Palm Pre (8 GB) Smartphone
- Screen Size (Diagonal): 3.1 inch
- Installed Memory: 8 GB
- Operating System: Palm OS webOS
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB, WLAN, WiFi
- Performance: Tri Band
- Design: Mobile
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Palm Pre features and iPhone / Blackberry comparisons
Pros
Crisp Camera, Slide out Keyboard, Sprint Network, Mult-Tasking Application, Decent battery life
Cons
No zoom on camera, No onscreen keyboard, Very few applications
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you like all the applications, get the iPhone, otherwise go for the Pre with it's superior network and design.
The primary reason I chose the Palm Pre is because it was on the Sprint network which is where my family plan resides. My wife owns a Blackberry and I own an iTouch so I will compare and contrast the Palm Pre versus 2 of the other main smartphones available, the iPhone and the Blackberry.
Pre Features:
The Palm Pre is Palm's venture into the touchscreen smartphone. There are a number of great features.
1. Touchscreen functionality, including multitouch which allows you to zoom in and out on web pages
2. Multi-application tasking. This allows you to have multiple applications open at the same time. The Pre accomplishes this with a 'card' system which allows you to push an application to the background and flick over to something else. I have only found this really helpful when running the Pandora music service while checking email or surfing the net
3. Extremely crisp camera which takes great pictures. The problem I have found is there is not zoom which is an annoying non-feature.
4. Slide out keyboard. For those who like the touchscreen but have not been able to master the touch keyboard, this is the perfect phone. The keyboard is very similar to the Blackberry, and it employs the @ and . keys conveniently next to the space bar.
5. Online backup. Your phone information including contacts are stored on the network and can be restored to a new phone if you lose or break your phone. For obvious reasons, this is a great feature.
6. Touchstone powering. For an extra $70 you can purchase the touchstone which allows you to power your phone simply by placing it on the touchstone. This feature is actually pretty slick, and works pretty well.
Pricing
The pricing of the Pre is $199 with a 2 year contract at Sprint. It costs $550 without the contract.
Pre vs. IPhone
Assuming networks didn't matter, I would get the iPhone. I use the iTouch application suite extensively, and the Palm's applications are extremely lacking in number of apps and relavance. In particular, the game selection is very weak. It is also annoying that the Palm's only keyboard is the external slideout. It would be nice to have an onscreen option available if you wanted. The multi-tasking ability of the Pre is not available on the iPhone, and I think the Palm's overall look and feel is a lot sleeker than the iPhone. Aside from those, most of the other features are very similar including multi-touch zooming on web pages, texting, and web surfing.
Pre vs. Blackberry
The strength of the Blackberry has always been its email interface. The touchscreen ability of the Pre far surpasses that of the standard Blackberry, and the annoying clicking need of the Blackberry Storm does not equal the multi-touch ability of the Pre. The Blackberry's application suite is as sparse as the Pre so they are equal on that level. The slide out keyboard of the Pre is very similar in keysize to the Blackberry so if you are used to that, you should have very few problems adjusting.
In conclusion, the only smartphone I have tried that matches up to the Pre is the iPhone. If you extensively use the Apple application library, I would recommend getting that phone. If you plan on using your phone for texting, calls and the internet and you like a physical keyboard, the Pre is the phone for you.
Pre Features:
The Palm Pre is Palm's venture into the touchscreen smartphone. There are a number of great features.
1. Touchscreen functionality, including multitouch which allows you to zoom in and out on web pages
2. Multi-application tasking. This allows you to have multiple applications open at the same time. The Pre accomplishes this with a 'card' system which allows you to push an application to the background and flick over to something else. I have only found this really helpful when running the Pandora music service while checking email or surfing the net
3. Extremely crisp camera which takes great pictures. The problem I have found is there is not zoom which is an annoying non-feature.
4. Slide out keyboard. For those who like the touchscreen but have not been able to master the touch keyboard, this is the perfect phone. The keyboard is very similar to the Blackberry, and it employs the @ and . keys conveniently next to the space bar.
5. Online backup. Your phone information including contacts are stored on the network and can be restored to a new phone if you lose or break your phone. For obvious reasons, this is a great feature.
6. Touchstone powering. For an extra $70 you can purchase the touchstone which allows you to power your phone simply by placing it on the touchstone. This feature is actually pretty slick, and works pretty well.
Pricing
The pricing of the Pre is $199 with a 2 year contract at Sprint. It costs $550 without the contract.
Pre vs. IPhone
Assuming networks didn't matter, I would get the iPhone. I use the iTouch application suite extensively, and the Palm's applications are extremely lacking in number of apps and relavance. In particular, the game selection is very weak. It is also annoying that the Palm's only keyboard is the external slideout. It would be nice to have an onscreen option available if you wanted. The multi-tasking ability of the Pre is not available on the iPhone, and I think the Palm's overall look and feel is a lot sleeker than the iPhone. Aside from those, most of the other features are very similar including multi-touch zooming on web pages, texting, and web surfing.
Pre vs. Blackberry
The strength of the Blackberry has always been its email interface. The touchscreen ability of the Pre far surpasses that of the standard Blackberry, and the annoying clicking need of the Blackberry Storm does not equal the multi-touch ability of the Pre. The Blackberry's application suite is as sparse as the Pre so they are equal on that level. The slide out keyboard of the Pre is very similar in keysize to the Blackberry so if you are used to that, you should have very few problems adjusting.
In conclusion, the only smartphone I have tried that matches up to the Pre is the iPhone. If you extensively use the Apple application library, I would recommend getting that phone. If you plan on using your phone for texting, calls and the internet and you like a physical keyboard, the Pre is the phone for you.
