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Palm Pre Plus vs. iPhone

whisper

whisper

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Messages
466
Hey all,

I've been checking out reviews of the new Palm Pre Plus on Verizon but I never make any serious purchasing decisions without running it by all you guys here. In a nutshell it looks pretty sweet, and it works with Verizon which I am currently locked into a contract with anyway (though I could break it, of course, for a fee). The biggies for me seem to be the multitasking abilities, relatively decent browser rivaling the iPhone (and soon to have Flash capability from what I understand), and the mobile hotspot which I think is a great option. With that, I could hop on my laptop or iPod Touch practically anywhere.

Now the downside seems to be the lack of a comprehensive media application like the iPhone's iPod app. I am a long time user of iTunes and have most of my music and movies there, and in sync with AppleTV and iPod Touch.

Anyone out there currently using the Palm Pre Plus and willing to provide honest commentary? Are you completely satisfied or still wishing you had an iPhone? I have been reluctant since the beginning to switch to AT&T and continue to hear first had feedback about iPhone users who love the device but miss all their calls due to lousy coverage. I'm really leaning toward the Pre...

Thanks all!!
 
Well, you can sync the Pre with your music using mediaMonkey or Songbird, (or an old iTunes version).

That being said, I went from the iPhone to the Pre, and then the Hero. The Pre's browser is 2nd best right now, just under the iPhone's, IMHO. The Pre's WebOS seems to be what the iPhone's OS SHOULD have been, it's very slick and refined, and Palm fully supports Homebrew, which is sort of like jailbreaking.
 
whisper said:
Hey all,

I've been checking out reviews of the new Palm Pre Plus on Verizon but I never make any serious purchasing decisions without running it by all you guys here. In a nutshell it looks pretty sweet, and it works with Verizon which I am currently locked into a contract with anyway (though I could break it, of course, for a fee). The biggies for me seem to be the multitasking abilities, relatively decent browser rivaling the iPhone (and soon to have Flash capability from what I understand), and the mobile hotspot which I think is a great option. With that, I could hop on my laptop or iPod Touch practically anywhere.

Now the downside seems to be the lack of a comprehensive media application like the iPhone's iPod app. I am a long time user of iTunes and have most of my music and movies there, and in sync with AppleTV and iPod Touch.

Anyone out there currently using the Palm Pre Plus and willing to provide honest commentary? Are you completely satisfied or still wishing you had an iPhone? I have been reluctant since the beginning to switch to AT&T and continue to hear first had feedback about iPhone users who love the device but miss all their calls due to lousy coverage. I'm really leaning toward the Pre...

Thanks all!!
Click to expand...

the iphone has multitasking with proswitcher, so look into that. if the pre gets flash then that will be a big pro for a pre. you can tether with pdanet on the iphone. and I'm not a fan of mediamonkey.

I really wanted a pre too, but proswitcher is almost like pre multitasking.
 
Gabe3 said:
the iphone has multitasking with proswitcher, so look into that. if the pre gets flash then that will be a big pro for a pre. you can tether with pdanet on the iphone. and I'm not a fan of mediamonkey.

I really wanted a pre too, but proswitcher is almost like pre multitasking.
Click to expand...

Except on WebOS, the programs continue to run in the background. That's essential for multitasking to work effectively.
 
Proswitcher is a jailbreak app that works with backgrounder that allows the programs to run in the background and the easy switching of WebOS. It's pretty slick, but not as fast as WebOS does multitasking.
 
Peteman100 said:
Except on WebOS, the programs continue to run in the background. That's essential for multitasking to work effectively.
Click to expand...
you should go read up on proswitcher.

anthrex said:
Proswitcher is a jailbreak app that works with backgrounder that allows the programs to run in the background and the easy switching of WebOS. It's pretty slick, but not as fast as WebOS does multitasking.
Click to expand...
what do you mean not as fast? its instant switching on my 3GS. I've had pandora playing music as well as tomtom GPS and several other apps running and everything is speedy. in fact I haven't had to wait more than a second for anything to open on my 3GS, besides websites to load.
 
