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Dear Ed,

Well, looks like you pulled it off at CES with the announcement of the Palm Pre and webOS.  But let’s not count it as a victory quite yet.  You’ve got a lot more work to do to make this happen.  The Pre and webOS look fantastic, but looks aren’t everything.  Let’s review the most important things for you and your team to focus on leading up to the launch of the Pre.

Do not get a big head

You wowed the press and industry analysts with your new goodies at CES, but now is not the time to think you’re in the lead.  You know once Apple and RIM saw the new webOS and amazing feature-set in the Pre, it got them thinking.  They’ve got the skills, designers, talent, and most importantly money to overshadow your new product, so buckle down and focus.

Do not let Sprint hold you back

Remember that you have the upper hand in this relationship.  You are the one with the slick device… you are the one with the slick webOS…and you are the one that’s going to keep making it better with each release.  The Sprint Simply Everything Plan is a great addition, but do not let them head up the marketing efforts because your product will not be the focus.  You need to do it yourself just like Apple and RIM do with their products.

Oh, and don’t let Sprint pre-load any of their crap on your device.

Market the hell out of the Pre and webOS

When I say “market the hell” out of them, I don’t mean just throw some cheesy inexpensive campaigns together.  I mean hire the best consultants money can buy and let them work their magic.  You need a modern, fresh look that emphasizes your products, not Sprint’s Simply Everything Plan.  We assume your exclusivity with Sprint will end after about 6 months, so make sure you’re prepared for the second launch.

Don’t be afraid to spend on marketing

Okay, Ed.  We realize you guys don’t have a lot of cash laying around like some of your other friends in the industry, but people will be more than happy to give you money to make the Pre succeed.  Take advantage of that.

A good example of what not to do is what Microsoft has done with the Zune.  They came out saying they would spend any amount ($100 million or so) to compete with the iPod.  I think I can speak for everyone I know in saying the Zune has a long way to go.  The difference in this situation is that the iPhone is still very new (announced in January 2007), so you’re not that far behind.

Remember: The Pre is a premium product

Yes, we’re in a recession right now, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t willing to spend money on their mobile phone.  We’ve seen rumors about a $199 price tag with a 2 year contract, and $399 with no contract.  These prices are great, but don’t discount too quickly after launch.  If you market the product right, people will continue paying that price for a long time to come.  Take that page out of Apple’s playbook… just don’t sell it at Walmart like Apple’s doing.

Stay ahead of the competition

It’s been a while since Palm’s products were desired by more than just its fanboys, so let me remind you how this goes.  When you make a product (or platform) that generates a lot of buzz, people will start copying you.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple is already working on a feature like Synergy that keeps your Facebook, Gmail, Exchange contacts synced up together, so don’t be surprised when this gets announced.  The team that is driving webOS clearly knows what they’re doing, so let them keep doing their thing.  And as Google always says: “release early, release often.”

Kick some ass

We believe in you Ed.  We’ve been hanging on to the glory days of Palm for years now, so it’s great to see you back to innovating.  It can’t be easy to write a new platform from scratch, so we applaud you… even if it is years longer than we would’ve hoped.

We’ll let you go now, you’ve got a lot of work to do.  Take care, and don’t forget to call.

Love,

P.S. Once you launch the Pre and gain a significant market share, feel free to launch the Folio.

Have some more advice for Ed Colligan, president and CEO of Palm?  Sound off in the comments section below, and make your voice heard.

Love, Gadgetell is a series of open letters sent to industry executives, where the Editors of Gadgetell offer friendly advice to the leaders of the companies we love the most.  If you have any ideas for future letters, send them to tips at gadgetell.com