So . . . About a week ago Palm unveiled the Pre at CES. Their newest phone garnered a lot of press and blog space, and for the Palm faithful who desperately hoped that the company would knock one out of the park, it was a moment of dreams finally fulfilled. Well . . . almost. So far there is no firm delivery date. The price hasn’t even been set yet, so customers can’t even pre-order the device. Ha! Get it? Pre? They can’t PRE-order the Pre. Anywho . . .
What started off as a major event that turned a lot of heads has rapidly descended to a dull murmur, and that’s really too bad for Palm. I have only seen photos and videos of the device, but it looks good. Most reviewers have been genuinely enthusiastic, and some have raved about this new phone. With all that good press, it’s a shame that Palm doesn’t have a product ready to ship. I’m ready to give it a try. Of course we would all prefer a product that is as bug-free as possible, so I can certainly understand waiting until it’s actually ready, but I’m sure Palm would like to capitalize on all the positive buzz their unveiling generated.
Over the last month many articles have lauded Palm as the company that essentially built the handheld market. Their PDAs were mainstays for many years. Unfortunately, as other companies entered the market and pushed it forward with new innovations, Palm struggled to hold its place. The company lost ground as its own product lines stagnated – a fact highlighted by the emergence of RIM’s BlackBerry, Apple’s iPhone, and a plethora of Windows Mobile devices.
There is always room for competition in the marketplace. The iPhone, Blackberry, and Android products seems to be spurring each other along nicely. However, in the past Palm has contributed well-designed hardware and software, so another solid OS would be a good addition to the mix. Let’s hope Palm can get something to market before they are completely irrelevant.
Surf's Up 