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 is a Great IPhone Alternative
Pros
Great operating system, very slick user inteface, affordable plans.
Cons
Poor battery life, limited apps compared to IPhone.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The Pre is a worthy competitor to the IPhone which can cost considerably less to own than a IPhone.
Introduction
I am not a cell phone junkie. In other words, I'm never the first person with a new phone (too cheap) nor am I a regular reader of cellphonescoops.com to find out when the new phones are coming out (no time). I am, however, a savvy user of cell phones. I've owned a cell phone since I finished graduate school in 1997 and got a cell phone as an alternative to the then very high landline installation rates charged by Verizon predecessor Bell Atlantic. Since then, I have had service with Sprint Spectrum (now Sprint), Verizon, Sprint (both former and current), Cingular (now AT&T), AT&T and T-Mobile. During the last 12 years, I've had about a dozen phones (I lose them and for a while I used to get a new phone through Amazon.com when all the contracts were only a year). My last phone was a Palm Centro which was a great phone.
Display
The thing about a touch screen is that once you get used to it, you can't go back. You see, I lost my Centro and used my old phone (a Samsung M600) for 3 months before getting my Pre. When it comes to large touch screens the Pre in my opinion has the best screen out there except for the IPhone. It's very bright and the touch screen is intuitive enough to use especially once you get used to hunting for small hyperlinks on a large web page. On the downside, the Pre screen while very bright (default setting) drains the battery rapidly. I have my Pre set to the dimmest brightness to preserve battery power. The Palm maximizes its smaller screen (compared to the IPhone) by having a "gesture" area below the screen and a small multifunctional button just below the screen. Most importantly, a physical keyboard means that anytime you entering information through the keyboad you can still view the entire screen unlike the IPhone where the bottom portion of the screen becomes a virtual keyboard.
UPDATE ABOUT SCREEN AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OF USE
The one negative about the screen is that it is a plastic screen. This means it can get scratched easily. I bought my unit used and it had some scratches. Several months later it has more scratches. I have a carrying case that I use when carrying the phone in my softsided briefcase. The plus side is that plastic screen won't break as easily as a glass screen (why you see all the IPhone users with carrying cases) and I can testify to that personally having dropped my phone on the concrete surface of my buildings parking garage.
Operating System
Think of the Palm's operating system WEB O/S as having an IPhone like interface, but the operating system itself is not proprietary. That means it is much, much easier to develop new applications for Palm. Already in the three weeks I've had my Pre a dozen or more apps have been launched and this BEFORE Palm has allowed charging on their App store (that's coming in September). The user interface on the Pre is very intuitive, except in closing and switching between applications. Every application is like a card. To minimize it you use the small button below the screen. To close the application you touch it and then flick it up and off the screen. To switch between applications you scroll push the current application off to the right or left and other applications come into view. You press on the application to maximize the screen.
Applications
The Pre comes loaded with Google Maps, a built in e-mail program, a built in calendar program, readers for acrobat and Microsoft Office applications and of course a web browser. More applications can be downloaded from the Palm store which as of the date of this review (8/22/2009) had about thirty apps. There will be many more applications released when the Palm App store allows for charging which is supposed to start in September of 2009.
Usability
This phone is VERY easy to use. Everything about the setup is intuitive and even adding e-mail and calendar accounts are a snap. The best part is the cloud computing on the Pre integrates ALL my accounts including my work e-mail which is only available through Outlook Web Access. A warning, the default frequency of checking e-mail and calendar accounts will quickly deplete your battery so I recommend that any users with more than a few accounts change the default synchronization time unless you absolutely need real time updates on all your accounts.
Contact Integration
Another good feature of this phone is its ability to synchronize your contacts. If contacts with the same name pop up in say your GMail and Hotmail accounts, the Pre will automatically combine information into one contact. This means you have access to all your Outlook contacts from work and say all your personal contacts from GMail on your Pre. What's better is if you update contacts on any account, the Pre will automatically download those changes. This is a very useful feature and for now one that is exclusive to the Pre.
Camera
Okay, I don't actually use my camera as a phone. At least not till now, because cameras on phones well just say aren't very good. My wife took our camera with her on a monthlong vacation back to Sri Lanka and I needed to sell something on Craigslist. I figured the phone camera would be good enough for Craiglist and used it only because I had no choice. Boy, what a surprise. The autofocus on the camera is very crisp and clear.
