It seems while I was busy on my trip leaked information started becoming available on the next Palm (now HP) phone. Behold, leaked photographs of the Palm Pre 2. If ever there was an uninspired design this thing is it. Although I do appreciate backwards comparability with accessories the Palm Pre’s accessories need an upgrade. For instance it is known through FCC documents that the Palm Pre 2 uses the same underpowered battery as the first one. One of the things the Pre needed most was a larger battery.
On top of that the new Pre is the same sized screen as the old one. Even with the inclusion of a gesture area it would have been nice to see the screen size increased a bit. One of the things I love about my Evo is the huge screen. I do like the fact that the list microUSB port cover has been removed on the Pre 2 which leaves one less thing to break.
Ultimately the Pre failed to get market share and attention. I don’t see how adding much better hardware to the same form factor is going to help improve Palm’s image. What Palm really need is a super phone that is distinct from other phones on the market while distancing themselves from their previous phones. I’m hoping something more exciting is in the pipeline but frankly with all the competition from Android and iOS this new Pre 2 just isn’t going to cut it.