My Pre were invited to meet with representatives from Palm and O2 this afternoon, to discuss today’s announcement regarding the European GSM Pre. While there were several members of Palm and O2’s core and PR teams, the meeting was primarily led by Dave Whalen, senior VP for Palm’s global sales, and Jonathan Earle, head of consumer marketing for O2.
To be really clear, events like these are not usually known for elucidating any unusual information or “scoops”. Lucky catches – such as our spotting a GSM SIM card in the demo Pre units back at Mobile World Congress – are the exception not the rule; instead, a meet-and-greet like today’s is more about companies showing that they’re all toeing the party line. By request from Palm’s PR company, we were not allowed to shoot any photos or video.
In terms of hardware, Palm were quick to make clear that the only change for the GSM Pre is in its radio. There’s no new microSD card slot, no software tweaks (beyond the webOS updates pushed out between now and the smartphone’s release) and no extra internal memory. There’ll also be no O2 logo on the mirrored rear panel, unlike Sprint’s version of the device. When we questioned whether 8GB would be enough for the handset’s “by the [Christmas] holidays” launch, Palm’s reps seemed confident that it would be “enough for most people.”
As for that launch schedule, Whalen admitted that it was largely a result of production bottlenecks. The Pre is, he reminded us, a pulling together of many hitherto unseen construction methods and features, such as its flush-fitting, bezel-free touchscreen, and as such is subject to the “usual” new-device manufacturing hiccups. For O2’s part, Earle suggested that the likely-December launch was more a conscious choice, giving the carrier time to adequately train staff as well as prepare the network itself for the Pre’s backup, Synergy and other wireless foibles. The cynic among us might also suggest that it gives them plenty of time to enjoy sales of the new iPhone 3GS, too.
Unsurprisingly, we couldn’t draw O2 on pricing, either. Earle would only say that it will be priced “competitively, not only against rivals but our own range”, and when asked about a potential clash with the iPhone suggested that rather than compete with each other, the two smartphones will appeal to different customer segments. O2 are attempting to position themselves as “the smartphone carrier”, and in a moment of admirable (if obvious) honesty Earle admitted that “at the end of the day our responsibility is to our shareholders.”
Palm, for their part, seemed cavalier about going up against the iPhone, alluding also to RIM as a strong competitor but suggesting that the Pre is distinctive by virtue of bridging the divide between business and personal use. He did at least quip that he imagined rivals might say the same about their products.
When we asked about applications and webOS SDK availability, Palm reiterated their timescale to bring it out of beta and into more general availability toward the end of the summer. While it was unconfirmed, it seems that – as with Sprint and the CDMA Pre launch – the GSM version of the smartphone will launch with a number of “flagship” applications. Whalen said that Palm were looking to O2 for guidance on key partner software and service providers to get involved with the Pre SDK.
If anything, our meeting today was a nice opportunity to grab a brief hands-on with the GSM version. As the UK member of the My Pre team, it feels like it’s been a long time since Barcelona in February and the brief fondle I had of the smartphone. I was reminded of how compact is feels, compared to devices like the iPhone 3GS or most Windows Mobile phones, and all of a sudden my complaints about the missing microSD card slot seemed faintly unfair. The screen is also a real joy, bright and stunningly crisp, and with very broad viewing angles. There’s still a lot to love about the physical design of the Pre.
What isn’t especially lovable is the timescale for the launch. The GSM Palm Pre will arrive in Europe almost a year after the handset was first announced, at CES in January, and not only after the iPhone 3GS has been on sale for around six months but in the shadow of whatever camera-encrusted iPods Apple unveil in September. Assuming even the most incremental of tech updates, rival devices will have up to 64GB of flash capacity or access to masses of low-cost microSD memory. Given that reviews – ours included – of the CDMA Pre criticized it for its relatively meager storage, Palm’s decision is only going to look more miserly as the months go on. O2’s sales staff will have a hard time convincing the new-to-smartphone customers both they and Palm envisage that, when seen on paper, the Pre’s storage specifications are in line with capacious rivals.
There’s a sense among the European bloggers and smartphone community that Palm may have underestimated the market here, one that is arguably more cut-throat and fast-moving than its counterpart in the US. For a device on which so much rests, that could be a dangerous oversight. Today, in a meeting room with an enthusiastic entourage and in the eyes of a Pre-loving blogger, Palm’s new GSM smartphone reasonably held its own. Whether it’ll be able to do the same when it hits stores six months down the line remains to be seen.
