Exclusive: New Palm phone to have slide-down keyboard, large touchscreen

**Dieter Bohn** · 01/04/2009, 10:33 PM

I can CONFIRM everything in that crunchgear story and have two tiny details to add:

http://treocentral.com/content/Stories/2300-1.htm

**ouzome** · 01/04/2009, 10:42 PM

Thought I would blow the dust off my TC account in case something really cool is near.

**Caduceus** · 01/04/2009, 10:44 PM

How does performance differ between a capacitive touchscreen (like the iPhone) instead of resistive (like all Treos)?

**KeilwerthSX90R** · 01/04/2009, 11:03 PM

This is interesting news. I had one of the old Samsung vertical slider WM phones and you could use the keyboard one handed because the weight of the phone was unbalanced with the keyboard open. It will be interested to see how Palm figures this out, if true.

I'm skeptical of yet another major new OS but hopefully they'll get ActiveSync and the on screen keyboard right. Sliders are great, especially a vertical one, but only if the onscreen keyboard is good enough for regular text entry. This has always been my problem with WM sliders. The on screen keyboards in the past were useless requiring the slideout keyboard for everything.

Palm needs a home run so I'm hoping this phone doesn't suffer from the beta problems that the iPhone and Blackberry Storm had at launch.

**KeilwerthSX90R** · 01/04/2009, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Blackhawk5

How does performance differ between a capacitive touchscreen (like the iPhone) instead of resistive (like all Treos)?

Resistive requires pressure with capacitive reacts to the physical touch. Hopefully someone can offer a more scientific explanation of performance differences but in my opinion, after using the iPhone I'll never go back to a resistive screen again, unless it's like the Treo Pro which requires minimum touch screen usage if you want.

**berdinkerdickle** · 01/04/2009, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by Dieter Bohn

I can CONFIRM everything in that crunchgear story and have two tiny details to add:

http://treocentral.com/content/Stories/2300-1.htm

Whooo Hooo!

I was hoping for a T/C Confirmation.

**BeingBoston121** · 01/04/2009, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by KeilwerthSX90R

Resistive requires pressure with capacitive reacts to the physical touch. Hopefully someone can offer a more scientific explanation of performance differences but in my opinion, after using the iPhone I'll never go back to a resistive screen again, unless it's like the Treo Pro which requires minimum touch screen usage if you want.

A small detail is that resistive touch screens (what Palm currently uses) has better accuracy vs a Capacitive touch screen.

Resistive has to have pressure to trigger a response. you can use your nails or even touch the screen while wearing gloves.

Capacitive uses the human skin to complete a circuit to trigger a response. Will also work with an orange, but will not work with fingernails, standard gloves, or current stylus'

Tim

**BeingBoston121** · 01/04/2009, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by ouzome

Thought I would blow the dust off my TC account in case something really cool is near.

geez... half a year between post! wow. welcome back brother!!

**berdinkerdickle** · 01/04/2009, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by Dieter Bohn;

QWERTY keyboard that slides out from behind it. The 'vertical' part means that it slides down in portrait mode, meaning that the keyboard will still be easy to use one-handed -- an important benefit to longtime Treo users

Now that's a slider I can see myself getting used to.

**Rome** · 01/04/2009, 11:32 PM

I am ready for a upgrade. Bring it on, Palm, and take my money

**Jennifer Chappell** · 01/04/2009, 11:43 PM

This slider's screen will also be a flush screen.

**JCB** · 01/04/2009, 11:50 PM

I am so ready to sell my Treo Pro as long as I can accept outlook meeting requests on the native email app!

**berdinkerdickle** · 01/04/2009, 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by pdaluver

This slider's screen will also be a flush screen.

I feel like breaking down in tears of joy!

**pump142** · 01/04/2009, 11:53 PM

an orange? did you try this?

**hkklife** · 01/04/2009, 11:53 PM

No offense, guys, but I am calling B.S. on this one. I've been waiting on something "spectacular" from Palm since at least 2000 and I don't have any reason to change my pessimistic stance...yet.

I just don't see how Palm is going to be able to handle a lot of stylus-heavy legacy Garnet (and earlier) apps to Nova without being able to support native stylus support. Just think of the impossibly small onscreen buttons used by some older Palm OS apps & games that might not have ever been updated to be Treo-friendly. You'd go nuts trying to jap that with a fingertip....unless, of course, Palm sees to include a special capacitive stylus with the unit.

Personally, I think Palm's just going to play it safe and try to get Nova out the door on a "safe" device....think the Treo Pro specs & formfactor with a lower pricetag and maybe a few small differentiating touches. Then, assuming that one hits the market on time and with no major bugs, they'll work on a followup device for later in '09 or early 2010 with a different formfactor and/or higher resolution and include Garnet compatibility.

Basically, as long as a few stocks of Palm OS PDAs remain for sale and the Centro is still offered by some carriers, Palm doesn't have a huge reason to push Garnet compatibility with their first Nova device. Seamless importing of PIM data etc from Garnet devices? Yes! But 90%+ seamless Garnet backwards compatibility? Not as crucial as having a stable, feature-laden, widely supported new OS with all of the eye candy intact.

I see Palm basically doing the opposite of what Sony has done with the PS3over the past 2+ years...instead of slowly removing backwards compatibility bit by bit, Palm will slowly integrate & perfect it over the lifetime of the platform & hardware.

**berdinkerdickle** · 01/04/2009, 11:56 PM

It's been said this is a Mockup:

And jen says it's a flush screen, but I truly like the concept.

**BeingBoston121** · 01/05/2009, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by pump142

an orange? did you try this?

I just did it with a Clementine on my iPod touch.

**BigTex** · 01/05/2009, 12:17 AM

Where is Perry with the approach of the '09 Silly Season almost upon us?

I hope that NOVA and the device ROCK! Getting sick of my friends raggin' on my centro. Come on PALM!

**BeingBoston121** · 01/05/2009, 12:21 AM

Feel free to let him know about the fun!

PM: gtwo = Perry

**trim81** · 01/05/2009, 12:42 AM

not sure I am feeling the slide out keyboard....coming from a long time Treo user.

I WILL be upgrading regardless, and hope that Chatteremail will work with Nova

-Also, flushed screen sounds siiiiickkkk

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