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Home»BlackBerry News»Special Coverage

CES 2009: Hands-On Demo with the Palm Pre Smartphone

by Kevin Michaluk on 9 Jan 2009 02:59 PM
110
 

This isn't BlackBerry news but it's definitely the biggest mobile news coming out of CES 2009... 

Yesterday was the day that Palm would either sink or swim, and with their announcement of the Palm Pre and Palm Web OS the company clearly made the impression that they will once again be real contenders in the smartphone races. Judging by the way Palm's stock price ended the day (wayyyy up!), you could argue Palm is jumping back in the pool with almost Michael Phelps-like expectations.

I attended the Palm Pre announcement with Dieter (live blogged at Treo Central) and afterwards went to the Palm room where I had an awesome walk through of the device with Palm's VP of Product Design, Peter Skillman. I video taped the encounter for your viewing pleasure (more information and pictures here). 

I've gotta say, Palm paid a lot of attention to detail in the Pre's design and how the Palm Web OS works for the user. It is impressive. I think the competition (RIM included) will be making note of some of the new innovations Palm introduced yesterday. The video above is long (25 minutes!) but gives a solid overview of the device and platform. And if you want to learn more, just head on over to TreoCentral.com where they've been blogging non-stop about all things Palm Pre.

Filed Under: Special Coverage; Tags: video
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110 Comments

Posted by cereal killer Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Kevin this phone is seriously sick : ) VERY NICE. Laughed when he totally dismissed your Storm. Your like "I got the Storm too" he's like "Yeah........." and moves on.

Storm is already the stepchild after just under 2 months.

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Sunday, Jan 11, 2009 1127 days ago

Hey, you guys should all check out the actual Palm keynote on their website. There is all this information about the phone presented in there, but with someone who says "uh" a LOT less, and since it was prepared for the keynote, the information is laid out a lot better. So, go go go! check it out! http://www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pre/palm-pre-ces.html

 
 
Posted by Leo.brazuca Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Didn't like the phone it self, but the idea for their OS is great, it will be a good phone to bad is on the wrong carrier...

 
 
Posted by Jeff Bishop Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

I started out with a Palm (actually a Handsping with Palm OS...remember those?). And then 'graduated' to BB a few years back. The pre is pretty impressive looking.

On a side note - just found out today that Palm's Director of OS went to high school with me...funny!

 
 
Posted by ansabakhan Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Would we be expecting to get this on Verizon too ?

 
 
Posted by dsten15 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Phone looks really nice some cool ideas RIM could use... See how quick that guy turned off the video once Speed Racer started playin on the Bold. That screen is still amazing

 
 
Posted by leathernuts Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

BB is like "oh no- thats what the storm was suppose to do!" This phone kicks the crap out of the storm as far as what I can see. That slide out is sweet as well. NOTE: Im not saying it kicks the crap out of BB, just the storm. That click screen bs is just that- bs. I went back to my curve. Efficiency went up like 100%, but then you lose that beautiful screen on the storm. The Treo Pre is like the best of both worlds. Hopefully the Storm 2 will learn from this. At least this will keep everyone on their toes and keep the creativity up.

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

The Storm was a total disaster from the get-go. I actually dropped T-Mobile for the Storm.. kept it 4 days and gave it back and cancelled my service. I then ported my number over to AT&T and went for the Bold.

RIM and Verizon should have never released the Storm when they did. That devise has another year of development before it is ready for prime time. I bet Palm has been working on this for a couple of years.. at least. They have this new OS down and it looks slick. Yes, it was sluggish from time-to-time during the demo, but I will bet that the actual release version is pretty clean. Unlike the Storm that has nothing more then a rehashed RIM OS from years ago. Of course the Bold isn't much better in that regard.. but at least it is better then the Storm in terms of response.
No question... the new Pre kicks the Storms butt all over the field. RIM made a huge mistake with the Storm and Palm is going to shove it right down their throat!

 
 
Posted by poorboy08 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Looks very busy and the potential to be a slug performance wise...lot of stuff going on. I've liked Palms products in the past, had a handspring and a 680, but I'm still not impressed...too much bling imho!

 
 
Posted by BigSacAttack Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

The phone is ugly, but the quick launch and touchscreen extending down so far is sick!

 
 
Posted by BigSacAttack Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

I love how he says that the "first and foremost is the product itself after going on for like 3 minutes on how the packaging is the biggest breakthrough...

Plus, hilarious how Kevin sneaks the Storm in for the comparison shot and totally throws him off of his presentation, like..."What are you doing, this is the Pre presentation, not Storm." I love that...

