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Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?


(Last Updated: 04/29/2009 5:00PM EDT)

There is a lot of buzz around the new Palm Pre. We’re going to give you a blow by blow review of the Palm Pre vs. Apple IPhone and you won’t believe some of the results…

Without further delay, the video review begins….
The Interface - Pre vs. IPhone - Winner: Palm Pre
After having used the IPhone and marvelled at the innovation Apple introduced with this very natural and fun to use gestures interface, I didn’t think it could get any better - but it really could.  Compared to the weak attempt by RIM and what many would say failure of the Storm 9530. On the Pre, the learning curve is a bit steeper but Palm has taken this to a new level.  Unlike Windows Mobile, the IPhone OS does not really allow for multitasking.  If you haven’t experienced this before, it’s the one rigid experience IPhone lovers have lamented over.  The idea is that when you do something on the IPhone, you are in a “mode”, and until you complete that activity you cannot do anything else.  On the Palm Pre, you can send out an SMS, receive a GTalk reply, respond using your AIM chat, and get a SMS in return. And it is all been treated as a single conversation, in a single view, and in a single interface. Sweet.

See this video Video 1 - Apple Pre Interface to judge for yourself

Applications & Usability - Pre vs. IPhone - Winner: Apple IPhone
Palm has made many improvements in usability that some might prefer compared to the IPhone.  More thought has been given it seems, to how alerts and notifications are displayed - and unlike the IPhone, most will not “lock” your screen and force you to attend to them.  On the Pre, you can continue doing whatever you were doing in just about all cases.  This makes for a much smoother experience.  But apart from the “crisper” interface, if you consider the integration with iTunes and the App Store, the IPhone still easily gets my nod here.  The Amazon Music Store, though functional, just isn’t the same experience.

Web Browsing - Pre vs. IPhone - Winner: Palm Pre (with a caveat)

We all love the Safari browser - in the mobile world, there is no substitute - perhaps until now.  The browser on the Palm Pre is based on Webkit and perhaps one of the single most impressive features of Palm’s new foray into the hot mobile market is how fast it is.  In fact, it appears to be almost 4x faster than the IPhone experience on heavy SOA and Javascript intensive sites.  The one big problem - no flash support it appears at this point.  On that feature alone, it might swing you towards the IPhone…but I’m taking the Palm Pre here.  The speed was just phenomenal, and I can’t help but think th
at we’ll see an update from Palm to address this pretty quickly.  Check it out here.

See this video Palm Pre Browsing Experience to judge for yourself.

Conclusion - Winner: Apple IPhone (for now)
03/28/2009 8:10PM - In response to some of the comments, I clearly need to further qualify my selection of the Apple IPhone.  I have received criticism that questions how I can select the IPhone as a winner when the Palm Pre had such a strong review in key areas, per my review - and also indicating that with the Palm Pre not yet “on the street”, that I am not giving it a fair shake.  It is precisely due to that reason, that I cannot announce the IPhone unseated. Quite simply, IF the Palm Pre addresses the lack of Flash, and IF the applications and development community for the Palm Pre prove to be even half as viral and rich as those on the IPhone and IF it is able to capture a relevant market share to sway developers and vendors to divert limited investment dollars to this platform and IF Apple is unable to respond and leapfrog ahead again, whether with the upcoming OS or an update to the hardware platform to retain its stranglehold on the market… I will reconsider.
But that’s a lot of IF’s folks, and until then, the IPhone Rocks.

As a disappointed BlackBerry Storm experience with the office device, and in the market for a personal device to “lift the spirits”, the Palm Pre for me, as with many, will provide pause in what was up to now, really a one horse show.  Looking ahead, I think this competition is great news for IPhone lovers - I am excited with what I am seeing and reading about the Apple IPhone OS 3.0 Hold on folks, this should be interesting…who knows, maybe RIM may surprise us soon….rumours swirl about a new TV Service RIM may be about to launch….enjoy the ride!! I’m loving every minute of it…

Update: 03/28/2009 10:00PM - Bonnie Cha over at CNET just posted a  Palm Pre vs. iPhone 3Garticle and talks about the upcoming CTIA and the 2009 spring show.  All the players (including Palm) will be at the show that takes place April 1-2 in Las Vegas.  You can be sure I’ll be covering this event closely and following up with what will be unveiled, discussed and (dare I say) launched….From the Keynotes info posted up,  they’ve certainly got some heavyweights recruited - Al Gore is a special Keynote Speaker on the 3rd. Wish I was closer….but if you are, you might want to register for this one! Wonder if Apple will release something here…I’m following the news feeds closely now, so as soon as I hear something, I will pass it on to you.  You can follow yourself using Google News — here is my watch link for a new Apple IPhone.

