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Delima....iPhone vs. Pre

SomeFknGuy

SomeFknGuy

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Here is my semi-moral delima... And i cannot find a good reason to stick with sprint sans the pre... Ive never been able to use the pre personally, however i do like the interface on the iphone, and will more than likely get a 3gs. of those who have used both, which do you consider to be a better choice? The plan i have now with sprint runs me $79 a month after taxes, the cheapest iphone plan the store said i could get with the same features, 89 before taxes....would it be worth upgrading to the iphon? i could probably afford the extra cash...but...the pre would cost no extra....hence the dilema...
 
I've used both, tested out the Pre the week it was release plus my boss has one. It's good phone, no doubt. Not perfect, but neither is the iPhone. Things to consider are potential discounts your company may get with either carrier. Have you looked into it? I know I get 19% with Verizon, 15% with AT&T, and 14.6% with sprint (cept for the 99.00 everthing plan). Verizon gives me the biggest and best, it's 19% on all while AT&T only does my voice plan.

I pay $84.00 a month (tax included) for my iPhone with 900 minutes, 200 text messages, and the data plan. If I was with Sprint I would get the unlimited voice plan more than likely but I'd also have GPS navigation & unlimited text included with that. Price wise I think Sprint is clearly better all-in-all.

Coverage wise AT&T has better overall coverage in our area compared to Sprint but Sprint has better 3g coverage. Sprints network doesn't extend far from it's 3g coverage in my area and then roams on Verizon's 1x network.

AT&T recently upgraded the network in my area and I pull 2Mbps in 3g coverage now so network speed in 3g coverage goes to AT&T, but 3g coverage goes to Sprint.

In the end I stuck with my 3gs for the more developed App store, better keyboard(subjective), and better construction. The Pre can multitask so if that's important then know that the iPhone can't unless you perform questionable mods to your iPhone.
I'll look at future Palm phones with WebOS because I think it's flat sexy and is more advanced than the iPhones OS in many ways. If future handsets have better construction and a better keyboard (again for my preference) then I'll give them another strong consideration.
Be patient though, HTC Hero is due to be released in the US later this year and looks to be an impressive phone. Android is pretty solid and has somewhere around 5k apps according to Apple. I know 50k is > than 5k but 5k still isn't anything to sneeze at. Remember that 85% of all iPhone apps are about looking at bikini girls or making fake fart noises LOL.
To sum it up, Business oriented get a Pre, fun oriented get an iPhone so long as you don't mind the Edge network. There are times I'm in the heart of 3g coverage and my phone defaults to Edge :(
 
Pretty honest write up there concerning the Pre. I've only spent a bit of time w/ the new iPhone and lived w/ the Pre's for 4 days, but couldn't get past the cheap feel of the Pre and it's cramped keyboard.
 
Thanks Jodiuh, I try to not get fan boyish over these types of things. Sounds like we both had similar issues with the Pre that turned us away. I can tell you that my boss loves his phone and is a die hard Sprint user pulling in over 3000 minutes a month. I completely understand how TCO is much lower with Sprint for him. He reports that the keyboard gets better over time with use. He emails from it all day every day. Considering that he's head of the IT department, Scheduling department, and Distance Education you can imagine that he gets a lot of email traffic.
I do just fine for my plan with AT&T and have accumulated around 3000 rollover minutes with them in a short amount of time. I am considering a bump to my text plan, getting close each month to reaching 200. All my friends / family are Verizon so they call me less and less and text instead.
 
michaelkahl tyvm for that write up, that is exactly the kind of thing i was looking for. Im not really business oriented i just want something that renders websites well and has useful/cool apps... I am very happy with my blackberry but i want something touchscreen that also handles music better. Thank you again for that writeup
 
I bought the pre on release and returned it a week later. Good phone, i just got a shitty one with dead pixels and the image was faded/distorted at the bottom due to overheating. The battery life was pretty lousy but I could have dealt with it. I did love the pebble feel but all in all I just wasnt really satisfied. I really just want an iPhone. the iPhone imo is still the leading phone
 
I had the same dilemma with my Pre, but I still tried to give it a good chance. I'm not saying that you didn't, so please don't take me wrong. I'm sure you did. Seems like a lot of people had problems with dead pixels and the battery heat issues.
My boss was lucky and doesn't have either, I guess in the same way I'm lucky on my 3gs. I have a white 16gb but haven't had any heat issues. Still white as can be. The other day I had it streaming Pandora for over 6 hours in the car, so if that didn't generate enough continuous use while enclosed in my Otterbox case then I guess I don't know how to generate that kind of heat.
 
