About time!

I remember purchasing my first Palm handheld in 1996, back in the days when they were still US Robotics and made in the USA. Since then I've owned 6 models, ending with my Palm T/X. Though I've switched to WinMo smartphones (HTC Touch is my current phone), I've always had an affection for Palm, but with an operating system that's remained relatively unchanged for a number of years, and hardware design that's been left in the dust by competing products, the future of Palm looked pretty bleak. Combine that with company "promises" of something new that have been fraught with delays, I had pretty much given up hope...

Until now.

Palm unveiled the Palm Prē at this year's CES, a new smartphone that appears to be worth the wait. Full touchscreen, slideout keyboard, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a user interface that some early reviewers are gushing over makes this a Palm to get excited about. Due out in early 2009, it'll be exclusively available through Sprint, but if the Palm Centro's term of exclusivity with Sprint of 90 days is an indicator of how long we'll have to wait, it may not be long before this device is available through other carriers.

As a long-time Palm fan, all I can say after viewing available video demonstrations and photos is "nice job!" It's been a long time coming.