As Jon Rubinstein gets ready to take the chief executive post at Palm Inc. (PALM), news of his appointment earned a warm reception from Wall Street early Thursday.
After Wednesday's closing bell, Palm said that Chief Executive Ed Colligan is stepping down from the top slot and will be replaced by Rubinstein, the former Apple Inc. (AAPL) executive who has been leading Palm's recent turnaround efforts.
Shares of Palm rose about 6.7% to $12.79 in recent trading.
"We think Palm investors should view this transition as a positive," wrote analysts at JPMorgan in a note to clients. "We believe Mr. Rubinstein has been the guiding force behind the Palm Pre and the webOS."
The executives' moves come just days after Palm launched the Pre smartphone, a key part of a two-year restructuring plan designed to revive Palm's device business.
"Under Rubinstein, an experienced former Apple executive who ran the iPod division, we expect that Palm will focus on innovation and execution, areas where Palm had lost its edge," wrote Lawrence Harris of CL King. "We therefore view the appointment of Rubinstein as CEO positively."
In a statement Wednesday, Palm said Colligan plans to join Elevation Partners, the private equity firm that took a major stake in Palm two years ago. As part of that deal, Elevation installed Rubinstein in the role of executive chairman to lead the development of the Pre and a new operating system, called webOS, that could serve as a foundation of a future family of wireless devices.
Colligan has been with the company for 16 years, having served as chief executive of Handspring before that company's merger with Palm in 2003.
"Ed and I have worked very hard together the past two years," Rubinstein said in the statement. "With Palm webOS we have 10-plus years of innovation ahead of us, and the Palm Pre is already one of the year's hottest new products."
Before joining Palm, Rubinstein spent nearly a decade at Apple, where he served as senior vice president of engineering and helped oversee the development of several of the company's famous Mac computers as well as the popular iPod digital-media player.
from the wall street journal
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Showing posts with label Palm Pre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Palm Pre. Show all posts
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Palm software beats the iPhone
NEW YORK (AP) — Move over, iPhone. You've had two years on top of the smart phone world. Now there's a touch-screen phone with better software: the Palm Pre.
In a remarkable achievement, Palm Inc., a company that was something of a has-been, has come up with a phone operating system that is more powerful, elegant and user-friendly. The Pre, which goes on sale Saturday for $200 (after a mail-in rebate) at Sprint stores, makes it easier to do more things on the go.
With webOS, Palm's new operating system, you can keep multiple applications open at once. They're organized like a row of cards that stretches off the screen, and you flick the screen to switch between them. For instance, if you need to quickly check your calendar while writing an e-mail, you can bring up the calendar application, then flick back to e-mail, then keep switching between them as you try to work out your schedule.
On Apple Inc.'s iPhone, you can run only one application at time. To switch between calendar and e-mail, you have to go back to the main menu every time.
Also unlike the iPhone, webOS will notify you of events that need your attention, no matter which application you're in. Notification icons for e-mails, calls and over events appear at the bottom of the screen. If you tap on the e-mail notice, for instance, the message pops up.
So webOS makes the iPhone look clunky, which is stunning in itself. It also thoroughly shows up Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile. That operating system has had multitasking for years, but few users have appreciated that. Rather, Windows Mobile has been blamed for making phones clumsy and slow. Now, webOS comes along and does multitasking right.
Also very cool is that webOS aggregates contacts and calendar items from multiple sources, like Google, corporate Exchange servers, and even Facebook. You know how lots of phones have space for a photo for each contact? The Pre automatically pulls your friends' Facebook photos into your contacts list.
As far as the hardware goes, the Pre is well put together, but not exceptional. It's slightly smaller and chubbier than an iPhone, with softly rounded corners that make it look like a black bar of soap.
The screen diagonal is 3.1 inches, noticeably smaller than the iPhone's 3.5 inches. Less screen space means it's harder to hit the right area with your finger, but the Pre makes up for this a bit by making the surface just below the screen touch-sensitive. For instance, to go back one level in a program, you swipe from right to left in this area.
A keyboard slides out from underneath the screen. It isn't the best I've seen on a phone, but it does the job, and you'll find it much easier to use than the iPhone's on-screen keyboard.
