http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/palm-pre-in-depth-impressions-video-and-huge-hands-on-gallery/


God, I wish I had gone to CES this year.


This thing is baller - more baller than any Android phone, for sure.


Your thoughts?

1/8/2009 6:57:44 PM

wow, it's been awhile since anything quality came from palm. looks kinda thick too. didn't see the keyboard

[Edited on January 8, 2009 at 7:02 PM. Reason : ,]

1/8/2009 6:59:46 PM

yeah, it looks like they locked the doors, pulled the blinds, put their heads down, and got to innovatin'

1/8/2009 7:03:54 PM

iPhone killer or iPhone competitor? I don't see anything that makes me want to trade in my iPhone just yet.

1/8/2009 7:07:58 PM

except it's guaranteed to not be on the AT&T network, though because it's on Sprint and not Verizon, this is a wash.

full keyboard (buttons) +1
replaceable battery +1

[Edited on January 8, 2009 at 7:14 PM. Reason : .]

1/8/2009 7:11:29 PM

nice ass phone.. palm usually eventually puts all of their models or similar models on all networks or at least all technologies so they can be put on whatever network... so, hopefully this will make it to GSM eventually.

looks like a very nice phone though

1/8/2009 7:26:27 PM

^^ Actually Palm told the Gizmodo writers that they're not married to Sprint

Engadget also makes mention of an HSPDA version, meaning 3G

1/8/2009 7:28:53 PM

It definitely won't kill the iPhone but I can see it slowing down the iPhone's sales, and eating in a lot to the WinMo marketshare.

It scrolls smoother than the iPhone in the web browser though, but other things seem to take a slight longer to appear. I also wonder how many "cards" you can have open before it slows to a crawl or crashes.

But, it looks like the phone to get, if you're not getting an iPhone. Probably the smartphone UI i've seen next to the iPhone.

1/8/2009 7:34:59 PM

Nothing will even come close to the iPhone. I don't have one, and don't have any intentions of owning one, but I know what the real deal is tho.

1/8/2009 7:42:49 PM

Quote :

"full keyboard (buttons) +1"

is your opinion.

1/8/2009 7:45:19 PM

Palm will kill itself before it kills the iPhone.

1/8/2009 9:07:05 PM

Wow that actually looks interesting. Nice to see Palm getting back in the ring as a real contender.

Wireless Chargers?! Cool!

1/9/2009 10:51:56 PM

android killer for sure.

1/10/2009 12:00:25 AM

I bet the iPhone's SDK is better.

1/10/2009 12:18:59 AM

This is almost exactly what I've been looking for in a "smart phone"...except for one thing. Why the fuck is the keyboard going the short way instead of the long way? I can't press those little ass buttons. I wish Apple would just make an iPhone that also had a sliding keyboard (the long way, with nice wide buttons), now that would be pimp.

1/10/2009 1:36:01 AM

ugh. I cringe at that thought.

1/10/2009 2:07:40 AM

^ Why? A tactile keyboard beats a smudgy-shit touchscreen one in speed and accuracy. If the iphone had a slide-out keyboard I'd get in on that for sure

1/10/2009 3:14:05 AM

This does not really excite me.

1/10/2009 3:30:30 AM

^^For me, one of the biggest appeals of the iPhone is how small and compact it is. Adding any sort of sliding physical keyboard is gonna do nothing but turn it into a brick. Might as well get the Zack Morris cell phone and call it a day. People always whine about the lack of tactile response, and I guess that's just a personal preference, but my personal preference is it's just fine the way it is.

1/10/2009 3:46:28 AM

from the demo looks like a legit competitor. this is coming from an i-phone owner. lots of cool features, sweet GUI, and none of that crippling winmobile shit running under it.
it will have to play catch-up application-wise to iPhone and even to Android though.

1/10/2009 11:06:15 AM

The biggest problem with the iPhone isn't the lack of a physical keyboard, it's that the landscape keyboard doesn't work for every application.

I agree with Talage though -- it'd be nicer if this thing had a sliding landscape keyboard than the one it currently does.

1/10/2009 11:48:13 AM

It only has 8GB of storage, and no removal memory.

1/10/2009 12:31:26 PM

I'd prefer the iPhone's touch screen to those tiny ass keys anyway

1/10/2009 1:02:43 PM

after reading all these comments I was expecting to see something badass. then I clicked on the link and saw what I expected at first...bad and shit.

1/10/2009 1:51:45 PM

JAIK

1/10/2009 1:53:57 PM

Quote :

"I'd prefer the iPhone's touch screen to those tiny ass keys anyway "

I think it's size is its achille's heal. It's quite a bit smaller than the iPhone, and it's UI is a little on the "busy" side, which isn't a good combination.

I just watched Palm's keynote, and their multitasking UI (the "cards") is excellent though. The idea to make the non-screen area by the button touch-sensitive is brilliant as well.

1/10/2009 2:03:49 PM

The keyboard is vertical so that it can be used with one hand unlike the iphone. This phone was designed to be used one handed, which is the the way most people use a phone.