I also have used both now... I got a 3gs as a personal phone (first iPhone) the day of release, and a Pre as a work phone two days prior. I've been carrying and using both to varying degrees since.

Both have strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day, there is no question in my mind that the iPhone is the more polished device right now and the one I use the most.

Pre - Pros
- The screen isn't better than the iPhone's but it is in parity with it, which counts for a lot
- I think the messaging app is fairly solid
- The card interface is the best task manager I've used in 30 years of computing
- Phone reception has been excellent. Sprint's customer service is atrocious, but I have to admit that the network itself is solid.

Pre - Cons
- It feels cheap. Each week I've had it, it's started to feel progressively weaker at the slider mechanism, and now I am starting to feel some creaks.
- It feels slow. I am split between Palm and Apple on the multi-app issue. I believe mobile devices should have multitasking, which the Pre does and the iPhone doesn't. I don't believe we need multithreading however, and the threaded nature of the Pre definitely slows it down.
- The screen is small. At first I liked the smaller form factor, but in retrospect I can read and use the larger screen of the iPhone more easily.
- The keyboard is crappy. I don't know how else to put it. I'm all for a physical keyboard. But after years of Blackberry and Treo devices, this keyboard feels like a cheap knockoff. It's too small, lacks proper tactile sensation and is hard to see.
- Where are the apps?
- Touch interface is flasky. It's rather often that I have to take two or three swipes before the Pre registers my action.

iPhone - Cons
- The speaker is kind of quiet
- A multitasking environment that at least preserves state would be welcome
- The storage firewall (not being able to save files from apps to local storage) does feel a bit frustrating.
- AT&T reception hands down is the biggest con. I travel quite a bit, to various large metro areas, and I've had dropped calls in all of them so far... Chicago, SF, Austin since buying the phone, as well as my hometown Detroit.

iPhone - Pros
- This list would be too long. This is among perhaps the three most polished consumer electronics devices I've owned in my life. When I use it I don't feel like I'm using a smartphone, I feel like I'm using a device that presages consumer electronics of the next two decades.
 
I'd also add that it's worth noting, no matter what you choose, how ancient all of these new mobile OS platforms make Windows Mobile seem. I fiddled with my HTC "Mogul" a few days ago and my goodness, it was like stepping back a decade.
 
I love my Pre but I've only had it for about a week. The unlimited data/gps navigation is definitely a plus and the nightly data backups. The apps are pretty weak but Pandora (radio online) is pretty awesome and the restaurant locator is good if you like haute cuisine.
 
Glad your enjoying it, I'm definitely interested to see where WebOS and Android go in the months to come :)
 
Also, FWIW, I found the iPod Touch's 3.5" paired w/ my Etymotic ER6i's to be lifeless and dull. Picked up a Sony Walkman NWZ-S616 and couldn't be happier w/ it's much warmer and musical signature. Actually, got a matching arm band for my runs yesterday!
 
I want more Pre's available but what would be really nice are android phones on Sprint.

I've been with Sprint for 9yrs maybe 10 and they always have GOOD (usually great quality) phones, but never any of the latest or BEST phones. The Pre was a good step with them.

I just handled one today and thought it was a very slick interface. The charging feature of it was cool, the menu was easy to understand. The sliding feature of phones are always a concern. They do weaken over time. And the keyboard definitely is small, poor feedback on it, and was odd typing and trying to hold the phone comfortably.
 
Feels like its gonna flip out of ur micro death grip, doesn't it?
 
Im an iPhone user and for some reason the Pre never appealed to me. The Pre is more for the business oriented crowd. I've had sprint and loved the service but there is just something about the iPhone i just love.
 
I played with a Pre the other day. I didn't realize it was that small. It feels like a smooth rock in my hand. It's nice, but not worth it.
 
I was surprised by the size as well. I can see were it's nice sometimes, but not so much other times. It's about the size of just the iPhone's screen when closed.
 
I was going to get the Pre and use my 23% company discount that Sprint was offering. But then my brother and father convinced me to go with the 3GS under one family plan along with my wife. So we have 4 3GS phones on one plan split evenly with my wife's 15% discount. I don't care for ATT's coverage compared to what I had with sprint. I did like the Pre a lot. Didn't care for the keyboard but I figured that I'd be able to get used to it. The big difference being that whatever phone I would end up getting would be my first smartphone so learning curve is equal for both in my opinion.

