Lack of Information killed the Pre

[Darth Pooh#CB]

So I hope Sprint / HTC doesn't go the same route as that.

They should probably put out a web series (via youtube or their flash heavy website) detailing little things. 2-3 minute clips showing off various features, i.e. web browsing, market apps, speed, video, etc...

It keeps the interest piqued and lures even more consumers. It would be great if gameloft worked in tandem with Sprint/HTC to showcase newly ported games to the device... and if you've listened to the Palmcast, you know I need some Dungeon Hunter on this thing!

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

1. there was no information to give, other than multi-tasking, the pre didn't do anything at launch. whats the use of multi-tasking when you have a selection of 30 useless apps to choose from?
2. Creepy lady ads.
3. still missing basic phone functions after 9 months in the marketplace.
4. releasing updates that are supposed to add features, but kill off other features... don't believe me, why was there: 1.2 and 2 days later 1.2.1 (by the way, i lost all my contacts because of this) 1.3.1 then 1.3.5, and the newest release 1.4 and shortly after 1.4.1.1 to fix issues with 1.4

 

[Shadnic]

I agree about the Pre. No one knows about it, but everyone I know who's seen or played with one thinks that it's incredible. I have had a Pre since august, and yet when I walked into a verizon store the other day and played with a Pre plus, I was still wow'd. WebOS looks fantastic, it feels intuitive and polished, the gesture system is very innovative and natural, the screen is great and never feels too small despite its size, the shape and size of the phone fits in the hand perfectly, the look is beautiful, and the design (vertical slide out keyboard) is perfect for me.......but despite all that, android will be my next smartphone OS.

Android allows for more customization, the multiple home screens is incredibly convenient, tons more apps, more developer support, widgets, complete google integration, and a smoother interface. The pre is a little underpowered unfortunately, getting around feels kind of slow and clunky at times. The OS is a bit buggy and I don't feel like I can depend on it (I'm still afraid to send important emails from my Pre or set it as my alarm because of times both of those things have gone horribly wrong), and sometimes features that should be there simply...aren't.

I feel bad for palm, because they really did create something great, but yet they're not getting much recognition for it. I hope WebOS stays around and evolves, because I'd like to see it all grown up

Sorry for going off on a tangent there...Being the first 4G phone, I think the Evo is going to get a TON of advertising.

 

[dwhitman]

I really don't think it was lack of information that killed the Pre. Anyone interested could easily find out everything they needed to know about the Pre.

What was missing was compelling, wide-spread advertising to make people interested enough to seek out the info or go into a store and look at a Pre.

I was a release day Pre owner who knew more about the device than anyone on staff in the store that sold it to me. I was interested to learn because I was a long-term Palm user with a Treo that was on it's last legs, trying to decide what my next phone was going to be.

To the best of my recollection, I never saw a single Pre ad "in-the-wild" before I bought, just reporting about ads on Precentral. If I wasn't actively looking for a new Palm device when it was announced, I never would have even heard of the Pre.

At this point, although I love WebOS, I don't believe Palm is going to be successful or a significant player in the smartphone market. Their hardware will lag other platforms because Palm just won't have the resources to keep up. I'd love to be proven wrong, and if they announce a webOS device with comparable hardware in a comparable timeframe to the Evo, I'll defiinitely consider it. But I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Darth Pooh#CB]

Lack of information = lack of decent advertising and mainstream appeal.

Anyone interested = geek heads like us. I mean get this thing on BUSES and splashed all over youtube and it'll be a homerun.

webOS is still light years ahead in terms of slick interfaces. The gracious notification system, the multitasking card system... all game changers.

What isn't a game changer is the craptastic hardware and the too little too late advertising campaign. That isn't definitive or a nail in the coffin quote, but if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...

The rumor that intrigued me last was that Palm was working (in the deepest darkest parts of Sunnydale HQ) was a webOS GUI on top of Android. Tall order if you ask me since they are so different in styling, but that is an amazing combination. Palm vehemently denies any such projects, but they would be foolish to admit it but even more foolish to not try.

