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Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

Now this makes the Pre even more tempting: there's now an extended battery available that the same size as the original, offering 1350mAh of juice. It's not cheap at $45, but that price will come down.

Elsewhere, there's an interesting user review here from a bloke living 'off grid' which highlights one of the appealing aspects of Palm Pre and WebOS, and that's that it isn't dependent on a host computer for backups and for firmware updates. The fella lives in the middle of Texas, and he's liking the Palm so far:
The Pre has been all that I could have asked for, and more. Here are some snippets of what I do with my phone...

*I am able to snap pictures as I work and immediately text or email them to interested parties.

*A couple of days ago I sold a heifer (a young cow that has not yet dropped a calf) to a friend halfway across the country, then he paid me via Paypal and I received payment and notification on my phone - all within a half an hour, and I never had to get on the laptop.

*I purchase goods and supplies, on online stores and on ebay, directly from my phone. And I can do this purchasing on regular websites, not just on special "mobile phone enabled" websites. None of this costs me any more money with the Sprint Everything Data program.

*I keep in constant contact with my family, the members of our agrarian community here, and many other people via text messaging and email.

*We live in tornado alley, and Central Texas is well known for severe weather, tornadoes, and flash floods. I am able to constantly monitor the weather, and even watch up to the minute detailed radar, wherever I am.

*Just the other day, a lady from our community was traveling three hours to Austin to go pick her son up at the airport. I was able to track his flight on my pre and provide her up to the minute updates as to his progress and his arrival time.

*We don't have a television, and we rarely watch it, but I am able to sit on my front porch in the summer evening breeze and watch The History Channel, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and dozens of other stations - all via my Wi-Fi or the Sprint Network on Sprint Premier TV - right on my Palm Pre. I know my father's Iphone won't do that!

*I am able to keep up to date on news that affects my family, and that I need to feature or discuss on my websites and blogs. The Palm Pre also multitasks, so often I am doing all or many of the things I am mentioning here AT THE SAME TIME!

*I have often used the Sprint GPS and Locator features for finding the nearest gas (and lowest prices) in our area - since we have four towns near us, all in different directions. My wife has used the GPS services for finding flea markets and yard sales, and we have used it to find other addresses when we have to go to town. My wife and I also both have roadside assistance via the phone, which is great to know.

*I use the alarm to remind me of things I need to do, and I use the memos to write down sku numbers of fencing so I won't forget it before I get up to the register at Tractor Supply.

*I have been able to seamlessly sync with Itunes and pull down my music into the phone.

*I love the pull out keyboard, and I have to say that this is one of the great selling points to me with the phone. I am 6'3" and 235 lbs and I find the keyboard easy to use and I can type quite quickly on it.

*Oh!, and I use Pandora... almost every day. After a hard, hot day of work, I like to put on some Original Jazz Band, Jim Cullum Jazz Band radio, or Baroque music, or Jerry Jeff Walker, or even Fiddler on the Roof as I relax on the porch.

http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pre/188142-off-grid-living-palm-pre.html
Click to expand...
 
Given the choice between fast'n'basic and slow'n'fully featured, I think I'd plump for the Pre's approach. The camera on my G1 is a shocker!
The Pre carries a 3-megapixel camera. It doesn't have autofocus, but it does have a flash. The camera takes pictures extremely fast. It shoots them nearly as fast as the shutter release button can be pressed. This means end users aren't likely to miss those must-have shots of their kids scoring the game-winning goal. Even when the flash is being used, the camera works lickety-split.

The camera does lack a number of features, though. All users can do is take pictures. There are no user-configurable controls for altering the way the Pre captures images. This means the photographers in the crowd might run into some frustration in that they won't be able to fine-tune the camera. For most users, this probably isn't going to be an issue. Pictures taken with the Pre are pretty good. Focus, exposure, white balance and color were captured accurately by the Pre.

http://www.informationweek.com/news...articleID=218101430&pgno=4&queryText=&isPrev=
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editor said:
Elsewhere, there's an interesting user review here from a bloke living 'off grid' which highlights one of the appealing aspects of Palm Pre and WebOS, and that's that it isn't dependent on a host computer for backups and for firmware updates. The fella lives in the middle of Texas, and he's liking the Palm so far:
Click to expand...

If he's living "off the grid" how come he has a mobile phone contract and wifi in his cabin. That T-1000 will find him in no time... :cool:
 
jæd said:
If he's living "off the grid" how come he has a mobile phone contract and wifi in his cabin. That T-1000 will find him in no time... :cool:
Click to expand...
From the second paragraph of that article:
...my family lives completely off-grid. What power we do use comes from our small solar array, and we do occasionally run a generator.
http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pre/188142-off-grid-living-palm-pre.html
Click to expand...
Ahem.

I guess being able to update his phone without having to fire up a desktop/laptop would lighten the power load slightly for the fella. It's an interesting article.
 
editor said:
From the second paragraph of that article: Ahem.

I guess being able to update his phone without having to fire up a desktop/laptop would lighten the power load slightly for the fella. It's an interesting article.
Click to expand...

