Palm Pre: The smartphone addict's latest fix
Let me quickly walk you through my obsession with smartphones. Dating back to 2006, I've used a Palm Treo, two iPhones (a first-gen and the 3G), a BlackBerry Storm, and a BlackBerry Bold.
The Palm Pre comes out Saturday. I must have it.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)I first owned the Palm Treo. But when the first-generation iPhone was released, I had to have it, so I decided to enter into an AT&T contract and carry two phones. After a few months, I ditched the Treo and stuck with the iPhone. Then Apple released the iPhone 3G. I bought it the day it was released.
When Research In Motion announced the BlackBerry Storm, the company sent it to me to try out. I had it for about a month. It was a poor experience, so I happily sent it back and stuck with my iPhone 3G.
A couple of months ago, I announced on these pages that I decided to ditch my iPhone in favor of the BlackBerry Bold. I reasoned that the Bold was better for what I needed. And as great as Apple's App Store is, it wasn't enough for me to want to keep the iPhone.
So since April, I've been the proud owner of a BlackBerry Bold. It's a well-designed device that has enhanced my ability to communicate, and I like it more than the iPhone 3G (and every other smartphone I've used).
I thought it was over. I believed that for the next year I'd be able to stop myself from buying another smartphone.
And then I started to feel the Palm Pre itch. I researched it. I wrote about it. I did everything I could to see whether it was something I would want. CNET posted its review of the Palm Pre this week and, well, that ended the debate: I'm buying a Palm Pre. I'll be carrying two smartphones around once again.
I'm working hard at reducing my obsession with tech. Stopping myself from buying this smartphone would have helped me in that endeavor. But the Palm Pre's features are too engaging. The design is too appealing. I can't help myself.
Why I want the Pre
It's about the multitasking
As CNET's Bonnie Cha said in her review, "the Palm Pre's multitasking capabilities and notifications system are unparalleled." That's enough for me to want it.
One of my biggest issues with the iPhone (and other smartphones I've owned) is its inability to adequately provide me with the multitasking I need. It's a cool device, but I'm somewhat of a power user. Not being able to easily switch between apps is a real pain.
But Palm's device changes all that. The Pre lets you launch another app without exiting the program you're currently running. I think it's a major advancement. You shouldn't be forced to lose your place just to open another application. And in today's smartphone space, you will. But with the help of a few swipes of your finger on the Pre, you'll be able to open multiple apps without losing any progress. It adds a new level of usability that we haven't seen in this space.
Beauty matters
One of the biggest issues I have with my BlackBerry Bold is its display. It's small and not nearly as vibrant as I would like. Smartphones are becoming more advanced, and I want a display that will follow suit. According to Cha, the Palm Pre will.
She said in her review that the "Pre's display is one of the main highlights of the phone." It's slightly smaller than the iPhone's screen, but it's a 24-bit color HVGA display with a 320 x 480 resolution. Cha said it's "on par with, if not slightly crisper-looking than, the iPhone's screen." That's what I'm looking for.
Better typing
Although Cha took issue with the Palm Pre's keyboard (she said it's "cramped"), I'm excited for the physical keyboard.
One of my biggest complaints with the iPhone is that virtual keyboard. It's difficult to type on. I never liked it.
That's why I'm so excited about the Pre. It offers the touch screen I came to enjoy with the iPhone, but it gives me a physical keyboard that I've grown to love in my BlackBerry. Once again, it takes the appeal of multiple devices and combines them.
And that's precisely why I'm buying a Palm Pre on Saturday. I've never used it. I don't know if it will be as appealing to me as the iPhone once was or as the BlackBerry Bold is now. But on paper, it looks as if it could transform my experience with smartphones.
Is it perfect? Of course not. As Bonnie Cha points out, the battery life is poor, and there are a limited number of applications. According to recent reports, there's a chance that the Pre won't be available Saturday, when I try to buy it, thanks to stock shortages. There's also a new iPhone software version coming soon and, according to rumors, a new iPhone. But all those aren't enough to make me not buy the Pre. It's a device I think I need right now. And for $200, it won't break the bank.
Are other compulsive smartphone switchers--you know who you are--with me? Let us know in the comments below.
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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
I've been an iPhone user since the first version in 2007 as would be prepared to make the jump to Sprint and the Palm Pre based on many of the reasons you cite above except for the fact that it's connected to Sprint's EV-DO network. From what I've heard, voice and data stream cannot run concurrently. I'm often on the road and on conference calls and utilize the iPhone's ability to be on a call and send/receive emails and text message, as well as the occasional web browsing. If/when Palm releases a GSM version of the Pre (not sure I'm ready for those Verizon prices), I'll be right with you!
I've been an iPhone user since the first version in 2007 as would be prepared to make the jump to Sprint and the Palm Pre based on many of the reasons you cite above except for the fact that it's connected to Sprint's EV-DO network. From what I've heard, voice and data stream cannot run concurrently. I'm often on the road and on conference calls and utilize the iPhone's ability to be on a call and send/receive emails and text message, as well as the occasional web browsing. If/when Palm releases a GSM version of the Pre (not sure I'm ready for those Verizon prices), I'll be right with you!
sprint has the best network there is period. And WebOs is probably one of the best OS made for mobile phones.
