Is The Palm Pre The Saviour Phone for Bell or Telus?

The most talked about cell phone at the most recent CES that just wrapped up, wasn't powered by Google's Android like so many were expecting. Instead it was from a company that was left for dead by much of the media that covers technology. The Pre captured attention that Palm hasn't seen in practically a decade. The Pre will launch on the Sprint network sometime in the first half of 2009. With subscribers switching to AT&T to get an iPhone or to T-Mobile for the Android based G1, Sprint has needed a smartphone like the pre for a very long time.

Speculation about which Canadian carrier will offer the Pre to their subscribers has already begun. A killer smartphone like the Pre will be essential to help the big Canadian CDMA carriers Bell Mobility and Telus to meet the challenge from Rogers with the iPhone and any potential new cell carriers expecting to start to offer service in the end of 2009 or sometime in 2010 with the G1 or some other Android based smartphone.

Telus needs to be the exclusive carrier of the Pre simply because it will one of the biggest things that will help them expand market share outside Alberta and BC. Palm needs Telus because Telus is truly a national carrier since Bell has very little coverage in BC and Alberta and no coverage in Saskatchewan or Manitoba.

Google Android Phone, Coming To Canada

Google and HTC recently launched the G1, the first smartphone to use Google's Android operating system. Once again just like the original iPhone before it Canadians have to ether stand on the sidelines or order an unlocked phone on places such as eBay. Unlike the original iPhone there will be multiple manufactures making Android powered smartphones. This of course could lead the way to having both CDMA and GSM Android phones in the market. Out of Canada's cell phone carriers who is most likely to offer Android phones, let's see.

Rogers/Fido: The honeymoon between Rogers and Apple hasen't even ended yet, while Rogers still sells Blackberries and Windows Mobile phones, it isn't very likely that Rogers will take on the most hyped competitor to the iPhone.

Bell: While Android would be an excellent opportunity to attract customers back from Rogers and the iPhone they haven't exactly carried the most trendy phones in a very long time. Bell's recent reputation of lame phones comes from carrying the same lineup as Sprint. If Sprint doesn't pony up the money to provide Google Android to subscribers then Bell won't ether.

Telus: Most of the time Telus carries the same phones offered by Verizon in the states, if Verizon gets the first CDMA Android phone then Telus will be the first Canadian carrier to offer it.

New Carrier (Yak,Videotron,etc.) Canada's new hopeful cell phone carriers will need a high profile type phone as a way to attract customers away from the established cell phone carriers. Billions spent on spectrum licenses and building networks will be need to be recovered. Will a Google Android phone help them, stay tuned.

Steve Ballmer Wrong Again

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has once again made another prediction that makes me start to think that it is possible to have one foot on their mouth while having their head stuck up another orifice. Ballmer predicts that Apple and RIM will Nokia will lose and Microsoft will win the battle of the Smart Phone operating systems according to a CNET News.com article.

Ballmer claims that because the competitors to Microsoft's Windows Mobile because they design proprietary hardware and tie it to proprietary software. In Ballmer's distorted view smart phones are just going to be like little PC's with most hardware manufacturers buying Windows Moble.

What goes to show that Steve Ballmer really has the blinders on is that he makes absolutely no mention about Google's Android which like Windows Mobile is designed to operate on just about any smart phone regardless of manufacturer.

Hardware manufacturers such as Motorola have have relied upon Microsoft's Windows Mobile to power their smart phones are now taking a serious look at releasing new phones that use Google's Android. While any Android phone may only join a line up smartphones that are powered by Windows Mobile, it's only a matter of time before smartphone manufacturers drop Windows Mobile and go Android only. Let's see what Steve has to say happens when Windows Mobile loses.

Dell About to Launch a Smartphone (yawn)

The latest rumor in the tech industry is that computer manufacturer Dell is about to launch a smartphone running the Windows Mobile operating system. Unknown is the sales model Dell intends to use for their new phone. If they use their traditional direct to the consumer model then how does the consumer go about activating the phone with a carrier. Cell carriers have been so far been unwilling to activate or support any cell phone they didn't originally sell. That is supposed to change when Verizon is going to open up their CDMA network to unlocked phones. A deal with Verizon would be a good fit for Dell.

The problem with any upcoming smartphone from Dell is that it's going to be just like every other smartphone running Windows Mobile. It's true that Dell built their company selling PC's that worked and looked like every other PC on the market but in smartphone market Microsoft's operating system doesn't dominate the market. Blackberry with their own operating system is still the market leader.

The best approach is to partner with Google and put some money to speed along development of the Android operating system for smart phones. That's what will make consumers who aren't Blackberry or iPhone fanboys want to buy Dell's smartphones

Google's Android, What does it mean for the Cell Phone Industry

A prototype of Google's Android operating system for cell phones was shown off at a recent trade show in Spain. Many expect Android to be the iPhone killer especially CDMA carriers who have seen customers defecting to AT&T to get an iPhone. Selling the Mobile phone operating system to cell phone manufacturers and cell carriers will give Google a revenue source from an actual product instead of advertising.

Those who should shake in their boots are Microsoft whose Windows Mobile operating system hasn't exactly the mobile world on fire and Palm the PDA pioneer turned fledgling smartphone maker whose best days are long past. Both companies are getting new competition from a new offering that is cheaper and has more capabilities.

Unlikely unaffected will be Research in Motion because Blackberry is so very entrenched in the corporate world and in the halls of power their users are so loyal they won't even consider switching to something else.

So where does this leave Apple, Android promises to bring iPhone type capabilities to phones made by other companies on all cell phone carriers. The fanboys who are replicating faster than tribbles will always carry iPhones.

We have so far since the days of the StarTac 3000 which I was using up until a couple of years ago.