Mini WebOS Device in the Works?
Michael Arrington of TechCrunch is reporting some news that has should come as no great surprise to anyone monitoring the Palm rumors over the past four months. Citing an anonymous source, TechCrunch is reporting that a "second Pre-like device" is going to arrive sometime later in the year, possibly even this fall.
The rumored device is never specifically referenced as a smartphone within the article but will supposedly address a "different part of the market". It is said to be smaller than the existing Pre and will of course run Palm's new WebOS. The source did not confirm if the device would run on CDMA or GSM networks or if it would feature a physical keyboard.
In what could be a bit of a stretch, yet not entirely out of the realm of plausibility, Palm could be readying a spin-off product akin to Apple's iPod Touch. The stillborn Foleo aside, such a device would be a return to the company's PDA roots and would be Palm's first non-phone device in four years. A "Pre Touch" would be a relatively inexpensive device for Palm to produce. This type of handheld would also serve as a nice way for users and developers alike to dip a toe into the WebOS waters. Also, a non-phone product would allow Palm to gain a chunk of sales from customers unwilling or unable to switch to Sprint while also helping shore up Palm's greatly diminished retail presence.
Assuming the device in question is still a smartphone, then TechCrunch's "mini-Pre" is presumably the same one mentioned to us back in January. You may recall our CES "scoop" from a tipster apparently well-connected within the industry who claimed a "Centro 2" was in the works as Palm's second WebOS device. In all of the hoopla in Vegas that week, this unsubstantiated report was rather easy to overlook. In fact, we almost dismissed it entirely due to the rumor occurring so soon after the Pre launch. Few other details were mention to us at the time, but the tipster did say this "Centro 2" would also debut on Sprint and would not feature a physical keyboard.
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RE: And then??!!
When I first saw this article I thought maybe an Atom cpu powered device. Net books will be booming and maybe Palm is trying to jump on that bandwagon.
RE: And then??!!
RE: And then??!!
sungod wrote:
Palm has always said that WebOS is for multiple devices. So 2nd and 3rd devices had to be on the drawing board.
Other than the Pre I'm more interested in a larger device. If some one has read the WebOS programing book is there any ref to screen resolutions other than 320x480? WebOS at 480x800 would be even more sexy.
I recall this:
"The introduction of the book is particularly interesting as it seems to take a direct shot at Apple and the iPhone.
Palm webOS is designed to run on a variety of hardware with different screen sizes, resolutions and orientations, with or without keyboards and works best with a touchpanel though doesn't require one. Because the user interface and application model are built around a web browser, the range of suitable hardware platforms is quite wide, requiring only a CPU, some memory, a wireless data connection, a display, and a means for interacting with the UI and entering text."
http://tiny.cc/Wf4WA
End of Contract with Sprint- to become a "Pre-vert" or go Android?
My reaction: Duh!
The only questions are What? and When? I think within a year, there will be two more devices. As to what, I don't know. A PreTouch seem like a nice idea. I like my PDA. I don't want to have an expensive data/unlimited plan to use it. And I like my phones as simple as possible. My current (Samsung A580) doesn't even have a camera. And I use the cheapest voice plan available. BUT WebOS needs to be connected to the net. The data is out there in the Cloud. Would it rely on WiFi? That's kind of spotty. Even when it available, the level of service/security varies a lot. A 3/4G network device w/o voice doesn't make sense. With the iPod Touch, PIM apps are still a weak.Other apps and data are local, not Cloudy. A non-3/4G Pre would need to pull/sync cloud data when it finds a network. that kind of defeats the purpose of WebOS.
I really like the idea of the Pre. It could well be my first smartphone. The IPhone/Touch is getting there, but I like Palms long history with PIMs and their open SW approach. I want more and expandable memory, a landscape solution that includes a HW keyboard, native syncing ability, a low level SDK so I can get decent versions of intensive apps (video, skype, etc), and a couple of other things, before I leap. But those will come. I just hope soon enough.
- Tere
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And then??!!
Other than the Pre I'm more interested in a larger device. If some one has read the WebOS programing book is there any ref to screen resolutions other than 320x480? WebOS at 480x800 would be even more sexy.