Dumping my DIamond for the Pre

[myriam]

I'm one of the peoprivileged people who was invited to the Pre party. I just came from it. I have been playing with the Pre. For me it was a big disapointment. It's very small. I have HTC Vogue that works perfectly. I was expecting a bigger screen. The screen is almost the same size than my touch. The keyboard is diminute. The screen wasn't very responsive. You have to swap your finger very hard and several times to end an application. The browser is nice, but I have Opera Mini that is awesome and supe fast. I'm not buying it. I prefer waiting for something better.

[kanesis]

Im also dumping my touch pro for Palmpre with some un-official plan swapage. I like my touch pro but it still reminds me of my 6700 and 6900. which were cool but im looking for a more GUI experiance. the only winmo specific app i use is tether which im thinking someone will make a program for. I have used lots of roms and radios and still have yet to find one that just works after i add a couple apps. i have crashes and so on and they tend to lag depending on what your doing just having 2 or 3 apps open at once. there is a good review i found that stokes me enough to wait for 4 hours to make sure i get one tommarow. im also stoked that as far as OS's go between linux and windows for pc linux wins for operating with less resources than windows uses.
heres the review.

I hope apps get made to change looks and so on. If just the sdk kit gets released looks like ill try to make some apps myself.



http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/03/palm-pre-review/

[tri0xinn]

Yeah.. definitely gonna mess around with it a bit before I buy it .. hopefully I have a little better experience than you did Miriam. Almost glad I have to wait to July 1st.. if I didn't I may be a little impulsive.

[searcher61]

I though about it...but am going to wait and see what happens.

One of the reviews I read said there is no way to tell if you missed a call or message without turning the screen on. There are not any LED's, lights or sounds that would tell you. And I also read the keys are very very small....to small for my fat fingers.

Does anyone know if you have to open the keyboard to answer a call?

[badchad]

I'm considering it. My major concern is the keyboard. I've never had a hard kb and don't particularly care for one. Also, with the amount of texts I send I'm really hoping there is an on-screen kb so I don't have to open it all the time.

My second concern is syncing with a PC. Anyone heard anything about interaction with outlook?

Also, like someone else said, I'm not dumping SERO for it. WHy are they selling these off-contract if you have to go with the expensive plans?

I guess there are some hurdles, but i might go check it out today. The guy at the Sprint store last night said they have some in stock so......

[IFMISM]

from what i understand there is no syncing with outlook. i hope i am wrong though. i have been looking at this phone also. i have decided to wait for the td2 instead. i wanted the tp2, but then i found it doesn't have a flash on the camera, thus making it a diamond with a keyboard. i barely use the tp now, i use the diamond more. the 5mp camera is just a plus for the td2 also

[tri0xinn]

So a quick update. Went to a sprint store today and messed with the Pre,
1st thoughts were... Super easy to navigate.. Capacitive touch is as nice as I thought and as easy as the Iphone to use. Wish the screen was a little larger, but fine. Image quality is fantastic. The keyboard was great.. never had a hardware keyboard on a phone before and was instantly typing faster than I do with software keyboard on my Diamond or Vogue. Keys are small but raised and tacky enough that it's satisfying to use. Browser was fantastic.. other than no flash support it kicks Opera mobiles butt.. although for the most part because of the capacitive screen and not the software.. although it seems to load webpages faster.. both on wifi and EVDO. Youtube app also integrated into the browser.. so you go to Youtube and it's the normal desktop version of youtube... you click a video and it starts the youtube app which loads and runs the video in high res.. has option to stretch full screen like the iphone. Also it runs the videos very smooth.
Bottom line is the device kicks any winmo device I've ever used in the crotch... with every app I used... BUT and this is a big but... there are only a handful of apps to use. After messing with the Pre for 15 minutes I'd exhausted all the possiblities. I was left wondering... "now what?" ..
So will I buy it when I am able to with my upgrade July 1st? Most likely... unless the touch pro2 is a big improvement in speed and touch sensitivity over my diamond. Also if there is still a very slim selection of apps I may possibly wait.

