Just in time for your weekend perusal,
Palm Goon (which we half suspect might be a viral site from Palm itself) has uploaded three tours and a FAQ chock-full of new Pre / webOS screens and details, chief among them being confirmation that the Pre does daily automatic backup. We've also got some pretty thorough glimpses of the web browser, Tasks, and Memo applications. Visually, it's quite a beaut -- a very elegant and classy UI that rivals anything we've seen from a certain Cupertino-based company. Of course, functionality remains to be seen, but if Palm and Sprint deliver half as good of a game as they talk, looks like we're in for a real treat.
Update: Looks like the site's experiencing intermittent server errors. Hang tight, we'll keep you updated.
Read - Meet the Web Browser
Read - Meet the "Memos" app
Read - Meet the "Tasks" app
Read - Things You Might Not Know...
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted May 22nd 2009 6:56PM
AWESOMENESSSSS
cant believe you guys kill the site already... pssh
You'd think if the blog was really secretly owned by Palm, it wouldn't go down so fast.
That's just what they want you to think!
Iphone > Pre
http://palmgoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/snapshot-2009-05-22-14-15-19.jpg
Talk is cheap. Better to deliver the real goods. As it is, Palm isn't going to get off to a good start. People are going to get pissed-off right out of the gate when product availability is next to nothing.
This Pre is like the new girl on the block. Looks pretty enough, but once you get to know her, she's turned into a real biyatch. Palm is the mistress of biyatchs. I'd advise holding off on this looker until some reviews are in. This cheap-looking hussy Pre might lure you to take a quick roll in the hay, but the iPhone is the one you'll want take home to mother and then spend the rest of your life with.
I want to see what next on the todo list AFTER sean, dave and the Pre beholder meet up in the reserved room! :P
Fail Blog??
fail blog,,,,AKA iphoneblog.com
cant believe you never heard of it!!
Their website = fucking dead.
He apparently forgot to add the daily task of "talk to a girl".
Automatic backup? Sweet! That's what I've always hated about my WinMo phone. It backs up quickly, but if my phone were to die while I was away from my syncing computer, I would be screwed.
Kinda like a corporate server in the fact that if your handset goes down, you can be back up and running with a new one soon after activating it, without needing to sync it to your computer!
And that browser looks sweet.
What in the world are you talking about????
Response #1: MYPHONE see http://microsoft.myphone.com
Response #2: Uhm, you would not be screwed, you'd simply charge your phone...
Really? I haven't heard of that service for WinMo before. That's cool! Thanks for the link!
Second: charging doesn't fix a phone if it's dropped in water or destroyed.
@chris
Response 1: MYPHONE beta @ http://sn1-p2.myphone.microsoft.com/mkweb/Start.po?mkt=en-US Has only been up for a couple months, winmo phones have been around a little longer.
Response 2: He said his phone died, not his battery, good luck charging a broken phone.
This truly is the first time in my life I am excited to be a Sprint customer, and I usually can't stop telling everyone I know how much I hate them as a company. This doesn't excuse them for their previous short-comings, but it helps.
I wish I could say the same, but I feel completely miffed by their executive launch parties and exclusivity and such. It's such a huge confusing mess with secrecy surrounding whether the phones are going to start selling on the 5th to "Premier" customers or on the 6th to everyone else, and what plans are going to work.
this is the first time in my life i actually have wanted to ever even consider switching to sprint. But i definitely cant wait to see what happens when they make some 3g gsm versions. I really like this UI, and it really does make the iphones ui seem out of date. I hope this thing gets a ton of apps for it.
service unavailable on links?
Database error, database error, database error. Page half loaded, database error -_-
Palmgoon was not ready for this traffic spike
YAY! The site is down. Take that PalmGoon!
13 days until Palm Pre doomsday. If the Pre fails, Palm may have to declare Chapter 11, so be careful about getting a long-term contract. Don't take unnecessary risks. Hold off any Pre purchase until after WWDC.