I have the Pre and overall I love it. The multi-tasking is great, the browser and touch response is just under the iphones, the OS is better IMO, I wish I coulda have webOS with the apple hardware, which brings me to the Pres shortcomings...

The build quality could be better.. and its the main reason making me want something else eventually. I love the pre, but I am hoping to get some HD2 variant.

I forgot to mention I had the original iphone for 2 years before I got the pre, I got rid of the iphone just because I got bored with it, I am still not blown away as far as what cellphones have done since I got the original iphone on launch day, I like WebOS more than the iphone OS and I like the iphones build quality MUCH more than the my Pre.
 
wrxdrunkie said:
I have the Pre and overall I love it. The multi-tasking is great, the browser and touch response is just under the iphones, the OS is better IMO, I wish I coulda have webOS with the apple hardware, which brings me to the Pres shortcomings...

The build quality could be better.. and its the main reason making me want something else eventually. I love the pre, but I am hoping to get some HD2 variant.

I forgot to mention I had the original iphone for 2 years before I got the pre, I got rid of the iphone just because I got bored with it, I am still not blown away as far as what cellphones have done since I got the original iphone on launch day, I like WebOS more than the iphone OS and I like the iphones build quality MUCH more than the my Pre.
Click to expand...

I'd also love to see webOS running on some other hardware, it has the opposite problem the HD2 has:p
 
Agreed, Gabe. WebOS on iPhone hardware with a better radio, and it'd be the perfect phone. Make it CDMA and make it the metal iPhone and I'd be even happier.
 
I'm getting a "red-headed stepchild" vibe whenever I look at a WebOS phone since the popular app support seems so lackluster. It's not fair to compare to the iPhone app library, but I have a Blackberry Storm. I always considered my Storm to be neglected app-wise, but at least there's a (half-functional) native Facebook client, and it can do Yahoo, Google, AIM, and MSN instant messaging out of the box. When I look on say, precentral, I see a lot of "well there's a semi-functional homebrew which you can install with preware." I'm just not feeling the love with solutions like this.

It's a shame since I was tinkering with a Pre Plus last week at the Verizon Store and it seemed like a cool phone (except for the keypad which I totally couldn't get used to). I would not want to get stuck on a 2-year contract with something that has a lot of potential but ends up just being a phone with a browser.
 
entropism said:
Agreed, Gabe. WebOS on iPhone hardware with a better radio, and it'd be the perfect phone. Make it CDMA and make it the metal iPhone and I'd be even happier.
Click to expand...

I'd rather see it in GSM, i prefer those since they are unlockable. Everything else sounds good though.
 
I've been looking forward to the GSM version of the Pre for a while now... I still like it's form factor a bit better than most of the Android phones that have been released, even if app support in the future is probably gonna favor Android. I'm not terribly concerned, day to day I doubt I'd end up using very many apps outside of the basic IM/e-mail/FB clients... A VNC app would be a nice plus tho.

One feature or app I definitely wouldn't wanna live w/o is the ability to tether the phone over BT (hacked or otherwise), I've grown far too addicted to that w/my netbook... Even tho my current phone isn't even 3G.
 
SuperSubZero said:
I'm getting a "red-headed stepchild" vibe whenever I look at a WebOS phone since the popular app support seems so lackluster. It's not fair to compare to the iPhone app library, but I have a Blackberry Storm. I always considered my Storm to be neglected app-wise, but at least there's a (half-functional) native Facebook client, and it can do Yahoo, Google, AIM, and MSN instant messaging out of the box. When I look on say, precentral, I see a lot of "well there's a semi-functional homebrew which you can install with preware." I'm just not feeling the love with solutions like this.

It's a shame since I was tinkering with a Pre Plus last week at the Verizon Store and it seemed like a cool phone (except for the keypad which I totally couldn't get used to). I would not want to get stuck on a 2-year contract with something that has a lot of potential but ends up just being a phone with a browser.
Click to expand...

I get yahoo, google, and aim out of the box. MSN i think can be done with a lil homebrew and a plugin. It took about six months, but i'm pretty quick. I suspect iphone 4.0 though will integrate alot of the pres key features.
 
