Over the past couple of years, I've given Palm a hard time. I've declared them 'Dead On Arrival'. I thought that the Palm operating system and hardware designs were beyond old and there one time effort to branch into the mini-computing market with the Palm Foleo stupid and misguided (although in retrospect the device, may have been worthwhile if it had been better executed.)But the all spark in the heart of Palm had not yet been extinguished. Ex-CEO Ed Colligan regrouped, and re-executed new devices that put Palm back on the map.
The Palm Centro turned cell phone users into first time smartphone users. I panned it, but what did my opinion matter, the Centro sales exceeded expectations and kept the Palm brand alive during the lowest period in company's financial history.
Hope returned to my cold heart when palm released the Palm Treo Pro in late November. This ‘smart’ looking smartphone re-established Palm as a worthy competitor to the other smartphone brands (RIM, Nokia, Samsung and upstart Apple with the now 2 year old iPhone).
However this... Is something different.
Introducing - The Palm Pre
With the Pre you'll find Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G high-speed Internet (blindingly fast with Sprint), Bluetooth (including wireless audio), camera with flash, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, tilt sensor, standard headphone jack, 3.1-inch touch screen (320 x 480 pixels).
The Pre sports a brand new operating system (webOS) which has been hailed as the best thing since sliced bre... I mean since the iPhone's touchscreen OS but does it one better a slide out keyboard for texting. Close the keyboard up and rotate Pre for websites, photos, videos or whatever. Yes, it has been tried before by the likes of Samsung and LG, but according to tech guru's such as David Pogue, Palm really got it right this time. He calls the Palm Pre is an 'elegant contender'. It even syncs with iTunes!
Leo Laporte in his weekly netcast praised the Pre for it's size and shape declaring that it is exactly the right size. (He was so enthusiastic in fact that he had to fight off accusations of being bought off for his review by Palm).
A very cool point of the product as well is the wireless recharger called the Touchstone, an angled, magnetic pedestal with an induction charger. Just place the Pre on the Touchstone, it will magnetically attach and begin to charge.
Alas one of the few downsides that I have read thus far of the Pre is it's battery life. A full days charge is all that it can seem to hold. But cheer up early adopters, if you recall the 1st gen iPhone's battery life left lots to be desired as well.
Other downsides:
“The Pre’s biggest disadvantage is its app store, the App Catalog. At launch, it has only about a dozen apps, compared with over 40,000 for the iPhone, and thousands each for the G1 and the modern BlackBerry models. Even worse, the Pre App Catalog isn’t finished. It’s immature, it’s labeled a beta, and Palm has yet to release the tools for making Pre apps available to more than a small group of developers." - The Wall Street Journal
"It's not good enough for a smartphone. Each of my thumbs take up the width of four keys, ensuring that only a fingernail approach would get me anywhere near accurate typing. It's a very Centro-like key layout, and each individual key feels slightly too rubbery and sticky to be pleasant. Each key offers lots of resistance and doesn't depress quite enough to get a good tactile feel while typing quickly." - Gizmodo
And the list of grips go on and on...
*
"It's too sharp" - BoingBoing.com
*
"The keyboard is too small" - tech.yahoo.com (Reuters).
*
Yea, I'm dismissing them, because I LIKE this phone, and I'm glad that Palm has proved me wrong and are working hard to place me back on the map. Of course the Jesus-Phone has it's flaws. With the introduction of the (Hallelujah!) model 3GS and OS 3.0 it STILL can't MMS??? and AT&T STILL won't allow it to tether? All still for an arm and a leg? (Okay a finger it is pretty cheap... especially now the 3G). But this smartphone deserves a chance! Because it's... SMART! (like me) Yea, that's it! and better yet. It is the first smartphone that can actually compete in this new iPhone / Blackberry world... Even if it's not perfect... yet.
Overall I think Engadget said it best:
"To put it simply, the Pre is a great phone, and we don't feel any hesitation saying that. Is it a perfect phone? Hell no. Does its OS need work? Definitely. But are any of the detracting factors here big enough to not recommend it? Absolutely not. There's no doubt that there's room for improvement in webOS and its devices, but there's also an astounding amount of things that Palm nails out of the gate."
