The crazy return of Palm rides on a tiny phone that is not a phone

Palm is best known for being a pioneer in the world of PDAs and smartphones. Although the company has been dead for years, the brand still enjoys a cult among technicians who watched the screens before watching screens, that was thing.

So it's surprising that The resurrection of Palm comes in the form of a device designed to get you away from one of these screens – to set an even smaller one.

The new Palm is not a phone, but a mobile device that looks like an iPhone. It's designed to be a lightweight substitute when you're in the gym, at a club, or spending time with your family. The $ 349 device, sold exclusively in the United States by Verizon Wireless, will pair with your existing phone, but has its own cellular radio that requires an additional $ 10 charge on your monthly Wireless bill.

That's right, our phones have become so big that they now need their own phones.

Palm is a new startup based in San Francisco that licenses one of the most venerable names in the smartphone industry, with the goal of creating a device to free us from the constant bombardment of email notifications, Slack messages and Instagram messages harming our lives.

If this sounds familiar to you, it 's because the technology heavyweights Apple and Google have already embraced the idea of ​​reducing your dependence on their products, mainly through the use of other products. applications that track your usage and, in some cases, block access to key features. These additions have emerged as a result of growing consumer concern that everyone, especially children, spend too much time on the phone.

"We think the technology should go back," Palm co-founder Dennis Miloseski said in an interview last week. "The product should be a supportive character in our lives."

Palm is also the latest to attempt to resurrect a classic brand in the mobile world at a time when Apple, Huawei and Samsung dominate the market. Other companies have tried to breathe new life into the names of Nokia and BlackBerry, once pillars of the mobile world, but they have had mixed success.

Palm, for its part, does not just apply a logo on a new phone. The startup is looking for something different.

Co-founder, Howard Nuk, compares Palm's new direction to BMW's reinvention of the Mini Cooper brand, noting that a new generation of fans has come to appreciate the compact vehicle.

But if the new Palm is a clunker or a sleeper, it depends on the number of people who adhere to this weird concept.

Another mobile companion

Nuk describes a weekend in Napa using only the Palm. The smaller screen arouses a different state of mind, he said, pointing out that he tended to use it less than the typical larger phone. He mainly uses the Palm's 12-megapixel rear camera and the 8-megapixel front shooter to publish his photos on Instagram.

It's something he describes as a "lifestyle", the company's shortcut to focus on the real world around you rather than on those pesky notifications. Nuk and Miloseski spend a lot of time talking about the philosophy behind the product, the specs seeming to be an afterthought.

Getting out of your screen is an idea that big companies have already approved.

"We've developed new tools to help you control these devices, instead of those who control you," said Google device manager Rick Osterloh at the launch of the new Pixel. He cited features such as parental control and the ability to track time spent on apps. New version of Apple's iOS has similar features.

When we finally get to the Palm product, you can not help but think of it as a toy. The front screen, which measures only 3.3 inches long, and the back are plates of Gorilla Glass 3 that sandwich a titanium frame or gold-colored aluminum.

The screen boasts a resolution of 720p and 445 pixels per inch, while the rear camera looks like the dual-camera configuration of the iPhone X, only the spot for the second lens is a flash. It has a single USB-C port for charging or headphones, and a single button wakes up the device or, by a double press, call a quick action like Google Assistant or l '. camera.

It uses a facial recognition sensor for unlocking, which, according to Nuk and Miloseski, would be useful in sports halls or at other times, your hands are not necessarily free.

While Palm uses Android 8.1, also called Oreo, the startup has changed the interface to allow you to see a larger carousel of applications on the home page.

The device connects to the phone via Verizon NumberShare. So, if someone calls your main phone, the Palm also rings. Thanks to its platform, Android users will find it easier to synchronize the same applications of their phone on this device, because it is fully compatible with the Play Store.

The idea is that you enter this device when you do not necessarily need a full-fledged phone, but you do not have as much compromise to make as one. smartwatch.