Fair point. I've always assumed that off-the-grid included off the communications grid as well... I is wrong.

That ability to upgrade the firmware has smacked down some of those homebrew guys making their own tones.

If you’ve been having fun downloading new message tones via email links using the loophole in webOS software your fun has come to an end with the OTA webOS update 1.04 which has provided security fixes for the operating system.
Click to expand...
http://palmgoon.com/webos-update-104-arrives-and-kills-email-homebrew-apps-boo/
 
youbeauty said:
iPhone vs Pre smackdown from the Register. iPhone wins on points: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/01/palm_pre_v_iphone_3gs/
Click to expand...
Interesting article, but it's a bit strange that price isn't factored in - I believe the Pre is substantially cheaper than the iPhone in the States. Still, it's a strong showing considering its a v1 phone against a mature product from one of the richest tech companies on the planet. I thoroughly disagree with the reviewer about the keyboard though....
 
Kid_Eternity said:
How well is the Pre doing compared the 1st gen iPhone?
Click to expand...
It terms of features, it's miles ahead compared to the original iPhone - in fact, some of its features are miles ahead of the 3GS, but if you're referring to sales, then it's clearly not going to match Apple's much hyped launch or any subsequent launches. It's a much, much smaller company.

Word is that the Pre's sold 300,000 so far which isn't bad considering supplies are limited and they've only just started their promotoinal push.
 
UK launch details to be revealed next week?
T3 Mag said:
Palm Pre UK launch announcement to be made next week?

Finally, the UK gets a look-in on the year's hottest touchscreen mobile launch

It's now been exactly 25 days since the Palm Pre launched in the US. 25 long, miserable days that the UK has been enduring, waiting in the vague hope that Palm will be making an announcement concerning network exclusivity and availability.

That wait looks set to be a lot easier from today, as we just got confirmation that Palm will be making an announcement early next week detailing the nitty gritty truth of the UK launch - specifically, which network, what price, and when. The lucky network to scoop the prize has been speculated on at length, with strong pointers to Vodafone and O2.

The Pre launched in the US on the 6th of June, and we were there, in queue, to buy one for the UK's first review. With upcoming phone launches including the Toshiba TG01, which will see more details unveiled next Thursday at a London press conference, and the HTC Hero, expect the annual upgrade of your mobile phone to become decidedly more difficult in the next few months.
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According to the Guardian, it's O2 for the Pre:
American gadget group Palm will next week confirm that it has signed a deal with O2 which will see the mobile phone network become the exclusive UK partner for its eagerly awaited Palm Pre handset.

The Pre, which went on sale in the US last month, has been tipped as the most viable alternative yet produced to the iPhone. The new version of the Apple device – the iPhone 3GS – went on sale less than two weeks ago and a million were snapped up in the first three days.

O2 already has an exclusive deal with Apple to stock the iPhone and grabbing the Palm Pre is likely to further cement its position as the UK's largest mobile phone network. Reports of a tie-up between Palm and O2 first appeared in May and Carphone Warehouse is also expected to stock the Pre.

O2 is believed to have seen off fierce competition for the device from Orange, which it also beat to the iPhone at the last minute.

Analysts reckon that Palm has already sold more than 300,000 Pre devices in the US alone and the handset has a crucial role to play in reviving the company's flagging fortunes....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/01/02-palm-pre-deal
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Why do manufactures have to have network exclusives? What do they gain from it? I see the attraction to the networks as the right handset could be a powerful tool to make people switch networks, but do they pay the manufactures more money or something?
 
Global_Stoner said:
Why do manufactures have to have network exclusives? What do they gain from it? I see the attraction to the networks as the right handset could be a powerful tool to make people switch networks, but do they pay the manufactures more money or something?
Click to expand...

Is the EU still looking at it re: iPhone deals across Europe as a restrictive practice? Sadly 02 makes the Pre a no-no for me....be nice to have a killer smartphone but if the phone part doesn't work due to shit coverage in my home it makes it sort of pointless. Shame.
 
In think the Pre would have been better on Orange. Orange is the only network to lack a '' must have phone '' , O2 now have 2!
 
g force said:
Is the EU still looking at it re: iPhone deals across Europe as a restrictive practice? Sadly 02 makes the Pre a no-no for me....be nice to have a killer smartphone but if the phone part doesn't work due to shit coverage in my home it makes it sort of pointless. Shame.
Click to expand...

Same for me as well, Orange is the only network that works where I live. I could buy outright and get a sim only contract, but its a much more expensive way to buy a new smartphone.
 
I don't think it's healthy for O2 to have two of the hottest smartphones around, but after fifteen years (or thereabouts) with T-Mobile I'm happy to be shot of them.
 
editor said:
I don't think it's healthy for O2 to have two of the hottest smartphones around, but after fifteen years (or thereabouts) with T-Mobile I'm happy to be shot of them.
Click to expand...

I've been unhappy with exclusivity contracts from the start. Its hardly competitive but why isn't so clear cut so its avoided any real inspection.

Expect remarkably similar contracts to the iPhone.
 
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