Last week, I posted a little blurb Apple made about the Palm Pre and iTunes syncing. It was essentially a big “Fuck You” to Palm and its iPhone competitor, the Pre. Now Sprint is striking back with an ad that directly attacks Apple and AT&T. If things keep up this way, we’re in for a long summer.
Over the weekend, Palm launched its comeback kid, the Pre. Equipped with a WebOS, multi-touch gestures and the Spring network, it seems as if someone is finally ready to take on Apple and the iPhone. So what went down? Generally, response was positive. Reviews around the ‘net indicate the Pre is a solid phone and that Sprint’s network works like a charm. Most stores have sold out around the country as Palm has supplied limited inventory, probably on purpose.
But unfortunately, I have a feeling the Pre will be overshadowed by today’s WWDC announcements regarding the iPhone 3GS. And the fact that most people will not switch from their current carrier to Sprint is going to hurt Palm big time. The solution? Palm needs to make a huge push next year with Verizon and AT&T to get the Pre into the spotlight. Maybe then it’ll be able to give Apple a real scare.
Sprint and Palm just let the cat out of the bag: Come June 6th, you’ll be able to pick up a supposedly “decent” rival to the iPhone. The Pre will cost $199.99 after contract agreements and rebates, and will be sold Radio Shack, Best Buy and Walmart. Awesome? I guess, but does anyone use Sprint? I have zero friends with Sprint and don’t expect to be dicking around with a Pre anytime soon.
Embargo? Ha! I laugh at the very notion of withholding back an opinion for a specified period of time!
Or at least PreThinking.com does. I have a feeling these guys are breaking a few NDAs here and there by posting a full review of the Pre, but hey, not our problem. While this particular review tends to kiss ass to both Sprint and Palm, we’ll it the benefit of the doubt that it wasn’t influenced by either company. The reviewer claims the phone is solid and has “no lag” when launching apps. Want to know more? Hit the link below for the full schebang.
Another Monday, another rumor.
This time around, “sources” are saying that the upcoming Palm Pre, complete with WebOS and all, is going to be available June 7th at Best Buy. However, this will be a limited rollout, with only 4500 units being available. The carrier? Sprint. And if that wasn’t bad enough, look at these pricing numbers being thrown around:
Pricing is supposedly still being discussed but the probable points are as follows: New customers with a 2-year contract, $199.99. Existing customer upgrades, $299.99. Outright, $999.99.
Hah! Good luck, Palm! You’re going to need it as you undoubtedly fail against Apple through poor planning, mismanagement and fucking around with the worst cellphone provider out there.
Sure, watching the most impressive athletes in the world sprint a 500M is probably the most entertaining thing you’ve see in a long while, save for these racing robots from the the annual Robot Athletic Meet in Tokyo’s Akihabara district.
Check out the robot on the left. He’s playing for keeps. It might appear as if it’s falling over due to his unstable infrastructure but, in actuality, it is ready to bulldoze Mr. Goody-two-shoes over on the right. And don’t think he won’t be able to topple him over, either. He’s got those bitchin’ tonfas on his robot arms. Could he be a ninja robot? Inconceivable.
Editor’s Note: The one on the right looks like Ryan.
Sprint and Samsung today announced that its joint-venture wireless infrastructure, better known as WiMAX, is ready for service. This comes after years of scrutiny against Sprint for basically fucking everything up along the way. Still, mistakes aside, WiMAX looks to bring a new generation of high-bandwidth web surfing to our laptops.
Have you missed out on WiMAX news in the past? Not sure what it is? This little bit from Wikipedia explains it wisely:
WiMAX, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access. It is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, which is also called WirelessMAN. The name “WiMAX” was created by the WiMAX Forum, which was formed in June 2001 to promote conformance and interoperability of the standard. The forum describes WiMAX as “a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL” (and also to HSPA).
With speeds up to 70 Mbps and Siemens announcing the SE680 WiMAX Modem, 2008 and 2009 are gearing up to be the year for broadband access across multiple devices. It’s only a matter of time before someone starts sniffing out WiMAX networks and breaking their encryption.
