After iPad, Who's Next?

This iPad week whether mobile warriors from other camps like it or not. But it'll be over eventually and another platform will get the attention. So who might that be?

There are already Android tablets but let's be honest, they're nothing like the iPad with years of research that Apple has put it. For the most part, its second tier companies installing Android on existing hardware.

HP and DELL might have something coming in the next few months but they aren't going to follow the same mobile ecosystem that the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch share.

So who truly will have something similar to what Apple has created with the iPad?

In my tweets, I blasted off a series of quick thoughts. HTC probably has things in the work but they'll in the same situation Dell and HP will be in. As a matter of fact, some Android tablets require hacks to access the Marketplace, Android's equivalent of the iTunes App Store.

WebOS is certainly possible and Palm has indicated in the past that the WebOS may make its way onto hardwares other than smartphones. Plus, Palm is currently doing some soul searching and I think it is more likely to come out with Pre 2 rather than a WebOS tablet.

That leaves Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. Nintendo has already tipped its hand with 3DS last week. We'll know more about it in the coming weeks as details will be expertly leaked to the media. But all along, I think the Big 3 in the console market offers the best chance for a complete mobile experience.

Sony is certainly working on PSP 2. PSP is 5 years old and may be six by the time the PSP 2 is out. This leaves Sony plenty of time to answer the other challengers, including the iPad. Sony has a strong following but it's execution has been par at best. Sony will need answer Apple's upstart status in gaming but also in other mobile areas as well. I just don't see that happening.

We might see a Viao-branded tablet running Android. Can Sony integrate PSP into Android? That's the only way I see Sony entering the tablet market with a strong mobile offering. Sony will not be offering any WM7 products if Microsoft insists in Zune integration (which is also why I think Microsoft will allow hardware developers the option of Zune integration but won't insist on it).

Nintendo is one of the most innovation companies in the world. Hardware and gaming. Constantly pushing the realm of possibilities. It might offer something in the mobile market that goes beyond its traditional comfort gaming zone. If it does, look out. It could be amazing. It is likely to happen?

Now we come to Microsoft. WM7, Zune, and Xbox. Mash it together and maybe Redmond will have a winner? Sure. But keep in mind that Microsoft is a large corporation with a multitude of interests and markets to satisfy, and never mind the internal politics.

My only fear is that Microsoft will do too much. It'll cram as much as it can into a tablet and see what sticks. That might work in the past before Google. That might work in the past with Apple struggling to remain solvent 15 or so years ago. Today, it has to deal with a healthy Steve Jobs and a $40 billion cash rich Apple that is likely to surpass Microsoft's market value.

Microsoft cannot afford to wait for the market to "see what sticks". But among these tech giants, it is Microsoft that I think has the best chance to duplicate the same media/app/hardware ecosystem that Apple patiently spent the last decade building.

It is not going to be easy. Certainly, these companies can build a comprehensive mobile solution for work and play but it may not be enough just to match others feature for feature, song for song, and app for app. Microsoft, Nintendo, or anyone else will need to provide the next revolutionary (but I settle for evolutionary) step in mobile computing.

Who do you think is up next after the iPad?

Note: I left out Amazon and Kindle. Amazon will end up selling a lot of the products like the iPad and other tablets in its store. Kindle will evolve into a tablet, even with apps and media. Kindle has really put ebooks at the forefront of many mobile users, Amazon isn't what I call a traditional tech company. But hey, I wish Bezos best of luck. Competition is good.

Hands On With Pre - Good But So Is The Competition

Fair and balance is what I'm trying to go for here.  Not Fox News style.  Just laying out the facts regarding the time I spent with the Pre at Best Buy.


