Lots of perspective here... especially on Palm's strategy and WebOS programming model...
http://zwadia.com/?p=70
Cheers,
Zubin.
Image Gallery: Palm Pre device running Palm Web OS
by Matthew Miller | January 8, 2009 1:51pm PST | Image 1 of 38
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Palm Pre device
Today at CES 2009, Palm stole the show and showed that they indeed can again become the leader in the mobile space with the revealing of the Palm Web OS and Palm Pre device. The Pre is designed for those of us who want work and play access on a single device without having to work hard to actually use the device. The Pre will be coming to Sprint first in the first half of 2009 so stay tuned and enjoy the product photos.
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If you can transfer old Palm V and newer data files, if you can use a stylus, if you can download programs from the old Palm collection of developers, you've got a BIG winner. Palm lovers will come out of the woodwork because the original Palm functional dynamic was the most elegant and simplistic -- simultaneously. Yet, it wasn't flashy and cluttered with junk. Hopefully, somebody was smart enough to think of this. And, hopefully, somebody will get this device to Alltel and/or ATT and away from Spring which is on its last legs and functionality about to be dead or acquired.
I've not used the Palm OS since 2003 when I switched to WinMo, actually Windows CE 2003 SE then. It had more functionality and processing power which I needed for my application. Now this makes me think of going back. I will have to wait to see if my speciality software or something like it is ported to this device. Also, I have a ton of documents on my current WinMo devices that I will need to convert over to this. It was not hard to get items from my Palm OS to the Windows CE device back in the day but I think it will be harder now. I hope that BT supports more than one device at a time, then I can use my Stowaway BT Keyboard and BT Mouse as well as my BT headsets with it. Any external card slots?
There's Apples in my Palm.
Where the hell is Graffity? I feel i'm on stone age when I need to use a keyboard to input information to the device instead of just writing on it.
Graffity was just perfect. Why there isn't anything even similar or better on modern devices considering they have a lot more processing power? Or are we trading that great functionality for a good looking interface? That sucks.
The interface is beautiful, but I don't want an iPhone clone. So I'll keep using my Palm TX.
Graffity was just perfect. Why there isn't anything even similar or better on modern devices considering they have a lot more processing power? Or are we trading that great functionality for a good looking interface? That sucks.
The interface is beautiful, but I don't want an iPhone clone. So I'll keep using my Palm TX.
Well said, ahumeniy. Graffiti was Palm's killer app. No one else had anything close to it. What good is a touch screen if you can't 'touch' it to write stuff? Long-time Palm users will be SOL with this new device. It doesn't seem to work with any of the old Palm stuff that I've come to love over the years (sounds a lot like Vista). Thumb GUIs are dumb GUIs.
The problem isn't that the device doesn't have Graffiti. As others have pointed out, Palm dropped including Graffiti in their devices some time ago. The problem is that you can't get Graffiti to work, even with a program like Jot, because of the capacitive screen that won't allow for a stylus. Why they went with a capacitive screen, I'll never understand. The screen they've been using until now, that responded to both finger and stylus touches, would've been just fine for this device.
Having said that, I don't think lacking Graffiti is a deal-breaker. I've used a Centro for a while, and even though I can use Graffiti on it, I almost never do. Once you get used to using a keyboard, it's much faster to input text that way than with Graffiti. Even on my old TX, when I wanted to take notes for meetings, I would bring along a wireless keyboard, rather than trying to enter in everything with Graffiti.
I think stylus input should've been kept for things like jotting down doodles and hand-drawn maps, but for text input, it's hard to argue for Graffiti over the keyobard.
Having said that, I don't think lacking Graffiti is a deal-breaker. I've used a Centro for a while, and even though I can use Graffiti on it, I almost never do. Once you get used to using a keyboard, it's much faster to input text that way than with Graffiti. Even on my old TX, when I wanted to take notes for meetings, I would bring along a wireless keyboard, rather than trying to enter in everything with Graffiti.
