You’ve seen me singing Sprint’s praises on Chia Town for quite a while. Blazing fast network, good customer service (after fixing the crappy customer service they were known for), and GREAT prices. I laughed at my friends who were paying AT&T boatloads of money for crappier service. Alas…such is not the case.

Sprint’s timing is REALLY bad. They announce this just as Verizon is about the get the iPhone. Perhaps Verizon isn’t as bad as AT&T in some people’s minds and a defection from Sprint to Verizon for the iPhone alone won’t be such a big deal. I had planned on sticking with my Android phone (a Samsung Moment which increasingly seems like a big heavy brick as I look at the new phones coming out…but I’m still happy with it) with Sprint because it just makes sense to stick with an affordable plan on a good network.

But now this.

Seriously Sprint, WTF? Did the Clearwire debacle go so badly that you’re trying to recoup losses and are sticking it to your customers? You have to remember Sprint, the only reason MANY people stayed with Sprint was because it was night-and-day cheaper than the competition. AT&T had exclusivity with the iPhone, Verizon had a big fast network, Sprint had…well Sprint had Android phones and a price that couldn’t be beat.

I’m seriously questioning this move. I love Sprint. I love their service, I love their customer service, and I love the tenacity they’ve shown to rebuild after getting beaten down. I applaud Dan Hesse for taking the helm of a sinking ship and getting things back on track. Good job!

But WTF Sprint? This may be the single biggest thing to get people to defect. It’s not like Sprint has the biggest market share as it is to toy around with. Under this price change, the other carriers will now be CHEAPER. Cheaper I say! I was fine settling for a cool phone (but not a “holy crap this phone is awesome” phone) because I had a good network and a stupidly cheap plan to use it on. Now I can pay less AND get a better phone, Android or iPhone?

I don’t know what you’re doing Sprint. Maybe you’re making boatloads of money from NASCAR or from your LBS (Location Based Services) offerings, but this makes no sense to me.

First, some background. I’ve got a Samsung Moment running on Sprint’s network. Love it! Love Sprint’s network, love the fact I’m spending loads less than I would on other networks, and the Moment itself is a pretty darn good phone.

Now for the fun. I got a text from Sprint saying there was “an important update for your Samsung Moment”. (interestingly enough, this update has evidently been out since late January) After clicking on the link it took me to Sprint’s page for the Moment update. Good freakin’ googly…that alone was a mess. www.sprint.com/momentupdate is where it takes you to. Go ahead…look at all the stuff you have to do. Highlights include:

1. It only works on PCs (ie, no Mac support)
2. You must uninstall Samsung USB drivers
3. You must install new drivers
4. You must reboot your machine a few times
5. All your data on your phone will be lost
6. You will have to reinstall all your phone apps and redo all your settings

Lovely, eh? All this…and it’s not even for a new Android version.

Yes…let me gripe about that for a minute. The Samsung Moment is running Android v1.5. You read that right…ONE POINT FIVE!!! Seriously…WTF Sprint? We know there is a 1.6. Droid was released with 2.0. Nexus One has 2.1 and yet we’re still at 1.5? Come on now…

Ok…I’m done…

So yes, this was just some little update for 1.5 that supposedly increases battery life a little bit.

Now for the torture.

Installation Attempt One

No PC at home but I do have Windows 7 Professional installed on my MacBook Pro using Sun VirtualBox (at some point I’ll be giving my review/comparison of Sun VirtualBox vs VMWare Fusion). What a mess. I’ll break it down in simple steps to save time and your eyes.

1. VirtualBox needed to be updated. No biggie…just some time
2. Windows 7 needed a whole slew of updates. About three or four reboots as each one needed its own cycle
3. Windows 7 didn’t think it was authentic suddenly. Had to dig through my software and re-submit the key
4. Installed the Samsung software and drivers
5. Removed SD card from phone and began process
6. Computer could not find phone when connected via USB
7. Rebooted and tried again…still no recognition
8. Searched internet for solutions. Tried unchecking “USB debugging” on phone. Still no success
9. Tried a few more times…nothing

At this point I gave up for the night and decided to try at work the next day since there were PCs to use.

Installation Attempt Two

My main work PC, a Windows 7 Pro HP laptop.

