system that hosts a custom User Interface (UI) System Manager built on standard browser technology. The System Manager provides a full range of system user interface features including: navigation, application launching and lifecycle management, event management and notifications, system status, local and web searches, and rendering application HTML/CSS/JavaScript code."

GO Here for the full read, it is well worth your time. 

Palm Developer Network Blog » O’Reilly and Palm announce the first …

You can read the first chapter.

O’Reilly Media and Palm to Release First Official Resource for …

The first chapter of the Rough.

GSMA MWC 2009: O’Reilly Media and Palm to Release First Official …

   Read more…

Technorati Tags: palm pre, Palm web OS, Synergy

When Apple introduced their Iphone last year I am sure they thought they had quelled all potential competition.  The success of the Palm Pre at the CES this year must have put them on their heels.   Is the Pre an Iphone killer, only time will tell.  Palm must not only overcome their own track record of being slow on the uptake but also respond to the requests of their new clientele.  

I have been following the conversations going on over at facebook and palm representatives Matt Crowley and Adam Kaufman are getting quite a work over.  If the company responds to their market the Pre may become wildly successful, if they ignore them Palm may continue down the path they were on.

What we know so far is that the Pre will only have 8 gigs of built in memory and no ability to add an sd card in the initial model.  In response to queries the company has said that more memory is not necessary because the unit is always connected and can be backed up from it’s connection.  Well maybe, but what about power users or picture fanatics who want to carry several gigs of media about? There have also been horror stories about crashes and data loss with no ability to back up without an SD type of backup.  

On the bright side the folks at PalmPreCentral pointed me in the direction of the "Pre Dev Camp" to be held one week after the release of the Pre..

"preDevCamp is an upcoming not-for-profit gathering to develop applications for Palm Pre using both the Mojo SDK and traditional web standards. The event is currently being planned in over 60 cities around the world."  You can find out more here.  Basically several software developers will meet in several cities around the globe and make plans to develop third party add-on software for the new Pre "Web OS".

The Pre with its ability to be always connected, sync with several sources simultaneously, hold several applications open at the same time, just a finger or thumb motion away is a clear challenge to the Iphone. Once again time will tell.

The Stunning Features of iPhone

Tired of the bottlenecks of your existing cell phones? Want a revolutionary replacement to your everyday cell phone application? Read this article.

iPhone is the latest technology revolution introduced by Apple, a name that has already redefined portable digital music players and offered its consumers the musical privilege of a lifetime.

Essentially, iPhone is a stunning combination cell phone, iPod and handheld-internet computer. Although it is a prospective threat to the existing cell phone manufacturers, it is still in the process being introduced to the niche cell phone markets throughout the world.

Why iPhone?

Many would wonder why there is a market for iPhones when the exciting cell phones offer and meet almost every kind of application the consumers could look for. Actually, the advantages of using an iPhone are quite a few. To begin with, it can be used exclusively as a cell phone, or an iPod, or even a mini-internet computer. Offering seamless performance, it mocks at the drawbacks of the existing cell phones.

Virtual Keypad:

Using the various features and applications of the traditional cell phones, which require the users to punch a bunch of tiny buttons and navigate through the menus and features, to be able to use specific applications such as music, text message, web browsing, photos, videos and so forth. iPhone supercedes this particular disadvantage by replacing hardware with software application.

For instance, it will serve you with a virtual keypad on the screen when you need to dial a number. Similarly, when you require other buttons to use specific applications, the screen will show you the buttons accordingly. Moreover, interestingly, when you want to watch a video, the buttons on your iPhone screen will automatically disappear. It is flexible and user-friendly.

One-touch Magic:

The stunning technology of the new iPhone surprise its users delightfully. While the traditional cell phones demand you to navigate painstakingly from one feature to another or punch the buttons on their keypad, the iPhone will require you to simply touch the screen for using a particular application. For instance, you receive an incoming call from a person while you are already on another call- with the traditional cell phones, you have to punch a specific button to put the existing caller on hold to take the second call.

Under the given circumstance, the iPhone users can simply touch an apple icon flashed on the device screen from the second call in order to replace the second caller with the first one. Moreover, you can also touch on the merged calls option flashed instantly on your iPhone screen if you want to have three-way conference call.

Sensible Voicemail Option:

Most of the traditional cell phones users would have to grope through their voicemail by ear in order to listen to a particular voicemail recorded in their cell phones. The iPhone has blended technology with sensibility to offer an easier option to listen to your voicemails. It shows you all your voicemails visually onscreen, labeled by the callers. All you have to do is touch one of the names you want to hear from.

Tireless Text Messaging:

The traditional cell phones require you to ramble through the jumble of message box to choose your option. Again, you will have to painstakingly punch the button four times to type a particular digit on your screen while you write a number on you message. The easy-to-use iPhone does away with this disadvantage by offering you a virtual keyboard to type on, making text messaging smooth, seamless and fun.

Web Browser:

The users of iPhone can experience a difference while browse through the Internet on their devices as this new-age gadget offers a modified version of Safari to display actual webpages you could see on you computer, and not the crunched-down versions of the web that your traditional cell phone would serve you.

These are some of the exciting reasons why you would want replace your existing cell phones with the new iPhone developed on the cutting-edge technology to offer you brand-new feel while you are using it.

By Roberto Sedycias Published: 8/20/2008

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