So, the Pre has been with us for a few days now and you've read the reviews (if not, you should if you are consider the Pre as your mobile device).  Here are not notes I took in the time I had with the Pre:

• Multi-tasking - it's good to have but it's not a must for me since smartphones and mobile devices really are more conducive for the user to do one thing at a time.  Seriously, how many games do you need open with the IM, e-mail, and browser all open at the same time?  
• Multi-touch is very nice. Good to finally see it on another device besides the iPhone.
• WebOS is very very nice.  Feels very snappy.  Cards is very innovative.  
• The device is smaller than some (like the iPhone) but bigger than others (like the Blackberries).  On the while, it's bigger than I thought.  
• The screen isn't as impressive I thought.  I went in with very high expectations based on the reviews.  It was good and vibrant nonetheless.  I didn't not see the discolorations many Pre owners are unhappy about.
• I like flip the keyboard underneath the body in and out.  It was pretty cool but when I started using it, the body felt uncomfortable, going from an egg shape to an elongated form was a big weird.  The case was cheap.  It didn't just feel cheap as some of the reviews indicated.  Just going to be blunt about it.
• I've heard issues with the keyboard.  First, reviews felt the keyboard was too close to the top portion of the phone so their fingers were constantly bumping up against it.  I don't think it's a design flaw.  More likely, it's more about not making the phone appear longer than it already is.  Having said that, I had no issues with the placement of the keyboard.
• Two more things about the keyboard.  The keyboard is small.  Man, it's small.  I went around to the Blackberries and the Centro to test out their keyboards.  The Pre has one of the smallest at Best Buy.  I was typing slowly because I was not familiar with the layout but I do see issues for folks who need to type faster.  The second thing about the keyboard is the rubbery feel.  With the other phones, they had plastic feels to it.  Takes getting used to.

Those are the physical impressions I was able to come away with in the time I had access to the Pre.  As with the lucky few who had time with the Pre for evaluations, I don't think those reviews truly does it justice.  The Pre is a complicated device.  I don't mean it's difficult to use.  In fact, ease of use seems to be very important to Palm.  I'm saying that the whole WebOS, the multi-touch, and the slide-out hardware design has created a very unique mobile device.  

So, would I get it?  No.  I like the iPhone, I've invested apps, and I like the close integration with OS X and my Macbook.  However, this is what I recommend you do if you're considering getting a new device.

Spend a lot of time with it.  If you've got a Best Buy in the area, you're in luck.  They've got the iPhone, Palm Centro and Pre, and an assortment of Blackberries and Windows devices.  Spend some time with each device.  Ask for a live model to play with like I did.  Also, the customer service rep who was with me (watching me like a hawk) said they may get the iPhone 3G S on the 19th, the first day the new iPhones go on sale.

In conclusion, the Pre is a contender.  WebOS is particularly sweet.  Hardware is first gen so there's going to be issues like the keyboard.  If there is a problem that I have with the Pre, it's the lack of third party app support.  As it stands now, there are less than twenty apps.  

Palm did not have a problem attracting developers for the old Palm OS.  At the time, their only competitor was Windows for a while until Palm did nothing to improve its OS for years.  Today is a competely different story.

There is Apple's iTunes app store.  Android Marketplace.  Who else?  Oh, the wireless providers are getting into the app store business.  Sony, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft.  I'm sure I've left a few out.  It just seems like everyone is creating their own app store.  

Palm's got momentum from the buzz the Pre has been able to generate and it needs to quickly capitalize on that.  Since the WWDC keynote on Monday, it's been iPhone 3G S this and that.  Very little heard about the Pre.  So Palm has to move fast.

Apple really impressed with iPhone 3.0 and the potentials of the iPhone 3G S has really blown everyone away.  Not only that, the Pre costs $299 ($199 after rebate) while the regular iPhone 3G dropped to $99 while the new 3G S costs $199 (16GB model) and $299 (32GB model).

So Palm has to move fast.  And a price drop may be necessary.

Note:  I previously used an iPhone.  I now rely on a G1 and iPod Touch for my mobile needs.  I just want to put that out there.  Fair, balance, and facts.

Another Note:  My short time with the Pre did not allow me to get into the inner workings of the WebOS so you'll need to test drive it more thoroughly than I did.