This afternoon I had a chance to attend a Webinar held by Sprint and Palm outlining the recently announced Palm Pre for the Sprint Network. The event was hosted by Mark Elliot along with David Owens, Director of Consumer Acquisition, Sprint and Matt Crowley, Product Line Manager, Palm. I must warn you that no information on Palm Pre pricing or an updated release date was discussed in this webinar and the central focus was the device features and Sprint services. I’d also like to warn those of you with SERO Plans that like the Samsung Instinct, the Palm Pre will require an Everything Plan with Unlimited Data or Simply Everything Plan.
So why did Palm choose Sprint to be the exclusive carrier for the Palm Pre? The answer to this question boiled down to 4 main reasons starting with Sprint’s 3G network. Since the Palm Pre runs on webOS, the device is always connected to the Internet and because of that it needs a very dependable high-speed Internet connection. Secondly, Sprint was the first carrier to launch the Treo 300 which shows their commitment to the brand and the long history of device launches. Third, Sprint lead the way with the Treo 700p and Centro so it is only fitting that Sprint sees the first device to launch webOS. The last and most important reason Palm chose Sprint is the Ready Now customer support system which will be an integral part in the device launch and helping Sprint customers learn everything they want about their Palm Pre with no out of pocket expense. While not going into specifics about Sprint’s device return rates, industry return rates on PDA’s are over 20%. Sprint and Palm hope that the Ready Now support staff will help lower these rates and make the Palm Pre launch a smooth transition for Sprint customers.
The concept of the Sprint store purchase of the Palm Pre is centered around Ready Now. When you buy the Pre in store you can setup an appointment to come in and learn the basics. This appointment can be done the day you purchase the device or it can be anytime in the future. The important point is that this is a free service and it will help ensure that you are comfortable with your purchase and able to use all of its features.
So where did the style of the Palm Pre begin? The style is based on a polished river stone with smooth edges and a dark deep color. The Pre features a 320 x 480 resolution touchscreen with side volume controls and a removable back cover with replaceable battery. On the back of the device is a convenience mirror and a 3mp camera with led flash. After having many users complain about irregular headphone jack sizes, the Palm Pre comes with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The device measures 2.35 inches by 3.96 inches by .67 inches and weighs in at just 4.76 ounces. Unlike the Palm Treos of the past, the Pre has a microUSB connector which can be used to charge the device as well as USB mass storage mode to transfer files between the Pre and your computer. The Pre does not offer a microSD expansion slot like previous Palm smartphone phones and instead it offers 8GB of internal storage. For navigation, the Pre has intergrated GPS which is compatible with Sprint’s Navigation service.
So what makes the WebOS so special? synergy.
Here’s an example. If your contact changes their phone number on Facebook, it would automatically update the number in your contact for that person.
Synergy is not limited to contact, it applies across the entire webOS platform and differentiates the device among all smartphones in the marketplace. Besides synergy, the big selling point of the webOS is universal search. Searching across the entire device gives you instant access to all your device and program information.
For me personally the most interesting portion of the webinar was the Touchstone demonstration. Touchstone is a charger that works with simple contact between the Pre and the unit. While contact is made the device is fully functional for use and charges as the same time. No cords are needed to connect the device to the Touchstone, it simply works on contact.
Q: Will all Sprint services be included on the Pre?
A: Some of them — NFL, Nascar, Sprint Navigation. Music is a bit different, but for the most part you will see the standard Sprint applications.
Q: How does the Pre receive data for Exchange and Gmail?
A: OTA email updates, MS Exchange server, Google directly, POP/IMAP email support
Q: Will the center button light up as shown at CES?
A: 3 light notifications as shown as CES with intuitive feedback
Q: Is Pre still on target for 1st half 2009
A: Yes, we are committed to the first half of 2009.
Q: Will Pre support Flash?
A: WebOS will support Flash near the end of 2009
Q: How many cards can you have open at the same time (tabs)?
A: Any more than 4 or 5 is unwieldy for the person. I think that everyone multitasks, but not everyone multitasks more than 4 or 5 programs at a time.
Q: Will touchstone be offered by sprint?
A: yes it will be available at launch. In store you will be able to touch/feel/play with the device and touchstone. Touchstone works horizontally and vertically so you can have it charging while watching landscape videos.
Q: Will Palm continue to develop windows mobile devices?
A: PalmOS is ended, WebOS will continue. For Windows Mobile the Treo Pro will continue the Windows Mobile legacy for the time being.
Q: Will there be an AppStore for Pre?
A: There will be an Over the Air AppStore. Additional details will be released as we get closer to a device launch.
Q: Why is there no expansion slot?
A: It is about design. We couldn’t have done a product like this with the current dimensions, look and feel. As soon as you add a microSD slot you begin to compromise the design. Visit the Palm Blog and the profile for Matt Crowley for the Facebook discussion.
Q: Is there a regular plug if you don’t want to use Touchstone?
A: Yes on the side of the device there is the microUSB connector to charge the device. Wall charger and the cable will be standard in box.
Q: Will there be gaming on the device?
A: There will be casual games, but mostly web centered games like Sodoku. It will not be about 3D gaming on WebOS 1.0
Q: Will there be more options than HTML, JavaScript and CSS?
A: The focus is bringing the web to the device with web standards like HTML, JavaScript and CSS.
Q: Are there plans to license webOS?
A: no further plans to license the operating system at this time.
Q: Why did you choose the name Pre for the device?
A: it is anticipatory. It’s showing you what the options are and helps you think ahead about what steps you may want, not what you want. Thinking ahead of time.
Q: Can you provide additional information about Sprint’s Ready Now and the Pre?
A: Think of Ready Now as the personal trainer for the Pre. You can do the Ready Now service immediately the day you buy the Pre. You tell us what you want to learn about based on a list of check boxes and for no charge a Ready Now trainer will walk you through the steps. We do not want to see return rates at 20%, we want customers to leave the store knowing everything they need to use the Pre and get the most out of the device.
Q: Could you provide more detail on what specific plan is needed for the Palm Pre?
A: Everything Messaging 450 min plan is not available. 450 min Everything Data Plan is available, 900 min. Starting as low as 69.99 or as high as Simple Everything Unlimited for 99.99. The Everything Data Plans for family plans are also available. Business customers can also get this device with pooled minutes as long as they have a Data Plan of $30 or higher. You do not have to get the Simply Everything Plan for $99.99, but you need an unlimited Data Plan. The device is always connected to the web so you need an unlimited data plan. To keep things simple, the Palm Pre will follow the plan choices of the Samsung Instinct.
For more information please visist sprint.com/palmpre or palm.com/meetpre
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There is a lot of information, thanks for it!
that was a great review!
This device looks so cool!
having flash is the idea ever!
can u tell me how to download music on the pre. I like music.
Looking good. i want one now!
palm pre!! is the best if you have more links for the download musics !
Very interesting!! thanks for share the post
looks like the HTC Touch, i hope works better.
very interesting, great review and thanks for the post
cool article and great blog
excellent phone, great features.