Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion

[jæd]

There may not be two zillion programs and 500 fart apps in the Palm app store, but there's certainly some high quality apps coming through - and it looks like the Pre may come with the BBC iPlayer pre-installed (although the article is woefully vague). There will be, however, UK-specific apps loaded on the phone.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology/2009/07/07/palm-pre-to-get-bbc-iplayer-115875-21502178/

I would guess it would be like the iPhone's, where clicking on iPlayer links on the Beeb spawns a mp4 stream. Much easier and faster to implement. (However they could use the TvGuide.Uk iPhone App as a model which gives direct links to iPlayer...)

 

[editor]

I would guess it would be like the iPhone's, where clicking on iPlayer links on the Beeb spawns a mp4 stream. Much easier and faster to implement. (However they could use the TvGuide.Uk iPhone App as a model which gives direct links to iPlayer...)

The unofficial one on the G1 works very well indeed - I usually watch a bit of tele on it before crashing out at night.

 

[Piers Gibbon]

sorry but I'm baffled - which "holidays" will the Pre be ready for?

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Yes, they are there now, but have you got a magic time machine that shows you what their shopfronts will look like in a few months time, then?

Hilarious!

Oh dear your Palm masturbation fantasy knows no bounds! Do you really think they are gonna take em all down just because the Pre is coming out?

Or do you have your tin foil hat on and believe they'll be replaced by massive Pres!

 

[Sunray]

I kinda hope they do, I'd be right in there asking what they were doing with them. Those huge iphones would make quite a kitsch table for the front room.

 

[editor]

Oh dear your Palm masturbation fantasy knows no bounds! Do you really think they are gonna take em all down just because the Pre is coming out?

Or do you have your tin foil hat on and believe they'll be replaced by massive Pres!

I haven't made any such claim, although I'd suggest that O2 clearly has good reasons to aggressively promote the Pre and that agreed marketing budgets probably proved a factor in persuading Palm to go with the company.

Btw, I've no idea why you're being so sneery and going on about "masturbation fantasies", but I'd be really grateful if you stopped.

 

[sumimasen]

Actually there may be a way to ballpark how much the Pre could cost. See what the prices are for both the Pre and iPhone in the US. Factor in some 'Rip-Off Britain' plus a few extra quid for the fact that these phones aren't on competing networks like they are in the US, and there you go.

 

[editor]

Actually there may be a way to ballpark how much the Pre could cost. See what the prices are for both the Pre and iPhone in the US. Factor in some 'Rip-Off Britain' plus a few extra quid for the fact that these phones aren't on competing networks like they are in the US, and there you go.

If O2 sell the Pre at the same price as the iPhone, it's going to really struggle, but put in enough of a price advantage - say £50 minimum - and back it up with some decent advertising and it could prove a tempting alternative.

The Pre continues to attract tons of positive press - it's in the Guardian yesterday and was in the London Lite yesterday - so it's certainly got a head start over a lot of other smartphones coming through.

I just wish they'd fucking hurry up and get the thing out.

 

[Callum91]

Isn't the build quality on the Pre abit iffy?

 

[Kid_Eternity]

From what I've read it is, cracks in screen, creaky plasticky feel etc...

 

[Callum91]

Tbh , you really can't fault Apple for the build quality of the iPhone , it's the most solid gadget I've ever seen.

 

[editor]

Isn't the build quality on the Pre abit iffy?

There's certainly been some complaints (not unexpected for a totally new design) but most reviews have put the standard of construction as being reasonably good for the price/features. It's certainly not up to iPhone's stellar standards, but then it costs less and not many companies have their budget/bargaining clout.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Tbh , you really can't fault Apple for the build quality of the iPhone , it's the most solid gadget I've ever seen.

It also feels it too, it doesn't feel cheap and plasticky (Palm Centro I'm looking at you), no creaking bits or anything...

 

[Callum91]

Until the Pre's build quality issues are properly sorted I wouldn't even consider buying one , the last thing I want to be doing is sending my phone back every few weeks.

 

[Sunray]

The odd report of a crack screen or plastic feel does not mean that is going to happen.

 

[editor]

It also feels it too, it doesn't feel cheap and plasticky (Palm Centro I'm looking at you), no creaking bits or anything...

I don't think any phone can match the iPhone for sheer build quality, but it's hardly the most important thing for most people (I don't recall you regularly going on about the Centro's build quality either).

So long as it's robust enough to stand up to my daily use, that's good enough for me. Just about any phone with slide out components is going to have some play in it anyway. It's not a big deal.

The odd report of a crack screen or plastic feel does not mean that is going to happen.

Indeed. Even Apple's products aren't immune to similar problems from time to time.

 

[Callum91]

I mean't that I personally wouldn't buy one , creaks and squeeks on phones and such annoy the fuck out of me.

 

[Sunray]

I mean't that I personally wouldn't buy one , creaks and squeeks on phones and such annoy the fuck out of me.

I think your barrier to entry is daft.

 

[Callum91]

Personal preference isn't it , you might like the pre , I don't.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I think you're over reacting slightly. The problem is nowhere near as bad as you seem to be making out, and most of the issues reported seem to have been with the early production run. There seems to be a lot of satisfied customers on the web. I don't think any phone can match the iPhone for sheer build quality, but it's hardly the most important thing for most people (I don't recall you regularly going on about the Centro's build quality either).

