Palm Pre Reviewed
Palm Announces the Release of the “Pre,” a Smartphone that Works the Way We Do
Is there finally a “smart phone” out there that works, intuitively, the way we do? Apparently so.
In early January 2009, Palm introduced its new Pre. It’s only going to be available on the Sprint 3G network to start, at least through June 2009.
At the 2009 Consumer Electronics show, Palm unveiled Pre as a means to try to regain leadership in the so-called “smartphone” industry. Is it, “Move over, iPhone and BlackBerry”?
Maybe; seeking to return to its glory days as a leader in the smart phone market, Palm is attempting to use Pre along with Web OS, its new operating system, to make one device provide all of your entertainment and enterprise needs, even on the go.
The Pre is now available from Sprint, and rumoredto be available on other networks in six more months.
Palm Pre handset specifications
Pre uses a multi-touchscreen device and has a full accelerometer and keyboard (QWERTY, for seamless transition from desktop to laptop with no learning curve). It’s also WiFi enabled and EVDO-capable. More than that, though, it supplies other sought-after features like Bluetooth 2.1, stereo supported, GPS, and 8 GB of storage.
Besides its multi-touch display, there’s also a “center button,” called the “gesture area” by Palm, whereby you can launch applications on the Pre.
It includes a camera, too, with 3.0 megapixel definition and LED flash, as well as DSP software.
It also includes a headphone jack (3.5 mm) and 2.0 USB high-speed support.
Best of all, you get this all in one convenient phone that fits in your hand and is easiest to talk on, too. Smaller than its competitors, including iPhone, it weighs in at about 5 ounces.
Web OS and Palm Pre
Palm’s Web OS means that you can do everything you can do on your laptop, pretty much, all in a place that fits into your pocket or into the palm of your hand.
You can customize your applications on the home screen user interface; widgets run at the bottom of the display so that you can simply touch one and its related application opens up. If you’ve got applications open, they will appear on the interface much like a deck of cards. If you “flick” from left to right or right to left, you can scroll down through your open applications quickly and easily, choosing the one you want.
Best of all, perhaps, the Web OS lets you gather information from a variety of sources into one application. For example, its e-mail application includes all of your inboxes into a single folder so that you can check all of your e-mail accounts at once. In addition, similar to your laptop or desktop client, you can start typing an e-mail contact and Web OS will look through all of your e-mail accounts to find the right contact. If it doesn’t, it will also search other databases as available to you, and will enter the right one into your contact list.
Your Buddylist works with Pre, too
If you’ve got a lot of instant messaging accounts like AOL IM, MSN Messenger, and so on, all of these contacts can appear in one place on your Pre’s OS Web. And unlike carrying on a conversation on your laptop, if you’re conversing with someone an via instant message program and they suddenly go off-line, you can continue on in text message via phone as if nothing had ever happened.
Need to type? You can, easily
The QWERTY keyboard slides out easily whenever you need to find information online or on your Pre. When you start typing, Web OS will search through your contacts and applications first and if it doesn’t find anything matching there, it goes onto the Web.
Need to work without being interrupted?
The Web OS uses a notifications application so that you can work without being interrupted if you need to. If you get an instant message or e-mail, you’ll get an alert at the bottom of your screen, but it’s not obtrusive and you can read the message right away or save it for later. When you have time to read everything, a small “dashboard” type interface will pull up so that you can read the list of all of your notifications since you last checked at a single glance.
Finally, the charger is new, too
If all of this easy to use, seamless technology weren’t enough, Palm has also introduced a wireless charger for the new, sleek Pre. It’s called the Touchstone; it’s magnetic, so that you simply drop your Pre on top of it and it will stay in place to charge.
Okay, the Palm Pre has been released, it is available for the first 6 months of it’s shelf life for $199 from the Sprint Network and will the be available through (Rumor Alert!) Verizon and perhaps others. I encourage user comments. If you have purchased it the rest of us who are waiting for our carrier of choice to carry it or whatever reason we are holding back; PLEASE LET US KNOW WHY OR WHY NOT, (shout mode off)
Rumor: Palm Pre to launch mid-February
Treocentral poster Vyruz Reaper claims to have been given insider info on the launch date for the Palm Pre.
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9 comments
PalmPreReviewer on May 5, 2009 at 9:32 am
Nice review of the new Palm Pre. I like your tagline… I hope the OS really does work the way we do.
Raza Imam
“a die-hard Blackberry user with a soft spot for the Palm Pre”
admin on May 10, 2009 at 3:13 pm
So do I. In following the Palm blog and the Facebook parade of experts it seems that they are listening to the consuming public. The face that they have made provision for legacy apps to port into the new OS will help. There are so many different “ways that we work” it will be interesting to see.
Mike
Sammy on June 16, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I’ve had the Pre since Tuesday June June 2nd. If you are a social networking addict, then grab the phone. It easily connects to Facebook and downloads all emails and phone numbers to your Facebook horde. If you are a business man (or woman) and you utilize Outlook to hard wire sync your calendar and contacts, then forget it. The Pre is not the same old Palm we are used to having. You can’t plug in the wire, hit a button, and merge calendars and contacts with ease. So, after my IT guy and I have spent well over 12 hours on the phone with Palm and Sprint IT, the Palm Pre is being returned.
Palm and Spring weren’t even aware that this was an issue last week. Afer calling in today to see if they had devised a plan of attack, they are finally admitting that the phone is not deisgned to handle this brillant easy feautre that I loved so much.
O well. My business partner IPhone users can. My Palm can’t. I’m dissappointed that Palm is heading towards a soical networking phone. My dreams of having a wonderful small Palm to utilize is dead.
Maybe next time Palm - that is if the Iphone doesn’t win me over.
Next stop - an ATT store.
admin on June 16, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Thank you for sharing this comment. I saw comments about this coming as I checked the “Facebook Parade” of Palm department heads and someone mentioned that It seemed to them that there ought to be a hardwired connection to your computer. The comeback was that it (your information) was all “In the Cloud” or downloadable from the internet. I remember thinking as I read that there are a lot of people who resist publishing their entire lives in public forums. I certainly resist attempts by “Facebook” especially to give total information about my email address book or ” your relatives want to know about your summer plans” HUH? Thanks for sharing, I encourage others reading this to chime in with any experiences which bear on this issue.
Sarah on June 23, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Pretty good post. I just came across your blog and wanted to say
that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your posts. Any way
I’ll be subscribing to your blog and I hope you post again soon!
How I Make $300 a Day Posting Links Online on June 30, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Cool post, just subscribed.
Brett Dugue on July 25, 2009 at 1:41 am
The Pre has made me regret being a first adpoter! As I have had it since the release date I have long past my 30 day return option. I am considering “mothballing” it and reactivating my 700p until Pre updates will allow it to perform all of the 700p functions! WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT!
Disappointed Palm Guy on October 14, 2009 at 8:17 pm
What in the world was Palm thinking? The Pre is everything I have been waiting for, BUT IT HAS NO ABILITY TO DO A HARDWIRED SYNC WITH MY DESKTOP OUTLOOK. For anyone who works in financial services or for a company of any size, that huge miss by Palm turns the Pre from a useful tool into an interesting toy. As soon as I can justify the expense, the Pre goes into the trash can and I’m moving on.
admin on November 25, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Thanks for the comment I’ve heard that from 2 sources now. Sounds like more of a toy than a productivity tool.