This’ll teach me to go to bed at night – turns out the delightfully spec’ed Dell Lightning (the first Windows7 phone I can honestly say I’d like to try on a day-to-day basis) is just the tip of a very cool iceberg.
Next up, there’s the Thunder (Anyone else seeing a theme here? Too bad Blackberry already snatched “Storm”). It’s a GSM Android 2.1 device with a custom UI called “Stage” (which includes Facebook integration, apparently). There’s no slide-down portrait keyboard like on the Lightning, but there is allegedly full Flash support including a Hulu player. Now that’s a heck of a selling point. There’s also an 8 MP camera, as opposed to the Lightning’s 5 MP.
Wait, we’re not done yet! Dell has more Android sets to leak out. There’s the “Flash” (It’ll save every one of us!), with a smaller 3.5 screen than the Lightning or Thunder’s 4.1, more “Stage UI” goodness and probably most interesting to the techs out there, a Qualcomm MSM7230. This is Qualcomm’s “snapdragon” class device, and I can’t wait to see how this thing handles the demands of an “always on” OS like Android. Of the devices leaked so far, this seems more like the “fashionable” device. Unless you count…
…the Dell Smoke. With only a 2.8 QVGA screen, a dedicated hardware keyboard, Dell’s leaked documents indicate this is going to be more “corporate” targeted, but if this thing is a “suit and tie” phone, it’s a designer suit and tie. Simply stunning to look at.
The final phone leaked is the US version of the Areo. It’s got a comparatively anemic processor, and not a ton that catches my eye. Yes, it’s got handwriting recognition and a “special” capacitive stylus… but surely I’m not the only one who far prefers a stylus free device? Yes, there’ll be a Webkit browser and some kind of Flash support, but I can’t say I have any interest in this, knowing that the Lighting, Thunder, and Smoke are coming down the pipe. The Areo does have the advantage of launching first, so expect people who don’t follow tech blogs to plunk down a pretty penny, and then later be upset that they used up their upgrade.
While I’m done with phones, that’s not all Dell has slated (sorry for the pun). They’ve given more info on their “Streak” tablet. It’s now launching with Android 2.1 and still coming “this summer” but the big deal is what it’s being compared to, which is the Dell “Looking Glass”. I fell in love with the name right away. While at the surface the LG is just a “blown up” 7” Streak (Dell – there’s no excuse for putting a mere 800×480 resolution on this thing, or an anemic 1.3 megapixel camera!). Crack it open and you’ll find a Tegra2 chip inside. Throw in the fact that it has actual expandable RAM and you have the first Android tablet I’m interested in trying out.
Those are the devices – and you can get more details at Engadget – and now here’s the commentary: Dell is a powerhouse brand, with tons of presence in every segment of the computer market. The one notable exception has been handhelds. There was a time when the Dell Axim was a great device line – I had an X5 and it was one of the first “pocketable” PocketPCs. Sure, you needed a big pocket, but it was pocketable. However, that line faded into obscurity, and they’ve had a small hole in their lineup since. With this sudden spate of phones and tablets, running multiple OSes and targeted at multiple market segments, Dell seems ready to make a serious attempt at the one area where Apple and “upstarts” like HTC and others are firmly entrenched. Nothing here screams “iPhone/iPad killer!”, but on paper they certainly seem like viable alternatives to it, and they certainly have the market presence to leverage these devices. I look forward to seeing how this plays out.
It’s interesting how married to Operating Systems people can become. My first computer was an Apple IIGS, but then we swiftly moved to Windows. I used to join in deriding Macs, then I got one. Mac OS, especially 10 and up, became my OS of choice. However, I still used Windows (and occasionally Linux) on a daily basis. I’m basically platform agnostic. A platform is a tool, and the one that works best for you is the best… for you. There is no perfect platform for everyone, for computer or phone.
I mention this because of discussions I’ve been having with some fellow techies. This week I finally broke down and bought a Pre. The reactions from my iPhone, WindowsMobile and Blackberry using friends (Sort of sad, but I don’t personally know a single Android user – no I’ve never met Justin) were almost comical in their predictability. I even got complaints about the Pre from a fellow Pre owner… because he’s really a Blackberry user. I’m not saying they’re wrong – I’m just saying the Pre is closer to my “ideal” phone than most of those other options (In fact, I recalled a doodle I drew ten years ago and it resembles the Pre to the point of scariness).
Every phone does its job in one way or another and every phone does it for someone. The cell market is really big enough for everyone. So how about we all just calm down and let people find the right solution?
So, why is the Pre my “perfect phone” (so far, anyway?)? Click the read link and find out.
[Warning – this thing is a fricking essay. I clearly have no life.] (more…)
Holy cow, what a week. Every time Mordy or I sat down to write a post, something else happened. I’m going to try to condense it all into one week, going by topic. Bear with me: (more…)
As many of us know, Apple announced a new iPhone, the 3GS, within days of the Palm Pre’s launch. The release was widely believed to be rushed out the door to steal some of Palm’s thunder since the Pre seems to be treading on all sorts of Apple’s turf (syncing with itunes comes to mind).
The primary difference between the iPhone 3G and the new 3GS is the speed of the CPU and graphics. Most of the time, end users won’t notice any performance difference (the platform was already pretty speedy), however this speed boost is planned to spark a whole new set of high end games, further pushing the iPhone platform as a gaming device.
Ready for the irony? ZodTTD, developer of PSX4all (an app that plays full-blown Playstation games on mobile devices), has just released a Palm Pre version of his game platform to follow up his version for the iPhone 3GS. And you know what? The Pre version outperforms the iPhone 3GS!