When I first got the Pre, I was dismayed by its battery life. I got less than 24 hours of light use out of it, and it would lose nearly a third of its charge if left inactive overnight. It turns out there's a bug that drains the battery if your Google instant-messaging account is connected to your AOL Instant Messenger account. Palm says it will fix that. When I logged Google out of AIM, I got much longer life.
I extended battery life even further by setting the Pre to receive my personal e-mail instantly rather than checking every 15 minutes. That's counterintuitive — usually getting the e-mail automatically "pushed" to a device consumes more power.
I ended up with nearly two days of battery life, which I think is acceptable for a hardworking smart phone. But it would be great if Palm made it easier to manage power consumption.
That said, charging the Pre is almost half the fun, if you splurge on a $70 "Touchstone." You place the Pre on this small charging station, and it uses magic to radiate power through the phone's back. (The scientifically minded can replace "magic" with "electromagnetic induction.") It's a lot cooler than connecting a cable or a sliding the device into a dock, but it's only marginally easier to use than a cable, so consider this a luxury purchase.
The Pre's camera captures 3-megapixel images. That's not an amazing resolution, but I prefer the Pre's camera over the 8-megapixel one in the Sony Ericsson C905, and every other phone camera I've tried.
Why? Because other phone cameras have a big failing: It takes too long for them to take a picture after you've pressed the shutter button. They're impossible to use for action shots, or for capturing fleeting expressions. The Pre's camera has very little shutter lag. It's not as good as a single-lens reflex camera, or SLR, but it's better than a lot of digital point-and-shoots.
The Pre also has the now-standard array of smart phone features: Wi-Fi, Global Positioning System and an online store for applications. The Web browser is very fast, given a fast data connection. You can zoom in and out on Web pages by pinching and spreading with two fingers, just as on the iPhone. The Pre has 8 gigabytes of built-in storage, same as the cheaper iPhone model.
Uniquely for a non-Apple device, the Pre pretends it's an iPod when you connect it to a Macintosh or Windows PC with iTunes, so you can easily transfer your music library and photos to it. It won't play movies or TV shows bought from the iTunes Store, nor will it play songs that were purchased with usage restrictions.
So should you get a Pre? Despite the fantastic software, this isn't a slam dunk decision.
We don't know how software developers will take to the Pre. There are a lot of different smart phone systems clamoring for their attention, and webOS may not be able to replicate the success of the iPhone App Store when it comes to providing a wide range of useful applications. There are only about 20 apps available at launch. (With the help of one of these applications, the Pre can run tens of thousands of programs written for the older Palm operating system, but these are mostly dated.)
We also don't know what else Palm has up its sleeve. Sprint Nextel Corp. doesn't have the same lock on the Pre as AT&T Inc. does on the iPhone, so we may see the Pre with other carriers early next year.
Palm has also said it plans to put webOS on a range of devices. We don't know when the next model will arrive, or what it will look like. Verizon Wireless' chief executive has said it will carry another Palm model "within six months."
Lastly, Apple is expected to fire back by announcing an upgraded iPhone model, perhaps as soon as Monday. It won't be able to do everything the Pre can do, but it might have other novel features.
Whether you get a Pre or not, its brilliant software will leave its mark on the phones you buy in the future, just like the iPhone did after its debut.
by the associated press
In a remarkable achievement, Palm Inc., a company that was something of a has-been, has come up with a phone operating system that is more powerful, elegant and user-friendly. The Pre, which goes on sale Saturday for $200 (after a mail-in rebate) at Sprint stores, makes it easier to do more things on the go.
With webOS, Palm's new operating system, you can keep multiple applications open at once. They're organized like a row of cards that stretches off the screen, and you flick the screen to switch between them. For instance, if you need to quickly check your calendar while writing an e-mail, you can bring up the calendar application, then flick back to e-mail, then keep switching between them as you try to work out your schedule.
On Apple Inc.'s iPhone, you can run only one application at time. To switch between calendar and e-mail, you have to go back to the main menu every time.
Also unlike the iPhone, webOS will notify you of events that need your attention, no matter which application you're in. Notification icons for e-mails, calls and over events appear at the bottom of the screen. If you tap on the e-mail notice, for instance, the message pops up.
