ebuzz7

I must first confess that when I heard the Palm Pre would be a Sprint phone I was truly excited. I thought finally Sprint has a phone that can equal the iphone. I camped out for 12 hours at Best Buy to be the first in line to get my Pre. I will admit it is by no means a perfect phone. I have to remind myself that this is the first generation.

With all that being said I will say that I now realize that I love my phone not because it may or may not equal the iphone. I love it because it took life from the direction Apple has taken the next generation of phones and Palm created a phone that in my opinion has begun to send phones in a new direction. Web OS has allowed almost anyone to create apps, customize their phone and create unique experiences for each of us.

We need to remind ourselves that we have the opportunity to create something new and exciting. Take a look at any iphone that you see and they basically look the same and have generally have the same type of apps.

I don't want the Palm Pre to be another iphone. I want it to be its own league of phone. The iphone has good and bad qualities. The Pre does as well. Web OS has given us a tool that will allow us to create a phone that is our own. I challenge developers, designers and Pre owners to make your Pre your own. Don't follow the cookie cutter example set out by the iphone.

Learn Web OS, design apps that you like and need. Share those with others and remember that you are the only one that will keep your phone from being what you need it to be. Whatever we do let us not become the next iphone.

We need to become the next MYphone.

THAANSA3

Good post . . . very inspirational. Your take on the iPhone is very accurate, IMHO. Of course, you can't tell any Apple owner that, whether it's an iphone or a Macbook or any other Apple product. They're just not trying to hear it.

The Pre has a very solid foundation. As I stated in other threads, namely my own review of the Pre, I think the pressure is on Palm to keep things moving solidly ahead. They must not drop the ball on this one. For the first time, we have a phone that can compete with the iPhone in functionality and, hopefully, popularity. Only time will tell what happens.

prelover09

Palm Pre beats iphone 2g, 3g and 3gs hands down in every category except number of ifart apps.

1) Great screen
Pre has a better, higher resolution screen than any iphone.

2) Qwerty keyboard
Pre has a very durable physical qwerty keyboard, iphone does not.

3) Multitasking
Pre can open many apps at once, iphone cannot.

4) Better battery
My Pre lasts for 30+ hours in standby mode, iphone does not

5) Apps
Pre has higher quality apps in its app store, iphone has hundreds of variations of the same app and claims to have 65k+.

s219

You're talking like you would appreciate an open source approach to a phone (Android?), so I find it surprising that you're touting the capabilities of a proprietary device that ultimately keeps you tied to one company's technology. Some of the things you cite about the Pre versus the iPhone are really small potatoes in comparison to something like Android (or rooting/jailbreaking the other devices).

It is true that the webOS lowers the bar of development to the point that anyone with web app experience can make an app, and this makes it a good "hobby" device. However, the tradeoff is that the SDK is extremely limited and has low performance (and on top of that, there is no way to protect source code). As a developer, my observation is that these things are keeping the serious developers and projects away. I don't think that is good for the platform. While it's admirable, I honestly don't think the current homebrew effort can make the webOS successful, nor will the genre of apps that are possible with the SDK.

If you are happy with a hobby approach to apps (which I should note, is the force behind all the senseless iPhone apps people despise) then the Pre is on track. But until they come up with a real SDK, with honest to goodness native software technologies, I don't see this really taking off and becoming a serious device where being in a "league of its own" is a good thing. Right now it's bush league!

I agree it's good that Palm is going in a different direction than Apple, but they need to step it up. Right now, it's looking a little weak from the developer standpoint. If webOS is to succeed as a platform, ultimately *professional* developers are the ones that will make it successful. It's not going to excel as just a hobbyist platform.

ebuzz7

I can only guess that you are a programmer and are not in favor of the current state of the Web OS. I hate to remind you that this device/operating system is only a few months old. Give it time and you and your fellow developers might actually be able to mold it to something more to your liking. I think the iphone is the most restrictive from the programmers point of view. Yes the Android OS is more open, but I think Google is always looking for another way to increase their market share at the consumers expense. Maybe I am wrong, but they seem to control the Internet more than an most.

