Sprint takes on Apple iPhone with the new Palm Pre ad

Great conversation! It appears we all have our likes and dislikes of the phone companies; however being an "old fart" and one that does really understand what Martin was saying (been in the IT business for 25 years) I see daily the way technology and consumerism is really growing at a much faster pace than anyone really has comprehended or accepted. I personal don't like Sprint my experiences have not been pleasant. Verizon just seems lame to me at this point, and being and ex-AT&T employee, I worked for Mountain Bell, I do have some loyalty to them. But, as a closing comment, I have to agree with all of the comments above for "what they say" AT&T as well as Sprint and Verizon are playing the marketing game and are all greedy corporations. At face value, they all are trying to "be your friend" and help you out in this NEW TECHNOLOGY, but none of them care about the consumer unless they have $$$ to spend. Sad to say, I'm an Apple Whore and a Cell Phone Junkie, so I will stick with my iPhone (love it) and my Nokia N97 (love it too) and probably any other NEW similar toy that comes my way. I just have never "gotten" the PALM philosophy, maybe PRE is better, but I've had 4 Palms (none cell phone types) prior to the iPhone and truthfully, I could never see me going back; keys too small for my old fat fingers. If they work, or whatever you use works for you, in my book, THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME! Trusting this is the ONLY dilemma you all have in your lives! Blessings! Ronald G.

Ilene -- I take it you don't work in advertising.

I think it's a good ad. The Palm Pre is a great phone and the first real competition for the iphone UI. And I'm an iPhone user unlike some of the people who respond here. BTW, I can download my apps while using any program on the phone. Do it all the time. I can listen to my music while surfing the web. I can download an app, listen to music, and surf the web at the same time. If I get a text message while listening to music, the music dims for a second to let me know a message is there and I can open it up and type a message while still listening to music.

If I surf a web page and a text message comes up, I can read it on the screen. To reply I hit reply. The message comes up and I type. then I hit my web icon to go back to the same page I was just reading. Do other phones actually let you see type the message while surfing the web? Really? At the same time? Both program images on the screen simultaneously? Don't you have to go back to you web viewer. Mine has an extra step, that I have hit the home button to tap the icon. Big freaking deal.

Plans on the iPhone are unlimited data. So I don't go over. I don't use MMS, didn't before I had an iphone and I had a razor and a tilt and a htc touch etc. But I'll definitely admit it's a weakness of the iphone: one that will be rectified soon and will be free as part of your texting plan. (I pay $20 per month for unlimited texting on five phones... not per phone, but $20 covers all five.)I might use it now. We'll see.

So I think both phones are great! But I really wish non-iphone users would stop commenting about what they don't really know or at least get their info straight and be fair when presenting it.

AT&T's network is crap. This has been tested over and over again. Sprint's network in 3G is much faster and much much more reliable. take this from someone who has had both services in the last year.

AT&T is RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE, ESPECIALLY ON DATA. Take this for example: if you have a limited data plan (no one should) and go over, Sprint charges $0.05 per extra megabyte. AT&T on the other hand, charges $0.45 per extra megabyte. So if you use an extra 50MB, your overage charge with Sprint will be $2.50 compared to AT&T's $22.50! A difference of $20 for just an extra 50MB. Imagine 100MB, or higher.

Also, the Palm Pre, which I just purchased, actually defeats the iPhone in overall user interface, and abilities. The one thing the Palm does not beat, is the music application. But the ability to download an app, while using GPS, while text messaging, and being on a website is amazing. With the iPhone? Well download the app, THEN close it and go back to menu, THEN open GPS and use that, THEN if you get a text message, close GPS and reply. AFTERWARD, open GPS. If on the way, you want to surf the net, close GPS, return to main menu, THEN open internet.

Wow. On the Pre, all of this is just a shuffle of cards...

Martin ~ your age is showing. Young people know what “Run multiple applications at the same time with real-time updates…” means. By the way four selling points are better than one and it sells to the young people - those under 40.

It's a very weak ad, firmly targeted at the geek market. What does "Run multiple applications at the same time with real-time updates…" mean to the ordinary person? Sprint needs to go back to marketing college and learn about selling benefits not features. Then they need to learn about Unique Selling Points. This ad offers us four things -- multi-tasking, cost saving, reliability, and 4G. They need to sit down, work out which one is their real selling point (or how they can combine those four into a single promise), and then really make the most of it.

The OP's comment and the headline show just how badly wrong Sprint have calculated their market: all the research suggests that iPhone users are vastly happier with their current product, and vastly more likely to recommend it. This headline would be great if the iPhone was a discredited product that people were trying to get away from. But it's not.

Ah well. Back to the drawing board it is.

Not to mention that: PRICE PLAN. AT&T are greedy bastards who charge ridiculous for their iphone plan and don't yet even offer MMS. Oh wait, that'll probably cost $30 more.

I'm so happy Pre wasn't released on AT&T first; I truly hate that company.

Cool; click on the SPRINT advert and goes to a NOT FOUND PAGE: kind of like the last time I used SPRINT. Customer service was terrible and the service was spotty. Being an EX Palm user I really don't think that can HOLD ANY threat to iPhone!