GPS Navigation
I actually have a navigation system on my car so I don't use it often. However, I went with a friend who did not and found the Sprint Navigation by Telenav to be effective and easy to use. One important note, is that Sprint's Naviagion program is included with the Pre and carries no extra charge. In comparison, to use Navigation on the IPhone one has to pay to downlowad software which can cost upwards of $100. So if you do use navigation, the Pre is a even better deal than comparison with the IPhone I did below.
Battery
I love the Pre but won't lie. This phone needs to be charged every day. If you don't change the default settings on screen brightness and frequency of e-mail synchronization it may not even last a full day. Having said that, after changing the defaults I have never had the Pre battery die on me. The optional Touchstone charger from Palm is great and in my opinion well worth its cost. The Touchstone as it name implies charges without a cord. It uses induction to charge and you have to swap out the shiny black cover for a non shiny cover or it won't work. However, I find it works well and really takes the hassle out of charging the phone, not to mention when someone calls or texts you just have to pick the phone up off the Touchstone instead of fumbling to get the charger cord out of the phone.
Cost
Since my upgrade window was not open yet, I purchased my Pre used on E-bay with a Touchstone charger for $320. The real reason i went with the Pre is the plan price. I signed up for the Everything Data 450 plan for $69.99 a month. It includes unlimited text, MMS, web surfing, and basic Sprint TV along with 450 voice minutes and unlimited nights and weekends (with nights starting at 7pm). I also get 25% off the basic service plan rate because of my credit union membership. That brings the cost of my line to less than $55 a month which is a about $50 a month less than a comparable IPhone 3G plan. If cost wasn't that important to me, I'd be driving a Mercedes or BMW. Cost is important to me so I drive a Toyota. So while the Pre may not quite as good as a IPhone, I'd rather take the $1,200 savings over two years and go on a vacation than send my money to AT&T and Apple (which gets a share of all AT&T data charges). However, there are tens of millions of IPhone users who would do the opposite, so it all boils down to whether the IPhones larger memory, screen and available list of apps is worth $50 a month to you.
Overall
With my above review in mind, I want to state that the Pre is not a cheaper IPhone clone. It's Palm's answer to the IPhone and it has it's own advantages (multi-tasking, easy to program for operating system) as well as disadvantages.
I'm usually very circumspect of advertising, however, in this case Sprint has a point. The Pre is a very respectable competitor to the IPhone and it costs a lot less to own due to more affordable service plans. If you want a IPhone but don't want to shell out ~$100 a month, the Pre is your phone.
I am not a cell phone junkie. In other words, I'm never the first person with a new phone (too cheap) nor am I a regular reader of cellphonescoops.com to find out when the new phones are coming out (no time). I am, however, a savvy user of cell phones. I've owned a cell phone since I finished graduate school in 1997 and got a cell phone as an alternative to the then very high landline installation rates charged by Verizon predecessor Bell Atlantic. Since then, I have had service with Sprint Spectrum (now Sprint), Verizon, Sprint (both former and current), Cingular (now AT&T), AT&T and T-Mobile. During the last 12 years, I've had about a dozen phones (I lose them and for a while I used to get a new phone through Amazon.com when all the contracts were only a year). My last phone was a Palm Centro which was a great phone.
Display
The thing about a touch screen is that once you get used to it, you can't go back. You see, I lost my Centro and used my old phone (a Samsung M600) for 3 months before getting my Pre. When it comes to large touch screens the Pre in my opinion has the best screen out there except for the IPhone. It's very bright and the touch screen is intuitive enough to use especially once you get used to hunting for small hyperlinks on a large web page. On the downside, the Pre screen while very bright (default setting) drains the battery rapidly. I have my Pre set to the dimmest brightness to preserve battery power. The Palm maximizes its smaller screen (compared to the IPhone) by having a "gesture" area below the screen and a small multifunctional button just below the screen. Most importantly, a physical keyboard means that anytime you entering information through the keyboad you can still view the entire screen unlike the IPhone where the bottom portion of the screen becomes a virtual keyboard.
UPDATE ABOUT SCREEN AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OF USE
The one negative about the screen is that it is a plastic screen. This means it can get scratched easily. I bought my unit used and it had some scratches. Several months later it has more scratches. I have a carrying case that I use when carrying the phone in my softsided briefcase. The plus side is that plastic screen won't break as easily as a glass screen (why you see all the IPhone users with carrying cases) and I can testify to that personally having dropped my phone on the concrete surface of my buildings parking garage.