I, for one, find this rather disappointing for Apple. Its bad enough that many iPhone fans are already dismissing the 3GS as not substantial enough of an upgrade to renew- but it turns out that new customers who want top notch game performance might also now dismiss the 3GS (the Pre’s keyboard may prove more useful for game controls as well).
Which begs the question- what demographic is the 3GS for? Is it simply for people who want 32GB of storage?
I’m not really concerned for Apple, however- I’m certain that there are enough fans out there who will buy the 3GS. I’m just underwhelmed.
Here are some interesting things from DigitalLook, but not exactly interesting enough to be their own article (no offense to the vendors, who were all awesome)
Note that I do have photos, but I seems to be mangling the photo functions of the blog, so I will be holding off on adding them. (more…)
While MoPocket Didn’t have the money to fly out to London yesterday, we did attend Digital Look in NY last night, where the Hero was the belle of HTC’s booth.
I didn’t get a lot of time with the Hero, due to the fact that just about everyone else there was trying to get some time with it. Still, first impressions are as follows: (more…)
Well, the Pre’s release day came and went. If you haven’t been following the press (read: bloggers), the initial impressions are rather promising… however, the inter-webs are full of the standard nitpicking and critics that follow any large-scale launch (anyone remember when early iPhone 3G adopters claimed the battery life would keep it from getting off the ground?).
In fact, ifixit.com has already dissected theirs and shared the images and initial impressions. The hardware is decent, but the OS is what will ultimately save Palm as a company (Quote: “WebOS is so cool! We love how natural it feels to swipe between applications and multitask with Web, Twitter, AIM, and Pandora”).
Of course, it will be hard to win over any Apple fans. Most of them are still holding their grounds with the claim that the iPhone is still the superior platform.
User impressions aside, how did this release effect Palm as a company?
Industry analysts are hesitantly calling the launch a success, with an approximated 50,000 units sold. While that’s a good, healthy number, you have to remember that Apple sold a whopping 146,000 in their opening weekend, nearly 3x as much as Palm. The difference, according to insiders, is that Palm didn’t have the stock to sell more phones than that… “You can’t sell 100k+ phones if you don’t have 100k+ phones to sell.”
In fact, many people who waited in line for their Pre were turned away when store after store ran out of stock.
The bottom line here, is that it may not have taken off with as big of a bang as the iPhone, however it IS doing relatively well all things considered. Only time will tell where it goes from here.
What makes Palm’s stance so uncertain, however, is that there is a planned announcement this afternoon from the Apple camp, with many claiming a new iPhone will be announced. Palm’s thunder may be stolen before they have a proper chance…
Has anyone been paying attention to the Peek? This throwback device, sold with T-Mobile e-mail service and no voice, was largely dismissed as a solution in search of a problem. In a day and age when most feature phones can at least get gmail, the idea of carrying a seperate e-mail only device seems off. I personally have been following it because I know one person who may have been the target audience, but even he finally has a smartphone (hi dad).
Backing up everyone’s doomsaying has been the various tactics Peek has taken, with sales and price cuts, showing just how badly they want to move product and make a name.
Well, now we see something new – A service-less Peek for $20. It’s interesting to see this, and makes me wonder if one could theoretically get it on a data service other than T-Mobile. It would also be interesting to see if one could hack the phone for web browsing and/or Skype.
Still, this price cut is mostly notable for being the preliminary death knell for a product that was about five years late to the party.
In a rather shocking announcement, the upcoming Palm Pre is not only capable of being a music player (that standard 3.5mm headphone jack sure is handy), but it will in fact also pretend to be an iPod when connected to iTunes, sucessfully syncing all your music and photos as if it were a ‘pod itself.
This alone may make the Pre the most compelling iPhone rival yet.
And to think, some tech bloggers such as CruchGear had the audacity to call the Pre an “Also Ran” today (click the link for more info).
I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the Pre now fellas…
Folks, this is the end of an Era. Palm’s Operating System has been around since the term PDA entered the vernacular (and for a change, didn’t have anything to do with public displays of affection).
With everyone all excited about the Palm Pre’s new WebOS, and the high-end business minded Palm devices already running Windows Mobile, the last nail on the Palm OS’s coffin appears to have been unceremoniously nailed in.
Unceremoniously, that is, until the Hong Kong PDA Users Group (HKPUG) decided to throw a little farewell party of their own.
The group members met up recently, and gathered up as many different Palm OS devices as they could find for a truly unique photo shoot. I’d (tastelessly) compare it to an open-casket funeral, however surprisingly the devices on display were still completely functional- including some Pilot 1000 devices. Many of these are reportedly still in use by their owners, so Palm OS may be out of production, however it is quietly being kept alive by those few, those faithful, those brave… Palm loyalists.
Well, the Pre’s release day came and went. If you haven’t been following the press (read: bloggers), the initial impressions are rather promising… however, the inter-webs are full of the standard nitpicking and critics that follow any large-scale launch (anyone remember when early iPhone 3G adopters claimed the battery life would keep it from getting off the ground?).
Has anyone been paying attention to the Peek? This throwback device, sold with T-Mobile e-mail service and no voice, was largely dismissed as a solution in search of a problem. In a day and age when most feature phones can at least get gmail, the idea of carrying a seperate e-mail only device seems off. I personally have been following it because I know one person who may have been the target audience, but even he finally has a smartphone (hi dad).
In a rather shocking announcement, the upcoming Palm Pre is not only capable of being a music player (that standard 3.5mm headphone jack sure is handy), but it will in fact also 