I think stylus input should've been kept for things like jotting down doodles and hand-drawn maps, but for text input, it's hard to argue for Graffiti over the keyobard.
Looks good in pictures. In practice? I am willing to wait and see. The newest Palm I own is a Tungsten T-5 everyone else uses a Treo. Lets get the devices straight and not fill the landfills with discards.
Palm powered phones have not had Graffiti for a long time so if you need that then Palm phones are not for you. However, the Windows version does support some graffiti-like capabilities.
I hated not having graffiti on my Treo 700p but now I'm used to the keyboard and don't miss it.
I hated not having graffiti on my Treo 700p but now I'm used to the keyboard and don't miss it.
It looks "hip" with its transparent optic at first sight. Important for Palm's fate is nevertheless if they trust their own OS now and offer devices like the Pre primarily for that from now on? As an "Unholy Trinity" of Windows Mobile, PalmOS 5 and webOS (1) would simply confuse people. As it looks like it has Linux under the hood, sure some kind of converter or EMULATOR for old apps ideally from both worlds could be a real Killer and attract many people. Including a Palm Treo user like myself 
i had the HP IPAQ 6945 last year, now I have IPhone. I really can't wait to get this new Palm PRE!!!
Unbelievable! I can't wait to get one. I just don't get it, why are they taking so long to bring it to market. Whoa!!!
They couldn't have picked a worse time to introduce a new device, with a new operating system.
I found Graffiti quicker for some things, and the keyboard for others. I didn't use the official Graffiti, though. I learned early on that Graffiti recognized my normal print. However, I could never remember the symbols, like quotation marks.
My problem is that I want a handheld computer, not a smart phone. I thought that the idea of handhelds would have a revival when netbooks caught the public imagination. After all a handhelp is the logical progression, isn't it?
I was recently given a fairly decent IPAQ running Windows Mobile. I was able to find WM versions of most of my Palm software, and my isilo files could be used as is. It's not a bad handheld, and has decent handwriting recognition, I think as good as Graffiti. Its big drawback is the phone.
My problem is that I want a handheld computer, not a smart phone. I thought that the idea of handhelds would have a revival when netbooks caught the public imagination. After all a handhelp is the logical progression, isn't it?
I was recently given a fairly decent IPAQ running Windows Mobile. I was able to find WM versions of most of my Palm software, and my isilo files could be used as is. It's not a bad handheld, and has decent handwriting recognition, I think as good as Graffiti. Its big drawback is the phone.
I will probably use my Lifedrive until it falls apart, completely, and I cannot buy another one from e-bay, because they are all extinct. It's not the fastest, but, baby, it's reliable. I have never liked the idea of turning my PDA into a phone or vice-versa. If you lose one, you only lose half your life. If you back up everything at home, or with your phone provider, getting most of your life back is relatively easy. I would like to upgrade the OS, and be even more functional, but I need my graffiti, real keyboard use capabilities, a hard drive, & removable memory slot. I have nothing against Ipaq's or Ipod-Touch. At the time, I could afford a palm, it had the hard drive, Blootooth, Wi-Fi and IR all wrapped in one. So, a few years ago, I got one and I fell in love. Just keep the phone portion OUT of my way.
Man, if Palm would have just kept with the Lifedrive and continued to upgrade it, (faster, new OS, bigger harddrive, maybe a USB slot for flash drive) and left the phone portion alone. I would have traded up a couple of times by now.
Man, if Palm would have just kept with the Lifedrive and continued to upgrade it, (faster, new OS, bigger harddrive, maybe a USB slot for flash drive) and left the phone portion alone. I would have traded up a couple of times by now.
I have a 700P and I upgraded to a Palm centro not long ago...sent the junk back in a week and went back to my 700p and bought anotherone online for backup...Palm really screwed up by getting rid of their bread and butter line.....
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