is the pre worth it?

**fixxxer2012** · #1 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 10:45 AM

im due for an upgrade on nov 1st and ill be coming from a touch vogue. im not diggin winmo 6.5 at all. im torn between the htc hero and the pre. what do you guys think? is the pre worth it over android? ive played with the vogue/android builds and its much to unstable for me but i really like the look of it. the reason im torn on the pre is, i don't like the design and i hear there aren't very many themes or apps for it yet. i do know i can pick up a pre right now for cheaper than a hero.

any advice would be appreciated.

**bradart** · #2 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fixxxer2008

im due for an upgrade on nov 1st and ill be coming from a touch vogue. im not diggin winmo 6.5 at all. im torn between the htc hero and the pre. what do you guys think? is the pre worth it over android? ive played with the vogue/android builds and its much to unstable for me but i really like the look of it. the reason im torn on the pre is, i don't like the design and i hear there aren't very many themes or apps for it yet. i do know i can pick up a pre right now for cheaper than a hero.

any advice would be appreciated.

Get the hero. Seriously.

**fixxxer2012** · #3 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradart

Get the hero. Seriously.

reasons why?

i do know there is apparently a ton of issues with the cdma hero that sprint needs to fix via an firmware update. + it cannot be rooted yet and there are only 1 custom rom available.

AsItLies · #4 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 11:03 AM

the pre is pretty sweet but so is there Hero. Form factor wise which do u prefer? I'd be happy with a virtual keyboard but maybe not everyone? For basic usage they both should be fine, if you have specialized needs then maybe determine which would be best? they are both good phones for sure.

#5 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 11:05 AM

I had a pre like 2-3 months ago and sold it due to the fact that it felt more than a fancy cell phone than a smartphone to me. Of course that was before webOS 1.2 which enabled web downloading, universal copy-paste, and email searching among other updates. Now when i saw that, i was kinda bummed i sold it in the first place. i LOVED everything WebOS does, from how it handles sms, emails, web browsing, contacts and more.... But what does bother me when it comes to picking up another Pre and sticking to it is the apps. I dont mean in numbers, i mean in quality, and usefulness. The SDK is a joke, you cant make anything better than webapps and full screen widgets because you can only use Javacript, HTML etc. so apps that really excel in functionality or get the hardware involved are slim to impossible to make with the current tools provided. Kinoma Play developers and Coreplayer stated that they cant make WebOS versions of their award winning apps because of this, and the developers of Documents To Go also stated that their WebOS variation of the app will have to be delayed till Palm updates their OS of gives them the tools for deeper access (looks like they hit a dead end)

GPU access is impossible as well, and this affects battery, performance, and heat since the CPU is doing all the work.I have no idea what Palm is planning to do... either stay with the "simple yet limited" point of view, or give us a hardcore OS and SDK so it can really be up to par with Android, WM, and Apple

As of now i chose the Hero and i am extremely happy i did, it has everything i loved from WebOS contact-facebook integration and much better mind you, excellent photo app, better music player, tons and tons of apps that really get the hardware involved like Layar Reality Browser, Barcode Scanners, METAL DETECTORS, and more. The browser isnt as fast or smooth as WebOS but its more capable ATM with flash.

I wouldnt count out WebOS ATM but at its current state, its not for me. Still ill be looking at the Pre2 vs HTC Dragon next year and see where it is before i upgrade since i know WebOS has TONS of potential but not really there today or soon

Machinehead · #6 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 11:06 AM

I haven't had a chance to play with the hero yet, but I could make an argument for either device. The one thing that kept me from waiting for the hero is the lack of a physical keyboard. I can't type on a virtual keyboard for crap. Since you're coming from the touch then it may not be as big of a deal for you.

Android has more apps at the moment and is a more open platform than WebOS. It's also a bit more mature since Android has been around longer. The hero supposedly has superior battery life to the Pre.

It's all a matter of which device fits your needs better. Both devices are very good.

Machinehead · #7 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike20pr

(accelerometer for one) are slim to impossible to make with the current tools provided.

There actually are apps now that access the accelerometer. One of which is toppleball which is a teeter knock off. I can't comment if they've hacked access to it or if the SDK allows it now.

You're dead on though, the SDK is mess for WebOS right now and it's holding the developers back. Not to mention the artifical limits that Palm built in to WebOS like the various app limits and open card limit.

**Carla** · #8 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 11:13 AM

It seems everyone is giving you a shove towards the Hero. Which to most seems like the hot choice right now. I played with the Hero for a while in store a few days ago and it didn't do anything for me. I wasn't impressed with the feel or the OS personally. I love my Pre, it is a big step up IMO from my Touch Pro and Touch Diamond. I would say really play with both before you make the decision

Good luck!

#9 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Machinehead

There actually are apps now that access the accelerometer. One of which is toppleball which is a teeter knock off. I can't comment if they've hacked access to it or if the SDK allows it now.

You're dead on though, the SDK is mess for WebOS right now and it's holding the developers back. Not to mention the artifical limits that Palm built in to WebOS like the various app limits and open card limit.

cool, did not know about that. thanx for the clearup.

sad about the SDK though, i hope Palm does something about this

**bradart** · #10 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike20pr

I had a pre like 2-3 months ago and sold it due to the fact that it felt more than a fancy cell phone than a smartphone to me. Of course that was before webOS 1.2 which enabled web downloading, universal copy-paste, and email searching among other updates. Now when i saw that, i was kinda bummed i sold it in the first place. i LOVED everything WebOS does, from how it handles sms, emails, web browsing, contacts and more.... But what does bother me when it comes to picking up another Pre and sticking to it is the apps. I dont mean in numbers, i mean in quality, and usefulness. The SDK is a joke, you cant make anything better than webapps and full screen widgets because you can only use Javacript, HTML etc. so apps that really excel in functionality or get the hardware involved (accelerometer for one) are slim to impossible to make with the current tools provided. Kinoma Play developers and Coreplayer stated that they cant make WebOS versions of their award winning apps because of this, and the developers of Documents To Go also stated that their WebOS variation of the app will have to be delayed till Palm updates their OS of gives them the tools for deeper access (looks like they hit a dead end)

GPU access is impossible as well, and this affects battery, performance, and heat since the CPU is doing all the work.I have no idea what Palm is planning to do... either stay with the "simple yet limited" point of view, or give us a hardcore OS and SDK so it can really be up to par with Android, WM, and Apple

As of now i chose the Hero and i am extremely happy i did, it has everything i loved from WebOS contact-facebook integration and much better mind you, excellent photo app, better music player, tons and tons of apps that really get the hardware involved like Layar Reality Browser, Barcode Scanners, METAL DETECTORS, and more. The browser isnt as fast or smooth as WebOS but its more capable ATM with flash.

I wouldnt count out WebOS ATM but at its current state, its not for me. Still ill be looking at the Pre2 vs HTC Dragon next year and see where it is before i upgrade since i know WebOS has TONS of potential but not really there today or soon

This is exactly what i meant. Having played extensively with the demo pre at my store (read: playing for hours on it and hacking the living sh!t out of it) I would still choose my Diamond over it. That being said, i would trade my car in for a Hero.