New Palm Pre Looks Intriguing

I must admit I'm intrigued by the new Palm Pre. See the video below. The one big advantage over the iPhone that I can see is the ability to run applications in the background. While I don't think it truly comes up often in real life, it would be handy on occasion. Apple claims running apps in the background significantly decreases battery life so it will be interesting to see how Palm fares. Maybe they've found a creative solution.

This is also the first multi-touch smartphone since the iPhone. Google Android and Blackberry Storm have so far stayed away from what is perceived to be an Apple patent. However, the patents Apple have don't cover multi-touch. It is said that Google did not include it at the request of Steve Jobs. Don't forget, Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt sits on Apple's board. Google also has a lot of incentive not to piss Apple off. Palm on the other hand, really has nothing to lose as it has seen it's market share tumble almost as fast as Motorola's.

This will be fun to watch.