So webOS makes the iPhone look clunky, which is stunning in itself. It also thoroughly shows up Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile. That operating system has had multitasking for years, but few users have appreciated that. Rather, Windows Mobile has been blamed for making phones clumsy and slow. Now, webOS comes along and does multitasking right.
Also very cool is that webOS aggregates contacts and calendar items from multiple sources, like Google, corporate Exchange servers, and even Facebook. You know how lots of phones have space for a photo for each contact? The Pre automatically pulls your friends' Facebook photos into your contacts list.
As far as the hardware goes, the Pre is well put together, but not exceptional. It's slightly smaller and chubbier than an iPhone, with softly rounded corners that make it look like a black bar of soap.
The screen diagonal is 3.1 inches, noticeably smaller than the iPhone's 3.5 inches. Less screen space means it's harder to hit the right area with your finger, but the Pre makes up for this a bit by making the surface just below the screen touch-sensitive. For instance, to go back one level in a program, you swipe from right to left in this area.
A keyboard slides out from underneath the screen. It isn't the best I've seen on a phone, but it does the job, and you'll find it much easier to use than the iPhone's on-screen keyboard.
When I first got the Pre, I was dismayed by its battery life. I got less than 24 hours of light use out of it, and it would lose nearly a third of its charge if left inactive overnight. It turns out there's a bug that drains the battery if your Google instant-messaging account is connected to your AOL Instant Messenger account. Palm says it will fix that. When I logged Google out of AIM, I got much longer life.
I extended battery life even further by setting the Pre to receive my personal e-mail instantly rather than checking every 15 minutes. That's counterintuitive — usually getting the e-mail automatically "pushed" to a device consumes more power.
I ended up with nearly two days of battery life, which I think is acceptable for a hardworking smart phone. But it would be great if Palm made it easier to manage power consumption.
That said, charging the Pre is almost half the fun, if you splurge on a $70 "Touchstone." You place the Pre on this small charging station, and it uses magic to radiate power through the phone's back. (The scientifically minded can replace "magic" with "electromagnetic induction.") It's a lot cooler than connecting a cable or a sliding the device into a dock, but it's only marginally easier to use than a cable, so consider this a luxury purchase.
The Pre's camera captures 3-megapixel images. That's not an amazing resolution, but I prefer the Pre's camera over the 8-megapixel one in the Sony Ericsson C905, and every other phone camera I've tried.
Why? Because other phone cameras have a big failing: It takes too long for them to take a picture after you've pressed the shutter button. They're impossible to use for action shots, or for capturing fleeting expressions. The Pre's camera has very little shutter lag. It's not as good as a single-lens reflex camera, or SLR, but it's better than a lot of digital point-and-shoots.
The Pre also has the now-standard array of smart phone features: Wi-Fi, Global Positioning System and an online store for applications. The Web browser is very fast, given a fast data connection. You can zoom in and out on Web pages by pinching and spreading with two fingers, just as on the iPhone. The Pre has 8 gigabytes of built-in storage, same as the cheaper iPhone model.
Uniquely for a non-Apple device, the Pre pretends it's an iPod when you connect it to a Macintosh or Windows PC with iTunes, so you can easily transfer your music library and photos to it. It won't play movies or TV shows bought from the iTunes Store, nor will it play songs that were purchased with usage restrictions.
So should you get a Pre? Despite the fantastic software, this isn't a slam dunk decision.
We don't know how software developers will take to the Pre. There are a lot of different smart phone systems clamoring for their attention, and webOS may not be able to replicate the success of the iPhone App Store when it comes to providing a wide range of useful applications. There are only about 20 apps available at launch. (With the help of one of these applications, the Pre can run tens of thousands of programs written for the older Palm operating system, but these are mostly dated.)
We also don't know what else Palm has up its sleeve. Sprint Nextel Corp. doesn't have the same lock on the Pre as AT&T Inc. does on the iPhone, so we may see the Pre with other carriers early next year.
Palm has also said it plans to put webOS on a range of devices. We don't know when the next model will arrive, or what it will look like. Verizon Wireless' chief executive has said it will carry another Palm model "within six months."
Lastly, Apple is expected to fire back by announcing an upgraded iPhone model, perhaps as soon as Monday. It won't be able to do everything the Pre can do, but it might have other novel features.