 
 
Posted by leathernuts Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

That was funny as heck. The OS looks sweet and the quick launch. I personally like the slide out (guess Im not a truely committed to 100% touch screeen yet), but I agree that they could have done better with the shape. But then Again, I felt that BB made the Storm a little on the big and heavy side as well and I cant stand that wedge shape on the ends (top and bottom)

 
 
Posted by stormaddict13 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

This phone does look pretty cool. It just seems too flashy for me. I don't really like the slide out keyboard either. I know some people don't like the click screen on the storm but I find it to work excellent and I can type really fast on it.

 
 
Posted by drbyers Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

This is the sickest smartphone I've ever seen.

With one fell swoop, Palm's new WebOS leaves RIM's dated Blackberry OS in the dust.

I bet RIM will get that mythical slider R&D into higher gear now.

Jeezis...

 
 
Posted by cexshun Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

From this initial look, this phone could drag me away from BBs. Although if the Storm taught us anything, it's that first looks me jack squat. I'm excited about this new Palm though.

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Well RIM never really gave us a first look with the Storm... they hyped it and showed us pictures, but do you remember EVER seeing a walkthrough of the device prior to it going on sale?? I don't.

I think there is a reason for that... they knew it wouldn't live up to expectations, so they used hype to sell it. The iPhone and now the Pre gave us thorough walkthroughs of the device, because they are good enough to be able to sell themselves on the merits of the product.

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

That's so true. Never saw a official demo/walkthrough of the Storm. Just a leakded video from their Chief Marketing Officer. RIM totally new that the storm would kill itself with an actual keynote presentation. Can you imagine how embarassing it would be?

 
 
Posted by angiebutterfly Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

This phone is rather impressive for Palm. It's nice to see that they're actually trying to make an effort to stay afloat. I think this phone will do well.

 
 
Posted by Taurinh24 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

honestly, it looks like the iphone and storm had a baby and threw a keyboard in. OS looks slick, phone itself looks bleh. I personally believe that there is A LOT of potential with the storm OS and i think someday, it will shine through, so, i plan on sticking with BB. I had a palm, and i love my BB more.

 
 
Posted by leathernuts Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

I like your outlook. I hope this is true. Would love to see the Storm live up to its Hype. Only time will tell.

 
 
Posted by grooves Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

I think you have it backwards... the HARDWARE of the storm has a lot of potential. The OS is outdated and RIM needs to go back to the drawing board and start over completely like Apple and now Palm have.

 
 
Posted by Taurinh24 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

well, i was used to OS 4.2 becuase i had the world edition before the storm, so it was a HUGH upgrade for me. I have always had this feeling that one day we will see an OS similar to the iPhone on the storm, has the same potentials just clicking with the screen.

 
 
Posted by grooves12 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

and what HUGE upgrade did you see with 4.6??

A SLIGHTLY improved web browser?? A slightly improved media player?? The underpinnings of the OS are the same as they always have been except now it is less responsive.

I guarantee you this... you will NEVER see a powerful OS like the iPhone or Pre on the Storm. What you see is what you get, with the exception of some bug fixes and maybe performance improvement.

If RIM is going to take the time to completely redo the OS (which at this point all insiders say is not happening)
A) It will take so long to do, the Storm would be completely outdated.
B) Why release it for free on an existing device, when you can hype and sell a completly new one.

The Storm is what it is... and thats the way it is going to stay.

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

The latest OS right now is 4.7

 
 
Posted by Crackafied Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Wow, that thing is nice. It looks like the OS is already faster than my Storm. Also it has momentum that the storm doesn't have yet either. Slide out keyboard is pimp. From what I'm seeing just from this video is that this phone is already better than my Storm.

 
 
Posted by EOTW Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

I've been a Sprint customer for 7 long years and have only upgraded my phone twice. I'm not a BB user, though I have always wanted one. I'll be 100% honest. I'm impressed. As soon as I watched a couple of the rn thru vids of this phone, I wanted it. I want it still. I am imressed that Spring, the most lagging butt company when it comes to phone selection is getting this first. my only concern is that no one is even mentioning what the price will be. I've been a loyal customer for 7 yrs, never late with a payment. I EXPECT this phone to be no more than $300. Period. They better come through on the price. I can't wait!!!

 
 
Posted by BeLogical Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

if that guys says ummm one more time I'm going to cut my ears off with my scissors.

cool looking phone, just doubt it's going to be able to compete with RIM and Apple myself. i wonder how its exchange support is?