@iPhonerules
Pre ain't gonna fail mate - have you not noticed how many people are waiting for this phone? And if palm went under for some bizarre reason the contract for service is with sprint not palm.
The links were working earlier.... Engadget must have brought the site to its knees.
Great job Engadget, thanks to you the site is down! :)
So it backs up to the cloud? Is that a free service from Palm?
I wonder if the server can be changed, and if there's free software available. I'd hope they'd have something so enterprises (and geeks) can backup into their own LDAP directories.
i have one question:
does anyone know if the zoom in and out on the web browser is as responsive as the iphone and ipod touch. when you pinch your fingers to zoom in is it smooth because every video iv seen so far of them demoenstrating that feature it doesnt seem to work very well. they pinch there fingers back and forth a couple of times before it responds to that. just wondering because i know most of those videos where probly from CES.
ps not an apple fanboy i dont even own an iphone. buying the pre on day one.
that might be because they weren't holding the phone properly so that their hands wouldn't obscure the view of the reporter's camera.
@ Ellianth,
Please stop making excuses for the Pre's lack of responsiveness, you just end up looking like a fanboy. Face it, the screen is just not as responsive as people think.
how do you know? very few people have used it. stop talking crap about something you don't understand
What about battery life?
He admits to using an emulator for this so I doubt he can report anything on battery life.
That iPhone sticky note wasn't needed. The Pre is already ahead of the iPhone in so many ways.
Yeah, and you would know cos you've used one!
Oh yeah, TareX? Like what?
"Visually, it's quite a beaut -- a very elegant and classy UI that rivals anything we've seen from a certain Cupertino-based company."
The Pre is... interesting, in terms of its OS design. Some of it is really gorgeous, some of it is downright ugly. It really gives me the feeling that different segments were developed in isolation.
C'mon TaraX, we all know your primary criteria for judging any gadget is how well you can work in an Apple insult when you talk about aforementioned gadget.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but what exactly can the iPhone do that the Pre can't?
The other way around? Well off the top of my head I'd say multitasking, synergy, notifications, all supplemented with a physical single-hand operable qwerty.... I mean, what's with all the heat?
I'd love to get this, but I am not giving up SERO.
I think that anyone who gives up SERO for this will end up regretting it. Like any other toy, you will like it for a week and then get bored of it, except that now you will be bleeding an extra $40 per month.
Sorry, but I just HAD to say this.
So even if you get one at cost and have them activate it they will still change your plan?
There's so many people who want the latest technology but don't want to pay the going rate.
You're not their target customer. Stick to your SERO and your free handset
@Zale
It's only $30 extra per month, not $40. It's Sprint's Everything Plan for employees, at $59.99/mo, and that will keep your 500 anytime minutes instead of 450.
@Bradford
Yep, and I confirmed it with a Sprint rep. Once you activate the phone, your account is supposedly automatically upgraded to the new plan, which makes me wonder whether you'd ever even be able to change your current phone to anything else.
Either way, I'm upgrading from my Centro to the Pre. I can't wait to ditch my work's BB curve and consolidate my phones so I'm only carrying 1 around.
Mmmm...This is so good.
When will we get a microSD equipped GSM version with AT&T 3G frequencies?
that just looks so damm good thats one of the best looking OS out there
http://palmgoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/snapshot-2009-05-22-14-15-19.jpg
oh Palm!
Haha! That's amazing!
Wow. I must have this phone. Quit torturing me Sprint and Palm!!!!!!
annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd the website got engadgeted!!
(site is down)
Someone is a Gilmore Girls fan.. I feel so dumb I know the Stars Hollow reference.
The screen size and resolution are really small...
let me be the first to say this is BEEAAAUUTIIIIFUULLL!!!
I think we got ourselves a new UI king!!! you've got to admit that iPhone fans!
Just what we need, someone else breaking the developer NDA by posting pics of the emu. That will get Palm to gain our trust..