The problem with webOS was an announcement in Janurary, and it felt like nothing was done to make the system ready in June (including getting a strong App Catalog ready, hello? Docs2Go anyone?) The EVO won't have the same first gen OS problem going on, but it will have the marketing issues if not handled properly.

 

[cooper1010]

they marketed the crap out of the instinct. said it was the iphone killer. i fell for it and was very disappointed.

 

[Complex Pants]

I think the iPhone will kill itself by being stagnant. OS 4.0 may fix that though.

 

[dwhitman]

Lack of information = lack of decent advertising and mainstream appeal.

Anyone interested = geek heads like us. I mean get this thing on BUSES and splashed all over youtube and it'll be a homerun.

I guess it comes down to semantics. I don't consider advertising to be "information", but instead just an attempt to get one's attention. In principal advertising could contain information, and actually did maybe 20 years ago, but in practice, I can't remember when I last saw an ad that conveyed useful information beyond "brand foobar is cool".

 

[Complex Pants]

Um, well most of the recent apple iPhone adds, tells me specific things the phone does. I would call that information. The droid commercials also specifically point out things that the droid can do.

Also let us not forget the late, great, Billy Mays. His ads said a whole hell of a lot about what a product can do.

 

[Darth Pooh#CB]

Um, well most of the recent apple iPhone adds, tells me specific things the phone does. I would call that information. The droid commercials also specifically point out things that the droid can do.

Also let us not forget the late, great, Billy Mays. His ads said a whole hell of a lot about what a product can do.

Exactly... Palm proved a creepy chick sitting on a rock won't sell you phones.

http://www.webosnation.com/palm-dumps-modernista-ad-agency-looking-new-partner

 

[H_D]

Unfortunately, I think Palm is about to die a slow death. With the pending release of the EVO4G then the release of the iPhone a few weeks later, I doubt there will be anyone LEFT to sell to. Im rooting for them too but if they are really waiting for the major players to release their newest & greatest 1st THEN release theirs, they'll fail. It didn't work last year & wont work this year either.

 

[doogald]

I think the iPhone will kill itself by being stagnant. OS 4.0 may fix that though.

Steve Jobs admitted long ago that Apple was too complacent in the 80s and allowed Microsoft to steal the personal computer market from them. Whether that is accurate or not, the fact remains that this is something that sticks in his craw - a defining lesson of his business career (though, of course, he was out of there for much of the complacency.)

There is no freaking way that Apple is not working their butts off to try to continue having the innovation edge in this market. They may not succeed, but they are not going to fail from lack of trying, that's for sure.

Let's all hope that the Android team and their hardware partners are equally driven.

 

[Eguy]

Unfortunately, I think Palm is about to die a slow death. With the pending release of the EVO4G then the release of the iPhone a few weeks later, I doubt there will be anyone LEFT to sell to. Im rooting for them too but if they are really waiting for the major players to release their newest & greatest 1st THEN release theirs, they'll fail. It didn't work last year & wont work this year either.

I wouldn't mind HTC swallowing them up at all. A HTC and Palm collaboration could bring in good results. I'm pretty excited to toss my Pre out for the EVO. I will miss webOS though, no denying that.

 

[donald.aleshire]

WebOS has so much potential but that potential will probably never be reached because of the initial launch failure and lack of money. The community for the Pre was amazing, by far my favorite part of the phone.

However, I do hope that someone picks up this software if they do go down. I highly doubt HTC will because they seem all about Android. RIM seems like the obvious choice, but obviously that wont happen!! lol

Whatever happens to Palm, I hope WebOS continues on and someone continues to develop it

 

[atomicdog21]

With the Pre and Pixi plus coming to ATT maybe, MAYBE Palm will have enough time to get out some hardware people want to get behind. The consensus seems to be that WebOS has huge potential. If the hardware route doesnt work for whatever reason, maybe they could be an exclusive software developer. Sega did that with vidoe games a few years back, and they made it work. Yes I just referenced Sega.