I want HTC to build a cool WebOs phone already :)
Why would HTC build a web OS phone? Windows mobile keeps advancing has many more powerful apps and is inherently more powerful
Must be nice to just hop from network to network with no cancellation charges. Or did you forget to take that into account?
This just tells me to look for your name on articles and never use your opinion to make a decision. I hope your pre crashes like most "actual experts" think it will!
[CNET editor's note: Personal attack deleted.]
There's absolutely no logic behind your conclusions. Thanks for playing.
Good luck with your purchase Don. I would have gotten the Pre but no GSM version yet for non-Americans. I think I'll go for some Android handset like the Samsung Galaxy.
People like this is what really turns be off of apple. I don't want to be associated with that crowd."
I agree with you, but there are plenty of those people on both sides of the fence IMO. They are just a step or four away from reality when they make comments like that.
I've used Palm products for years because the phones do what I need them to do, and then some.
I don't hate or dislike iPhones, they just aren't for me. The BlackBerry might have caught my attention, but my old trusty Palm Treo has been taking care of business, so why fix what isn't broken? ;)
I know this won't compete with the Apple apps, but there is already an emulator to run the older Palm apps. They won't be as pretty, but they are functional until we get some eyecandy created.
Palm OS was simple but very productive. I could get anything done on my phones without any issues. There were some issues with versamail and exchange from time to time but I can see that Palm has dropped versamail and replaced it with Outlook which is a huge plus. I am definitely sold on this phone and have no problem with the small keyboard. I am sure the phone is going to have bugs and issues but none of the other phones I used were without issues so I wouldn't base my decision on OS bugs.
But, of course, it didn't happen that way. Because the iPhone had significant innate features that were better than anything the competition had. Those features attracted early adopters, and when Apple finally released an SDK (after a full year), there was a user base to attract developers and the apps followed.
I think (based on reviews) that it's fair to say that the Pre does some things more poorly than the iPhone and somethings better. I think that the innate advantages that the Pre has will also attract early adopters who will build a user base. Then palm will release the SDK (hopefully sooner than a year) and the apps will follow.
The only question in my mind is if Palm can attract developers quickly enough before the iPhone catches up on the Pre's innate advantages (e.g. multitasking, smart alert management, etc). IMHO that is what will determine if the Pre succeeds or fails. And it's not yet known.
Good gawd, lighten up - too much iPhone kool-aid?
He isn't "going with ..... instead of the proven third generation iPhone" He doesn't even CARRY the iPhone". Seems he's dancing with Blackberry right now, I could bash him for putting the BB on the back burner but I am sure he will stay true to the BB in the end. LOL.
Seriously, if you hate his writing that much, just stop reading. Or are 80% of CNET readers histrionic 15-year-olds?
As for Don, his columns greatly annoy me. He doesn't bring anything to the table. CNet is my top visited site and I spend a lot of time on it. Also I'm in my early 20s. He doesn't officially work for CNet, and he takes up space on the site that could be devoted to another editor who was more interesting and knew what they were talking about. No I don't directly pay for it, but I don't stick to the philosophy of "if you don't like it, don't read it".
From what I have seen of this phone it will stand behind everything it claims to be and if you look at the offical Palm statements they arn't looking to be an iPhone killer... they are looking for a place in the market. This phone will warrent a place in the market.
Is it possible that person is not American. There are other people on this planet who speak and write a different language. Think about that before deploying the "grammar nazis".
I won't cancel my current contract or sign an additional contract, but when my current contract is up, I'll switch to whatever network I have to. I'll forgo the whining of my friends who say I should get a BB so I can BBM with them. I don't want a toy and my phone isn't a fashion statement, so there's no pull for an iPhone for me. When I was thinking of my ideal phone, this is what I was thinking of.
The one thing I will be looking out for though is how the Palm Pre handles memory--with my Treo, I hate how it handles program and storage memory, and although the Pre will have much much more memory than the Treo, it still doesn't have memory comparable to the iPhone.
Heh, you've never tried (or even read a "review" of) any Nokia Nseries phone? Obviously not.
You can certainly do much more AND do it more efficiently even with existing Nokia Nseries phones, whereas the new N97 blows any iPhone or Pre or BB out of the water...
That reduces the small pangs of hurt I feel knowing that you most likely get paid more than I to consume products that I work on and write about the toys you're going to buy yourself in vague terms.
Franco
- by kkinder12 June 5, 2009 5:23 PM PDT
- What about the G1?
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- by seven7dust June 5, 2009 8:42 PM PDT
- Android in general is awesome
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- by JRKhoury June 6, 2009 1:40 PM PDT
- Yeah I'm waiting for Samsung's I7500 to be released. I want that juicy AMOLED touch screen.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (57 Comments)Best keyboard you can get, Open Source, great screen, App Store-like feature, synchronizes with your google account... I love my G1.
but I Find it hard to call the g1 a good phone, I hate the design and keyboard !
but thats just me
well once better Android phones come out , it should be more interesting