My Review of the Palm Pre (Sprint)

Shift518 Automotive Shift518 Off Topic
1

So I got my Pre on friday evening and have finally had a good amount of time to play with it.

[quote=“Mafdark”"]

The bad:
-No good apps… at all (ok maybe pandora)

-no video recording

-Small space
*non-expandible 8gb storage is not enough for something that is supposed to be able to hold all my music and the lastest episodes of topgear. Compared to my 16gb ipod touch the lack of storage on this is frustrating. (yes Palm 8gb $199, Iphone 16gb $199)

-Slow
*once I added my music it takes forever to open up something like the camera. Forget about having multiple cards open.

-in accurate touch
*I keep looking for a way to calibrate the touch screen but in realitiy calibration is not the problem, the device simply isn’t intuitive and when you touch the point which is selected is very small the combination of the two makes it nearly impossible to hit links on web pages without zooming in quite a bit.

-Battery life
*with the sounds turned off, no cards open, and it in my pocket for 8 hours at work I can bring the battery down to 10% by flipping online in just one hour. This will be a device that needs to remain plugged in (spring for the car charger)

-Web browsing
*sucks ass, why can’t I get on forums? It wont let me sign in. When I finally trick it to let me sign in it signs me out on ALL forums when I hit CP.

-Dock/menu
*Things like the web browser and my music can only be accessed by a click through the menu/dock that is at the bottom of the screen. With a phone this slow I’d rather have it on the desktop at all times.

-Sounds
*when you hit the side volume controls on the side it only controls ringer volume. To turn off message sounds and email notifications you have to flip through a few different menus to be able to turn off/down the sounds. This is a bit rediculous and makes it a real pain in the ass to take to a movie or in the classroom.

-No calls when…
*apparently you cannot recieve calls when connecting the phone to your computer to sync songs or other media, another thing I just found out is that if you let it die (like today after only 12 hours of being on with very little use) it will take over 15 minutes of charging before you can power it back up.

-No visual voicemail
*are you kidding me? And this is being compared to the Iphone why?

The real nail in the coffin:
-The service
*The salespeople at sprint were quick to tell me that their service isn’t as bad as people say anymore because they now share towers with Verizon. Well the truth is there service is still terrible. It seemed like I could never get it to “switch towers” when I wanted it to, keeping me on Sprint with one bar when I was talking, or “Roaming” on Verizon when I wanted the internet, which you can’t access without the sprint network. This means I can’t get google maps, email, or use web browsing in my house, at my work, anywhere I tend to spend the most of my time. When it finally flips back to sprint I get one bar and the internet is too slow to use.

Possible redeeming factor:
-Free updates
*rumors are that Palm will be making multiple updates to fix some of the problems I have listed here (some of them are very easy to fix), or to add new features such as video recording.

B]My suggestions:[/B] Pay the extra bucks for the right service AT&T or verizon (I don’t have personal experience with AT&T but I haven’t heard many complaints) Either wait for the Palm Pre to be released on Verizon in 6 months which will probably be right about when they fix all the bugs, or pick another phone (Iphone)

Bonus info: I’m pissed I can’t delete the NASCAR app that comes with the phone. WTF, I refuse to associate with anything nascar.
Any idea as to how many people ask me why I have a nascar app on my phone? a: all of them.

[/quote]

I’m going to focus on the “bad” from the other thread:

  • No good apps.
    – Obviously The phone is not even a month old and the SDK kit hasn’t been released yet.

  • No video recording
    – I’m hoping this will be added with an update

  • Lack of storage space.
    – I just loaded 4.5GB of music (1000 songs) onto my Pre as well as like 700 pictures and I still have plenty of space left (2.3GB available). If you need anything more, then perhaps you’re getting a phone for the wrong reason. You know, they have portable USB drives/thumb drives for a reason. Phones aren’t created to hold full DVD movies. That’s what other portable media is around for.

  • Slow
    – I did upgrade to webOS 1.0.3 so I don’t know if it was an issue with your version but even after loading almost 6GB of stuff onto my Pre, I am able to use the phone with no speed issues. Sure it takes 2-3 seconds to open something, but once it’s open and in the cards, it’s perfectly fine to use. That’s the whole point of cards. So you don’t have to keep opening and closing shit like you would on a regular phone.

  • In accurate touch
    – Only problem is the tool bar at the very top (if you want to check battery life). I had the same issue with my Samsung Instinct. Then again, I have chubby fingers. I think this is user issue, not phone issue. My phone has been very responsive otherwise, including clicking on links.

  • Battery Life
    – I will agree with the battery life being crappy. However, they will probably fix it with an update.

  • Dock/Menu
    – What? You can have the web browser and music open at all times on the desktop? :facepalm . Another user error.

  • Sounds
    – Or you could just slide the button on the top next to the power button (slide it to the right to disable sounds). Again, user error.

  • No calls when plugged into a PC
    – This is a problem, yes.

  • No visual voicemail
    – This is a problem, yes. Perhaps this will be added with an update.

  • The Service
    – Again, I don’t know where you live but I have had NO issues with my Pre all over Albany and Selkirk. The only problem I have is I roam at work. However, I work in the basement so that is why. Everywhere else, I have enough bars to use the phone perfectly fine. Do I have full bars? No. That doesn’t bother me. Many things could affect signal. Weather, etc.

Now on to the good in my opinion:

  1. The rapid fire camera is awesome. No more waiting 10 seconds for a picture to finish loading before I can take another one. Now it’s only a second.

