Palm finally revealed its new smartphone, the Pre, along with an exclusive partnership with Sprint to distribute it.
The new touch-screen device and operating system, WebOS, received a positive welcome at CES in Las Vegas.
Much has been made of the importance of the new device’s success if Palm is to resurrect its fortunes in the highly competitive smartphone market.
Initial positives for the Pre include its emphasis on fast Web browsing and efficient multitasking.
The handset will be available in the first half of the year. No pricing information is available as yet.
The Pre has a sophisticated interface and can be charged on a special platform without the need to attach a cable.
It comes comes with eight gigabytes of storage, GPS navigational capabilities, Wi-Fi networking and a slide-out keyboard.
A possible hurdle in Palm’s path to renewed success could be apps for its new device.
Software developers are now concentrating on RIM’s BlackBerry devices and the iPhone because they represent a large and growing market.
Apps are seen as crucial to the success of smartphones because of the functions such as games and navigation services that they provide.
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