I got a Palm Pre a week and a half ago. I'm not usually an early adopter of technology, so this purchase was a bit unusual for me. But to be fair, my contract with Sprint was up so I was looking for a new phone anyway. Here are my initial thoughts:
Pro:
- Google Sync is awesome. I'm really glad to be done with Outlook syncing.
- The operating system seems to block a lot of the options and preferences that were available in Windows Mobile, but I'm seeing this as a positive thing because, like Apple and the iPhone, this device seems to be more about the interface than the hardware or software.
- The default ringtones were composed by UCLA music professor Roger Bourland, and they were recorded live with human musicians.
- There's no stupid little startup sound when you turn on/off the phone.
Con:
- The Notes application, which I used to jot down a few ideas for this review, is quite ugly and stupid. It's growing on me, and the whole "post-it notes on corkboard" idea is cute. But I like order, not cuteness.
- The keyboard is good, but not great. The top row of keys is almost unusable because they're so close to the rest of the phone.
- The speakerphone isn't loud enough.
- Battery life is abysmal. I have to charge it every day, maybe every other day if I hardly use it. Coming from a Treo 700, which I charged maybe once every five days, this is quite a change.
- I often have trouble determining which end of the device is the top. This makes me sound stupid, but my old phone had an antenna and an always-present keyboard, so there was no question.
- The sliding mechanism is a little loose and makes the phone feel kinda cheap.
- There's no way to turn off the data connection, which might have something to do with the abysmal battery life.
- The screen has a slight yellow mark on the lower left corner, and it seems to appear either after extended use or while charging, which makes me think it has something to do with heat and might just be a problem with my particular phone. I might try to get a replacement.
All in all it's a cool phone, and I'm sure it'll get better with software updates and I'll get more used to it over time. #technology |