 
 
Posted by gregmar Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

MY Thought Exactly.....enough with the Umm Umm Ummm Geesh!

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Saturday, Jan 10, 2009 1127 days ago

To be honest, I stopped watching the video because it was too painful to here him say "um" and "uh" so many damn times. Information under load for sure.

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Sunday, Jan 11, 2009 1127 days ago

Rofl.. EXACTLY what i was thinking.. i was THIS close to punching the screen..
On the other hand, I couldn't actually turn it off because that PRE looks damn nice. I'm really loving how that OS looks.
It really shows grandfatherly age of the BB OS. Yes, it may do things well and efficiently, but from that PREsentation, I see that the PRE does things just as efficiently, and at times MORE efficiently than BB OS.
It's finally the device that has fused the work aspect of a BB with the sex appeal of the iPhone.
I'll definitely be picking one of these up!

 
 
Posted by Crackafied Saturday, Jan 10, 2009 1127 days ago

Just finished watching the whole video. Damn Kevin, your Blackberry looks like you been using it after eating some KFC.

 
 
Posted by gregmar Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

I am an ex treo user of 3 different models and had nothing but trouble with all of them, so skeptical about using a Palm again.

Really looks like a great device!

 
 
Posted by jjbenb Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Gotta say, I'm truly proud of Palm. They really stepped it up and, although I won't be running out to get a Pre when it launches (after switching from the Treo to BB a few years ago, I'll never go back), I think it can only help the touchscreen industry. They really went all out in creating a truly exciting and innovative OS (I wish RIM had been as innovative with the Storm). It does, however, seem to already be lagging towards the end of the video. And, IMO, releasing on Sprint is a TERRIBLE business decision.

That being said, no phone is perfect. I moved from the 8830 to the Storm in December and, despite its many faults, am content with it. But, I think RIM can learn a lot from the Palm Pre. I hope and expect that they do.

Competition breeds excellence!

P.S. Kevin, thanks for the video.

 
 
Posted by bubbatex Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

..go together right now, not sure Palm had a choice. Remember, ATT just gave Palm the cold shoulder on the Treo Pro last year (well, that and they have a full stable of hot phones anyway) and from what I have read, VZW only wants them once Sprint has worked out all the bugs (how long was it before the Centro hit VZW? And,well, they already have a hot phone called the Storm). So, bash Sprint if you like (why, I don't know - VZW & ATT can be just as TERRIBLE) but I would bet there was not necessarily many options for poor, tarnished Palm.

 
 
Posted by slava888 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Is it just me or the phone lags like hell during the presentation?!?!

 
 
Posted by bubbatex Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

It looked pretty damn fast to me - there were a few moments of lag, but overall, it seemed quicker than most.

 
 
Posted by mike240se Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

yeah just you. it lagged on a couple of things like when he had like 3 browsers open, but lol my storm lags far more.

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Saturday, Jan 10, 2009 1128 days ago

The OS did lag a number of times during the demo. One that especially struck me was during his email demo.. it really lagged at one point. This obviously is not the release version of the OS and most likely has more work before any consumer sees it. What is sad, being a huge Blackberry user, is that Palm's new OS kicks anything RIM has around the block... numerous times. Thier is no excuse for RIM to be on 4. anything... we should be at the 10. mark by this time.

What I also found funny was the failure of the "static charged" recharger to stick to anything after he rubbed the bottom of it on everyone's pants in the place. Supposedly you rub the bottom of the (accessory charger) on something and it will stick to any non-pores surface. Oops... didn't work!

Only time will tell if the Pre is a new start for Palm or the begining of the end. Clearly the Treo has seen its last days. It is outdated, cheap looking and feeling and Windows Mobile has never performed up to its potential. I had some of the earliest Blackberrys then switched to the Treo and after 2 frustrating experiences with those, I migrated right back to Blackberry.

The best thing about the Pre is that it hopefully gives RIM a kick in the pants to get with it and develop true, meaningful upgrades to the current, totally outdated OS.

 
 
Posted by Anonymous Sunday, Jan 11, 2009 1127 days ago

The OS might have lagged a bit, but seriously considering that it is still in BETA stages, and have months left until launch date, they have much time to tweak.

On top of that, it is still just as fast as the iPhone or the current Curve 8900 I'm using. iPhone lags a LOT as we all know, and that was one of the reasons why I picked up my brand new 8900. But, there are times when 8900 lags just as much. Not as many lags in general, but when it does, it does lag for at LEAST what the PRE was lagging for. I guess the Bold would be faster than the Curve 8900 since it has a faster processor, but still it's only the diff of 100mb.

