Thoughts on a Pre
This post is going to be boring for most. It's mostly for me to capture my thoughts on this new fancy device and I'm only putting it in on the off chance someone is considering buying it. You've been warned.
So for the past couple years, I've been using a Blackberry Curve as my phone/micro-computer. When I got it, I thought it was the messiah. And it was, for the time. But since winning crap-loads of money at blackjack on my birthday and buying an iPod Touch, I've seen it in a different light. The hardware is still good (keyboard = fantastic!) but the software is painful. On the other hand, while the Touch is great around the house, the virtual keyboard (which I just can't get used to) and lack of multi-tasking leaves it (or, really, the iPhone) out of the running for my mobile phone desires.
Enter the Palm Pre.
It sounded like the new messiah: Physical keyboard, fun multi-tasking concept, big pretty screen. Hm, could it be the best of both worlds?
Almost.
WHAT I LIKE SO FAR
Multi-tasking.
The method for switching applications and closing them is great. It's ... fun! I love doing it. Sometimes I open applications just so I can throw them away with a swipe.
Size.
When closed, the device is a pretty good size. Maybe a tad small? I haven't carried it around much but so far it feels about right.
Keyboard. Sort of.
The physical keyboard is already much, much, much better than the Touch's virtual keyboard, even with a few caveats. (See below.)
OS Updates.
Updates to the operating system come out frequently and are ridiculously super easy to install. In comparison, updating a Blackberry feels like RIM is a sadistic bunch of assholes bent on torturing us.
Sprint.
This was a surprise, and it's a little premature to judge, but the quality of the calls (on both ends) makes me realize just how bad AT&T is.
Speakerphone and Headset.
Both loud and excellent. The headset has a little button that does things like answer and hang-up, play and pause, and, which I just discovered, a quick double click goes to the next track.
Wi-Fi.
I've gotten use to sitting in my house browsing a small device over our wireless network. It is nice to be able to do that on my phone, too. We'll see how much I go to Wi-Fi outside the house, though.
Web Browser.
The web browser is excellent. There's a neck-and-neck race on between it and Safari on the Touch but the Blackberry browser sprained it's ankle three miles back and someone's walking back with a shotgun to put it down. That alone may be enough for me to commit to the Pre.
Notifications.
Again, like application switching, this is just neat. Email, appointment reminders, connection settings, whatever needs to be alerted shows up unobtrusively and can be ignored, interacted with or dismissed entirely. And there's potential for a lot more. The music application, for example, allows you to play/pause and skip tracks right from the notification area. No need to switch back to the full app.
Flagged Emails!
I can't believe the Blackberry nor the iPhone has the ability to flag an email. How basic a functionality. The Pre has it. Thank you! However, it'd be nice to be able flag without having to go to a menu and to be able to do it from a list. See Gmail for an example.
Synergy.
Palm brings all contacts and calendars into one place and then they combine things that belong together. I had, for some reason, two contacts for my sister. Palm saw them as similar and combined them. Pretty sweet. Same goes with email. You can view all your accounts separately or in one big inbox. Love it.
Silent Switch.
This is a very simple thing that might be one of my favorite features. Being able to silent the phone with a hardware switch is just lovely.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE SO FAR
Sluggishness.
Overall, the device is very quick. There are, however, occasional delays that annoy the shit out of me. Not delays in opening applications -- those are pretty short and kind of expected -- but rather delays in simple things like a tap to open an email or a menu. Did it happen? Should I tap again? They're not horrible but they're enough to frustrate me when they happen.
Unregistered Taps and Swipes.
Since the OS is built around a lot of gestures and taps, it is really frustrating when the device doesn't respond to them. I'm learning how to get the back gesture just right but it's still not as natural as I'd like it to be. The unregistered taps are more concerning, though. A lot of them get the ripple effect that lets me know the system saw it but did nothing. Hopefully, this is something an OS update can fix.
Not Enough Gesture.
Some gestures require much more movement than I'd expect. Deleting an item, for example, requires me to go almost all the way across the screen to complete the action. That's kind of difficult to do with one-hand, which is how I frequently use my phone.