[Zyphlin]

Lets see if I can answer any questions. Mind you only had it for a few days and haven't done everything with it so some things may be a bit off.

Originally Posted by searcher61

I though about it...but am going to wait and see what happens.

One of the reviews I read said there is no way to tell if you missed a call or message without turning the screen on. There are not any LED's, lights or sounds that would tell you. And I also read the keys are very very small....to small for my fat fingers.

Sadly, this is correct. Now there ARE LED's on the thing, one in the little middle button and one on each side of it in the gesture area. The hope from the Pre community right now is that sometime in the future they may allow these LED's to act as notification lights when the phone is off but currently there is none. When you turn the phone on all your various notifications show up on the lock screen and its the only way to know.

The keyboard however is good from what I've found. I have fat thumbs yet don't have any real issue typing on it. Infact, I find it LOADS better than trying to type on my Touch Diamond, iPod Touch, or my old Vogue. I will say however the Touch Pro/Mogul/PPC 6700 keyboards were better and faster, but at the same time the Pre's size compared to them is amazing.

Does anyone know if you have to open the keyboard to answer a call?

No. Actually, I don't think you CAN answer a call by doing that yet (I may be wrong). Slide open to answer, slide close to end is something that I think has been requested and hoping for in an update.

When someone calls it does a few things. If you're in card view (viewing the desktop) it comes up full screen I believe. If you're in an app it shrinks the app (but its still active and doesn't stop your flow of working) and shows a notification at the bottom asking for answer or ignore. If you're in the lock screen you essentially unlock to answer.

Originally Posted by badchad

I'm considering it. My major concern is the keyboard. I've never had a hard kb and don't particularly care for one. Also, with the amount of texts I send I'm really hoping there is an on-screen kb so I don't have to open it all the time.

No onscreen keyboard, though there is hopes that a 3rd party will develop one soon enough to essentially work in the notification tray. Sliding open is fast and rather simple however. I also find it very nice, as opposed to my diamond, to be able to have a large area to see all my text while also having a large area to read the conversation all while still being able to type.

My second concern is syncing with a PC. Anyone heard anything about interaction with outlook?

I THINK (I say think because i haven't used it) there is a Palm information manager thing it comes with that essentially allows you to upload your outlook stuff to Palm's little cloud which then gets put onto the Pre. Inelegant, but its one way. It also syncs OTA with Exchange. Finally, there are a number of 3rd parties already announcing they're making syncing programs.

Also, like someone else said, I'm not dumping SERO for it. WHy are they selling these off-contract if you have to go with the expensive plans?

Because, most likely, while SERO helped save Sprint its now eating away with it. They're not going to be complete ****s and strip these plans away from everyone straight out. What they are going to do, like an intelligent business (look at GM for a wonderful example of what happens when you let legacy things just drain you dry), are attempting to phase it out if you start wanting to upgrade to the best and newest technology. This allows those with SERO a choice...to keep their good plan but accept they're going to have to use older tech, or to finally allow it to be phased out but upgrade to modern things. I imagine Sprint may try this with more and more phones that come out and frankly I can't blame them (And I was on a $16.00 + $15.00 data plan before having to switch to the 450 SE to get the Pre so I feel you).

They're selling them off contract because some people aren't eligable for an upgrade but want the phone anyways.

I guess there are some hurdles, but i might go check it out today. The guy at the Sprint store last night said they have some in stock so......

They say the warehouses are still pumping out production and they're hoping new stock should be arriving weekly if not daily to all sprint locations.

Also, in regards to the App catalog, we must remember its a First Generation OS whose full SDK hasn't even been released yet (rumors say sometime in the next few months it should hit in full). It had somewhere around 15 or so at launch, with another 8 or so hitting on Monday. It shouldn't really be THAT long before it has a relatively decent little app foundation. Not to mention it looks like Full Flash will be coming at the end of the year, which should usher in a whole new level of potential apps.