Palm Pre: the Hail Mary Pass that may actually work

The Pre faces an uphill battle against the iPhone

It’s been proven in the tech world time and again that First Mover Advantage is never an advantage (think Netscape vs. Internet Explorer). But the kids over at Engadget are cookoo for the Palm Pre, a smartphone from the people who brought you the world’s first true PDA, the Palm Pilot. Apple has since dominated this space, and with an Cupertino designer jumping ship to Palm, it’s no surprise the Pre has many iPhone-like features including a touch screen and an App store. But what the Pre holds over the iPhone is more than just a slide-out keyboard:
First up, the phone can be configured to check out your calendar every morning and automatically download all sorts of information about the people, places, and companies you’re going to visit, including maps — an especially awesome feature if you’re dealing with spotty 3G coverage. Even cooler, though, has to be the lateness notifier — the phone uses GPS to determine where you are, compares it to where you’re supposed to be at the moment, and if it figures out that you’re screwed, it’ll let you know. What’s more, it can automatically email people to let them know that you’ve screwed up (just blame it on the traffic — we always do).
Link: Engadget.com