The Palm Pre In 2013

Oh get your fear of the number thirteen on!

I’ve been given a glimpse of the Palm Pre in 2013!

It uses webOS extensions from Palm founder Jeff Hawkin’s newest venture, Numenta, which will bring intelligence to digital objects.

As you can see, they’ve redone the packaging:

The slider has been retired along with the keyboard. All commands are via voice! Notice the fingerprint reader at left. It also samples DNA. So even if it’s stolen, it can’t be used by someone else!

By 2013, Numenta Matrix Intelligence has been embedded into everything that’s digital. Which is fantastic. You can take the new Pre 13 (note, they might change that name) into any casino and know which slot machine will pay off:

Also, using casino camera triangulation, it can forecast which number any roulette wheel will land on and advise you in betting strategy:

There’s just one nagging problem they have to work out before it gets out of the hand of the poor guy who beta tests it. It doesn’t like to be shut off!

There’s a nasty bug in Numenta Matrix Intelligence they’ve dubbed the Sleepless Threat. I’m sure they’ll work that little thing out!

OK, all of that was a joke. It’s from a new movie opening this week, Echelon Conspiracy. Here’s the wicked trailer:

Let me just say this is the first time I’ve wanted to see a movie because of a smartphone in it.

As for Echelon itself, I hope its predictive powers are actually weak. Look at this! I asked:

It replied:

The Gesture Area: What’s Possible?

One of the distinguishing differences between the Pre and regular smartphones is its Gesture Area, below the screen, highlighted below:

It’s bilateral, separated by the center button which invokes the Card View.

We’ve seen three gestures demonstrated.

Back, which I’ve illustrated on the left side above. It can also be done on the right side of the Gesture Area, with the same leftward swiping movement.

To invoke the Wave Quick Launcher, begin in the Gesture Area and swipe and hold towards the interior of the screen. Again, this can be done on the right side too.

To call up the full Application Launcher, begin in the Gesture Area and swipe and lift inside the screen. As well, it can be done on the right side.

Those are the three Gestures we’ve seen.

Are others possible?

What about this:

Two fingers beginning at the outer edges of both left and right sides and moving inward?

Or this:

Two fingers beginning near the center button on both left and right sides and moving outward?

For that matter, what about using the Gesture Area for tapping?

No, don’t ask me what these other possible gestures could be used for. That’s up to application developers — if Palm hasn’t already reserved those movements.

Bluetooth Keyboard, Palm. We Want!

It’s still a constant source of frustration to me that the iPhone cannot work with a Bluetooth keyboard. Apple has its own gorgeous Bluetooth keyboard that just weeps at night from not being to interface with the iPhone. It weeps, I say!

Hackers have gone so far to create proof of concept videos such as this one:

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At least two Comments at that site cry Fake! And it could be.

But the point is, Palm, we want the Pre to work out of the box with the Bluetooth keyboards we already have. Yes, we know you want to make money with your own keyboard later on — but give us the goodwill first to use our own. I’m sure your keyboard will be better — and we’ll buy it. But in the meantime, we want to type.

Let all the blogs bloom on Pre Day One with posts that begin, “I’m typing this post with my Palm Pre and a Bluetooth keyboard!!!”