I heard from friends who tried to convince earlier to get the iphone instead of the 3GS. But they are also die hard Apple fanboys. Their biggest push was all the apps available for the iphone. As if I would even use 1% of those apps. My rebuttle to them was that Microsoft Windows has the most programs available so should they be using Windows instead of OS X based on that reasoning? That usually shuts them up. hehehe.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. I like both. I ended up with the 3GS. IF Palm had made the keyboard in landscape mode, then I'd most likely would have gone with the PRE and the huge discount with Sprint.
 
I might have one Pre on my account if it could be used with older plans. Unfortunately, Sprint requires that every Pre owner upgrade to the new "Everything Data" plans, which start at $69.99/mo for individuals and $129.99/mo for families. If you are going to spend that much on phone service, then imo, you should just get the iPhone since the monthly cost is virtually identical for a single Pre/iPhone on an individual or family plan.

If your family wants three Pre's or some combination of Pre's and Blackberries, then there is significant cost savings on Sprint. The Sprint "Everything Data" plan includes unlimited data and sms for every phone on the account -- there is no extra data charge to have a second or third Pre or Blackberry on your account. In contrast, AT&T makes you buy a separate $30 data plan (and sms) for every iPhone and Blackberry.

I got a Blackberry Tour after trying the Pre, and am very satisfied with it. For me, the decision was easy because I was able to add the Tour to my older Sprint family plan. I pay about $70/mo total for a Tour, two other phones, 450 minutse, unlimited data and sms on the Tour, 500 sms per month on the other phones, and unlimited calling after 6pm and on weekends.
 
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I would certainly go for the iPhone. I used to have sprint a couple years ago, and really liked them, but ended up having to break my contract and leave because not only was the formerly awesome customer service just worthless, coverage was dicey at best where it used to be great.

I really like my iPhone, mainly because it works exactly like it should work to me. When people ask me why i like it, I simply say "because it works just like in the commercials". It sounds silly, but I think it's a great way to show how good it is.

However, a lot of people seem to be having problems with ATT. I have never had anything but good experiences with ATT through both network and customer service. I also like that the vast majority of people I talk to are on the same network and thus don't burn up minutes. I think I am one of the lucky people who have never had any problems with ATT's network, so it's a toss up.

I agree with what some of the other posters say and check to see if you have any discounts with each carrier.

I've not had any experience with the Pre, but the iPhone is my first Apple device and I really am impressed. Network-wise, I'd have to give it to ATT over Sprint in my experience. Plus, I fear for Sprint's longevity since they seem to be hermorraging money.
 
the app store is oh so good. srsly. however, if that factors into your decision for purchasing the iphone, don't forget to take into the cost of apps. i've a few friends who spend $5 a month on new apps. i spent $12 in the month that i had my iphone for. it adds up quickly!

so many apps that i liked but i just couldn't stand the keyboard (my fingers are short and stubby). i would definitely recommend going into an apple store and giving the keyboard a go. it does get better after a bit of use, but i couldn't stand it and i gave up after a month. currently using a blackberry bold.
 
The Pre app store will grow and the Android app store is pretty mature. I expect developers of extremely useful apps to start turning their attention in these directions. Especially given the recent events of Apple rejecting and removing previously approved apps on a whim. Jailbreaking is about the only way to go with the iPhone so you can really start to utilize the hardware.
 
My brother has the Pre. He likes it, but agrees with those who believe it "feels" cheap. He's been with Nextel/Sprint since 1995 so he's sticking with them. I finally decided on the iPhone, yesterday. I was hoping the HTC Hero would be THE phone for me, but some recent reviews deflated my enthusiasm. I've played with the 3GS in my local Apple store and think it's the way to go for me. Should receive it next week. :)
 
I played with the Pre quite a bit. It's the only phone that rivals the iPhone's touchscreen quality. The keyboard really sucks ass though. And, again, it feels cheap. The iPhone is the better phone.
 
Agreed. Now who wants to trade me their iPhone 3GS for my Tour? :D
 
Frankly, after knowing a few friends w/an iPhone and owning an iPod touch... I don't think I could ever live with one myself. Apple just has far too much control over the entire environment, it's part of what makes it great, but it's also something that runs very contrary to the tweaker and enthusiast in me. Every time they switch encryption to screw over 3rd party sync programs and jailbreak methods or every time they mess around w/the availability of different apps on their store I cringe a lil'.

Hell, even the way they drag their feet w/updates and the way the Apple/AT&T relationship has shackled the device just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I don't think we've got anything resembling the perfect smartphone yet, but I think someone else is eventually gonna get there before Apple, despite whatever UI/mass-market strides they've made. /shrug The only way I see Apple achieving the same kind of dominance w/smartphones as they have w/MP3 players is if none of the other app stores catch on (sort of what happened w/iTunes and iPods?).