1/10/2009 9:44:35 PM

not sure why every new touch-phone ahs to be an iPhone killer.
It's possible to have healthy competition with several cutting-edge touchscreen smartphones.

1/10/2009 10:35:36 PM

Who says you can't type on the iPhone with one hand?

1/10/2009 10:56:56 PM

^^^you mean you can't type one handed on the iphone? I do that more then two hands.

1/11/2009 12:57:45 PM

i, too, wish i had gone to CES this year.

1/11/2009 1:33:56 PM

Quote :

"The keyboard is vertical so that it can be used with one hand unlike the iphone. This phone was designed to be used one handed, which is the the way most people use a phone."

then whats the point of a QWERTY keyboard?

1/11/2009 6:54:48 PM

I'm still really confused as to what person can't use the iphone one handed? I have no problems typing with my thumb as i hold the phone in the same hand.

1/11/2009 8:07:51 PM

yea.. i do the same all the time.

1/11/2009 8:17:48 PM

ditto and i'm a noob... but for fast 2 thumb typing i just rotate it.

1/11/2009 9:47:13 PM

Sorry, guys. I thought the keyboard was always horizontal. I stand corrected.

1/11/2009 10:44:40 PM

^lol? you made a statement about the iPhone without ever having used one??

1/11/2009 10:56:54 PM

yes, i will have one of these

1/12/2009 7:34:24 AM

Quote :

"I thought the keyboard was always horizontal"

dumbass. have you not even watched the commercials?

1/12/2009 8:13:53 AM

i wish the iphone's keyboard could be horizontal if we rotate the screen in all applications (like email and text messaging). im still new with the iphone but i find myself making a lot of mistakes on the smaller keyboard

1/12/2009 8:25:26 AM

i hate the sideways keyboard but agree it should be an option in all (within reason) apps

1/12/2009 9:08:01 AM

^^It took me a couple of weeks to get the hang of it.

I can type in portrait mode on the iPhone at ~30-35wpm, and landscape mode at close to 50. FAR faster and more accurate than any tactile mobile keyboard I've ever used (granted I do have pudgy fingers).

I don't see the Palm being a big competitor. Like the Blackberry Storm, it has a couple of huge, huge flaws that have been totally glossed over by the PR and bloggers.

Huge Flaw #1: There is no distribution model for 3rd party content (apps, music, etc).
Huge Flaw #2: Tiny Ass screen + touch = disaster.

The Storm's downfall is the absolutely stupid "click" screen. The Palm is going to suffer from no content, and a tacked-on touch experience.

1/12/2009 7:28:34 PM

i can't deal with the touch screen either and this is coming from someone who has to test it.

it's a silly idea for the kids, but some older folk get up in arms about me calling it that.

[Edited on January 12, 2009 at 8:12 PM. Reason : d]

1/12/2009 8:12:39 PM

Quote :

"Huge Flaw #2: Tiny Ass screen + touch = disaster."

I disagree about this. If it were any other OS, i'd agree.

But Palm has gone to great lengths to minimize the issues with this, between the HW keyboard, the cards paradigm, and the "gesture area" by the button, you don't ever need precision in the tapping.

I think what a lot of people don't realize about the iPhone OS is that it's typing correction is very, very good, but it's hard to learn to trust it. ONce you learn to trust it, it works well. Another problem I see a lot of people have is that they get cases that are too thick, and for the edge buttons, they tap too much towards the inside because of the case they chose, and this affects typing.

[Edited on January 12, 2009 at 9:40 PM. Reason : ]

1/12/2009 9:38:57 PM

I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I have serious doubts about the touch capability. Especially with a web browser, where pinpoint accuracy is basically required to navigate.

1/12/2009 9:50:20 PM

^^ i turned off the auto-correction through hacks on my touch and immediately turned it off when i got to the option on my iphone... 1mm thick case FTW http://goincase.com/products/detail/metallic-slider-case-cl59063/3

i'm with Noen and others on this one... i just don't see the Palm and Storm doing much to kill the iPhone... FWIW concerning the clicking screen... i tried out the new macbook pros that have the clicking trackpad and having owned an mbp for a couple years now, i absolutely hate it... one of the things i love about the trackpad on mine is the light tap for clicking; i haven't had a better experience with any other combination

1/12/2009 10:41:02 PM

^ you should learn to love the autocorrection

1/12/2009 10:47:39 PM

nah... 'sides, for texts and IMs i don't want every single word spelled correctly. i've pretty much always hated spell checkers anyway

[Edited on January 12, 2009 at 11:15 PM. Reason : ]

1/12/2009 10:59:08 PM

^^^The macbook pro click pad is entirely different than the Storm click screen.

You don't type on the track pad. And yes it's definitely different, but I like it quite a bit (on the MacBook). If they would just fix the awful keyboards, I'd buy one.

1/13/2009 3:13:07 PM

I guess I could do a little more research, but it's easier asking. Is there a release date for this? Oh cost, too? And is it only going to be with sprint?

[Edited on January 14, 2009 at 12:56 PM. Reason : .]

1/14/2009 12:55:43 PM