Palm and Vodafone UK Exclusive

Has Palm and Vodafone done a deal; will the Pre, Palm's new touch-screen phone, be available only through Vodafone?

Well that's the rumours circulating the mobile phone fraternity, whispering that Vodafone has got an exclusive deal worked out for when the phone is due to have it's retail mobile launch in mid 2009.

And why does anyone care you might wonder? Well, the Palm Pre is being touted by some as the one device that might just stop the seemingly unstoppable progress of Apple's iPhone. Where have we heard that before? How many companies have produced what they believe to be an iPhone killer?

As an aside, the problem with many manufacturer's is that they just don't get the whole Apple thing. It's about being cool first, then the technology. And until its stops being cool, then most manufacturers will only nip at the lead that Apple has built up. The problem for Apple, is why does something become 'cool' and how long will it last? There are many devices out there which are superior to the iPhone, but they won't knock it off its perch. And will the buying public, who not only buy, but also aspire to Apple products, regard Palm as being cooler than Apple? Don't hold your breath.

But, as RIM have shown with the BlackBerry Storm, there are a large number of people out there who want performance over looks, and if they can have performance as well as beauty, then so much the better. Although the Storm is not without its critics of course, some calling it a mild shower, certainly not a major climatic event.

And not only is Palm hoping that its Pre will be a iPhone beater, it's also desperately hoping that it will once again give it a future in the industry of mobile devices.

Significantly, this is Palm's attempt at a re-birth, a chance to show that it can once again play an important part in the sector. In the late 1990s Palm had a spell at the top, when things called PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) roamed the earth, walking tall and living their role as the executive's must-have toy.

Then, almost in a blink of an eye, came smartphones. They were everything that the Palm Pilot was, but better. Ever since Palm has really been wandering the electronics industry wilderness, trying to get back what it once had. That it is still around is testament to not only Palm's tenacity, but also its loyal customer base.

And this is why, when the Pre was unveiled at gadget heaven, the Las Vegas staged Consumer Electronics Show 2009, it caused a bit of a stir. Had Palm got it right at long last; had Palm produced the smartphone of 2009, one that would truly give the iPhone a run for its money?

It's way too early to tell of course, but a number of the tech web-sites have quoted Apple executives as being a bit disgruntled at what Palm is offering, with talk of protecting their IP, so maybe it has got under their skin.

The Pre, which boasts some 8GB of storage, has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a touch-screen and is formed around an operating system called Web OS, which pulls downs files and services from the internet cloud, a concept which will come to the fore in the next decade. Basically, in the future, the device, whether a smartphone, desktop, or laptop, will just be a portal for downloading and uploading files from the internet cloud, where all applications will run. So the current technology emphasis is not so much on the application, but on the pipe that delivers the code. The more bits you can get up and down the pipe, the better.

And if Palm and Vodafone get together for an exclusive deal, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, as O2 cleverly grabbed the iPhone, T-Mobile got the G1 Google phone and Vodafone itself got the BlackBerry Storm.

So, we have to wait and see if Palm and Vodafone get it together. One thing is for sure though, whereas device manufacturers and mobile networks see this linking as a great marketing idea, it does alienate a number of potential customers. And the big question here is, does Pre need the weight of Vodafone, or does Vodafone need the weight of the Pre?

Article from www.compare-mobile.co.uk

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