Technology Anybody getting the Palm Pre?

[BlondeCookie]

Anybody getting the Palm Pre? It just came out last week and I'm seriously thinking about it. I just read the reviews on CNET and some other places and most of the reviewers writing these articles are raving about it in comparison to the iPhone. However, these people don't really use these types of devices the same way that medical professionals would. Are you going to get the Palm Pre?

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[Chocolate Bear]

Have you tried the keyboard? Not my favorite--pretty small.

However, I *did* drool a little over their Touchstone charger. *drool*

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/palm-pres-wireless-charger/

 

[TMP-SMX]

It came out yesterday (not last week).

It has a lot of potential as an OS and user-experience. However, it seems to have some limitations to make it an extremely successful device. It was way too hyped.

 

[OffRoadMike]

I got one yesterday and I'm not sure what limitations are being referred to??? It's a nice little phone. The keyboard isn't too small. And until more applications are made for the new WebOS you can use any application from older palms.

 

[16846]

I got one yesterday and I'm not sure what limitations are being referred to??? It's a nice little phone. The keyboard isn't too small. And until more applications are made for the new WebOS you can use any application from older palms.

Don't mind TMP, he's a Macite.

 

[TMP-SMX]

I may be a "Macite" but I'm just reiterating what I've seen on various forums from people who have had their hands on the device. I'm just saying that the Pre isn't going to come in and fill the void of many of the features that people have been complaining that the iPhone is missing in its current state and won't lie up to its hype.

The copy and paste functionality isn't really functional as it can only be done with text you can edit, some have felt the device to be less than solid with parts like the microUSB cover are broken if the user is not careful enough, lack of applications (temporary), seemingly poor battery life snags, requirement of a mail-in rebate, slow touchstone charging and cost (if you plan to use it), some very minor stability/lag issues in certain apps when multitasking, sharp edges when open, problems navigating music, Sprint doesn't have great coverage in many areas, you can't travel outside North America and expect to have service due to it using CDMA rather than the widespread GSM.

Of course there are a lot of benefits to the phone but there have been some limiting factors that prevent it from being as successful as it was hyped up to be and of the potential of the device. The OS seems great and I'm sure will be successful for Palm in the future. The ability to run older applications from Palms olden days is a benefit, but I'm thinking it is more of a temporary solution for developers to get to work and build more compatible solutions. One of the benefits is the GPS navigation that comes standard unlike many other devices. So if you are going to use it that is a nice bonus.

 

[deleted87716]

It was way too hyped.

Unlike the iPhone, of course.

The lack of medical applications and the fact that it's only available on Sprint (whose network is even worse than AT&T's in my area) will slow adoption amongst medical folks for a few months, at least. Verizon has announced that they'll have the Pre in six months or so, and given the reported ease of developing apps for WebOS, hopefully most of the essential medical applications will become available by then.

In the meantime, you can use the Garnet emulator from MotionApps: http://www.motionapps.com/

 

[polarbebe]

I tried the Palm Pre at the Sprint store yesterday. The keyboard is too small, you have to press buttons with your fingernails literally (no full grown adult will be able to type with their thumbs accurately). When you slide the keyboard out the edges are sharp and uncomfortable to hold the phone. The interface is a 90% copy of the iPhone, you got: touchscreen, multi-touch, flick to scroll, acclerometer.

There is nothing game-changing about this phone, ie: nothing every other company or operating system such as RIM or Android will be emulating. Lastly, they have about a dozen apps made for the Pre. Palm hasn't released the SDK yet to vendors in general, it'll take about a year before you get full functionality out of this "smart" phone but until you get the apps (Skyscape, Epocrates, iSilo, Pepid, Lexicomp, talking Spanish medical apps for translation, etc.) you have a "dumb" feature phone that has full internet capabilities.

Maybe in 1 to 1.5 years the Pre will have as much utility as an iPhone.

 

[16846]

...In the meantime, you can use the Garnet emulator from MotionApps: http://www.motionapps.com/

2 major problems here: 1) No Hotsync for classic apps 2) No conduit support for classic apps.

This pretty much excludes 90% of all useful classic applications.

 

[TX_NFS]

I snagged one, though sorta unwillingly since my brother was the main person getting it. I do plan on returning mine since I'm not big on incurring more debt when my old Treo 755p still works, and also because I need to get rid of about 5 other old electronic devices before I feel good about getting a new one. That being said...

The phone is definitely slick. The keyboard is small I guess, but I can use it fine without resorting to my nails. I would say the keys' size are comparable to what is on Palm's old Treo line... Which I'm pretty sure professionals used in ye olden days. Maybe a little more clearance above the top row of keys and below the bottom of the top half of the alider could have helped those with bigger fingers.

Battery life leaves something to be desired when using internet fun, but sadly this seems to be the norm with all CDMA phones I've used.

I will agree for certain that its long term viability will depnd on the apps produced for it... If it really is supposed to be easier to develop for, I hope it is sooner rather than later. Either way it should be before I start rotations

Sprint's coverage may vary widely (good enough here in Houston), but I can't complain much about plan pricing. Went onto a $130 plan with 1500 minutes but unlimited messaging (SMS and MMS/Picture Mail?), internet, Sprint navigation, and Sprint TV/Radio Premier stuff. And $20 an additional line for this type of plan I believe, 2 lines included.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Yeah Sprint's plans are very affordable compared to the competition. (I have Sprint right now and my contract with a "dumbphone" (RAZR) just ended last month. I think if I drop the RAZR a few more times it is going to stop working. Sprint's service at my house leaves something to be desired but it is ok in general.

 

[16846]

Sprints coverage was always my major issue. I couldn't get coverage in places where people with GSM providers had no issues, and wherever I could get a signal, they had a better one.

Sprint seems to suck outside of a major city or metropolitan area.

 

[nlax30]

I'm gonna go with the new iPhone once it's out next week (my first venture into PDA/phone territory) but I really like what I've seen so far on the Palm Pre.

I'm already on an AT&T family plan and have been happy with them so didn't really want to change if I didn't have to, plus just started rotations so I can make use of the number of programs on the iPhone now instead of waiting for them to trickle out for the Palm, or mess with getting old programs to run on it.

The one thing I REALLY like about the Palm (at least in theory from the reviews I've seen) is how it handles contacts from multiple sources and just pools them together into one interface/location.

 

[da8s0859q]

I have one (posted about it in that other thread).

It WAS overhyped, absolutely, but I still like the phone. I think it's a solid device.

I also think that the people who camped out for it are out of their minds, but to each their own.