Palm feels 770 heat?

[Mike Cane]

At a site I will no longer link to, there is an article that says Palm will release a TX on 10/12. It will have WiFi & BT, 320x480 screen, 128MB NVFS RAM -- all for *$299*.

I disbelieve that price, personally.

But if it comes to pass, you can thank the *$350* Nokia 770!

[RogerS]

Yes, I think you're right on that. Forcing a whole new way of valuing things in this space.

[alslayer]

I think this was just bound to happen after the release of the Lifedrive. What else do they have to upgrade to?

Next year I think bigger hard drives and maybe better screens.

I still think the 770 is under the radar. I really want it to take off but I don't see much coverage from the mainstream mobile and tech sites.

[RogerS]

Al,

I think I know what you mean. I keep expecting there to be more than what I find. But I forget that there are no articles in the press because Nokia's not saying anything. They aren't giving out devices. They aren't advertising. No users are writing about it or sharing their experiences.

Everything that is happening now is happening BEFORE the storm. Once the devices are given to reviewers, you'll see the articles. And when the release hits, you'll see the ads and tons of me-too announcements on the web.

Our job will be to stimulate things when that happens to extend the splash so that it has an effect on more people. The more people buy, the more developers will come in sooner, the more commitment Nokia will make to it, the better the next generation OS will be.

Did I leave anything out? Well, maybe: the lower the price will drop.

Roger

[alslayer]

Roger you make some great points. Now you got me thinking about something different.

Basically reviewers can make or break a product. It always seems that they are saving their high ratings for the popular products. My guess is they know that the 770 is a great product but will give it so so reviews. They will say things like, "Its nice to check my email from the couch" or "The web browser is nice." Then they will say it doesn't have a sd slot, hard drive, bigger screen, better controls, ect. They will say wait for version 2.

Sometimes reviews don't help. My Zodiac had great reviews but not enough people bought it.

Just writing what is on my mind. I think I get upset when so many good devices don't survive the market. Oh and I think the 770s are out with reviewers but everyone is under NDA and won't release their reviews until Nokia gives the OK.

[Mike Cane]

The Zodiac was doomed to begin with. Anyone with half a mind looked at the unit in the store, saw that stylus placement on the back, and said WTF? No way! I did! And the funky landscape-only Launcher was for the birds too.

As for the 770, it's not out yet. We are the Secret Society.

>secret handshake<

-- edited to add:

Just checked. Nokia itself is light on news this week. Must be assembling the troops for the massive 770 assault.

Listen, when this thing hits, your heads will spin at the amount of coverage.

And let me list some of the crybaby idiocy you will see from the "mainstream" (Web included!) press (and my rebuttal):

- uses RS-MMC, should use SD instead (go wank!; Palm was alone with SD at one time!)
- has no hard drive (right, list all the effing *PPCs* that do!)
- has no PIM (jerk: DOWNLOAD them!)
- no ebook reader (what's PDF, you *****?)
- small battery (buy a frikkin spare! what, you expect AAs?)
- only does 3.5 hrs of WiFi (and what does the LifeDrive, T5, and Axim do, nitwit?)
- not VGA (that's right: it's BETTER, you dope!)
- not Windows (THANK GOD!!!!)
- not PalmOS (THANK ALL OF HEAVEN AND THE CREATION!!!)
- I don't like it (well, that's OK: I hate you)
- I can't see giving up my PDA (that's because you're BLIND!)
- no Java (damn you, Nokia!)

Did I miss anything?

[RogerS]

I would expect misguided comments about keyboards and music, too: "It's not an iPod" (Yes, it's not.)

[Mike Cane]

I can tell you it's definitely *not* a black iPod nano! Fondled one yesterday. Fingerprint magnet -- looks icky sticky after a while. 770 has textured surface that does not keep prints.

Just about two weeks to go? (No, I don't expect them to start selling on a *Friday*, even if it is online ordering!) Trying to ramp myself up for it.

This review will be a death march. Thanks to Roger, I will already have to block out AT LEAST SIX HOURS for just ebook reading, to torment the battery... I just hope the stuff I will be reading won't be tormenting me back!

[RogerS]

Since Nokia says users can get three hours continuous use, the six-hour figure applies to strictly "off-line" use. But I would think any off-line use would apply, not just reading.

[Mike Cane]

I was going to write that I intend to do *two* reading tests: one with backlight on, one with it off -- then I recalled the backlight can't be turned *off*. Must add this to the Dev This! thread.

[Mike Cane]

Ah, what a fool I have been, believing those rumors.

Latest word is that the new Palm TX will debut at ** $450 **.

Even in its death throes, Palm learns *nothing*.

I will be glad to see Palm die.

-- edited to add:

Palm said its LifeDrive devices and Tungsten and Zire handhelds did not perform as well as Palm had hoped. The company blamed the drop in shipments of as much as 22 percent on a slow sales in Europe over the summer, lagging sales in the Asia-Pacific region and a general decline in the demand for PDAs.

http://news.com.com/Palms+profits+fall+despite+Treo+sales/2100-1047_3-5877013.html?part=rss&tag=5877013&subj=news

Hey Colligan -- how about blaming the crappy products themselves? Or the company that put them out?