Point being, that the amount of lag that PRE is showing is PERFECTLY fine compared to other devices currently out, and on top of that it is still being tweaked, so I expect it to be even faster when it is launched.

I gotta say I am very VERY excited for this phone, and definitely kicks the BB OS' ass around the block many times over. It actually takes a good looking, well thought out, efficient OS and puts even more innovation into it, and on top of that makes it work well! I really can't wait for this device to come out.

Now the only thing I'm afraid of, is that they go in the WRONG direction within the next few months, and make the phone crappier by the time it's released, but I trust Palm not to do that, as if that were to happen, it would really be the end of them.

I'm rooting for the PRE to do exceptionally well! Good potential come back Palm!

 
 
Posted by BrianW2007 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Phone looks great. Are forums down?

 
 
Posted by jdoc77 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Now any hope I have of getting the doctors around here to go with RIM is trashed. They all have palms that sync labs and patient information to their palm devices via WiFi in the hospital... I had tried the, "but you have to carry two devices angle... now I'm lost. ;)

Ouch.

 
 
Posted by newtoblack Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

I want to use an ITouch for the hospital wifi sync. (BBerry for personal use) Why will the rest of the docs not get away from Palm PDAs?????

 
 
Posted by bgwavrder Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Probably could have used a rep with better presenting skills. Best part was placing the Bold down with the Speed Racer trailer. His response to the Bold's superior contrast.....Is that a touch screen?......Classic.

It just shows that you can really tell how good a phones display is by placing it next to another device.

 
 
Posted by twmayben Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

If you're going to be the person who gives demonstrations of this phone to the press, take some speech lessons. Slow down, speak declaratively, and sound confident. First impressions...

Also, the way you interact with the UI (not the components of the UI) is so much a ripoff of the iPhone it's embarrassing.

 
 
Posted by Just a name Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

I don't know if I agree about the iPhone ripoff. Yes, it has smooth transitions, and the lists scroll really fast with a flick. That is well liked by touchscreen users, so why would someone not include it? The storm does not do that in many of its windows, and that bothers me(they really should've included their infamous trackball imo). I end up looking like I'm twiddling my thumbs just to get the scroll to move fast enough. That is OK, because I love the storm. But everyone needs to stop comparing every MOTHER FRIGGEN PHONE TO THE iPhone! Have you looked at the Nvidia Concept Phone? That thing has seriously smooth transitions... Ripping off the iPhone? I don't think so. Just making their OS and UI flow like melted butter on a hot pan... mmmm

 
 
Posted by mike240se Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

why the hell doesnt my storm have momentum scrolling? argh.\

 
 
Posted by hennesseystealth Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

My highly placed insider at Sprint says the best he can find out is sometime before Summer and not more than $299. He indicated that this phone isn't that "real" given how little information he has available from a marketing perspective. I guess you have to consider where the Storm OS will be in the next 5 months.

 
 
Posted by Delegator Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

If this device was offered on Verizon I'd think about holding off on getting a Storm to get a hands-on look at it. But, Sprint's coverage in NH is spotty on the highways and nonexistent everywhere else.

But, the device looks like it's well-executed and I'm glad to see Palm getting away from the Windows Mobile OS.

 
 
Posted by Jwolf854 Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

Holy crap is that a nice phone. Are we sure this is a Palm phone? I was never a big Storm fan (sluggish OS, terrible browser, lack of truly utilized touchscreen abilites) but this makes the Storm look like the red-headed step-child. This looks like an amazing phone! I can't wait till the stores get it to see how it handles running all those apps at the same time. Palm just secured its spot amoungst the top smartphone developers. Obviously it's not BlackBerry to which I will never falter, however, I think that RIM needs to step it up several notches. Like take whatever ideas they have for oh, say, 2012, and deliver them in 2009. Overall looks like an awesome phone - nice job Palm.

 
 
Posted by Nabo Friday, Jan 09, 2009 1128 days ago

well....I think they are targeting more the iPhone than any other touchscreen out there but... they shouldn't bite off the style IMO. The UI looks very nice... I like a lot the capability to run multiple windows / apps...and barely lagged.... very nice! I'm not sure about the screen res thought... Did U see the comparison to the Bold??? LOL The Bold totally put all other phones to shame!!!
Over all I liked the phone... not sure if I'll ever get the Palm... but for sure I want nothing to do with Sprint.

 
 
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