Palm Pre coming to CTIA Las Vegas
It seems like just yesterday that the Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona was held in February. Now it's time for the US to flex its mobile muscles, with the CTIA show gearing up in Las Vegas, where the biggest players in the US mobile market are gathering. CNET expects apps to dominate the coverage, with everyone from Google to Nokia announcing plans for their app stores. RIM is expected to open the doors to the BlackBerry Appworld, and Microsoft will start showing off its new mobile marketplace. Palm's App Catalog is set to debut later with the Pre.
Techdirt also previewed the CTIA conference, and has high hopes for the Pre: "Of all the phones I have seen since the iPhone came out, this is the first one that I think may be better - and I am very fond of the iPhone." The intuitive UI may once again steal the show, with its powerful Synergy feature. "The Pre is not an evolution of previous Palms. It is a new starting point...devoid of classic silo thinking and lousy UI baggage." Android may also shake things up, with not much since the T-Mo G1 was announced back in early 2008, although recently Bsquare announced Flash support for Android, giving them a leg up on the iPhone.
We will keep you updated on all the Palm Pre coverage at the CTIA conference as it unfolds.
Dell-Palm in the news
The Motley Fool gives "5 reasons why Dell should by Palm". Dell would be wise not to enter the crowded smartphone market alone, and their previous ventures such as the DJ MP3s and Axim handhelds have fell by the wayside. Their success depends on buying other companies, and Palm is affordable now given their $9.1 billion in cash and short-term investments that can be used to buy out Palm investors. Finally, Palm could use the infusion to help them "return to relevance" and take on Apple. "It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect...smartphones in the future", stated CEO Michael Dell in a recent speech in Tokyo.
Computerworld notes that Dell has been interested in Palm for at least two years (see 2007 article) since the discontinuation of their Axim line. Two years ago, analyst Jack Gold said they might buy Palm, but now thinks they missed their window of opportunity. "It's more likely that Dell would buy an Asian handheld maker such as Asus, Acer, or HTC", Gold said. Bloggingstocks adds that since hiring Ron Garriques, former president of Motorola's mobile division over two years ago, many have wondered why they still haven't announced any wireless products.
For more news on Dell's recent smartphone ventures, go here.
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