ONLINE GUY: Palm Pre promising but not ready to replace Apple iPhone in pocket - Business

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Jul. 05, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

ONLINE GUY: Palm Pre promising but not ready to replace Apple iPhone in pocket

AL GIBES: The Online Guy
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The much-awaited Palm Pre is a bit premature. I really wanted to love this smart phone, but I only like it.

I've been carrying three of the smartest phones available (to U.S. consumers) for a few weeks -- the BlackBerry Bold, the Apple iPhone (not the newest 3G S model) and the Palm Pre. Each have pluses and minuses, but the Bold and Pre have more of the latter.

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•On the plus side for each:

The BlackBerry Bold runs on the AT&T 3G network; is great for e-mail; has a fair number of third-party applications (apps) available; has a great screen; has good battery life; good camera; looks good and operates well.

The iPhone also runs on the AT&T 3G network (which I was already using before getting the iPhone); has a large and fluid touch screen, is intuitive to learn and use; has thousands of third-party apps available and syncs calendar and contacts very well with my Apple Mobile Me account (I don't use the Mobile Me e-mail). It is the thinnest of the three, which makes carrying it in a pocket bearable. It also does an excellent job of displaying Web pages. Camera is just OK.

The Pre has a slide-down keyboard; can run multiple apps simultaneously with easy switching between programs; good camera; and combines multiple messaging and contact sources into single views. This feature is very helpful, especially when you have a contact that is in your personal e-mail address book, is on your Facebook friends list and is also in a work e-mail contact program. It displays Web pages well.

•On the minus side for each:

The BlackBerry Bold does a horrible job displaying Web pages or HyperText Markup Language e-mail. Beyond e-mail, this device pales in comparison to the others.

The iPhone can run only one application at a time, making switching from e-mail to check a calendar or look at a Web page, then going back to e-mail cumbersome. It can be done, but it takes familiarity and time. The battery life of the iPhone is short with heavy use, so I always have a charger handy.

The Pre runs on the Sprint network, meaning many customers must change carriers or wait until their carrier can sell the Pre. It uses the new Web OS, which could use some polishing. The "gestures" that control navigation are not always intuitive. It took me a few days and a bit of coaching to figure out how to use the "back" function. A left-swipe of the area below the screen does the job, but I feel a "back" arrow would be simpler and faster.

The screen is bright, but too small for my liking, as the iPhone has me spoiled. I didn't like the responsiveness of the touch screen, as it often lagged. Not enough apps yet, either.