Impulse said:
I've been looking forward to the GSM version of the Pre for a while now... I still like it's form factor a bit better than most of the Android phones that have been released, even if app support in the future is probably gonna favor Android. I'm not terribly concerned, day to day I doubt I'd end up using very many apps outside of the basic IM/e-mail/FB clients... A VNC app would be a nice plus tho.

One feature or app I definitely wouldn't wanna live w/o is the ability to tether the phone over BT (hacked or otherwise), I've grown far too addicted to that w/my netbook... Even tho my current phone isn't even 3G.
Click to expand...

If you jump on the Pre train, lemme know. I tether via wifi, BT, etc.
 
Well, my Pre Plus will probably be going back. It's easily my favorite phone on Verizon. But the battery life's really awful. The other issues that bug me are the closing fast = reboot, blotchy screen w/ polarized lenses, and the inability to read forums due to the non txt wrapping browser (android does this).

Nexus one needs to get here soon!
 
Jodiuh said:
Well, my Pre Plus will probably be going back. It's easily my favorite phone on Verizon. But the battery life's really awful. The other issues that bug me are the closing fast = reboot, blotchy screen w/ polarized lenses, and the inability to read forums due to the non txt wrapping browser (android does this).

Nexus one needs to get here soon!
Click to expand...

Battery life is bad, but you will not find a "modern" smartphone that will last you longer than a day. I know people with Pres, Iphones, Droids, the Nexus One and everyone has to charge more than once a day. Its a testament to the poor state of battery technology, but its the reality nonetheless. Also, there are a lot of ways to improve battery life on the Pre. Things like signing off on AIM/Gchat/etc can actually make a big difference. I also bought a Touchstone because it makes charging effortless.

The reboot after closing the slider is a documented issue with the battery. You could take it back and get a new one, without any problem. My Pre does not exhibit that issue.

Text wrapping is something I do miss from my previous phone. Hopefully they will implement that in the future? Currently, I switch the screen the landscape, which scales the text up accordingly. That helps a bit.
 
The reboot happened for the 1st time last night. The lack of a viewable screen when driving due to the plastic screen when viewed under my Flak's bothers me quite a bit more.

But as for the battery, even my Eris lasted longer. The DROID lasted A LOT longer. The Pre barely lasts a day, sometimes 1/2 a day.

Still, not having to deal w/ a task manager and the way it does in fact multi task almost had me tearing @ the rebate. :D I love this little phone, but in the end the build quality's just not going to be enough for me. Like I said though, best phone on Verizon IMO so far. They did a lot to the keyboard from the Sprint version.

As for the txt, I didn't even think of this, but aside from overclock.net, most of the forums I run around in have an alternate view. I bet it would actually look good there...gonna have to check. Either way though, 3.2 inches is just a little too small for forum browsing.

After getting a shot @ the Nexus One, it just hauls compared to the Pre for web browsing. And that screen w/ it's complete lack of lag's amazing. I'll def be waiting on that guy. They better fix the task manager and 3G issues though!
 
I think the iPhones screen is the smallest Id go to now for my phones; anything less is going to be a sever degrading of the user experience.

That said, as big as 4.3" sounds and is, I think that is gong to be the next spot for the future of phones.
 
Hmm, even Opera Mini on my cheapo phone does seamless text wrapping... :p I think you can fix that battery/reboot issue when sliding it closed yourself, but I'm surprised it's happening w/the Plus. I thought they had fixed that on a revision of the original Pre w/a small foam mod piece they added in... Weird.
 
Well, it happened 6 or 7 times in 3 days of owning the Pre. The Plus only managed to pull the reboot shuffle a single time. It doesn't matter though, it's 1/2 the phone (literally in pixels) the Nexus One will be when it hits VZW soon.
 
When's it hitting AT&T though? God, I'm so tired of waiting, I should just switch carriers and get it over with... I'd settle for just about anything at this point, the Pre or any decent Android phone. If T-Mo had the Pre too I'd probably have switched over already; not necessarily because I want the Pre over the Nexus, but because if I'm gonna switch carriers I'd like to have that choice open to me at 'least... :p Verizon's not an option down here (they sold off their PR division), and I'm not too sure about Sprint coverage.
 
