Official Palm Pre User Review Thread

[scrambler7]

i really like the diamond and think it's an amazing phone, however, i think i'm liking the pre more, even at this initial stage. here are some quick comparisons on where i feel the pre is better and where the diamond is better

pre advantages:
-gps: the gps on this thing is awesome. the first time i loaded google maps, it located me immediately. no waiting for the gps to locate satellites, i'm talking maybe 15 seconds to locate me while i was indoors. the telenav app is sweet, much better than the diamond's even though it's done by the same company.

-wifi: the wifi radio is extremely efficient. i almost never used wifi with my diamond because it didn't seem to make much of a difference over using ev-do and would kill my battery. opera mobile seemed marginally faster using wifi and maintaining a strong connection was a bit difficult with the diamond. however, with the pre, wifi is noticeably faster and doesn't drain the battery as much. actually, one of the battery saving tips is to use the wifi over 3g when in a bad reception area since the battery pull is less with wifi then when the phone is trying to overextend itself with a weak 3g signal

-keyboard: for all of the criticism i've seen placed on the keyboard, i have to say i like it. i prefer this keyboard over slicker keys like the blackberry since with the slick keys, my fingers would slip. i used all sorts of keyboards with the diamond, and some of them were really good (fingerkeyboard being my favorite), but give me the pre's keyboard any day.

-multitasking: the pre gets it. i will always have a soft spot for WM and WM definitely did multitask, but the way the pre is set up makes multitasking second nature. no having to press a tiny icon to bring down the task manager to go to the apps, all you have to do is press a button and all your apps are in front of you. these cards are so simple and so effective, i'm surprised we haven't seen something like this before. i believe there is a task manager program out there developed by one of the experts at xda, but i never looked into it.

-phone quality: this thing makes clear calls. people i talk to tell me i am extremely clear, even when on speakerphone. actually, i used the speakerphone at a full arms length and they still heard me fine. the diamond wasn't really bad in terms of phone quality, but the pre seems to be the better one

-multitouch: pinch zooming is extremely convenient.

-accelerometer: extremely responsive. gyrator and flipit are good apps and can make the accelerometer respond quickly, but it's not quite as snappy as the pre's. though i will give points to WM, since gyrator/flipit will allow you to rotate anything, whereas only certain items will auto rotate with the pre (though it hasn't been a problem for me, since the only apps that rotate in the pre are the ones that i want to rotate, buy YMMV).

-UI: great UI. absolutely awesome. WM can look good if you put some work into it, but even with the graphical upgrades with 6.5, it still looks pretty boring. i'll miss creating my own custom themes, though...

pre disadvantages
-functionality/customization: probably a little early to say the pre is at a disadvantage here because webOS is in its infancy, but speaking in immediate terms, WM wins hands down over webOS. for pure functionality and customization, you can't beat WM. WM is a powerhouse. sure, they kill you with menus upon menus, but that's one thing the pre is lacking. limited menus which means limited options. i'm sure things will change, but just a taste of things you can't do with the pre: change tones for email/sms, copy/paste in the browser, save pictures from the browser, edit registry items, create themes (though you don't need to, it would be a nice option to have), send files via bluetooth (including contacts). but again, webOS is just a baby. a beautiful, tasty baby.

-hardware: not nearly as nice as the diamond. it feels great in the hand, but the build quality is the weakest part of the phone. the slider mechanism is no bueno. for something that was built with one handed navigation in mind, i can't really open it with one hand. feels like i'll break it.

Jury's still out
-apps: the current pre apps are nice looking, but the suite of apps available for WM is awesome. but i really have no doubt that webOS is going to have an extremely robust catalog of apps in the near future.

-web browser: the stock web browser is awesome. extremely fast, much faster than opera mobile (not even bothering to mention pocket IE...well except right there). the multitouch functions are also great, much preferred over the diamond's scrollwheel or magnifying glass. however, you can't copy/paste in the browser or save images in the pre's browser. also, there are no third party browsers as of yet. no opera mini/skyfire/iris/opera mobile 9.7. no flash...yet. so, the jury is still out at this point.