Operating System
Think of the Palm's operating system WEB O/S as having an IPhone like interface, but the operating system itself is not proprietary. That means it is much, much easier to develop new applications for Palm. Already in the three weeks I've had my Pre a dozen or more apps have been launched and this BEFORE Palm has allowed charging on their App store (that's coming in September). The user interface on the Pre is very intuitive, except in closing and switching between applications. Every application is like a card. To minimize it you use the small button below the screen. To close the application you touch it and then flick it up and off the screen. To switch between applications you scroll push the current application off to the right or left and other applications come into view. You press on the application to maximize the screen.
Applications
The Pre comes loaded with Google Maps, a built in e-mail program, a built in calendar program, readers for acrobat and Microsoft Office applications and of course a web browser. More applications can be downloaded from the Palm store which as of the date of this review (8/22/2009) had about thirty apps. There will be many more applications released when the Palm App store allows for charging which is supposed to start in September of 2009.
Usability
This phone is VERY easy to use. Everything about the setup is intuitive and even adding e-mail and calendar accounts are a snap. The best part is the cloud computing on the Pre integrates ALL my accounts including my work e-mail which is only available through Outlook Web Access. A warning, the default frequency of checking e-mail and calendar accounts will quickly deplete your battery so I recommend that any users with more than a few accounts change the default synchronization time unless you absolutely need real time updates on all your accounts.
Contact Integration
Another good feature of this phone is its ability to synchronize your contacts. If contacts with the same name pop up in say your GMail and Hotmail accounts, the Pre will automatically combine information into one contact. This means you have access to all your Outlook contacts from work and say all your personal contacts from GMail on your Pre. What's better is if you update contacts on any account, the Pre will automatically download those changes. This is a very useful feature and for now one that is exclusive to the Pre.
Camera
Okay, I don't actually use my camera as a phone. At least not till now, because cameras on phones well just say aren't very good. My wife took our camera with her on a monthlong vacation back to Sri Lanka and I needed to sell something on Craigslist. I figured the phone camera would be good enough for Craiglist and used it only because I had no choice. Boy, what a surprise. The autofocus on the camera is very crisp and clear.
GPS Navigation
I actually have a navigation system on my car so I don't use it often. However, I went with a friend who did not and found the Sprint Navigation by Telenav to be effective and easy to use. One important note, is that Sprint's Naviagion program is included with the Pre and carries no extra charge. In comparison, to use Navigation on the IPhone one has to pay to downlowad software which can cost upwards of $100. So if you do use navigation, the Pre is a even better deal than comparison with the IPhone I did below.
Battery
I love the Pre but won't lie. This phone needs to be charged every day. If you don't change the default settings on screen brightness and frequency of e-mail synchronization it may not even last a full day. Having said that, after changing the defaults I have never had the Pre battery die on me. The optional Touchstone charger from Palm is great and in my opinion well worth its cost. The Touchstone as it name implies charges without a cord. It uses induction to charge and you have to swap out the shiny black cover for a non shiny cover or it won't work. However, I find it works well and really takes the hassle out of charging the phone, not to mention when someone calls or texts you just have to pick the phone up off the Touchstone instead of fumbling to get the charger cord out of the phone.
Cost
Since my upgrade window was not open yet, I purchased my Pre used on E-bay with a Touchstone charger for $320. The real reason i went with the Pre is the plan price. I signed up for the Everything Data 450 plan for $69.99 a month. It includes unlimited text, MMS, web surfing, and basic Sprint TV along with 450 voice minutes and unlimited nights and weekends (with nights starting at 7pm). I also get 25% off the basic service plan rate because of my credit union membership. That brings the cost of my line to less than $55 a month which is a about $50 a month less than a comparable IPhone 3G plan. If cost wasn't that important to me, I'd be driving a Mercedes or BMW. Cost is important to me so I drive a Toyota. So while the Pre may not quite as good as a IPhone, I'd rather take the $1,200 savings over two years and go on a vacation than send my money to AT&T and Apple (which gets a share of all AT&T data charges). However, there are tens of millions of IPhone users who would do the opposite, so it all boils down to whether the IPhones larger memory, screen and available list of apps is worth $50 a month to you.
Overall
With my above review in mind, I want to state that the Pre is not a cheaper IPhone clone. It's Palm's answer to the IPhone and it has it's own advantages (multi-tasking, easy to program for operating system) as well as disadvantages.
I'm usually very circumspect of advertising, however, in this case Sprint has a point. The Pre is a very respectable competitor to the IPhone and it costs a lot less to own due to more affordable service plans. If you want a IPhone but don't want to shell out ~$100 a month, the Pre is your phone.