  2. The ability to add your own songs to the alarm, calls, etc. I love this fact because my instinct pissed me the f off with it’s annoying alarms.

  3. The WiFi is an AWESOME thing. At home and at work, I have NO issues surfing. It’s f’in sweet.

  4. The speakers are pretty damn good quality. Playing music on it isn’t as bad as phones past.

  5. The feel of the phone in your hand is great. My easier to hold than the brick of a phone instinct.

  6. The bluetooth on this phone works better with my Kenwood Navi than my Instinct did. To me, that’s a plus, because I spend a lot of time in my car.

  7. Little things like Google Maps automatically putting you on the map (it lets you know where you are) when you open the app. is a nice touch. I was in NYC and was trying to find my way uptown and it helped a lot.

  8. The Web Browser on this phone actually saves your passwords and certificates. My instinct had an issue with keeping my logged in to certain sites. I’m glad this is working.

and lastly:

  1. The screen is f’in AWESOME. So crisp. Images look GREAT on it.

Conclusion:

Mafdark made the phone sound much worse than it is. This is actually a REALLY nice phone. If you get it, I doubt you will regret it. Even if you are going from a Blackberry, etc.

All the issues that it has, will eventually be fixed with upgrades. That’s the way electronics such as phones work. Stuff always needs updates. And don’t tell me the iPhone didn’t have ANY issues when it came out. People didn’t like certain things about it too.

The Palm Pre. Highly recommend it.

*** NOTE: This thread is not taking a dig at MafDark. I saw a lot of people bash this phone so this is for everyone. ***

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Blackberry! :vlad

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Too each his own. I think Pre = iPhone = Blackberry. They all have their pro’s and con’s. Those three are above all others. The Instinct was supposed to be the iPhone killer. It fell on its face. If any phone can take even a little bit of the market share from iPhone, it’s the Pre.

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I don’t need an iPhone, that’s just too fancy.
And I hate touch screen. The BB is just enough fancy for me. :lol

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unfortunatly palm went with Sprint and there networks sucks its the worst of the big three and ATT isnt bad but ive never had a problem with the verizon network in 5 years and i have had all three carriers for a year. I love my storm. The iphones ok.

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Verizon is the best network. Sprint is second actually. ATT is last.

I know this because I have dealt with all three companies (I manage the wireless devices including wireless aircards at my company - I have 80 Verizon phones and 30 ATT Aircards/3 Verizon Aircards). Like I said. I have 1 or 2 bars EVERYWHERE I go. I only lose connectivity for seconds at a time. In 5 years, and being all over the US, I have yet to be stranded with zero signal. Is the greatest signal? No. That’s probably Verizon’s forte, but it gets the job done.

Verizon spends like 50% more then Sprint on it’s Network. Sprint spends more on their infrastructure than ATT.

I also have two Blackberry Storms and then a bunch of ATT/Verizon basic phones. Although the BES server is an AWESOME thing, the actual Blackberry devices I do not like. I like my Pre WAY more than the Storms. If only my network admin would allow me to get Notes email on my Pre once they release a Notes/Domino App (I’m assuming they will).

That being said…

If the Pre ends up going to Verizon (I’ve heard rumors), I might be inclined to switch. Up until now, Verizon has had no attractive phones. BB’s don’t do it for me.

As for ATT, the iPhone is a rip off. Phone? Nice. The plan? The plan is ridiculous. I pay $80 and have literally EVERYTHING on my account.

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It’s hard to judge which carrier has the best coverage. A lot depends on the phone. Smartphones IMO seem to have the worst signal due to the fact that the phone is designed around a PDA and usually incorporate a poor antenna design.

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I know for a fact sprint doesnt have better coverage then At&t because I have had both and the At&t coverage is far superior. Verizon also seems to have decent coverage from when I had them also. So far I like at&t the best.

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Maybe in this area.

I have insurance agents/adjusters all over the country. Trust me, Sprint > ATT.

Verizon > Sprint > ATT > Everyone else. I’m phasing all my ATT aircards out for Verizon ones slowly but surely. Agents love me.

Anyway…back on topic. The Pre is an excellent phone.

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sprint coverage sucks. when the phones new its got ok signal. in a month the signal drops off to dead spots every where osbourne and route 9 in loudenville by siena and 378 to menands was a good sprint dead spot on the phone after a month. sprints def. in last place.

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Your post seemed to have more cons then pros. after reading what u think i wouldnt buy on. i would leave verizon but i doubt id buy it if they had it either

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Not really.

My pro’s + pro’s listed by MafDark in his review = more pro’s than con’s.

My cons were just a clarification of his con’s. Some of it wasn’t necessarily accurate.

Again,

I don’t know what you people are talking about regarding Sprint coverage. I’ve been all up and down the East Coast and in LA/Vegas and my sprint phone (which was 2yrs old) worked absolutely fine.

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Literally the only difference I have ever noticed with Verizon vs. ATT is at the Racino - in that instance Verizon comes out on top.

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$49.95 LG Voyager FTW

15

That’s what my Env2 cost me, my favorite up until I got the Curve.

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Best phone ever

17

ATT has the fastest network for sure.

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in only 40% of the country

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Thats okay with me. Don’t go too far, and the places I have traveled to have had 3G. Just about all of I95 is 3G.

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exactly.

the pacific northwest has it, all of the east coast, the south seems to have the best AT&T coverage… who lives in montana? none of us do