Palm Pre

speedfreak

dahamsta wrote: »

In another thread, The_Joker, since this is about the Pre.

Any rumours of date for the Pre in UK and Ireland? I've heard August, but nothing firm. Also, someone mentioned it'll be on O2/Telefonica but didn't provide a source, do we know that as fact?

adam

From what I've read Sept/Autumn for UK and O2 / Voda as carriers. Its an impressive phone alright.

dubmick

looks like O2 have secured the rights for the Pre in the UK.

Below is an article from last Sunday's Observer:

O2 is set to follow up its success with the iPhone in the UK by grabbing an exclusive deal to stock the device that gadget fans reckon is the closest thing to a real competitor to the Apple device, the Palm Pre.

The UK's largest mobile phone operator, with more than 20 million customers, is understood to have seen off fierce competition for the new handset from Vodafone and Orange, and it will be available in the UK in time for the crucial Christmas period.

Palm, which popularised handheld computers called personal digital assistants (PDAs) such as the Palm Pilot in the 1990s, is hoping that the Pre will get it back into the lucrative market for smartphones, having lost out to rivals including Nokia and RIM, maker of the BlackBerry. Though the recession has brought overall growth in mobile phone sales to a spluttering halt, demand for high-end devices that can access the internet, send emails and play music, as well as allow calling and texting, has proved more resilient.

Last week, Palm announced that the Pre will be available in the US from next month under an exclusive deal with mobile network Sprint, for $199.99 (£129) on a two-year contract. Stocks of the device are limited, however, which is why gadget fans outside the US will have to wait several months before it becomes available.

As well as a touchscreen that reviewers have compared favourably with that found on the iPhone, the Pre has a slide-out full qwerty keyboard, making emails easier to type than on the Apple device. It also has an eye-catching way of recharging: rather than being plugged in, it has to be placed on what Palm calls its Touchstone and charges through magnetic induction.

For O2, who refused to comment, getting the Palm Pre will add another must-have gadget at a time when Apple is expected to open up the iPhone to other operators in the original four markets – the US, UK, France and Germany – where it initially opted for exclusive deals.

Expanding the number of operators able to stock the iPhone comes as a new model is unleashed on the market. Apple is also expected to unveil a new version of the handset within the next few months, possibly as early as early June, at its worldwide developers conference in San Francisco next month. That event is also expected to provide the first sight of Apple's latest device, a tablet computer that would bridge the gap between the iPhone and iPod Touch and its laptops.

The iPhone has already sparked a host of copycat touchscreen devices – from the Nokia 5800 and X-Series Walkman to the HTC Magic and G1, both of which run Google's new Android operating system – and more are expected as the year progresses. RIM is understood to have developed a new version of its BlackBerry Storm touchscreen device that its US partner Verizon Wireless, part-owned by Vodafone, is expected to launch next month. Though the original Storm, which Vodafone and Verizon had under an exclusive deal, has sold well, it received a poor critical reception.

The new version does away with one of the original device's most annoying features – SurePress, which required the user to press down the screen in order to type or select icons – and opts instead for a traditional touchscreen feel.

boardswalker

I came across a review of an actual working Pre here.
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/05/29/palm-pre-review/#more-26295.
They either went on sale recently in the states or are about to go on sale.
The review is a bit mixed. Sounds like the build quality is not great.

Venom

boardswalker wrote: »

I came across a review of an actual working Pre here.
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/05/29/palm-pre-review/#more-26295.
They either went on sale recently in the states or are about to go on sale.
The review is a bit mixed. Sounds like the build quality is not great.

The unit reviewed is not the shipping one so thats more of a preview that final review tbh.

boardswalker

Daniel Ionescu, PC World

Jun 4, 2009 12:54 pm

Palm Pre Roundup: The Critics Have SpokenIt's T-minus two days until the Palm Pre will hit the stores nationwide (with the adequate shortages) and the highly anticipated device already found its way onto a sleeve of reviewer's hands, including our own Ginny Mies.

Everybody is comparing the Palm Pre with Apple's iPhone. Well, the Pre was actually designed to go head-to-head with Apple's phone, no room for doubt here. And the Pre brings a few extra perks, such as a physical keyboard, a better camera and a removable battery.