Whether you get a Pre or not, its brilliant software will leave its mark on the phones you buy in the future, just like the iPhone did after its debut.
by the associated press
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Palm Pre
NEW YORK (AP) — When Palm Inc.'s and Sprint Nextel Corp.'s latest bundle of smart phone joy, the Pre, arrives Saturday, it will be entering an increasingly crowded market backed by parents that have a lot riding on its success.
The Pre — which costs $200 with a two-year service plan and rebate — might be most important to Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Palm, the very company that helped usher in the handheld computing era with the original Palm Pilot in 1996. These days Palm needs a resurgence in a market largely dominated by Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices.
For Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint, which has been bleeding subscribers to other wireless carriers, the Pre represents a chance to snare new customers while getting current ones to "trade up" from a regular cell phone to the Pre and its pricier service packages, which start at $70 per month.
The Palm Pre has a touch screen like the iPhone, but also has a slide-out keyboard and runs on Palm's new webOS software, which can run several applications at once, unlike an iPhone.
The original Palm Pilot was all about organizing the user's personal information, and the Pre will take that idea further by synchronizing contacts from Facebook, Gmail and Outlook into a single list — something else the iPhone can't do. The Pre will connect with Apple's iTunes software and download music and photos as an iPhone or iPod can, which may be a first for a device not made by Apple.
Palm shares have jumped in anticipation for the Pre. After falling as low as $1.14 over the past year, Palm's stock surpassed $13 on Tuesday, a new 52-week high.
But even with its innovations, the Pre will face rough competition. The iPhone continues to be a big draw at AT&T Inc. the exclusive U.S. carrier. And Apple might unveil a new version Monday at its annual conference for software developers. Meanwhile, Sprint's competitors are adding new smart phones to their lineups from RIM, Samsung Electronics Co., Nokia Corp. and others.
Verizon Wireless has even attempted to undercut Sprint, announcing that it will be selling the Pre when Sprint's exclusive rights expire. Sprint has said that its exclusivity extends to the end of the year, and it may end soon after.
By necessity, Palm is betting the company on the Pre, Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney said, because if the handset isn't popular, the company won't have enough momentum to approach the smart phone market "with any kind of clout whatsoever."
BlackBerrys commanded 55.3 percent of the smart phone market in the first quarter, while the iPhone accounted for 19.5 percent, according to research firm IDC. Palm, meanwhile, had just 3.9 percent.
But Palm executives are quick to point out that feature-packed "smart" phones are still just a slice of the overall U.S. wireless market — 21.5 percent, according to IDC. As a result, Palm and Sprint think many potential Pre buyers are people who would be switching from a traditional cell phone with fewer functions.
"We're not looking to somehow defeat Apple or RIM in order to be successful. There's a huge market opportunity there," said Brodie Keast, Palm's senior vice president of marketing.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky questions whether Palm has manufactured enough Pres to meet the initial demand. But he thinks that Palm's success isn't dependent on the device itself as much as on webOS, which is meant to be the basis of many follow-on phones for perhaps a decade.
"It's really a bigger and longer turnaround and story about leadership for them in the smart phone market," Abramsky said.
For Sprint, the Pre is not something that will make or break the bottom line, but a way to help the nation's third-largest wireless carrier garner more buzz.
For years, Sprint had a reputation for technological innovation and its extensive cellular network. But that has been overshadowed by missteps after Sprint's 2005 purchase of Nextel Communications — such as unfocused marketing and difficulty meshing the two organizations. Meanwhile Sprint's competitors have pushed snazzy smart phones such as the iPhone at AT&T and the BlackBerry Storm at Verizon Wireless.
Sprint tried to fight back last year by offering Samsung's touch-screen Instinct handset (and a follow-up version that began selling in April), yet that phone has not been a major hit. Last year, Sprint lost nearly 5 million subscribers.
"They really do need something to establish themselves in the market," said Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen. "It you want to continue playing with the big boys, you need a big product."
So what would mark a blockbuster for Sprint or for Palm?
Abramsky, the RBC analyst, thinks investors will be happy if about 3 million Pres are sold in Palm's fiscal 2010, which started this week. By comparison, Apple sold 6 million iPhones in the first 11 months, at which point the company switched to an upgraded model.