"It's a portable experience, but with a full dial-up connection," said Brian Higgins, Verizon's vice president of consumer and device marketing.

Palm indicates that the device is also associated with an iPhone, but that many applications, including those for which you pay, will be missing. You will not have access to iOS apps like Facetime. Nuk says that if you want mail to work, you need to disable iMessage and trust Verizon's exclusive email application.

Good luck with that.

So is it a phone?

One of the challenges that Palm faces is to explain what the device really is. Though tiny, it has the shape of a phone and works like a phone. It has its own cellular radio, even if it is associated with the number of your main phone.

Still, Verizon and Palm insist that it's a companion device and will not sell it as a standalone product.

"I understand why they say it's not a phone, but that it can be confusing," said Ross Rubin, an analyst at Reticle Research. He calls the idea of ​​a second phone "lifestyle" a difficult speech.

Higgins said Verizon was considering training its sales force to push the device to the stores. He hinted at promotional offers with bigger smartphones for the holidays.

Heavy hitters

The curriculum vitae of Miloseski and Nuk mean that you can not completely erase this concept. Miloseski worked on the Gmail and Google Docs user interface and also contributed to the development of the Chromecast streaming device. Nuk worked at Frog Design, a company well known for collaborating with Steve Jobs on the first Apple products. He helped design Beats headphones.

The two men met at Samsung, where they were responsible for monitoring Gear Fit fitness and helped advance the Gear smart watch franchise to his round face.

Both left Samsung at the end of 2016 to launch the mobile companion project. When they met with TCL, a Chinese company known for making cheap TVs and Alcatel brand phones, they began discussing the use of the Palm brand. TCL bought the rights to the name in 2015, but did nothing with it.

In March of the following year, the two had signed an agreement to license the name Palm. After the success of the sale of connected watches, Verizon made a leap forward last year.

"Verizon kissed us," Miloseski said. "We are not a giant company, and they have been able to recognize that and adapt their way of working to a start-up like us."

Higgins was uniquely differentiated by the fact that Miloseski and Nuk not only reduced their device, but thought of the user experience with the small screen.

The other notable personality behind Palm is NBA superstar Steph Curry, who is director of investment and creative strategies. Anyone who remembers the work of Alicia Keys (http://www.cnet.com/) with BlackBerry, or Lady Gaga and Polaroid, will sneer at the title, but Nuk insists that Curry is a Active member of the company, commenting on the effectiveness of the Palm device as a training device.

Curry was not available for an interview because of his other employment.

Nostalgia playing

BlackBerry plays a tangential role in this unlikely story.

TCL, which licenses the Palm brand to Miloseski and Nuk, has paid to use the BlackBerry name on its own phones.

TCL, along with HMD Global, a start-up licensing the use of the Nokia name in phones, and Palm form a trio of companies trying to restore their faded brands' luster.

Until now, the results have been mixed.

HMD Global, for example, has had the most success in selling classic Nokia phones. Although the name Nokia is not very strong in the United States, HMD saw its market share rise to 1.1% in the second quarter, against 0.01% a year earlier, according to Counterpoint Research. The United States is still a challenge, with the Nokia 7.1, it is unlikely that it goes too far without the help of the operator.

"The Nokia brand driven by HMD Global has been a good story back," said Neil Shah, an analyst at Counterpoint.

TCL insists that its BlackBerry range has exceeded expectations, even if the numbers are low. The company hopes to capture 3 to 5 percent of the high-end phone market, although Shah notes that its share remains minimal due to limited distribution. Despite some spectacular launches, the phones, which are among the few to keep a physical keyboard, are constantly lost in the shuffle.

Palm hopes to stand out by avoiding the legacy of the Palm Treo, Pre or PDA WebOS.

"We took a brand that has love and follows it and reinvented it," Nuk said.

Originally released Oct. 15 at 5:00 am Pacific Time.
Updated October 16 at 5:30 pm PDT: Added quotes from analysts and executives, as well as more information.

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