Sorry I got off track. I guess I wonder why one would buy a phone that has a sub-par OS that is a hobby approach to apps. If you truly like the Pre and are serious about making it a better phone for developers then step it up and make it one.

I am not looking to offend you or anger you. I want this phone/OS to grow and become what I believe it can. My point was that the Pre is gives us the owners the opportunity to make this phone/OS into what ever we want it to become. I hope that you will work with others developers to make it what you want it to become. I am an individual and I think the Pre allows me to design a phone that I want and need. Not one that is the same packaged in a different case.

s219

Honestly (I am not trying to hop on or promote the iPhone bandwagon here) the iPhone SDK constantly amazes me with the level of sophistication and the depth of the available technology. We can literally program it with the same technologies and capabilities of desktop computer software -- it's almost without practical limits. The challenge is adapting one's experience and knowledge to making good *mobile* apps, which can take advantage of the device's specific features and technology. So, no I don't think it's the most restrictive -- in reality, it's the most empowering mobile SDK I know of at this point, and is a pleasure to use.

The top issues I see with the webOS SDK are the lack of native software technologies (ie, stuff like OpenGL), the limited performance due to the choice of language and missing hardware support (no graphics acceleration), and the fact that anyone can view/copy your source code. Those are three big downsides to developers that need to make a business case for the platform.

meyerweb

1 is wrong. Same res as the iPhone. But since it's smaller the pixels are finer, which may make it appear a bit sharper. But the trade-off, unfortunately, is that it's smaller.

2 True, but the keys are awfully close together. It's still better than the iPhone's touchscreen keboard.

3 True, very true.

4 Unfortunately, many people have serious battery issues. If you never actually use your phone, and keep it in standby all the time, I guess 30 hours is impressive.

5 LOL The Pre has less than a dozen, beta applications in the app cat. The App Store has hundreds, maby thousands of high quality applications. Unfortunately they get buried among the fart apps, but to claim the beta version of the app cat, as of this date, is superior in any way is laughable.

Both phones have plusses and minuses, and only a total ****** would cite one phone's superiority "in every category" based on a total of 5 items, four of which are questionable.

But thanks for the chuckle.

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sil3ntoblivion

What most people seem to be forgetting is that there was no appstore for the iPhone first gen. It took a year for apple to even release its app store, so in this respect, the Pre is already ahead of the iPhone. Give it 2 years and the quality and quantity of apps will equal or pass the iPhone's. Just don't forget, there was no appstore for a year.

REVNU

Not trying to start a war here, but I this is what I think.

The fact that it took Apple 1-year to launch an app store and Palm only a couple of months is a poor argument. The fact is, consumers want their apps/app store NOW and most won't wait for Palm to get it's act together. Apple has an app store NOW and that's all that counts. Whether we like it or not Apple is a marketing/sales juggernaut that Palm cannot compete against and most uninformed (naive) consumers will go with what is popular (iPhone).

Do I think Palm is an iPhone killer? NO.

Do I think it can be an iPhone killer? MAYBE. If Palm plays it's cards right and markets their product properly and gets PROFESSIONAL app developers on board. I think it would take the Pre a few generations to even begin to "compete" in the pure sense of the word.

With that being said, I really like my Pre and would not give it up for a iPhone. They do not appeal to me and the fact that I can't stand AT&T's service to boot will keep my hands far away from an iPhone.

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meyerweb

Thank you. Comparing the Pre to what Apple had 2 years ago makes about as much sense as comparing the Pre to a rotary pay phone. Customers compare what's available today, and the Apple has far more to offer in terms of app support. Anyone who argues the contrary is just being silly. And no, I don't own an iPhone, and I don't want an iPhone. But I believe in telling the truth.

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UF15

You know, that has been the biggest thing bothering me about some of the posts here. All the "it took the iPhone 3 years to get this polished."

Palm doesn't have that luxury, they have to compete now against an iPhone 3GS. Consumers aren't comparing technology trajectory similarities, they want to buy the best phone that is currently available. When the iPhone came out, it didn't have half the stuff it has now, but it was still revolutionary with its touch interface and full browsing experience to where it was enough to outshine Windows Mobile and other platforms back in 2007.