I've been a Palm fan for more than a decade, and have confidence the Pre will improve. For my money, I'll stick with iPhone -- for now.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Report abuse Rodlwill wrote on July 06, 2009 02:01 PM: For a three phone family $90 a month and $2160 for a two year contract more for the Iphone over the pre is insane. Only a idiot would chose the Iphone over the pre. The pre is as good if not a better phone. Why would you leave out the price diff. Idiot. Report abuse algibes wrote on July 06, 2009 01:53 PM: To set the record straight: I do pay for my own iPhone contract and have had an AT&T Family Plan for many, many years. My BlackBerry service (for work e-mail) is covered by my employer, as is the service for the Pre. None of the three phones I was carrying are review models. The newspaper contracted with AT&T and Sprint respectively. Yes, I favor AT&T, for a number of reasons. Saving money is relative -- and in my case VERY relative -- as their rollover minutes saves me a small fortune every year. For those unaware of how various carriers' phones operate overseas, the GMS technology of AT&T and T-Mobile work just about anywhere on the planet. You do need to extend your service contract to include areas you'll be traveling to. Verizon and Sprint uses a totally different technology that is not used in Europe and Asia. You'll need to get a different phone if you expect to have service while traveling abroad. The virtual QWERTY keyboard of the iPhone did take some getting used to. While I have used Palm Pilots and Treo phones for nearly a decade, I found the actual QWERTY keyboard of the Pre to be lacking. The keys are too small and their "touch" is not what I expected from a Palm. It has a cheap feel to it. Like I said in the column, I really wanted to love the Pre. I am confident Palm will improve the hardware and am happy to see them provide several software updates already. I will do the side-by-side comparison again as the products evolve. In the meantime, check what Consumer Reports had to say about the same set of smart phones: http://tinyurl.com/llzfro Report abuse RogerBarnes wrote on July 06, 2009 11:23 AM: Wow. That was a really awful review. The Bold and the iPhone are both only available through AT&T, and still you only fault the Pre for being exclusive? That's especially amusing since Sprint has had mostly postive press recently while AT&T has had mostly negative press lately. From Engadget Mobile's review of the iPhone 3G S: "AT&T, on the other hand, isn't exactly acting like the top-tier carrier it's supposed to be, and its service can sometimes be maddeningly poor." You also fail to mention that any Sprint service plan on the Pre would save people a ton of money over the life of their contract vs. comparable plans on the iPhone or Bold. I can't believe you don't mention the touchscreen keyboard as a negative on the iPhone side. Outside of the obsessive iPhone fans, any iPhone user will admit that the keyboard on it isn't as easy to use as a full QWERTY keyboard. The only conclusion I can draw is, you're currently an iPhone user, so you're used to the touchscreen keyboard. That also means you're an AT&T subscriber, which is why you fault only the Pre as being on a carrier other than your current one. Finally, as a tech journalist, you (understandably) do not pay for your phone contract, which is why you don't mention the cost savings. I understand these omissions, and the average person will make them. However, as a journalist, you are supposed to be held to a higher standard. In the interest of full disclosure, maybe you should note these things next time you do a similar review so your readers can actually make the decision that's best for THEM, and not for you. Report abuse Anon wrote on July 06, 2009 07:33 AM: I love how the Pre gets hit for not having a back button (despite it's home button and full qwerty keyboard), yet the iPhone having only ONE button is completely fine. Report abuse Dan wrote on July 06, 2009 07:16 AM: Getting off the AT&T network is the biggest plus for the Pre that I found. Finally, I can get some speed and save some money. Report abuse robinson wrote on July 06, 2009 06:23 AM: Nice commentary. I'm not sure what's so difficult, however, about switching between programs! "The iPhone can run only one application at a time, making switching from e-mail to check a calendar or look at a Web page, then going back to e-mail cumbersome. It can be done, but it takes familiarity and time." After all, you only have press the home button and then launch the other app. Of course, it'd be great if they implemented something like McPhling from the Palm in which one could swipe to move between apps. That--and a tabbed-based home screen--are more important to many of us than true multi-tasking! Report abuse qlaw_management wrote on July 06, 2009 04:19 AM: Q-Law Creative * Menerima Pembuatan Musik Ilustrasi, Jingle, Aransemen Album (semua jenis musik pop, rock, dangdut, DLL) * Menerima Mixing dan Mastering Album * Menerima Demo lagu * menerima kerja sama distribusi melalui Media-madia seperti : Majalah, Radio, Televisi, RBT, DSB * Menyediakan Event-event bagi Soloist, Group band, (Live Perfomence) untuk informasi hubungi DEDE GOLEX Telp: 085782564252 Report abuse Shawn wrote on July 05, 2009 05:31 PM: I love how the Sprint network is a negative for the Pre, but the AT&T network is a positive for the IPhone and Blackberry. With those statements you lost all credibility. Also, with all due respect, I hope it honestly didn't take you days to figure out the gestures on the pre. Minutes or an hour maybe, but days? Report abuse Mary wrote on July 05, 2009 04:14 PM: What about use abroad? Iphone doesn't travel does the Pre? Report abuse TA wrote on July 05, 2009 12:37 PM: So funny. Any article on teh interwebs with even the faintest iPhone praise gets the trolling babies all rattled. If a commenter echoes said praise, look out, a troll will hurl their fecal matter yelling "fanboys". Grow up. - Satisfyingly sent from my iPhone. Read All Comments