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  1. #1
    tavenger5
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    Verizon hasn't had a new Palm device in quite a while. The Palm Pre and Pixi Plus are finally on deck. This review will be specifically about the Pre Plus, which will be available on January 25th for $149.99 after a $100 rebate on a 2 year contract. There will also be a special from Jan 25th to Feb 14th: "Buy one Palm Pre Plus or Palm Pixi Plus and receive a FREE Pixi Plus after rebate".



    Here are some of the Palm Pre Plus features:
    • webOS 1.3.5.1 - palms new(er) operating system
    • Exchange and personal e-mail support
    • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
    • GPS
    • 3.10" capacitive display w/ multi-touch support
    • 16gb internal memory (original pre has 8gb)
    • EV-DO rev A
    • Bluetooth 2.1
    • 3.0mp camera w/ flash
    • 3.5mm headphone jack


    Updates that make it a Plus
    You're probably wondering what makes this Pre a Plus. The following are the improvements:
    • 8gb more internal memory for a total of 16gb
    • A "motion light" replaces the physical button below the screen
    • The RAM has been doubled
    • The keyboard numbers are white instead of red
    • The back of the slider now has a mirror finish.
    • The feel of the keyboard has been improved (the keys are now less "mushy")
    • Palm says they made the hinge on the sliding mechanism a little more sturdy. It was prone to breaking in earlier models of the Pre.


    Unfortunately, there still is no microSD expansion slot.


    Unboxing
    There's nothing really special about the box choice here. There's a semi-transparent sleeve over the cardboard box. Included is a usb/charger cable, cylindrical charger adapter, wired headset, and quick start guides.



    Cosmetic
    Right out of the box you'll notice its sleek rounded design. Without the screen on it's dark with only the silver of the ear speaker standing out. Because of this roundness it feels good in your hands and easily snaps open with a thumb flick. The Pre Plus comes in at a fairly light 4.89oz. It's definitely a lot smaller than most phones I've used at only 3.96 x 2.34 x 0.67 inches. In comparison the Droid is 4.56 x 2.36 x 0.54. Of course the Pre Plus gets longer when the keyboard is out.


    The back has a rubberized feel. The camera and external speaker are placed high on the back.


    After being slid open you see the added mirror. I'm wondering if this is a hint of the Pre Plus being a more feminine phone. Why not have a mirror for the ladies to check if their mascara is messed up? It definitely seems more of a functional mirror than a cosmetic addition.


    On the left side you'll find the volume buttons. You can also see the differences with the Pixi in these pictures (pre is on the left):


    On the right you have the covered up charging port. I should note that it is kind of a pain to get off of there. The easiest way to get it off is to slide open the phone and then stick a finger nail under it (pre is on the left):


    The top sports the 3.5mm headphone jack, mute switch and power/lock button (pre is on the left):


    Battery
    The Palm Pre Plus is rated at a talk time of 5.5 hours and 350 hours of standby out of its Li-Ion battery. When the web browser and other applications are being used you'll definitely need a recharge by the end of the day or maybe even by the afternoon. The battery life could definitely be better. Palm has said that with webOS 1.4 there will be some battery saving improvements.

    Screen
    The Pre Plus's screen is a 3.10 inch 320x480 capacitive multi-touch screen. When you touch the screen it gives an effect as if you put your finger in some water. The rounded corners contribute to the phones round design. There is no haptic feedback. Overall, it's very responsive, and has vibrant colors.


    Software
    I was surprised to find certain applications pre installed on the Pre Plus, like a PDF viewer, Doc Viewer, YouTube, Amazon MP3, Google Maps, and Facebook. You also get VZ Navigator in case you feel like paying for turn by turn directions (you can get directions with Google Maps, but not turn by turn directions like on the Droid).

    I really like the interface of webOS. It's simple and the gestures make sense. For example, if you want to close an application you just press the center button and flick it up. You can have multiple applications open at once. Clicking the center button you can then scroll through the applications. It's pretty neat. I should note that when opening some applications there is a bit of a pause. It's not a big deal, but I noticed it.

    Included is also a new mobile hotspot app. It allows you to use your Pre as a wi-fi hotspot. Up to 5 other devices can connect to the Pre via Wi-Fi and basically use it as a router. Unfortunately though, you have to pay an extra $40 a month for this with a 5gb cap ($0.05 per mb chage thereafter). Womp womp.

    webOS 1.3.5.1 comes loaded on the phone. This is currently the same version that is running on the Sprint Pre. There are some things that 1.3 is missing worth noting:
    • Ability to set notification tones
    • You can't easily manage multiple messages in the e-mail application
    • The word prediction and correction falls a bit short. It just doesn't work as well as BlackBerry or even Android.
    • It's difficult to manage multiple contacts and calendars in Synergy


    Hopefully some of these things will be remedied in webOS 1.4, which is due out in February.

    I should also mention Palm's Plug-in Development Kit (PDK). This is much like the SDK's that Apple, BlackBerry, and Android all have. It allows developers to make applications for the Pre easily. No doubt Palm wants make a variety of apps available for its phones just like the others. There isn't as many apps for webOS as there are iPhone and Android, but I'm sure you'll find something that suits your needs in the Palm App Catalog.

    Browser
    I like the browser - it's quick to render pages and makes sense. You can tap zoom and pinch zoom. It also zooms when clicking on forms. You can have more then one browser window open, however there is no tabs.

    Unfortunately flash is missing from the browser, but it's said that webOS 1.4 will feature flash.

