Will the Palm Pre live up to early predictions?

Ross Catanzariti goes way out on a limb to predict that the upcoming Palm Pre will be an iPhone killer:

The Palm Pre Will Be an iPhone Killer
Palm's breakout touchscreen smartphone is worth getting excited about — why you should be waiting for it on pins and needles.

Although a collective sigh may be raised at comparing yet another touch-screen smartphone with Apple's iPhone 3G, Palm's Pre has been generating plenty of buzz since it was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year.

After seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth while companies like Nokia and RIM released multiple phones, and while Apple's iPhone 3G has continued to enjoy immense popularity, Palm has finally hit back. The Pre is considered a make-or-break release for Palm — the smartphone is built on an entirely new Linux-based operating system called webOS.

Although we haven’t yet had a chance to get our hands on this hot new smartphone, the reports coming out of the US have been largely positive so far. In particular, the webOS operating system is reportedly intuitive, easy to use and visually appealing, and looks like the closest competitor to the iPhone yet.

I still have positive feelings towards Palm's products, even though I've been drinking serious amounts of Apple iPhone Kool-Aid lately (at least according to my virtual landlord). I gave up on Palm when my original Treo 600 started to get very long in the tooth, but there was no clear upgrade path that preserved my existing investment in software. At that point, I was free to consider other alternatives, as I'd have to buy new software (and input all the important data) regardless of which PDA or smart phone I chose.

That being said, if you're in the market for a new smart phone and don't want to join us brainwashed zombies of the iPhone world, the Palm Pre might be a worthwhile alternative for you.