CES 2011 is just a few weeks away, and we’re all assuming (and hoping) that Palm announces some awesome new devices to replace the aging hardware that’s out there right now. At this point, given the current marketshare numbers, what might be needed more than the new hardware is a new consumer mindset pertaining to Palm.

According to the latest numbers from Nielsen, Palm’s marketshare stands at a paltry 1.3% in the United States, and we’d reason that international marketshare is around that, if not lower in countries where Palm products are even available.

With Palm’s market penetration so low, the question weighing heavily on our minds right now is how do Palm and HP turn around their fortunes with webOS – especially if we need to wait some time for new hardware? The answer lies not with rebuilding marketshare. No, the answer is to reboot the public perception and start over. webOS is a fantastic operating system, but it was already fighting an uphill battle against iOS when it launched, and has since been eclipsed by Android and is facing competition for the bottom rung from, of all companies, Microsoft with their turn-the-smartphone-OS-on-its-ear Windows Phone 7.

In this mess of smartphone operating systems, how is Palm to differentiate itself and make the case for why Joe Consumer should buy a webOS phone over an iPhone or Droid? Reboot, reset, and start over. Palm needs to be aggressive with their advertising. It can’t be “We’re still here.” No, the message must be “We are here. This is why we’re awesome.”

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Welcome to Point Counter Point, wherein Derek vents his spleen like the dour misanthrope we’ve all come to know and love, Dieter consoles us all with rainbows and unicorns, and the truth lies – as it always does – somewhere in the middle.

Today’s topic: What to make of all the pie-in-the-sky future talk we are hearing from HP instead of actual product announcements.

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Here’s some of the latest talk in the forums:

•  After having some issues with the Pre’s hardware, mclldavidson has as question for all of you Pixi owners out there:  how reliable is the svelte little phone?
• Speaking of the Pixi, natrixgli wants your input on if they should go with the iPhone 4 or the Pixi Plus on Verizon.
• Tired of seeing the "Application Updates Available" message in the updates app when there actually aren’t any?  Demetry14 has a solution.  
• If you’re like me, you’ve probably dropped your phone or have otherwise caused a scratch or two on the screen.  Mike20PR is looking for methods on fixing them.

We look forward to seeing you in the forums!  Not already a member?  Join us!

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Read TiPb’s iPhone 4 Review

Our pals at TiPb have dropped their massive iPhone 4 Review and it’s quite the doozy - covering the glass-sandwiched device from A to Z. We previously linked to their webOS Switcher’s guide too, if you’re the switching sort.

We’re taking a close look at the iPhone 4 here at PreCentral HQ and will come back to you with some full head-to-head thoughts next week – but chances are you can guess our initial impressions already: the hardware and speed impresses, the implementation of multitasking does not, and the notification system on iOS 4 still looks straight-up antiquarian compared to webOS. Also, despite the fact that the iPhone still has the best-of-breed software keyboard, we still strongly prefer the physical keyboard on the Pre.

After the break, a photo gallery of the iPhone 4 up against the Palm Pre Plus!

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Cold, hard fact: there are likely going to be more than a few people switching from a webOS phone to the forthcoming iPhone 4 (heck, some lucky people are making that switch already). We previously asked EVO 4G switchers to fess up, so it’s only fair we do the same for Apple switchers.

If you are switching, our pals at TiPb.com have ruthlessly kindly put together a guide for Pre to iPhone switchers which, in addition to being helpful, also lays out some of the differences between the platforms. TiPb wasn’t afraid to call out where the iPhone doesn’t stack up well against webOS – namely: no over-the-air updates, no easy homebrew or patching, no decent notification system, no physical keyboard. We suspect those features and more will be enough to keep many Pre faithful on webOS, to say nothing of carrier decisions.

So if you’re staying, tell us why. If you’re going, godspeed and we still love you – but let us know what’s sending you to iPhone 4 territory here as you join the TiPb Nation.

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So HP seems to be on a bit of a buying spree as of late. Having just grabbed up the instant-on Hyperspace Linux OS from Phoenix Technologies, HP has turned around and partnered up with upstart video conferencing firm Vidyo. Vidyo’s current technology is very much desktop focused, with a strong focus on providing high-quality low-latency video streams for corporate customers.

Obviously, HP has a very strong corporate presence, as does Video (something the official press release talks up quite a bit). But their intentions with Vidyo’s software are unclear, as HP has confirmed that the first deployment of Vidyo conferencing software will be on the consumer-friendly TouchSmart line of touchscreen all-in-one desktops. That’s cool and all, but things get interesting once HP’s Halo (HP video conferencing) marketing manager Darren Podrabsky speaks up:

"No official statements from me, but this is a software-based technology. We’ve talked about the desktop. Think mobile. Think about your phone. HP just acquired Palm. Think about how many legs something like this has. Feel free to speculate."

And speculate we shall. Mobile video chat has always been some sort of holy grail, and at least from the appearance of things at last week’s WWDC conference, one Apple has jumped into wholeheartedly with FaceTime on the iPhone 4. Could HP be interested in baking video chat/conferencing into future Palm products? No doubt they are, but even adapting the software-based Vidyo technology to work well on a mobile device is no small feat, so don’t expect to see something from this right off the bat.

Via: WebOSroundup
Source: ChannelWeb

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