    Keyboard
    I find the keyboard a bit small and smashed together. Luckily the keys are raiser so they are more easily hit with the tip of your thumbs. Note that there is no on screen keyboard.

    Camera
    The camera on the Pre Plus is very good. The pictures it takes are quite sharp and colorful. It's lacking some editing features that you would find on other phones though, like resizing, color editing, etc. You can easily scroll though pictures you've taken and share them via whatever services you have hooked up to the phone.

    Conclusion
    I'm glad that Verizon saw the need for a variety of new smart phones. Including Palm and the Pixi is a smart move. It definitely fulfills the niche of people that want a smart phone, but don't want a bulky super smart phone.

    They added just enough "Plus" to the phone to make people want it. To me, it does feel a little more girly then say, the Droid, but it feels nice in your hand and does a good job of organizing everything.

    The Pre Plus and webOS is easy to get used to and does what you'd expect it to do. Hooking up your e-mail, syncing contacts with multiple sources, and checking Facebook is simple.

    Here's a couple reason you would want to get the Palm Pre Plus over the Pixi Plus:
    • You don't mind spending an extra $50
    • An extra 8gb sounds good
    • The screen is bigger (and sharper)
    • You really like the slide open keyboard


    View the Palm Pixi Plus Review
    View the differences between the Palm Pre and Pixi Plus





    See More: Palm Pre Plus Review
    Last edited by tavenger5; 01-24-2010 at 11:08 AM.
    John

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  2. #2
    Princesa
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    Nice review,looks like a nice phone.
    MexiRicanNative...Princesa!! I'm a spicy mix! lol

    "Si vas a hacer algo,hazlo con estilo"



  3. #3
    Mean Bone
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    Thanks for the review. Good job!

    My 755p is making its exit so I may be upgrading sooner than I would've liked.

    Questions:
    - Does the Pre+ have an indicator light that blinks letting you know you missed a call?
    - When I do my first hot sync will it pick up all the memos, phone numbers, calender entries, etc from my 755p?
    - Can you beam from one Pre+ to another Pre+ or even to another earlier Palm

    Thanks!



  4. #4
    abw1987
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    Fantastic review.

    I'd love to see the next iteration of the Pre include a slightly larger screen.
    So burn it down
    Discover the dusk of your day has reached its dawn



  5. #5
    link_man008
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    Gotta love the commercials for this phone...with the creepy girl =/



  6. #6
    johncina
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    hello,
    its a nice set i want it i also like this screen because its screen is so big i also tell with my friend about it and its fichere thanks for sharing this information.
    thanks!!
    _______



  7. #7
    pmalena
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    Got my Palm Pre Plus on VZW launch day and haven't looked back. I LOVE it!

    1) tanenger5: there is no central button on the Pre Plus. Instead of the button, you just swipe up to open the launcher, or swipe to the left to go back one page.
    2) MeanBone: Questions:
    - Does the Pre+ have an indicator light that blinks letting you know you missed a call? NO, but you can download a patch to add LED notification. Check out precentral.net OR Preware.
    - When I do my first hot sync will it pick up all the memos, phone numbers, calender entries, etc from my 755p? You don't hotsync per se. All of your data from various email addresses (such as Outlook, gmail, yahoo) are synced over the air and wind up on your device. This is ONLY for calendar and contacts. Notes and memos are not synced. There is an emulator Classic from Motion Apps that allows you to use some PalmOS software and will allow you to hotsync.
    - Can you beam from one Pre+ to another Pre+ or even to another earlier Palm. NO bluetooth only works to connect the Pre to a headset or earphones, so you can't BT over contacts, etc. To my knowledge there is no infrared, so no beaming.
    3) linkman88--the creeepy girl is gone. The first ads (kinda delayed if you ask me) targetted MOMS. Now, I am a Mom AND a NANA, and I thought the ads were a little condescending. VZW is doing more ads now and they are much improved.

    Sorry for the long post. Happy to be here and hopefully we can all help each other.
    Lastly, I LOVE MY PRE PLUS! Keyboard slides out easily and I have no difficulty using it. I have added some software, and just yesterday, ePocrates the drug reference was ported to WebOS and it is BLAZING fast (once you get it loaded.) I am just awaiting DTG to be ported (now allows you to read but not edit docs) and I will be putting that Palm TX away for good!
    Patrice
    Virginia



  8. #8
    Mean Bone
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    pmalena, thanks for the comeback!

    My 755 is back, up and running so I'll be able to wait a bit longer. Contract's out in April or May.

    Good to hear ePocrates is available!
    Frank



  9. #9
    slockley
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    Unique form factor on this one. I don't know how i feel about it.



  10. #10
    Acer
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    My toughts

    This is lone of the pernicious effects of affirmative action. In our PC/affirmative skirmish culture, we nurse to see the achievements and promotions of minorities as a consequence of affirmative affray policies preferably of distinct diligence and talent. This undermines these rather achievements.
    Another problem here is that it sets human morality at odds with the higher splendid morality. If the higher decency is contemporary to adjudicator the Carnage, mischievous disease outbreaks, etc, as best, while merciful morality wishes judge them bad, then the 'proficient' in each of these moralities are different. Good on the higher ideals is not what we with the help by good.
    Mean Bone likes this.



  11. #11
    poi
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    can you install linux on this?



  12. #12
    jriano
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    It's been a really long time since I owned my last Palm, this one seems interesting.



  13. #13
    barrystar101
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    Awthum!!



  14. #14
    jameskoh
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    Should fit nicely into mypocket.



  15. #15
    blade040
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    Re: Palm Pre Plus Review

    i love it !!



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