1. Installed Samsung drivers and software
2. Rebooted
3. Went through above steps of removing SD card from phone, blah blah blah.
4. THIS computer would not recognize that my phone was connected to it.
5. Rebooted again. Nothing

Installation Attempt Three

Test laptop – Toshiba Satellite running Windows Vista (I know…I know…)

1. Installed Samsung drivers and software
2. Rebooted
3. Went through above steps of removing SD card from phone, blah blah blah.
4. THIS computer would not recognize that my phone was connected to it.
5. Rebooted again. Nothing
6. Unplugged USB again (also done in previous attempts) and plugged back in. FINALLY!!!
7. Software was updated
8. Went through list of apps I had on phone (that I had to write down somewhere to know what I had) and began installing them

All in all, this was about a four or five hour ordeal just to install a minor update. If Google wants Android to continue to gain market share, they’re going to have to make things simpler. Android is a fine phone OS but it’s still nowhere as simple and elegant as Apple’s solution.

And there you go. All of that work and I really don’t notice too much of a difference. Whoopty do…I’m now running “Build Number CL14”. Like I said…no noticeable improvements.

Hopefully the upgrade to 2.1 will be an OTA (over-the-air) update that doesn’t consume the user’s time and in the process wipe the phone.

1. Multiple phones on multiple carriers – Plain and simple, having more options for consumers makes it easier for Android to grab market share. Apple’s iPhone certainly made a splash but it is just one OS on one carrier. Imagine the market share the iPhone’s OS would have it was also available on Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Same goes for the Palm Pre. As great as the phone is, some people still aren’t willing to break their contracts with AT&T or Verizon simply to get the Pre. However, with Android-based phones being made on by multiple manufacturers and available on all the major networks, everyone will have an opportunity to buy one without switching.
2. Application availability - This has been Apple’s strength, and Palm’s weakness, in the smartphone market. People LOVE their apps. The phone isn’t just a phone anymore. It’s a mobile device, capable of surfing the net, locating a restaurant, tuning your guitar, keeping you entertained at the airport, translating a phrase to Spanish, giving you the recipe for a Surfer on Acid, ordering coffee, checking your bank account, and so forth. Comparing hardware and the base OS, the Palm Pre beats the iPhone in a number of categories and is rather close in others. However, it’s the iPhone’s bevy of app choices that gives it a hands-down clear victory over other smartphones compelling reasons to buy one over the other. There are already a whole slew of apps available for the Android and it’s app catalog will only grow larger.
3. App development - Many mobile app developers would rather develop on Android’s open source platform than deal with iPhone development rules, with the headaches that Blackberry development poses, and so forth. Having people WANT to develop apps on one platform over another certainly helps the cause.
4. Google backing - Google is loaded, no doubt about it. When they want something, they throw their genius at it and if that’s not enough then they dig into their enormous war chest to get the desired results.

Ultimately it’s up to the consumer to buy Android-based phones which will obviously determine the market share that it gains. Will it be big enough to overtake the iPhone? Not anytime soon. However, there are many compelling reasons for consumers to want an Android phone, from not leaving their current network to seeing what the next new thing is. Only time will tell, but given Google’s track record with new projects and the reasons given above, it’s simply just a matter of time.

Are you dizzy yet? Abroad, T-Mobile is big and looking to be gigantic. In the US, that’s not the case. However, with their majority market share overseas, they could use that for aggressive expansion in the US.

Ah, but there’s more. T-Mobile is running on a GSM network while Sprint Nextel runs on the CDMA network. What gives? Hasn’t T-Mobile seen just how messy trying to merge networks can be with the Sprint/Nextel merger? Hmmmm…perhaps they have something else in mind. Maybe they won’t merge the entire user base and networks but rather keep them separate. Sprint has a good lead on location tracking using their network (think GPS but without needing the satellites). Maybe T-Mobile wants that strategic resource while also being able to say “we have this giant user base”. They could have both a big cellular consumer base and also the tracking user base suited more for enterprise.

This is all speculation on my part but it does make one ponder. It’s certainly got me wondering. Thoughts?

What I WILL say however is that I’m sorely disappointed in Palm’s decision to “introduce” the Pre half a year ago, to tell all the competition what features this phone will have, to let the competition go “oh shit” and then build those features into the next release of their own phones, and then finally…FINALLY sell this phone to the public. Great job Palm. The huge technological lead you could have had on the competition was clearly wiped away just a couple days later when Apple introduced the iPhone’s next OS and the new iPhone 3GS. I must admit I am quite annoyed with this.