Dulaney, of Gartner, expects 1 million Pres to be sold in 2009, and 4 million to 5 million in 2010.
"I think they've done a good job on this product," he said. "We'll have to wait and see'.
by the associated press
The Pre — which costs $200 with a two-year service plan and rebate — might be most important to Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Palm, the very company that helped usher in the handheld computing era with the original Palm Pilot in 1996. These days Palm needs a resurgence in a market largely dominated by Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices.
For Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint, which has been bleeding subscribers to other wireless carriers, the Pre represents a chance to snare new customers while getting current ones to "trade up" from a regular cell phone to the Pre and its pricier service packages, which start at $70 per month.
The Palm Pre has a touch screen like the iPhone, but also has a slide-out keyboard and runs on Palm's new webOS software, which can run several applications at once, unlike an iPhone.
The original Palm Pilot was all about organizing the user's personal information, and the Pre will take that idea further by synchronizing contacts from Facebook, Gmail and Outlook into a single list — something else the iPhone can't do. The Pre will connect with Apple's iTunes software and download music and photos as an iPhone or iPod can, which may be a first for a device not made by Apple.
Palm shares have jumped in anticipation for the Pre. After falling as low as $1.14 over the past year, Palm's stock surpassed $13 on Tuesday, a new 52-week high.
But even with its innovations, the Pre will face rough competition. The iPhone continues to be a big draw at AT&T Inc. the exclusive U.S. carrier. And Apple might unveil a new version Monday at its annual conference for software developers. Meanwhile, Sprint's competitors are adding new smart phones to their lineups from RIM, Samsung Electronics Co., Nokia Corp. and others.
Verizon Wireless has even attempted to undercut Sprint, announcing that it will be selling the Pre when Sprint's exclusive rights expire. Sprint has said that its exclusivity extends to the end of the year, and it may end soon after.
By necessity, Palm is betting the company on the Pre, Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney said, because if the handset isn't popular, the company won't have enough momentum to approach the smart phone market "with any kind of clout whatsoever."
BlackBerrys commanded 55.3 percent of the smart phone market in the first quarter, while the iPhone accounted for 19.5 percent, according to research firm IDC. Palm, meanwhile, had just 3.9 percent.
But Palm executives are quick to point out that feature-packed "smart" phones are still just a slice of the overall U.S. wireless market — 21.5 percent, according to IDC. As a result, Palm and Sprint think many potential Pre buyers are people who would be switching from a traditional cell phone with fewer functions.
"We're not looking to somehow defeat Apple or RIM in order to be successful. There's a huge market opportunity there," said Brodie Keast, Palm's senior vice president of marketing.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky questions whether Palm has manufactured enough Pres to meet the initial demand. But he thinks that Palm's success isn't dependent on the device itself as much as on webOS, which is meant to be the basis of many follow-on phones for perhaps a decade.
"It's really a bigger and longer turnaround and story about leadership for them in the smart phone market," Abramsky said.
For Sprint, the Pre is not something that will make or break the bottom line, but a way to help the nation's third-largest wireless carrier garner more buzz.
For years, Sprint had a reputation for technological innovation and its extensive cellular network. But that has been overshadowed by missteps after Sprint's 2005 purchase of Nextel Communications — such as unfocused marketing and difficulty meshing the two organizations. Meanwhile Sprint's competitors have pushed snazzy smart phones such as the iPhone at AT&T and the BlackBerry Storm at Verizon Wireless.
Sprint tried to fight back last year by offering Samsung's touch-screen Instinct handset (and a follow-up version that began selling in April), yet that phone has not been a major hit. Last year, Sprint lost nearly 5 million subscribers.
"They really do need something to establish themselves in the market," said Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen. "It you want to continue playing with the big boys, you need a big product."
So what would mark a blockbuster for Sprint or for Palm?
Abramsky, the RBC analyst, thinks investors will be happy if about 3 million Pres are sold in Palm's fiscal 2010, which started this week. By comparison, Apple sold 6 million iPhones in the first 11 months, at which point the company switched to an upgraded model.
Dulaney, of Gartner, expects 1 million Pres to be sold in 2009, and 4 million to 5 million in 2010.
"I think they've done a good job on this product," he said. "We'll have to wait and see'.
by the associated press
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