No shit folks – the Pre is Palm’s last best hope to survive. It is the first thing in years worth criticizing from the company that made the PDA a reality, and it actually does some interesting things. The UI is certainly attractive, and the presence of real multitouch will let it play right away. Whereas the iPhone had the whole Apple digital-media ecosystem as a selling point, though, and the G1 had both Google and the promise of a broader platform (and conceivable multiple carriers), the Pre’s party piece is its Webkit-based system where all applications are basically local web apps, which should offer developers a tremendously low barrier to entry.
(An aside: the iPhone and the first two legitimate competitors all use Webkit as the basis of their browser. As soon as I have the Bold in hand, I’ll have a look and see what the mobile web looks like without it. Not sanguine about the prospects.)
Problem is, though, they tied up with Sprint.
A phone is only as good as its network. It’s understandable why Apple went with AT&T – they didn’t really have a choice from a technical perspective as the former Cingular had the only dual-band national GSM network. It’s plausible why the G1 started on T-Mobile – they needed something to replace the aging Sidekick line as their tentpole device, and again, GSM. If you make your device GSM, you can pretty much sell it anywhere in the world right off the jump other than South Korea. If you make it CDMA, though, you’d better be HUGE in Seoul and North America because that’s as far as it’ll go.
Sprint is, to put it nicely, limited. It’s a PCS carrier, which means 1900Mhz coverage only, and it is proverbial for its coverage issues and the general inefficacy of its customer service. Too, CDMA devices are known for having less batter life than their GSM equivalents. Put it all together and it’s tough not to wonder if the network is going to be the weak link in the chain, and unlike the iPhone, there’s no way to unlock it and pop a SIM in there.
Still, this is Palm’s best opportunity. The iPhone is still the best-selling phone in America, but the presence of competitors means the time is ripe for somebody to pop out a compelling challenge, and Sprint seems committed to selling the hell out of it. Now, all they have to do is bring it in at a reasonable price point (and it’s becoming clear that anything over $299 is untenable in this segment, and under $199 would be much better) and maybe they’ll have a chance.