So…here I am. I shunned the iPhone because they were on AT&T’s network. My SERO plan with Sprint absolutely rocks and I was willing to forgo a phone (the iPhone) for my phone (Treo 755p) because the plan was that much better. However, the iPhone kept getting better and yes, I had iPhone envy. But alas! Palm “introduces” the Pre and this phone appears to have many features that made me crave it more than the iPhone. Hurray! Sweet! I can wait a few months for that! Except, well, Palm screwed the pooch and let everyone know what it planned on doing and now the iPhone is right up there with the Pre.

I have not pulled the trigger either way now. Yes, the new iPhone looks damn nice. I still think AT&T sucks though. I will have to upgrade my plan with Sprint if I get the Pre but it will still be cheaper than AT&T’s plan. But is the Pre still the game changer we all thought it would be? Nope. Don’t get me wrong…it’s a great phone. It just isn’t leaps and bounds better than everything else out there and that’s a shame.

I can’t help but wonder what Palm execs were thinking. I mean c’mon guys…telling your competition what your advantage will be? Dumb. Just plan dumb. I can just see the Pittsburgh Steelers telling the Baltimore Ravens that the first play will be a hand-off to Willy Parker, the second play will be a 20 yard post to Santonio Holmes, the third play a five-and-out to Hines Ward…I think you get my drift. Palm had a chance to be THE talk of the town and they clearly gave it away. So so frustrating…

Let’s look at Sprint first. Hordes of customers have been abandoning Sprint Nextel for a while now. At first it was because of crappy customer service. Dan Hesse addressed that immediately as he took the helm at CEO and I can honestly say I’ve never had a customer service issue (I’ve been a customer of Sprint and Verizon for years now). Being the number three carrier now however there are probably other reasons people are leaving Sprint. For one, that little iPhone thing that you may have heard of by now is sending loads of people over to AT&T. There are a few holdouts here and there but most trendy users and other techies are digging their iPhone. I know of a number of people that made the switch to AT&T simply for the iPhone. And then you’ve got Verizon which touts the most reliable network. Maybe, maybe not, but it’s a good marketing plan for them. Why would anyone want to be on a lesser network?

Sprint is supposedly starting a new advertising campaign today to tout the wonders of their fast network and also to brag about the affordability of this network. Go get ‘em Sprint! Stop sitting back and letting everyone badmouth you as they brag about their own networks.

Now for a quick look at Palm. They created a whole new market with the Palm Pilot back in the day. Hell, they even made Apple’s Newton a non-issue…not bad, not bad. However, Palm got complacent and rested on their laurels as other competing products came and improved on their ideas. The Palm Treo was a pretty nifty phone too but again, OS updates coming at a snail’s pace, hardware updates coming at the same frequency while the Blackberry was continually updating their smartphone line just helped show that Palm probably wouldn’t last in this competitive marketplace. Even “regular” phones were coming up with newer and more innovative features while the Treo had its old but somewhat reliable apps. When the iPhone came, egads. It looked like the end of the line for Palm. Palm was able to save face with the Centro and bolster investor confidence. Now we have the Palm Pre coming out. It’s already received accolade after accolade for an amazing new operating system (I’ll admit I’m looking forward to playing with WebOS) and a new phone design (thank goodness…the Treo was just sooooo old…c’mon guys…seriously).

Now for the big question…again. Are Palm and Sprint helping or hurting each other?

Consumers are STILL waiting for the Palm Pre that was announced months ago. We still have no idea when it’s coming out. For the past few months Palm faithful have not been buying new phones as they wait for the Pre. This hurts Palm’s sales and Sprint just sits and waits. On one hand you could say that the Pre is the phone that will bring users back to Sprint as no other carrier will have the Pre initially. However, will people leave Verizon (the marketed reliable network) or AT&T (the network with the iPhone) for the number three network just because it has the Pre? The optimist in me says a kickass phone on the fastest network should be a marriage made in heaven. The pessimist says disgruntled Palm users and the number three network could just be ugly.

For now we can only speculate and wait. We won’t really know until the pre is released and we can watch Sprint’s subscriber numbers move as we watch Palm’s sales of the Pre. I tire of waiting. I want to see Sprint succeed so we can have more competition in the marketplace. I want to see Palm succeed for the same reason. I also want Palm or Sprint to send me a Pre to evaluate but that’s another issue.