I've messed around w/a few BBs, WinMo devices, and Nokia E-series... I haven't used the Pre yet, so take it for what it's worth... More of an anti-Apple than pro-anyting commentary, I don't necessarily have anything against Apple per se (altho the iPod touch was the first Apple device I've bought in the last ten years), looking forward to future Android/WebOS devices tho. In the end I think the iPhone does some things exceedingly well compared even to the Pre, it just doesn't do a few things that I want out of a smartphone, stuff that will always be deal breakers.

I think in this sense I have the opposite stance than I do w/my TiVo... I still prefer it to an HTPC because it's dead simple and very trouble free, when I sit down to watch TV I never wanna mess w/UI skins, servers, codecs, etc. Even if most of it is initial setup, I'd be messing with all of it ever so often anyway. I want a lot more outta my phone though. I haven't managed to upgrade my iPod touch to 3.0 because I refuse to go back to iTunes to sync my library and they broke pretty much every 3rd party sync program w/the last OS release, sigh.
 
Ah, iTunes. I cannot stand that piece of software. Really, the only reason I'd want an iPhone over my Tours for the browser and games. But the more I think about, the Tour does a superb job of being a great phone and messaging device. I wouldn't mind trying out an iPhone tho.
 
Many people have wrote long elaborate posts about the phones. Let me just tell you that once you get an iPhone you will soon think to yourself "Yes, this is what a piece of technology is suppose to feel/look/be like." Couldn't be happier with the iPhone 3GS after switching from a MotoQ. The iPhone is SOOOO much more than a cell phone. When you are sitting on your couch controlling the mouse on your HTPC from the Hippo Remote app, you will feel like you have finally arrived in the 21st century. When you drop your iPhone into some speakers and listen to a local radio station across the country (ooTunes) or pandora in your car, you will feel like you have finally arrived in the 21st century. When you sneak into the bathroom at work to play some games on the john or when you pull up MLB.tv and watch the ball game while in your car, you will feel .... well you get the point. The iPhone is waaayyy more than a phone.
 
RHollister said:
Many people have wrote long elaborate posts about the phones. Let me just tell you that once you get an iPhone you will soon think to yourself "Yes, this is what a piece of technology is suppose to feel/look/be like." Couldn't be happier with the iPhone 3GS after switching from a MotoQ. The iPhone is SOOOO much more than a cell phone. When you are sitting on your couch controlling the mouse on your HTPC from the Hippo Remote app, you will feel like you have finally arrived in the 21st century. When you drop your iPhone into some speakers and listen to a local radio station across the country (ooTunes) or pandora in your car, you will feel like you have finally arrived in the 21st century. When you sneak into the bathroom at work to play some games on the john or when you pull up MLB.tv and watch the ball game while in your car, you will feel .... well you get the point. The iPhone is waaayyy more than a phone.
Click to expand...
This post reminds me of this more than any other in the thread.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/apple_claims_new_iphone_only

Please tell me you're not driving with MLB.tv on.
 
RHollister said:
Many people have wrote long elaborate posts about the phones. Let me just tell you that once you get an iPhone you will soon think to yourself "Yes, this is what a piece of technology is suppose to feel/look/be like." Couldn't be happier with the iPhone 3GS after switching from a MotoQ. The iPhone is SOOOO much more than a cell phone. When you are sitting on your couch controlling the mouse on your HTPC from the Hippo Remote app, you will feel like you have finally arrived in the 21st century. When you drop your iPhone into some speakers and listen to a local radio station across the country (ooTunes) or pandora in your car, you will feel like you have finally arrived in the 21st century. When you sneak into the bathroom at work to play some games on the john or when you pull up MLB.tv and watch the ball game while in your car, you will feel .... well you get the point. The iPhone is waaayyy more than a phone.
Click to expand...
Someone here works for Apple... or wants to.

The MacBook Pro doesn't have a 9800M GT. ;)
 
When your home's over ridden by zombies and you leave for the mountains, but can't get a signal...
 
I went from working for Sprint (and being a beta tester for the Pre) to owning an iPhone, so here goes:

Network: In the northeast, Sprint wins hands down. Florida as well. Anywhere else, YMMV.

Build Quality: iPhone. No contest. The build quality is what made me leave Sprint and pay $50 more per month with a lesser network in AT&T. The Pre is just horrible, or at least it was for the first 2 months of release. Haven't played with it the past 2 weeks.

