Palm’s long-awaited response to Apple’s iPhone launched on Saturday, June 6. The tech world had been on the edge of its seat waiting for the release of the Palm Pre to see if it will be an improvement over the iPhone.
Upping the competition between the Pre and the iPhone, Palm Inc. (PALM:NASDAQ) launched the Pre just two days before Apple’s annual developer extravaganza begins on Monday, in San Francisco. Expectations are high that Apple will preview a new iPhone in an attempt to crush the Pre’s sales early on.
Recently, leaked photos of a new iPhone have hit the web, causing some to wonder if Apple will announce anything about it at the event.
Regardless of how Apple plans to respond to the Palm Pre, it is no secret that Palm is counting on the smartphone to return the company to the limelight, or at least to mainstream attention. Palm has been out of the spotlight ever since its Pilot and Treo lost appeal to newer and better technology.
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The product launch went as expected with many stores running out of the Pre early on Saturday. While the number of Pre phones sold over the weekend remains undisclosed, tech Web site ZD Net said, “Analysts called the Palm Pre launch a success.” But the real test, one analyst told PC World, is whether or not the Palm Pre smartphone is still news after Apple’s extravaganza. “If we're still talking about Palm by the end of next week, then they won," said the analyst.
Palm has invested a lot in the Pre, and some say that the future of the company rests on the back of this small device. CNET News reported, “Pre's success is considered crucial for Palm, which was a pioneer in the smartphone market.”Hopefully, for Palm’s sake, their trust is not misplaced.
Another company may be counting on the Pre to bring in better business: Sprint. According to CNET News, “Sprint, the third largest wireless operator in the U.S., has been struggling to stem customer defections and repair a badly damaged reputation.”
We’ll see if the Pre can repair Sprint’s reputation as well as return Palm to the spotlight. It is definitely quite a gamble the two companies have made on one product.
Many reviews have been positive, rating the Pre to be a solid match for the iPhone. CNET News wrote, “Early reviews of the product have been positive with many reviewers, including CNET's own Bonnie Cha, calling the phone a good alternative to iPhone.”
Editor Christian DeHaemer, of BreakAway Investor and Crisis Trader, recently wrote about the technology that makes smartphones, like the Pre, possible. That technology is called 3G. He named 3G, which stands for 3rd Generation, the “gold standard for our new wireless age.”
Christian tells how China recently opened its market to 3G phones. With China’s oversized market, Christian sees incredible investment opportunity in what he calls the “3G Revolution.” He writes,
Thanks to the Chinese government's recent approval of 3G licenses for mobile network operators in their country, the door has been broken down for this technology to begin spreading throughout emerging markets around the world.
Keep an eye out for Christian’s “3G Revolution,” and we’ll also see if the Palms Pre can start a smartphone revolution of its own.
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