Review: Palm Pre Part 5 Final Thoughts

Interested? Check out the Palm Pre here!

Palm Discovery would like to extend a BIG THANKS to Sarah McConnell and Amy Clark of Environics Communications for providing the product for this review.

Review Summary

The next generation smartphone device from Palm, the Palm Pre has certainly lived up to the hype. Unlike previous attempts and models that failed to excite and garner attention, I think the Pre should be worth a closer look. Many of the features that Palm fans have been screaming for years are now finally found on the Palm Pre. There’s the built-in GPS, 3MP camera with BUILT-IN FLASH, 3.1 inch 320×480 touch screen with slide out keyboard, built-in Wi-Fi, multitasking capability, Palm synergy multi-calendar support, auto rotate and much more. The operating system seems fairly robust even when several programs are running in the background. The display is beautiful, even in direct sunlight which is very impressive. Aside from its elongated shape and looks with the extended keyboard which I still have difficulty liking, its cramped keyboard and cheap looking plastic keys, and no expansion card support, I still enjoyed my limited time with the Palm Pre and would definitely consider getting a GSM version of the smartphone when it becomes available.

When compared to previous Palm devices and models, the Palm Pre stands out with features that have finally arrived but is it too late? If there were ever a Palm branded device to rival the iPhone, the Palm Pre may very well be it. It offers much of the features found on the iPhone with the added benefit of a full QWERTY keyboard, plus the added bonus of the multi-calendar support and multitasking. So why should anyone get an iPhone when the Pre does pretty much the same and more? Hmm. I’m not sure. Will the Palm Pre be the device that gets Palm back on top? I don’t know. I do know that it’s a very fascinating and fun device and I really enjoyed using it during my short experience with it. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who previously wasn’t interested in it at all, if that says anything. I also do think that Palm is finally doing some right things with the overhaul in design, marketing, etc. If history has shown us anything, things can happen and fortunes can change really quick.

So, what do you think? Do you think the Palm Pre will take back some thunder from the iPhone? Why or why not? If you own an iPhone what do you think makes it better than the Pre? And if you have a Pre, what makes you think that it’s better than the iPhone. Please share your thoughts about these and other related topics in the comments below. Thanks!

This concludes the final part of a 5 part review of the Palm Pre smartphone. If you didn’t read from the beginning, you can check out Part 1 which provides an overview of the device, Part 2 covered the software portion of the smartphone, Part 3 covered the camera and compares images taken by the Nokia E71, Treo 750 and Palm Pre, Part 4 offered my observations of features I liked and did not like about the Palm Pre.

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