OS: Pre. WebOS is everything the iPhone should have been. Yes, the App Store is stocked which is a major plus for Apple, but that took a whole year. WebOS should hopefully be covered there within a few months. Apps aside, WebOS is fantastic, feels very refined, Palm really scored big here. A lack of multitasking REALLY hurts apple, and it surprised me how big of a deal it was. I always tried to keep as few tasks open as possible, but you realize just how much you need it when your phone doesn't have it.

That being said, they're both GREAT phones. And KenF, while the Pre and iPhone START at $70, it's hard to compare the unlimited plans, $99 vs $160.
 
RHollister said:
Many people have wrote long elaborate posts about the phones. Let me just tell you that once you get an iPhone you will soon think to yourself "Yes, this is what a piece of technology is suppose to feel/look/be like." Couldn't be happier with the iPhone 3GS after switching from a MotoQ. The iPhone is SOOOO much more than a cell phone. When you are sitting on your couch controlling the mouse on your HTPC from the Hippo Remote app, you will feel like you have finally arrived in the 21st century. When you drop your iPhone into some speakers and listen to a local radio station across the country (ooTunes) or pandora in your car, you will feel like you have finally arrived in the 21st century. When you sneak into the bathroom at work to play some games on the john or when you pull up MLB.tv and watch the ball game while in your car, you will feel .... well you get the point. The iPhone is waaayyy more than a phone.
Click to expand...

With the possible exception of the first example (there does seem to be a lot more HTPC/remote-related apps for the iPhone than other phones/OS), none of that really seems exclusive to the iPhone at all. I mean my el cheapo phone can work as an easily programmable Bluetooth remote for my PC (and it probably responds faster than a WiFi one w/o requiring LoS like an IR one)... Plenty of games, radio apps, and special programming or slingbox/type stuff elsewhere too.

The iPhone's got the app store going for it (for now) and a semi idiot-proof interface that puts more emphasis on slick than actual usabilty imo... And build quality I guess, though personally this isn't that high on my list. How a device 'feels' and how well it's actually constructed can be two very different things (same way it applies to the OS UI).

I'm not saying the Pre or anything else is clearly superior, I think I said it before, I don't see a clear winner yet nor anything even remotely close to perfect (for the stuff we do today, let alone what we want to ask of the device in the future)... And I don't think a single device will ever be for everyone, things like physical/vs touch keyboards will always be very subjective for one.

I just don't like the direction Apple's going in...
 
Here's my suggestion and I am in the same boat as the OP as well, but idk if I want to stick with Sprint or go to AT&T b/c of the iPhone. I currently have the Samsung Instinct and before that I had the HTC Touch Pro, and I have always liked Windows Mobile phones just because of the sheer amount of user created apps and flexibility with WIndows Mobile.

Now, Sprint is coming out with the Touch Pro 2 this year as well as the new Instince S50 and the HTC Hero. The Hero is the first phone in a long time i'm really looking forward to and I think I might just end up waiting for that instead on jumping on the iPhone bandwagon. The new Pre which I have used just does not feel right to me compared to the rest of the phones Sprint has had (I used to work for Sprint). I like the interface and the virtually lag-less multitasking is impressive. But the feel of the phone worries me. It feels like the lower half of the phone (the keyboard half) is about 1/3 of the weight of the top half and for some reason just feels, for lack of a better word... cheap. The screen is really impressive and the OS is nice, but in my opinion Android is going to be the next big mobile OS probably rivaling Winmo. One of the only reasons I don't want the Pre is because of future expandability (and b/c I want the Hero instead). WebOS may be cool, but I don't think we're going to see widespread app support for it like Winmo and Android. I would look at longevity, and Andoid is being put in a lot of upcoming smartphones for all carriers. Android is more future proof imo.

I personally have always used WIndows Mobile handsets, but I never liked the integration of the phone itself into the OS. The HTC Touch Pro 2 I believe is going to have Windows Mobile 6.5 which will be much more touch-screen friendly which Windows Mobile in my opinion never really was. But perhaps it's improved enough to be worth mentioning, but i'm glad Android has come around like it has because I am tired of Windows Mobile. The HTC Hero (engadget.com has a review of it) is going to be awesome imo. Anyway, go do some research on it (i've done a lot) and decide what phone will suit you best.

I've handled all the phones i've talked about except the upcoming ones obviously and my suggestion to you would be to wait until the Hero comes out for Sprint (October 1st) to see if you want to switch.
 
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