Update: 03/28/2009 11:50PM  As we get closer to CTIA the buzz on the Palm Pre is just growing.  Here’s a great article from NetworkWorld that talks about the pressure on Sprint with this release, as well as another head to head comparison between the IPhone and Pre - sure to be many more of these folks!

Update: 03/31/2009 7:25PMJust came across this video walkthrough of the Palm Pre.

Update: 04/03/2009 6:08AMSee my breaking news storyon the Palm Pre at CTIA 2009

Update: 04/08/20091:53AM  Apple unleashes “there’s an app for that” commericals!

Update: 04/08/2009 10:08PM  Palm Pre Early Access Program Info - Sign Up For the SDK Here

Update: 04/10/2009 9:29PM  Palm Pre Information Library courtesy of Engadget

Update: 04/11/2009 11:39AM Rumour has it that Sprint employees are training on the Palm Pre

Update: 04/27/2009 10:56PM  Why Developers Think the Palm Pre Could Upstage the iPhone

Update: 04/28/2009 8:10PM   Palm Pre Rumour Of The Day: June 7 Release Date

Update: 04/29/2009 5:00PM   Palm Pre Release Date To Be Announced Soon
Liked this post? Browse through all my posts here. Thanks…Pedro


Comments

cary wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Sat, Mar 28 2009 12:03 AM

That's GREAT! You declared the iPhone a winner - and it's been out for 2+ years now! How long have you played with the Pre and all it's apps? Oh that's right!! IT'S NOT EVEN OUT YET AND YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE APPS!!

Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean … | iphoneclubworld.com wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Sat, Mar 28 2009 1:52 AM

[...] We’re going to give you a blow by blow review of the Palm Pre vs. Apple IPhone and you won’t believe some of the results… Without further delay, the video review begins…. The Interface - Pre vs. IPhone - Winner: Palm Pre … See original here: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean … [...]

Francis Lee wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Sat, Mar 28 2009 9:03 AM

I can't really understand how you came to the conclusion that the iPhone is better. You wrote that Palm pre won both internet browsing & interface with iPhone only winning usability because of iTunes which not everyone uses.

Seems like there is another page of information missing to this review mate.

alex wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Sat, Mar 28 2009 1:03 PM

yea i agree with francis the palm pre won 2 out of 3 and how does the iphone win exactly?? oh and as for cary... yea the iphone is great and i know since i own an iphone myself... but you missed one big thing and you mentioned it.... "THE PRE EVEN OUT YET!!!!!" yea it isnt out yet so how do you know that the iphone is the winner if the competitors device isnt even out yet? idk beats me but i myself think that this phone is gonna change the game on how smartphones operate... and lift the level for competition.... which us the consumers have nothing but to gain...

David Kositsky wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Sat, Mar 28 2009 2:03 PM

Is any one concerned with the lack of a memory card slot in the Pre. Wont's it need more memory to run multitasking aps well? Are we just going to have to buy the next better phone because it is too small and not upgradeable.

koz

ChuckE wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Sat, Mar 28 2009 3:03 PM

Although I am not thrilled that the Pre has "just" 8GB of memory, are you hearing yourself?! That's 8GB! There will be in excess of 7GB free for the user apps, about 1GB will be for the phone to use. Geeze! are you all so jaundiced to think that a phone operating system will so limited with having "just" 1GB? A whole slew of computers run on just 1GB, and with them we are talking about some very sophisticated OSes (not that WebOS will not be sophisticated - but it will not be the memory hog like WinXP which runs pretty good with 1GB, and Win7 will run very fine in 1GB.)

As for "just" 7GB of remaining user memory, you should remember that the Pre is very Web-connected, Bluetooth connected, and WiFi connected. If some things need to be offloaded, or swapped out, the time needed to get some things off the phone and other things back on, should not be too hard, too lengthy, or too often needed to be done. I've got just 2GB on my current phone, and I have a fair amount of music, and a few other things constantly loaded right now.

I am greatly looking forward to the wide expanse of 4x more memory.

Pedro Cardoso wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Sat, Mar 28 2009 7:20 PM

Francis/Alex -- your feedback was noted, and I have made an addition to the post that should address your "concerns". Bottom line, I stand by my decision - Palm Pre has to prove itself to dethrone the champion...