Palm also introduces a brand new operating system with the Pre, WebOS, something the company has been working on for a while now. Based on Linux and designed from grounds-up for a complete touchscreen experience (ahem, Nokia), WebOS is set to bring a user interface on par with iPhone's (at least), including something Apple's phone users don't enjoy yet - multitasking.

So, does the Palm Pre live up to the hype? Read on for the latest reviews:

Ginny Mies - PC World [read review]

Pros:

- good pocketable size

- overall good call quality (on Sprint's 3G network)

- iTunes music library synchronization

- web browser renders pages beautifully

- "fair" battery life (5 hours, 17 minutes)

Cons:

- keyboard slightly cramped

- bezel lip on the sides and bottom can interfere with typing

- social networking synergy feature only a good idea on the surface

- lacks removable memory (8GB built-in)

- slow, unresponsive photo album application

Walt Mossberg - Wall Street Journal [read review]

Pros:

- vibrant, readable screen

- pleasant user interface with card metaphor

- over-the-air sync with Google Calendar and Microsoft Exchange

- wireless backup service

- MMS, copy&paste, universal search

Cons:

- weak battery life

- no keyboard shortcuts

- poor App Catalog (application store)

- clumsy power button

- poorly implemented auto-correct system

David Pogue - New York Times [read review]

Pros:

- good, comfortable size (overall)

- call audio quality above average

- great multi-tasking implementation

- full iTunes sync (except DRM'd items)

- contact and calendar syncing and synergy

Cons:

- very quiet ringer

- battery life a "heartbreaker"

- very few apps in App Catalog

- sometimes slow when opening apps

- no expandable memory

If you're planning to go and grab a Palm Pre this weekend, you should keep in mind the $100 mail-in rebate at Sprint stores, which you can get instantly when buying from BestBuy. However, if you're not convinced yet, on Monday (June 8) Apple is set to unveil the 3.0 iPhone software update and hopefully a new iPhone.

Oafley Jones

Both Mossberg and Pogue aren't exactly the least biased when it comes to Apple competitors, so I'd treat their reviews with a bit of sceptism. Rumour has it Mossberg already has the new iphone.

boardswalker

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Both Mossberg and Pogue aren't exactly the least biased when it comes to Apple competitors, so I'd treat their reviews with a bit of sceptism. Rumour has it Mossberg already has the new iphone.

I did not think the review summaries were particularly negative. Have you read their full reviews? Are you biased against these particular journalists? So Mossberg has the new iphone. Big Deal. He also had the new pre before anyone else. He's a technology journalist.

Pogue full review ends "Finally, the Pre is not quite as simple as the iPhone. All those extra features, by definition, mean that there’s more to learn. So do the Pre’s perks (beautiful hardware and software, compact size, keyboard, swappable battery, flash, multitasking, calendar consolidation) outweigh its weak spots (battery life, occasional sluggishness, ringer volume)? Oh, yes indeedy. " Only the paranoid would think that's a bad review.

WSJ had an intro to Mossbergs review as follows "Walt Mossberg says Palm's Pre is smart, sophisticated and will appeal to those who want a keyboard. It's potentially the strongest rival to the iPhone to date -- if it fixes its app store".
And Mossberg's review concluded "All in all, I believe the Pre is a smart, sophisticated product that will have particular appeal for those who want a physical keyboard. It is thoughtfully designed, works well and could give the iPhone and BlackBerry strong competition -- but only if it fixes its app store and can attract third-party developers."

Again, that's not a bad review.

I'm not sure where you're coming from.

mobius42

I agree boardswalker, the reviews have been generally positive. Compare them to the reviews for the Storm and G1!

I think the app store is going to make or break this. Let's hope their web-based SDK won't limit developers. All the apps made so far have had special access to certain parts of the phone's software and hardware that the regular SDK doesn't provide.

Rsaeire

The reviews have generally been positive and considering that the Pre has just launched, will no doubt get better over time. Future firmware updates will improve the touchscreen accuracy, one of the issues the Engadget review mentions, and the app store will now doubt flourish in time too.

All in all, from the reviews I've read, it seems Palm have a winner on its hands.

boardswalker

There's lot of info available now over on precentral.net.
There's detailed reviews and there's a good forum section.
The reviews are generally good, the forum is showing a lot of teething problems.

Rsaeire

There is an excellent review of the Palm Pre on AnandTech.