I've heard good things about Sprint in Puerto Rico (it's NJ, wehave a lot of Ricans here), but of course I have no first hand knowledge. Why not get the Pre, and try it for 30 days, it's risk free. Then after you know if you're going to keep it (or not), THEN you port your number over and cancel AT&T.
 
i'm starting to rethink if i actually like the pre. The battery drains way too quick. For instance, if i leave dr. podder open and paused, I can come back an hour later and the battery be drained. I love the interface, but the media player leaves less than to be desired, and I strongly considering going back to my zune, since its handling of media was way better than what i'm getting with the pre.

having been browsing pre central, several users have been complaining about their battery dieing way more rapidly than before.
 
Last edited:
Gabe3 said:
I'd rather see it in GSM, i prefer those since they are unlockable. Everything else sounds good though.
Click to expand...

The only problem with unlocked phones nowadays is the fact that Tmobile and AT&T run two different 3G bands (at least in the U.S.). So an "unlockable" phone only gets you 2G access on the other carrier.
 
well the 1350 battery does not add thickness to the phone but is supposedly 17-20% longer battery life than the standard battery.
 
123Lanoix said:
well the 1350 battery does not add thickness to the phone but is supposedly 17-20% longer battery life than the standard battery.
Click to expand...

I'm using a 1400 battery, and it's definitely a noticeable gain, still completely unacceptable for a device like this to be burning through as quickly as it does.

It's really my major complaint about the device.
 
I switched to a Pre from an iPhone (1st gen) this past July. Honestly, if I had zero loss to switch back (no ETF), I'd do it in a second.

The Pre does pretty much everything the iPhone does and multi-tasking is nice, but for lack of a better explanation, it just doesn't do stuff as well. The app store is nowhere near as good, there's no seamless iTunes integration and synching has been a pain for me (takes several attempts plugging in before my PCs or iTunes see it as a synch-able device). Battery power only barely gets me through a day of regular use, maybe 2 days very light use.

As far as design and build goes, it most definitely feels cheaper than an iPhone and the smaller screen size really bothers me. It will likely not last as long either due to the slide out keyboard (it's already starting to bend/get loose on mine a bit).

I know there are many who say Sprint service is better, but in my unscientific comparison, I haven't noticed a difference.

All in all, I can't wait to get rid of it when the Zune/Windows 7 phone arrives. *fingers crossed it comes to Sprint*
 
sprint plans are cheaper than ATT

Palm pre is plastic but if you put a nice seido case on it makes it feel very sturdy

i dunno for me i would not get an iphone because i think att sucks and they over charge for their service i can get the same service maybe even better 3g coverage.

I dunno thats just me though. I'm sure palm will come out with a palm pre 2 or something it works better. They are improving the phone though with updates there is a big update 1.4 due any day that promises to help with the issues.
 
harmattan said:
I switched to a Pre from an iPhone (1st gen) this past July. Honestly, if I had zero loss to switch back (no ETF), I'd do it in a second.

The Pre does pretty much everything the iPhone does and multi-tasking is nice, but for lack of a better explanation, it just doesn't do stuff as well. The app store is nowhere near as good, there's no seamless iTunes integration and synching has been a pain for me (takes several attempts plugging in before my PCs or iTunes see it as a synch-able device). Battery power only barely gets me through a day of regular use, maybe 2 days very light use.

As far as design and build goes, it most definitely feels cheaper than an iPhone and the smaller screen size really bothers me. It will likely not last as long either due to the slide out keyboard (it's already starting to bend/get loose on mine a bit).

I know there are many who say Sprint service is better, but in my unscientific comparison, I haven't noticed a difference.

All in all, I can't wait to get rid of it when the Zune/Windows 7 phone arrives. *fingers crossed it comes to Sprint*
Click to expand...

I think you captured my feelings on the device. I was in love with it before, but it doesn't do anything well just average. Its not better than my gps, but does it just well enough to give it up. I have to fix the headphone jack, because it wiggles and pauses my pod casts. I have to hack the phone to get a podcatcher, that may or may not drain my phone and doesn't auto delete like my zune does. Plus the podcasts end up in my music folder so I can't click random. Ill wait for my zune phone, and if it isn't any good ill jump ship in a heart beat.
 
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