Blackberry And Palm Engaged In Smartphone Wars

Apple is clearly a leader in the smartphone market. However, other companies such as Blackberry and Palm have given Apple a run for their money in the smartphone wars. Apple has sold over 17 million units since it's release in 2007 and has quickly become one of the most popular smartphones in the world. But now Palm may prove to be a more powerful force with which to be reckoned.

The Palm Centro, which was also released in 2007, was sort of a lesser Blackberry Curve in my humble opinion. But the new Palm Pre seems a lot more like the iPhone which may make it an appealing alternative in the smartphone wars. Consumer spending is of course diminished, so the phone had better be competitively priced.

According to Apple Insider, this does not sit well with Tim Cook, acting chief executive of Apple: "As long as [competitors] don't rip off our [intellectual property], and if they do, we'll go after anybody that does." He claims he wasn't referring to the Pre, but it appears safe to say the smartphone wars may not be over just yet.

Can we safely say that Palm is stealing intellectual property from Apple? After all, there is a smartphone war between the two companies. I think the answer is unclear. But one thing is certain: there are a litany of other smartphones (Samsung Behold, Verizon Voyager, G-phone) that seem quite similar to the iPhone in many respects which may indicate that "similar" does not equal "same" or "proprietary".

The smarthone wars may not be a beatable battle for Palm. That's because according to the Washington Times, Jim Suva of Citigroup, reports Palm is predicted to sell 1.5 million Pre phones within it's first year of release versus Apple's sale of 1 million iPhones in the first 72 hours of release. Clearly, Palm will have their work cut out for them.

What exactly is the Pre, you ask? Well, it's a touchscreen phone, has finger spreading technology that allows users to zoom in and out, and uses a new web browser called webOS. It also has a slide-out keyboard. Are you starting to see the similarities? The reason for this? It may be the fact some of Apple's former employees now work for Palm. This is the main cause of the smartphone war between Apple and Sprint.

Assuming it's true that these former employees revealed proprietary knowledge about Apple, they could face legal consequences. So much for confidentiality and non-competes, right? Then again, in the smartphone wars, anything is possible. And all tactics and strategies can and will be employed.

Keep an ear to the ground. I am positive that more news will surface as Palm and Apple battle it out in the smartphone wars. It's early to call this bout, but I feel confident that Apple will win. Here's why: they are the leader in technology at the moment, in many respects, and they have managed to outsmart many of their competitors. As a result, this may be a David-Goliath type battle, with Palm playing the part of loser.

By Bryan Wisotsky. Bryan blogs at Storybook Vacations.