What are your thoughts? Will Sprint and Palm help or hurt each other with their exclusive partnership?

1) Sales – Of course they dropped! Duh. First, we’re in a recession. More importantly though, the Palm faithful are waiting for the Palm Pre. Have you heard about this phone? Slated to come out in the first half (whatever the hell that mean…thanks for the six month cushion Palm) of 2009 it will be an entirely new device (rather than the nominal upgrades on the OS or form factor we’ve seen lately). The new operating system, WebOS looks to be quite nice. It’s gotta be good if Apple and Palm are rattling sabers over supposed patent infringement. So please…don’t get your underwear in a wad over the sales drop. When the Pre is released you’re going to see some explosive sales numbers.

2) Cash – Palm just had quite a cash infusion recently ($100 million back in December) and has blown through it all. So? They’re coming out with a new product…a NEW product. New products require some R&D and they also require a bit of marketing. I’d be surprised if Palm DIDN’T spend any money as they work on the Pre. I’d much rather they get the Pre working just right before releasing it into the wild.

Remember this little company called Apple? A decade ago you couldn’t read the word “Apple” without it being followed by “the beleaguered company”. Rumors flying around that they were going to disappear. Other rumors that Sun Microsystems was going to buy them. Remember when Microsoft dumped a bunch of money into Apple? Poor Apple…I feel for that company that has struggled only to fail (I hope you can detect my sarcastic tone in that last statement).

So what do we have with Palm? A company that once had a great product but failed to innovate for a while. They saw the writing on the wall and decided to step it up. The Palm Pro (running the new Windows Mobile 6.1) has been called the best phone running Window Mobile by some. They decided to use an entirely new OS for the Pre that will make it much more usable instead up updating the current OS. They’re actually TRYING now (rather than resting on their laurels and coasting along). Being competitive isn’t cheap. Should things turn out less than stellar for Palm and sales don’t pop as much as everyone expects, I highly doubt they’ll disappear. There are enough companies out there with enough cash to come in and snag a great deal. I mean, c’mon…wouldn’t you like to have a product with a cult following? I know I would…

And there ya go. Before we all start running around screaming and crying about Palm’s demise, let’s look at all the facts and look at the realities of running a business. I highly doubt Palm is going to disappear.

Anyway, a few days ago it was confirmed that select Walmart and Sam’s Club stores will be selling Apple’s iPhone beginning December 28. Interesting timing…I’m not really sure why they’re waiting until AFTER Christmas. Perhaps there will be a significant discount and they want to milk the larger profit margins for Christmas? (pure speculation on my part…don’t take my word for it). Or maybe they just want that last minute, giant push of sales before the year ends. I mean c’mon…it’s not like Walmart isn’t a big distribution channel or anything…

Details detail details…let’s see. Roughly 2,500 of the 3,500 Walmart stores will carry the iPhone while 69 Sam’s Club stores will also carry it. I’m leaning to this being a damn good move on Apple’s part. At first I was thinking “will this dilute the high end Apple image?” but then realized iPods are already sold in every major store now while the computers are being sold in larger stores such as Best Buy, MicroCenter, Fry’s…so I say no to that theory. So all that leaves in my mind is that it is a good idea as you’ve got nearly 2,600 more outlets around the country for people to pick up an iPhone, feel it, see it, and ultimately buy it.

So there ya go. If you don’t have an Apple Store near you and you want to check out this iPhone thingy that everyone is talking about, head over to your local Walmart on December 28 and get ready to be sucked into Apple’s reality distortion field. It’s a grand place to be.

Palm is making it really hard for me to want to wait it out and see what their next generation OS and phone will be like. I love my Treo 755p and I love the dirt cheap unlimited data plan I have with Sprint, but dirt cheap can keep me interested for only so long. I’ve been eyeing the iPhone for a while but it still didn’t make business sense for me. With Palm continuing their slide to obscurity, the iPhone making more inroads into both business and consumer hands, what’s a boy to do? I can tell it’s only a matter of time now. With Apple releasing the iPhone 2.2 update which adds nifty features like Google Maps Street View and public transit directions, stability improvements and other enhancements, more people (and businesses) will be heading over to AT&T to get these phones.

Kudos to you Apple. You’ve broken into a seemingly impenetrable market (mobile phones in this instance), made your mark, and are now breaking into the enterprise and shaking up the old guard. Maybe…just maybe Steve Jobs IS a genius.