Palm Pre

6/10

320 x 480 display
HP WebOS
QWERTY, Touchscreen
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Speakerphone
GPS
View full specs

Palm has run the gamut from being on top of the tech world with a popular PDA product line, to falling deeply behind in the brutal cell phone industry and from being the inventor of the touchscreen to lacking the imagination to fully exploit it.

Most of the headlines about Palm over the past few years have asked why, wHY, WHY!, they have been unable to release the brand new, slick, modern OS that had been long rumored and so filled with promise.

Well, finally, they have, and after a long climb back from the abyss and considerable hype, Palm has released the Pre. So what’s the verdict?

Let’s take a look.

The Palm Pre is a slick, sexy CDMA slider that runs on the new WebOS, a powerful operating system which, combined with a smooth touch user interface, creates a wonderful experience. Even a brief interaction with this phone and you realize you’re working with a powerful, fun device.

When closed, users will be amazed at how the touch interface allows them to access multiple applications, from tasks to social networking sites, all of which can be open and running simultaneously. This is a critical and wonderful feature of the Pre, because users are truly “in the moment” when interacting with their device. The Palm Pre allows you to participate, interact and control all at the same time.

The 3.1 inch, 320 x 480 pixel resolution screen is beautiful, rendering a deep rainbow of colors accurately and beautifully. Kudos to Palm for producing a high-quality screen that users will enjoy and one that holds its own against the finer smartphones on the market.

The full QWERTY keypad allows for quick, comfortable texting and, while it isn’t the best, most contoured/sculptured keypad on the market, it does its job very well.

So, what can you add to a high-end screen, touch interface, fully updated OS and good looks? How about a 3 megapixel camera with flash, stereo Bluetooth, WiFi, 8 GB of internal memory and microUSB, which is the new porting standard.

The Palm Pre is rated at five hours of talk time and up to 250 hours of standby time. Keep in mind that these ratings are extremely subjective and depend on personal use.

The downside to the Pre is that many have complained that the build materials are not top-notch, that the device doesn’t have the same hearty in-the-hand feel as, say, and iPhone or BlackBerry.

That said, the Palm Pre has plans for its own App store, and the phone will appeal to many users, especially a younger demographic, who have decided that touchscreen interfaces are the way to go.

If you are looking for a powerful slider that can run multiple applications simultaneously, has a wonderful screen and a powerful processor, take a serious look at the Palm Pre.

Prices (Where To Buy)

Palm Pre - Black (Rogers Wireless) Smartphone from eBay

•Condition: New
•Availability: In Stock
•Carrier: Rogers Wireless
•Located In: Canada

$202.76

Palm Pre Black Bell, Nice Phone (#3628) from eBay

•Condition: Used
•Availability: In Stock
•Carrier: Bell Atlantic Mobile
•Located In: Canada

$38.00

Palm Pre 2 - 16 GB & Black - (Verizon) Smartphone from eBay

•Condition: Refurbished
•Availability: In Stock
•Carrier: Verizon
•Located In: Canada

$51.07

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Latest Reviews

Not worth the money or time

kb_12523 (about 1 year ago)

0/10

Both my wife and I got this about two years ago, thank goodness that we got the warranty because my wife has had to send hers in three or four times and I have had to send mine in twice, for screen issues, button issues, and both for just randomly deciding to not work in any way shape or form. Right... More

Not the best phone

Kelsey_69699 (about 1 year ago)

3/10

I got this phone because i liked the look of it, and it worked great for a while. Then suddenly after 5 months, it kept freezing, then the phone went "offline" and would not start back up. I read that a lot of people are having this problem, and the only solution is for the company to give... More

Hate it

Paulette M (over 2 years ago)

0/10

Cheap brittle case. cracks easily. Long time speaker issues which Palm has never fixed . check the reviews. palm service wants to charge for everything . wish I had checked the reviews. never would have got it. missing common features , no voice activation. screen is skitzy.will not accept a lot of... More

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