Bob wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Tue, Apr 28 2009 8:13 AM

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Comparing a phone that isn't out yet, who's final specs aren't known, and which you've never even touched. Think that might limit the accuracy just a wee bit? At the same time, you credit the iPhone for things it doesn't have (yet), like cut and paste, and ding the Pre for things both phones lack (like Flash support). And then you compare the Apple software store to something that doesn't exist yet. Gee, are we maybe just a little bit biased here?

I don't know which phone will be better, but I do know enough not to reach conclusions without any knowledge. Tell you what: when the Pre is actually here, and you have actually done a hands on comparison between the two, then write about it. Right now this is nothing but fan-boy posing.

CJ wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Tue, Apr 28 2009 5:16 PM

Uh... in case you didn't get the memo... the iPhone doesn't have Flash either. It has a specific app for YouTube which YouTube had to encode specifically for the iPhone, but doesn't support Flash based websites.

Eliane Fiolet wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Tue, Apr 28 2009 7:04 PM

No word about the physical keyboard? This is THE killer feature of the Pre and the rason why many people stil own a BlackBerry while using an iPhone

Roger DeCoster wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Tue, Apr 28 2009 11:51 PM

Since I hate iTunes on a lot of levels, your review is quite useful. If that is the only thing the iPhone does better; the Pre has to be a much better device.

You skipped the one thing that matters to me most, being a GREAT TELEPHONE. From what I have seen so far, this may set the two products apart more than anything else. From other reviews the Pre smokes the iPhone as a well... phone, for a majority of people this will be THE deciding factor. I hope Sprint/Palm put some focus on this.

Don Sheppard wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Wed, Apr 29 2009 11:08 AM

To Bob: the Blogging Idol contest will be over by then......so its now or never!

I like my iPhone and all the applications I downloaded but seldom use. Weather is good, Shazam is neat, I use Bejeweled 2 constantly, and I also like it for calendar synch via ME, and so on.

I got the iPhone courtesy of Blogging Idol last year and don't regret it. Who knows whether the next toy will be better but I suspect there will be multiple co-existing products for a long time to come.

Don Sheppard wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Wed, Apr 29 2009 11:11 AM

How does this post have over 7,000 views? Is it because of all the updates? I'm jealous!

Pedro Cardoso wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Wed, Apr 29 2009 2:48 PM

Hi Don,

Vijay definately forced my hand to look for new and imaginative ways to leverage social media tools, platforms and networks to drive an appropriate level of traffic to this post.

Through what I have learned, I fully expect that I am not utilizing the technology as efficiently as possible, because I can tell you it took some "heavy lifting" last night from me and "head scratching" to figure out how to compete against "viral posts"...

It's far from over yet...but promise to share in a "reveal all" post on May 1st.

Still might have more stories "to tell" after the next 24+ hours yet to play out..

Pedro

Pedro Cardoso wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Sat, May 2 2009 12:00 AM

Of course this "review" is biased - to state that as some type of revelation or unearthing of a "conspiracy" is rather infantile.

We have all SEEN the IPhone. Millions of units have been sold, and Fortune 500 companies (like Cisco) are starting to let the device back in behind "the firewall".

Flash support is a ding against the Pre because for a device being launched in the middle of 2009, this is no longer an option. The IPhone WILL have this support as part of their upcoming release, I can assure you - if not on day 1, then within 90 days. Adobe is owned by Apple, so this WILL happen.

As for the "keyboard", sure this is a "killer feature" but the IPhone "crew" won't be dropping their phones for the Pre "because of the keyboard" - know your audience people. Is the #1 reason people want IPhones because of email? Uhh, no. Now, if this was a Blackberry vs. Pre review, the "keyboard" WOULD be a killer feature.

And folks, as many of stated, I have tried to pull together all the available info on this new exciting device and put together a review that is as "relevant and fact based" as possible, considering the Pre is still vapour ware.

If you are offended, or think that is "stupid", I am sorry I wasted your time. Move on.

All others, thanks for your "views" and constructive criticism.

As for myself, I'll try to "suck less" next time. In fact, I should get a t-shirt made up.

- Pedro

Jon Berger wrote re: Review: Palm Pre Is Hot And The Buzz Is Loud - What Does It Mean For The Apple IPhone?
on Thu, May 7 2009 12:00 AM

OMG! I WANT IT!

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