So long as it's robust enough to stand up to my daily use, that's good enough for me. Just about any phone with slide out components is going to have some play in it anyway. It's not a big deal.Indeed. Even Apple's products aren't immune to similar problems from time to time.

Yeah that's because the shitty battery life was more a issue, fucking phone didn't even last a year either which tells you a lot about Palms commitment to quality...

 

[Sunray]

Personal preference isn't it , you might like the pre , I don't.

You've owned one?

 

[Callum91]

I don't like the look of the Pre and I can't see myself buying one . I have a perfectly good Blackberry 8900 and an iPod touch , the Pre isn't even on my radar.

 

[editor]

Yeah that's because the shitty battery life was more a issue, fucking phone didn't even last a year either which tells you a lot about Palms commitment to quality...

Actually, it says more about your personal experience with one handset.

My Treo 650 lasted 3 years of heavy use and is still going strong, as is my Centro. C'est la vie.

I don't like the look of the Pre and I can't see myself buying one . I have a perfectly good Blackberry 8900 and an iPod touch , the Pre isn't even on my radar.

Jolly good. I guess you haven't much else to add to this thread now then.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

You've never even seen one, let alone used one, have you? Actually, it says more about your personal experience with one handset.

My Treo 650 lasted 3 years of heavy use and is still going strong, as is my Centro. C'est la vie.
Jolly good. I guess you haven't much else to add to this thread now then.

I wouldn't say so, I was a member of plenty of Palm forums in the last year and plenty of people bitched about the quality of the build and the crap batter. It wasn't a minority experience.

 

[editor]

Here's an interesting article:

Apple iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre: In Real Life

"It's nice to have a real, physical keyboard again. Didn't realize how much I missed it. (Sorry, 3GS.)"
The Pre's keyboard is one of the biggest things in Palm's favor right now. The 3GS's speed makes typing on the screen a whole lot quicker and easier than it has been on past iPhones, but my thumbs need more physical feedback.

Here's what really surprised me: I'm always complaining about how I hate small laptop keyboards, which would make the Pre's tiny pad seem like a prime hate target--but there I was, banging out texts and e-mail a whole lot faster than I could on screen with an iPhone. It took me a couple days to get used to daintily using the pad of my thumbs, but it worked. And I have goony sausage stumps for fingers.

While I'm on the subject, I found a bunch of neat little shortcuts for the Pre to keep your digits dancing....

Okay, so Apple's iPhone 3GS is faster and more refined, has more apps and games, functions better as an MP3 player, and apparently walks on water. So of course that means I'm going with...the Pre? Yep, I'm stubbornly sticking with the Pre, for a handful of reasons. First, I like the physical keyboard. Second, I need my phone to plug into any PC and read as a normal hard drive so that I can drag and drop anything I want (even though it has only a lousy 8GB). Third, AT&T's monthly rates would kill me.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/168228/apple_iphone_3gs_vs_palm_pre_in_real_life.html

Pre's are still shifting 40,000 units a week in the US, despite stock shortages and here's an absolute beast of a charger!

http://store.palm.com/product/index...alm+Pre&pg=2&parentPage=family&catsId=3238806

 

[Piers Gibbon]

to answer my own question..

the pre will be available in the UK in time for Christmas

http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/palmpre.html

which is fugging annoying considering my Centro has now totally broken

have been forced back to an old Treo... retro brick feeling!

 

[editor]

to answer my own question..

the pre will be available in the UK in time for Christmas

http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/palmpre.html

which is fugging annoying considering my Centro has now totally broken

have been forced back to an old Treo... retro brick feeling!

Palm have been saying 'before the holidays' but a few pundits seem to think it may be a fair bit earlier than that, with September being floated around quite a bit. It looks like it'll be coming with quite a few UK-specific apps pre installed too.

Isn't your Centro still under warranty? Have you tried a hard reset?

After a few months with the G1, I'm still looking keenly to the Pre - the fact that it can run all my old apps and - huzzah! - now sync with the super Bonsai means there's nothing else out there that looks a better fit for me.

 

[Piers Gibbon]

I'd be grateful if you have any suggestions for hard resetting an evil centro... every time I put the battery in it the screen stays blank and the red light appears on the case..so it makes no difference if I press the on button or not

 

[Piers Gibbon]

I'd love to think that Sept is possible..but when the official o2 site says this:

"Palm Pre will only be available on O2. You'll be able to buy online, through O2 shops and over the phone in time for Christmas."

then I'm assuming Christmas Eve..on Oxford Street, one store only

 

[editor]

Do you keep the phone plugged in for a while before trying to start it? If there's no charge (i.e. the charging light is red) it won't start.

Try taking the battery out and seeing if you can start it that way. Otherwise, do a hard reset, take out the battery, wait 45 seconds then put it back in and then turn it back on.

How to hard reset:

1. Remove the battery from the rear of the unit.

2. Hold down the power button while reinserting the battery.

3. When the SECOND Palm logo appears, release the power button (the first palm logo comes with a black progress bar… keep power button pressed till the end and the moment the screen goes blank and another palm logo appears, without a bar this time)

4. Press the Up button to complete the hard reset and erase all data on the Centro.