It's 2009, Palm has to compete in 2009. It needs a refined OS right now, it needs apps right now. If it doesn't, people aren't going to wait because there are better options right now. I hope Palm has the legs to stand financially until it might get caught up to speed in a year or so, but it has to start matching feature to feature on a current basis with iPhone.

Dim-Ize

This is a very disturbing, but insightful disadvantage for developers that I didn't know about. There's allot of potential deterrants for the professional developer community due to loss of source code. I wasn't aware of this.

Still - I would love to have a Pre over my corp issued BBerry.

palmbeach

humm why didn't anyone say this to the iphone in 2007 when the 1st iphone was released. "has to compete in 2007. It needs a refined OS right now"

in 2007 the number 1 cell mfg was.......can guess it. that's right motorolla.
the iPhone only had 2.5% of the market as compaired to motorolla who had 32%.

so for you to say that palm has to do what iphone has never done is unfair. it would be nice if they did, but they won't. and why should they if thier compeditor has never done it

agi2002

You know I don't understand why every new phone that comes out has to be a IPHONE KILLER!... Ppl hate the iphone so much yet they compare it to every phone out there? If I worked in apple I would feel good about everyone comparing it to my phone. There are hundreds of phones out there yet everyone has to say its an Iphone killer. I actually agree to a point where ppl say that you can't compare the first gen Iphone when it first came out to the pre now. Obviously the idea of the iphone and the apps have been out for awhile now so palm had awhile to make the phone better and learn from Apple's mistakes. But I also agree that the phone just came out so we aren't giving the developers much time to develop new programs. To me when new phones come out and they start saying is it a Pre killer, that is when the phone has surpassed the Iphone in ppls eyes. Sure everyone likes to hate the Iphone for the restrictions that they put on it, but you guys have to admit the amazing device they have created and Its true, thanks to the Iphone we have all these manufacturers trying to make something better.

Honestly I don't hate the Iphone, I love how they set the bar for future phones to come. But I do think its not the perfect phone either! you have to just appreciate what they have accomplished. I honestly just got tired of it and wanted something different so I got the pre.

Also the Iphone focuses more on multimedia entertainment and so they lack in the phone quality portion. And I have had excellent reception on the pre and to me its a better quality phone then the Iphone, and that is what I was looking for.

Abrockman

Having switched over from an iphone, I think the Pre is equal, the only thing I miss from my iPhone is the visual voice mail. Pre does not have as many apps, but that will change soon...

pogeypetey

Equal. They both do things the other cannot. Love my Pre, but that's the honest truth.

ADGrant

No one is forgetting that there was no appstore for the iPhone first gen. It's just not relevant. When the iPhone came out it sold very well because most of the built in apps worked very well , the webbrowsing was almost desktop class and it was an iPod (complete with an Apple logo). Apple tried to persuade developers to write web apps but eventually relented and gave them access to the same SDK that their own developers used for the core apps.

I suspect Palm doesn't have a secret super SDK for internal app developers liek Apple did. Palms developers are probably using standard Java and gcc development tools for the core OS and and web server plugins. They claim to have developed the built in apps with the same SDK they have provided to external developers. Given the primitive tools available and Palm's relatively small bank balance it is unlikely that your prediction will come to pass (" Give it 2 years and the quality and quantity of apps will equal or pass the iPhone's"). No platform can match the iPhone for quality or quantity of apps except in areas where Apple will not allow developers to compete (a better email app would be nice for example).

Apple restricts developers with its approval process, Palm with its SDK. Android is much more open than WebOS or the iPhone and its SDK is much better than Palm's. It's proabbly not as slick as Apples but the barriers to entry are much lower. The SDK is free and Java is a fairly easy language to learn (its a popular teaching language for programming 101).

vjohnson

I think that the reason it gets compared to the Iphone is that a lot of people want the Iphone but don't want to pay AT&Ts ridiculous price for a plan. Although the pre can things the Iphone can't, I probably would've chosen the Iphone just for the apps. But I feel like given a year or so the apps will be plentiful. In just a few months we have quite a few. Also, as developers had to come up with unique idea, developers for the pre will probably copy a lot of the Iphone's apps so they have a leg up in that department.