As a fairly satisfied iPhone owner, my biggest gripe remains the lack of any native task-management software and the inability of 3rd party apps to be have home-screen integration due to Apple's restrictions. Seeing the header images makes me almost willing to pay the ETF and jump ship over to Sprint. If it weren't for the fact that we're poor and my wife would get mad, I'd probably find a way to justify the day-one switch.
That's why you should jailbreak
you'd have all that and more
but don't take my word for it
Cameron, next time you buy a phone just make sure you buy one suitable for your needs, and don't waste more money on something that doesn't do what you want.
I wonder why you're poor......
redcard, how have I survived without your sage advice all this time?
Now, about my sex life...
@Cameron
You could try justifying it by seeing if Sprint's plans are cheaper than your current ones. Then you can be like "yeah it'll cost us money, but we'll save more in the long run :)"
I am a hardware guy more than a software guy, but man, the Pre has me sold.
This is pure genius.
The iPhone will be around long after Palm has gone out of business. Be careful what you wish for. Besides, it might be a long time before you can even purchase a Pre since they're being produced a dozen at a time because Palm can't come of up with cash fast enough for higher production rates.
http://who.godaddy.com/WhoIs.aspx?domain=palmgoon.com&prog_id=godaddy
If 'Sam Offit' works at Palm, then yes. Otherwise, no, Engadget, it isn't a Palm viral site.
Could be a game changer.
I see a fail waiting to happen.
If pre sells less than 1 million in 3 days
It is a fail
everything is almost too rounded. its so.....bubbly, almost childish. but then again, that seems to be the way things are moving (read- BBOS 4.7/5, iPhone OS, and WinMo 6.5/7)
heh. i did this from the wrong email. i knew that i hadnt used that username in a while....
I agree with you- whatever happened to 90 degree angles? (Well, I mean, not exactly, because that could be sharp)
Overly rounded edges are also bad- looking at you, iPhone (and also the Palm Centro, I'll admit it)... make the edge an edge, it looks so much better if you ask me... (of course no one asks me because my opinions are weird)
i would love some sort of combination of Blackberry OS Java uglyness and Palm webOS curvyness to make an awesome goldilocks OS
Notice how the iPhone sticky and the FAIL Blog thumb are situated in the same general position on the screen... Subliminal message?
i seriously was gonna get a iphone. but this looks promising. give some mo' Palm
SHAVE!!!!!
What?
I don't think Palm set up this site, otherwise it would be able to stand up better to the traffic.
As these items reveal, Palm has demonstrated some remarkable application development lately. Palm's refreshing, innovative re-thinking of modern task management will hopefully compel the rest of the industry to keep up.
The Pre's webOS is palm's last chance to survive, and against all odds, it looks like there's a chance of major success here.
Wow... site is down. I wonder if it crashed from excessive browsing. I like the Pre, but I just cannot bring myself to sign with Sprint especially after seeing that pretentious, narcissistic, millionaire CEO trying to relate to us in his Armani trenchcoat about a bad economy and tightening our belts... the man wouldn't know what to do without his silver spoon, what an arrogant, self-important, clueless jackball! Wow sounds like our government officials doesn't it?
Yeah, it's a shame the Pre is aligned with a third-rate carrier like Sprint. Hopefully, future webOS devices won't be bound to a particular service provider.
I don't care if the King of Zamunda does the ads. I hate paying $150+ for a service when I can get it for $99. The damn phone can't even make make a basic phone feature work properly. Yes is a bad economy right now and I am going to save me some money with a better 3G network and what seems to be as good of a phone.
The data backup is a major relief. The lack of HotSync always bothered me when I asked them about it at CES. They said they'd "have something to address that concern" without being specific.
1 of many reasons y pre's desitabilty rate Is nowhere near iPhones .
Can the pre truly replace a widescreen 3.5 inch video iPod touch,?
In order to be a mega success u must achieve that n easily destroy competition, iPhone .
