Palms risky game with the Pre.

Saturday is the Palm Day: In the U.S. at the weekend is the new smartphone in the U.S. producer in the sale. Critics give the device high marks, fans eagerly wait for it. The success is still not secured.

 

San Francisco - Just over a year ago, some experts have hardly anything left on the pocket computer pioneer Palm to. The computer-phones from the Palm Treo series were at that time with modern smartphones like the iPhone, Apple does not keep pace.

And the big announcement
Foleo project for a new ultra-mobile PC in the autumn of 2007 was again stopped. Now Palm prove that the legendary company to product successes, such as the PalmPilot, the first "personal digital assistant (PDA) for the masses, can once again pick up. Together with the U.S. mobile provider Sprint Nextel launched the company in California this Saturday (June 6) the marketing of the smartphone Palm Pre.

Behind the design of the Pre is Jon Rubinstein, who was previously at Apple in the development of the iPod music player was responsible. For the development of pre Rubinstein canvassed some 250 experts mainly from Apple and other Silicon Valley companies. With this team, he wanted an Internet mobile phone design, which makes it not only with the iPhone or the new Google mobile phone record, but the models in some areas also have to be taken. Funding will be the last burst of Palm from venture capitalists Elevation Partners, in July 2007 more than 300 million U.S. dollars into the ailing company invested.

Integration of Social Networks

The result can be clearly seen: Known IT journalists in the U.S. such as David Pogue of the New York Times "or Walter Mossberg from the Wall Street Journal was the Palm before pre launch test and distribute good marks. "The Palm is a spectacular success. From zero to a hundred in the first version," writes Pogue. Mossberg looks at the pre an "intelligent and sophisticated product that will appeal especially those who (for a smartphone) want a physical keyboard."

Unlike the iPhone, the Palm is not only pre on a virtual keyboard, with the large number of recorders can not be friends. Furthermore, the pre run multiple programs simultaneously, resulting in the iPhone it is not possible.

Furthermore, the Palm Pre scores with a successful integration of social networks like Facebook or web services like Google Calendar.

Europe must wait again

Whether the Palm Pre laurels after the advance of the critics also a major sales success, is still out. For one can not pre anywhere with the iPhone to keep up. Since the Palm software developers only an extremely short lead time has to be the launch of the Pre little add-on programs available.

For the Apple cellphone, however, are now in the iTunes store more than 40,000 "Apps" are offered. Extensive games from the iTunes bestseller list, it will be for the Palm do not pre enter, since the Palm device for grafiklastige programs is not suitable.

The Sprint Nextel in the U.S. offered Pre Palm is outside the U.S. can hardly be used because it is based on the U.S. CDMA mobile standard running. A variant for Europe (GSM / UMTS) Palm has at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. For Germany, however, has neither a start date nor the partner for the mobile market announced.

Apple could make trouble

Palm also inconvenience threatens foes from Apple. Two days after the launch of Apple's pre gathered on Monday in San Francisco software developer for the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). There could be Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller a new version of the iPhone imagine the Palm Pre immediately from the wind takes the sails.

In addition, Palm Apple to take legal action. The Palm Pre used not only by Apple's patented multi-touch technology "to control the smartphone with multiple fingers. A week ago Palm announced a surprise, precisely
the iTunes software from Apple to have chosen to download music tracks, videos and photos between a computer and the Palm Pre exchange. Thus the comparison between the pre and iTunes works, camouflages the Palm device technically seen as a music player from Apple. And how it works, knows the former iPod product manager Jon Rubinstein only too well.