Specs:
Manufacturer: Palm
Supported email protocols: POP3 , IMAP
Data services MMS , SMS , E-Mail , WAP Push 2.0 Cellular enhancement protocol
Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.4 in x 0.7 in x 3.9 in Weight 4.8 oz
Built-in devices Camera , Digital player Operating System / Software
Built-in devices Camera , Digital player Operating System / Software
OS provided Palm webOS Input Device
Input device type Keyboard Messaging / Data Services
Internet Browser
Digital player supported digital audio standards AAC , AMR , MP3 , WAV Display
Display type 3.1 in TFT active matrix Color support 24-bit Max resolution 320 x 480 Expansion / Connectivity
Wireless connectivity Bluetooth, 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
CNET editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5 Very Good
Average user rating: 3.5 out of 5 Very Good
The Good: The Palm Pre's multitasking capabilities and notifications system are unparalleled. The smartphone features a vibrant display with multitouch functionality as well as a solid Web browser and good multimedia integration. The Pre offered good call quality and wireless options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
The Bad: The Pre's keyboard is cramped. Battery life drains quickly and the smartphone can be sluggish at times. Lacks expansion slot, video-recording capabilities, onscreen keyboard, and Flash support. The Pre App Catalog is still in beta with a limited number of titles.
The Bottom Line: Despite some missing features and performance issues that make it less than ideal for on-the-go professionals, the Palm Pre offers gadget lovers and consumers well-integrated features and unparalleled multitasking capabilities. The hardware could be better, but more importantly, Palm has developed a solid OS that not only rivals the competition but also sets a new standard in the way smartphones handle tasks and manage information.
The Palm Pre is now available from Sprint and rumored to hit Verizon stores in January.
Overall I think Engadget said it best:
"To put it simply, the Pre is a great phone, and we don't feel any hesitation saying that. Is it a perfect phone? Hell no. Does its OS need work? Definitely. But are any of the detracting factors here big enough to not recommend it? Absolutely not. There's no doubt that there's room for improvement in webOS and its devices, but there's also an astounding amount of things that Palm nails out of the gate."
Specs:
Manufacturer: Palm
Supported email protocols: POP3 , IMAP
Data services MMS , SMS , E-Mail , WAP Push 2.0 Cellular enhancement protocol
Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.4 in x 0.7 in x 3.9 in Weight 4.8 oz
Built-in devices Camera , Digital player Operating System / Software
Built-in devices Camera , Digital player Operating System / Software
OS provided Palm webOS Input Device
Input device type Keyboard Messaging / Data Services
Internet Browser
Digital player supported digital audio standards AAC , AMR , MP3 , WAV Display
Display type 3.1 in TFT active matrix Color support 24-bit Max resolution 320 x 480 Expansion / Connectivity
Wireless connectivity Bluetooth, 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
CNET editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5 Very Good
Average user rating: 3.5 out of 5 Very Good
The Good: The Palm Pre's multitasking capabilities and notifications system are unparalleled. The smartphone features a vibrant display with multitouch functionality as well as a solid Web browser and good multimedia integration. The Pre offered good call quality and wireless options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
The Bad: The Pre's keyboard is cramped. Battery life drains quickly and the smartphone can be sluggish at times. Lacks expansion slot, video-recording capabilities, onscreen keyboard, and Flash support. The Pre App Catalog is still in beta with a limited number of titles.
The Bottom Line: Despite some missing features and performance issues that make it less than ideal for on-the-go professionals, the Palm Pre offers gadget lovers and consumers well-integrated features and unparalleled multitasking capabilities. The hardware could be better, but more importantly, Palm has developed a solid OS that not only rivals the competition but also sets a new standard in the way smartphones handle tasks and manage information.
The Palm Pre is now available from Sprint and rumored to hit Verizon stores in January.
No comments:
Post a Comment