Tag: sprint pre (Page 2 of 2)

      Palm Hopes to Win Customers With More Apps

      June 9, 2009 /

      Palm Pre App Catalog.It’s no secret that much of the iPhone’s success comes from its development community. There are other great touchscreen smartphones out there, but none with application support behind the iPhone.

      That’s no secret to Palm, either, and they’re hoping to offer similar support (albeit on a much smaller scale) to win some customers to the Pre. At launch the Pre sold some 50,000 phones and saw 150,000+ apps downloaded in that first weekend. That’s a solid start, but it won’t be long before Pre owners will want more.

      Developers released some new Pre apps yesterday, in the midst of the Apple mayhem. The new titles included LikeMe, a restaurant/entertainment recommendation and rating service, and a sports news app for baseball fans. The Pre catalog is still smaller than tiny (like fewer than 50), but the catalog is still in beta, and only a few developers have the kit. As soon as it goes public, I’m sure you’ll see a more rapid influx of applications. Palm should make that happen soon – there’s sure to be a big rush of developers hoping to lure iPhone 3GS customers in the coming weeks.

      Apple, Apps, Computers, Gaming, iPhone, Mobile, Websites

      Pre Sells 50,000 Units In First Weekend

      June 8, 2009 /

      Palm Pre and accessories.There were all sorts of doubts surrounding Palm’s Pre Launch. Whether it was a shortage of hardware, a lackluster phone, or the short-term Sprint exclusivity, plenty folks had their reasons for thinking the phone would flop.

      According to early reports out of the Wall Street Journal, the Pre was a bigger hit than many expected. According to the WSJ, the Pre sold 50,000 units over the weekend, marking the launch a success, at least for now. By comparison, the iPhone sold 146,000 units at launch, but as we know, the Pre isn’t the iPhone, and 50,000 units is nothing to scoff at. Still, I have to wonder, will today’s WWDC Keynote have an effect on upcoming sales?

      And what of inventory? Many stores report being sold out of the phone. Some go so far as to claim the device is sold out nationwide. If a new iPhone announcement doesn’t kill the Pre, how long will consumers have to wait for the next shipment?

      A JP Morgan analyst says they’re coming this week. I hope so, for Palm’s sake.

      Source: ZDNet

      iPhone, Mobile

      Verizon to Sell Palm Pre, Storm 2 In the Next 6 Months

      May 28, 2009 /

      Palm Powered VerizonThe latest from Lowell McAdam, top exec for the Verizon/Vodafone venture, has Verizon selling the Palm Pre and the Blackberry Storm in the next “6 months or so.” The Storm 2 is no big surprise. Plenty of people have had their hands on that things for weeks. But the Pre, too? We knew Sprint’s exclusivity contract was short, but 6 months hadn’t even crossed my mind. Earlier this week AT&T announced similar plans to snatch up the Pre, but made no projection as to when.

      This really shakes things up, both for Palm and Sprint. For Palm, it could mean new life. I know plenty of people who don’t have an iPhone because of AT&T. Verizon could be enough to make them consider the sleek Palm smartphone as an alternative. For Sprint, though, this is like a cancer diagnosis. The company bled more than a million customers in the last quarter of 2008. If Palm’s launch stock is as scrawny as rumors say, they could be out of phones and out of exclusivity with Palm before they have a chance to dig their toes in. Could Sprint bounce back from having their most-hyped phone on Verizon? I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one.

      Source: Reuters

      Mobile, News

      The Pre is a Great Phone but the Wrong Phone

      May 26, 2009 /

      the wrong customersThe recently leaked Pre launch guide has set Palm fans atwitter, ready to get their paws on one the minute the phone launches. That is, if Sprint will let them.

      In what I find to be the most interesting page (11 if you’re keeping track) of the launch missive, Sprint lays down a heavy warning: “We can’t afford to sell the Pre to the wrong customers.” My knee jerk reaction sounds a lot like “no shit,” especially considering the rumors of a tiny launch stock. But Palm means more than senior citizens and paraplegics. So who is the wrong customer, and why don’t they deserve a Pre?

      According to Palm, the wrong customers are the IT business users. The folks who need to run applications. The people with strict mobile device security protocols. A lot of the same people who really want the device. But when those people set foot in a Sprint Store on June 6th, Sprint reps are advised to try to sell them the Treo Pro. This makes sense. Salespeople are there to identify your needs, and then sell you a product to meet or exceed those needs (preferably at atmospheric price points). So why sell you the Pre when it falls short? You should get the phone you need, right?

      Right. The Pre isn’t the phone you need. It’s right there in company literature, just mangled and twisted to make it sound like the customer’s wrong, instead of the phone. Make no mistake, though, it’s the phone, and the Pre is going to miss the mark on launch day and probably fade out of existence before long. I’m not talking to you, the individual user who might love Palm’s new features and developer-friendly OS. I’m talking about market share, which is what Palm needs to stay solvent. The Pre was the device to release before Apple sold 20 million iPhones. Before the app store sold a billion apps. Then the Pre could have been Palm’s savior, instead its dying breath.

      It’s not that the Pre isn’t a great device. From the hardware to the software, the smooth OS to an overall excellent user experience the Pre is a great device, it’s just the wrong device, and it could be Palm’s last. If the Pre fails to gain significant ground and fast, there’s little hope for a financially stable Palm in the near future.

      Apple, iPhone, Mobile, News

      Newer posts »

      © 2026 Gadget Teaser

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