Recently Purchased Palm Pre. Ha…I noticed that I’m the only one so far. It seems that the design world is primarily using the iPhone, which is no surprise; Apple has engineered desire into their products about as well as anyone can. Until recently, I had my heart set on an HTC Hero running their Android Sense UI, but once I saw the US version, I was a little crestfallen. The euro version had much better industrial design details-including the chin. After speaking with the guys in the Sprint store who had used the Hero before it recently hit stores, they recommended I go with the Pre.
I have to say, the Pre is an absolute joy to use. The industrial design of the phone is not necessarily groundbreaking, but the way it works in unison with the Palm WebOS(which is beautiful!) is truly awesome. The portrait-style slider keyboard seems cramped at first, but after a week I was extremely efficient with it. The screen is bright, and the processor makes web and apps incredibly snappy. One of major drawbacks of the Pre is it’s lack of applications, but this is an OS that is in it’s infantile stages and will only continue to improve as it’s user base grows. There is also an excellent “homebrew” app scene that provides hundreds of apps for free before they are accepted into the Palm app store. There are also tons of patches that add functionality to the phone that were not there straight out of the box. The multi-tasking experience on WebOS is something that has to be used to be understood. It is truly valuable, and I don’t feel Palm has done all they can to advertise how well it actually works to the public.
Sprint was not the best when it came to customer service, but in recent years they have done a complete 180, which was what compelled me to stay with them. My family plan is manageable; a deal, actually, when compared to the iPhone/ATT plans. My service is impeccable; dropped calls simply don’t happen. If you are a new subscriber, I believe you can get a Pre at Walmart for $80 with a 2 year contract. Pretty good deal on an excellent device with TONS of potential. Good Luck.