Keyboard. Sort of.
Yes, it's way better than a virtual keyboard but it's no Blackberry keyboard. The keys are cramped and flat, and the rim around the edge makes it difficult to hit the bottom keys. My hands are not that big so I can't imagine someone with big mitts working successfully with it.
Lack Shortcuts.
Maybe this is a Blackberry mindset, although I didn't seem to have this problem with the Touch, but I'm finding tasks like adding a bookmark to be more cumbersome to do. I miss the shortcuts. I think Apple did a better job of providing the right controls at the right time, whereas Palm is relying more heavily on the menu.
Another one: Double-tapping the space bar enters a period. Really miss that one.
A Tiny App Store.
Really tiny. 30 apps. This is hopefully just an early-adopter problem but it really makes the phone less fun. Palm made a huge mistake here. They should have worked with third parties to get a lot more apps ready by launch.
Micro USB.
I know that Europe and a bunch of manufacturers agreed to make this the standard on phones going forward but I have so many adapters, cables, chargers, etc., that work on the mini USB plug. Somewhat luckily, the last car charger I bought is the iGo which has replaceable tips. So it was only $10 to update the car. But still. Boo.
The Charging Port Cover.
Palm fell in love with the idea of this all black, slightly rounded, a little polished stone. And so the device suffered. Yes, it's pretty but having to get that stupid cover off the charging port is such a pain. I have to slide open the device to be able to pry it open. If I keep it, I might tear it off completely. How do you like your shiny black stone now, Palm?!
Small Power Button.
I struggle to find this button without looking. Sure, I can slide out the keyboard but it'd be nice to be able to find that power button by touch easier.
No External Notifications.
The Blackberry has an LED that blinks red when I have a new message or other alert. There's no such functionality on the Pre so I have to turn it on to check. This should be user configurable.
Needs More User Settings.
Task list sorting, sound settings, tweak this, manipulate that. There is a balance between giving the user control over his environment and overwhelming him with options. I think the Pre has gone a bit too far in one direction. There needs to be more user settings.
PDF Viewing in the Browsing.
This one I'm finding a bit inconceivable considering there's a PDF Viewer application built in.
THINGS I NEED TO INVESTIGATE AND THINGS I WANT TO SEE
Battery Life.
It has been reported as being not good. I've only had this thing a day so I can't comment. The Curve had horrible battery life when I got it, too, and I was able to tweak it to where it was excellent. Plus, there are third-party batteries coming out that might solve that problem. We'll see.
Coverage Area.
Sprint has been excellent in the few parts of town I've ventured. We'll see how that extends to the rest of the city and other places I roam.
Build Quality.
I kind of tend to bang up my phones and this device doesn't seem like it's the most superior piece of hardware. Wish it were a little more rubberized to be able to withstand a normal person's normal life.
Marked As Read Not Synced?
This always bothered me on the Blackberry. If I read an email on my desktop or through the web, it was not shown as read on the Blackberry, meaning I had to go through and mark it read again on the phone. I'm seeing mixed results on the Pre. Sometimes it's marked as read, sometimes it isn't. And worse, there isn't anyway to act on a whole set of emails at once as you can on both the Touch and the Blackberry. Something to keep an eye on.
Visual Voicemail.
Dialing up a voicemail system and going through messages one by one, in order, is tedious. Visual voicemail, allowing a user to access voice messages much the same way he does with email, is woefully missing from the Pre. Hopefully an OS update or a third-party app will fix this in the near future. I hear there are already things in the works. Again, time constraints (getting the Pre out before iPhone v3) forced Palm to not put their best foot forward on day one.
OVERALL
I'm a little torn. When I first played with it at a client's offices a month ago, I loved it. Couldn't get enough of it. Now that I have my own, the polish is off a little. I probably should have waited for the second generation device which will undoubtedly solve a lot of issues. On the other hand, the Touch has spoiled me on the potential of a good device. And the frequent and easy OS updates demonstrate a path to greatness. Yes, there are a few hardware issues that will never be solved but I might also just get used to them.
I think I'll keep it but I have 30 days (er, 29...) to judge both Sprint and the Pre.