We know answer to this question, pre can not truly replace ipod touch only iPhone can,
Agree?
iPhone = 320x480
Pre = 320x480
The iPhone is not widescreen. It just has a black bar on the top and bottom, giving it the illusion of being widescreen. Yes, its screen is physically larger by 4/10" but the iPhone has a larger footprint.
If u feel palm has a better music n video player in the pre than say iPhone , pleas stand up.
Exactly no one .truth is as tight as pre is , it will only appeal to a small percentage of consumers.
iPhone on the other hand appeals to the masses n is made for the people n by the people, come one came all mom dad son daughter geeks techies wm users bb users nokia users gangstas thugs ceo cleaning guy wannabees techno turds Mex black white Asian euro mideastern etc
Who cares? No, seriously, why do I care if "gangstas" and "thugs" dislike my phone- if anything it makes them less likely to relieve me of it, right?
People buy a phone based off of what they want, not based off of what some vague meaningless "everyone" wants... as a niche company, Apple knows that... they fully ignore the segments of the market that want a physical keyboard, because they make plenty of money without one. They ignore those who absolutely must have multitasking, because they know that there are enough people out there who don't care and they can still make money without it. It goes on- no company really makes a phone for EVERYONE.
mmmm Kool-Aid!!!
..............
God you're a douche.
But in a bad economy you will pay $150+ instead of $99
wonder if this website is up on failblog yet, since that seems to be what its filled with.
i want this phone so badly
Cool, but hey, I'd expect nothing less. Those guys used to work at Apple.
You know what I see when I read any article about the pre here?
I see this ... "I WANT THIS PHONE TO FUCK ME 3 WAYS FROM SUNDAY AND FROM BEHIND". That's what I see in the comments. I can't believe people are so entranced by this hunk of bubbly plastic that look like it came from the 90's. Hey - PALM - Fisher Price called, they want their bubbles back!
You sir are beyond witty while offering commentary that will obviously enlighten us all.
As to the Pre, I am very enticed to pick it up, but as with all phones I am going to let those who pick it up day 1 give the full review. Not that I am saying it will or will not be good, I'd just prefer to have some feed back from those who have no ulterior motive for giving a good or bad review.
Also, I see lots of people like to slam Sprint, ZW, ATT, Tmobile. Yelling on the boards how you will not buy it because it is on a terrible network doesn't do anything and to be frank, no one particularly cares. It is what it is and plenty of people are happy with Sprint. Here in NYC they have perfect service compared to all the other carriers.
yeah, and i suppose Absolutc can design something better.
WHat i see when i read his comment? he is jealous his iphone, winmo, or symbian phone is starting to look out of date.
It is quite simple really. I don't want a product manufactured by Apple. Thus, the Pre is an interesting entry into the phone market.
Site is back up and working it seems. Could well be a viral site from all the info they seem to have.
I hear you. I'm telling you, something's not quite right about that site. They play it off really cool and all like "we're a small techie site" but they know too much.
I mean, come on... an in-depth Sprint Q&A and all these screenshots... and not just screenshots... detailed descriptions and walkthroughs. Palm stock info... And they don't explain how they got a hold of all this info that no other Pre fanatic site has.
Also fishy is that neither Palm nor Sprint has shot down any of their information as untrue and they have not been asked to take any of it down. If they're not Palm or Sprint then Palm or Sprint is feeding them this stuff.
I might just be a conspiracy theorist but i think they're trying to tell us something with all the reference in the memos and tasks. Maybe even the browser. And did you guys read the Sprint Q&A? Some people asked the stupidest questions!
a lot of these post are spam!
'I'M SOLD ON PRE', 'THE BEST THING SINCE MOTHER'S MILK'
Spare me this bullshit!!
Anyway, I'm not going to defect over to Pre just because it is the latest iphone knockoff on the block.
Good luck!
Do Want
Those are some pretty cool features. LOve the Palm Pre : )
Love the screenshot of the zeitgeist movie page. I hope some of the editors over there believe in the movement as much as I do!
http://www.youtube.com/user/PalmPreForumDotOrg
6 NEW videos of apps and other goodies.