Dvice has named the Palm Pre the number one most anticipated tech toy of 2009, and expect it to be released mid '09 for around the $200 mark. The device comes in ahead of the Dell Adamo (an ultra-thin 13" Macbook Air competitor), Windows 7, and other emerging technologies. They also list the most-wanted technologies already available, with the 3rd generation iPhone coming in at number three, alongside other devices such as the Amazon Kindle, Android Phones, and OLED TVs. Here's what they had to say about it:
Why we want it: With RIM and Apple setting a stringent pace with the BlackBerry Storm and the iPhone 3G, respectively, Palm's had some catching up to do. It's good to see the company back in the game, and with such a great smartphone to boot.
Dvice, part of the SCI FI Network, brings the wildest and most interesting tech stories, distilling the information and minus the tech jargon. Located in New York, NY, they have a worldwide team of writers immersed in the tech world.
Get the full scoop here.
With the release of the Pre on everyone's mind, Palm has been taking advantage of the hype on Wall Street, where BusinessWeek reports that Palm stock has doubled since the end of 2008. And this is in the face of a recession and decline, which saw the Dow Jones plummet 9.5 percent. Finishing the 2008 year down 52 percent at $3.07, Palm shares have most recently drifted above the $8 mark (as of this posting, shares are valued at a whopping $8.33 - see current values). With such a strong showing on the market, analyst Matthew Sheerin of Thomas Weisel Partners predicts further profit for the 2009 year, of $1.75 per share.
The analyst said the "'wow' factor of the Pre (and the WebOS operating system), positive press acceptance -- essentially the opposite of RIM's Storm -- and an upcoming massive marketing campaign should set Palm up for a strong second half to 2009."
A similar trend happened in the case of Apple stocks, which soared when the iPhone was released. If the Pre lives up to the hype, shareholders will have lots of good things to look forward to. You can also keep up-to-date on your Palm investments via Investor Relations.
For the full story, see here.
Palm Infocenter reported earler this week that Donna Dubinsky, former CEO and cofounder of Palm, is resigning from Palm's board of directors. No disagreements were reported as cause for the split; apparently Dubinsky resigned in connection with the company's sale to Elevation Partners, as reported by TreoCentral, and her resignation was made formal February 2, 2009. This is coming at a crucial time for Palm, who are gearing up for the release of the Pre.
Dubinsky was president and CEO of Palm Computing until June 1998, eventually leaving the company to become CEO of Handspring. She was instrumental in the development of the PDA, and had been presented with the Alumni Achievement Award from the Harvard Business School in September, 2007.
In her place Rajiv Dutta has been appointed to the board, former Executive Vice President of eBay. Palm Infocenter reports as a result of his appointment, Dutta will receive options for 28,000 common stocks and 8,000 performance shares for Palm, subject to vesting over a three year period.
See the full article here.
Sure, you're thinking that the built-in keyboard on the Pre will make it easier to type e-mails and text your friends. But what if you have really fat fingers? Or you need to hammer out a project summary in time for the meeting? Peripheral manufaturers are already expressing an interest in WebOS. Jason from PreCentral uses such a device, the Freedom Universal Keyboard, to type his class notes. In his post, Jason notes that Freedom Input has notified him that they are ready to go with webOS drivers, as long as the Palm Mojo SDK has the required bluetooth functionality. Expect to see a lot more peripherals appearing for the Pre in the coming weeks.
Palm has posted to their Investor Relations site, scheduling a presentation at an investor conference at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco (and via webcast) on February 11. Below is an excerpt from the press release:
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb 05, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced that Palm's Chief Executive Officer Edward T. Colligan is scheduled to present at the Thomas Weisel Partners Technology, Telecom & Internet Conference 2009 in San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009 at 9:10 a.m. Pacific Time.
The company invites investors to listen to the live webcast at https://investor.palm.com/events.cfm.
Thomas Weisel Partners also have a registration page up and running for the conference.
For the official word, go here.
The gloves are off in the mobile arena. Well, at least between Apple and Palm. Last week, during a conference call between Jason Snell of Macworld and Apple COO Tim Cook, they discussed competitors in the smartphone market. During the interview, Cook appeared to make a cheap shot at Palm.
"We like competition, as long as they don't rip off our [intellectual property], and if they do, we're going to go after anyone who does."
When Snell alluded to the specific issue of multi-touch, citing that Palm seemed to directly emulate the iPhone interface, Cook still didn't want to point fingers:
Don't want to talk about any specific company, just making a general statement. We are ready to suit up and go against anyone. However, we will not stand for having our IP ripped off and will use whatever weapons we have at our disposal.
From this, it's not difficult to see the team of Apple lawyers already lining up in front of Palm headquarters. However, it seems Palm had already put up the shutters. In an article from All Things Digital, when asked if Palm was rattled by Cook's remarks, Palm spokesperson Lynn Fox said not in the least.
“Palm has a long history of innovation that is reflected in our products and robust patent portfolio, and we have long been recognized for our fundamental patents in the mobile space...If faced with legal action, we are confident that we have the tools necessary to defend ourselves.”
The patent battle is just heating up. An article by WirelessWeek reports that Apple plans to trademark the term "multi-touch" in Q1 or Q1, but first has to overcome the fact that DPI patented the term on its switches, switch panels, and communication circuits. However, the application is so different it won't likely infringe on DPI's rights.
In what could amount to a legal headache for Palm and a bounty of fees for pattent attorneys....don't expect lawsuits just yet: Apple can't sue until the Palm Pre is released.
One thing seems for sure; that the Palm Pre is coming whether Apple likes it or not. Whether the legal winds will stay or just blow over is yet to be determined.
Read more on Palm's response in Digital Daily
Check out our full listing of up-to-date news on this ongoing battle.
While lots of rumor abounds about the release date of the Pre, CNET news has received an unconfirmed report of pricing from a Sprint customer service representative. Apparently, a listener from Buzz Out Loud alerted CNET to the info:
...he got confirmation from a Sprint customer service representative that the Pre would be in stores February 15 with an suggested retail price of $549.99, $150 with a two-year contract and after a $100 rebate.
Do Sprint representitives know more than the leaked EOL list would lead us to believe? While it's still very early (and the leaked documents stated a March 15th date for the Pre, not February 15), if this does indeed hold up, the Pre should stack up well against current Smartphone pricing. This includes the Treo 755p that the Pre is said to replace, retailing for $99 on a two-year contract after $100 rebate. Visit Sprint to compare prices on all the current models.
See the article and chat transcript here.
In a short article, Anthony Caruana of Hydrapinion states that "the new Palm Pre has buoyed the hopes of a market that's all but dominated...by the iPhone". In describing the Pre, he states:
It seems to be something of a cross between the iPhone and the HTC Touch Duo. The magic of the Pre is in the software. The all new webOS replaced the aged Palm OS.
It is clear that the Pre will continue to create lots of buzz on blogs, forums and mobile warriors everywhere.
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