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What’s the GBM Temperature on the Palm Pre?

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palm-pre-webos We haven’t covered much about all the hype of the Palm Pre here on GBM. Some of that is due to the fact that most of the team uses an iPhone and while we report on the devices we use, we don’t really cover the phone market beyond that. That said, the coverage of the Pam Pre is heating up quite a bit as rumors begin to swirl that the release may coming next month.

So, here’s a question for GBM readers. How many of you are thinking about the Palm Pre as your next phone? What attracts you to it if there is an attraction? It is certainly an intriguing touch screen device and the Touchstone technology for charging without a cable is very interesting. There is still a lot not known about this device (price being one of those things) but I’m curious as to what your thinking might be.

Sound off in the comments and let us know.

tnkgrl has a 45 minute long demo of the pitch currently being offered by Palm reps if you want to take a look.

23 Comments

23 Comments

  1. GeoffreyM

    04/14/2009 at 6:58 am

    I am seriously considering the Pre. If it lives up to most of the hype, and has Exchange support, it will suit me well. I admit that I am unsure about switching to Sprint. I am currently on AT&T and not terribly thrilled with the data performance degradation since the first iPhone came out. I would prefer to switch to Verizon, but may decide to give Sprint a shot.

  2. Sumocat

    04/14/2009 at 7:00 am

    Sprint network is crap in my area (home to Sprint HQ). Between that, the keyboard (I would never use it), and the lack of pricing and release date, I can’t give the Pre serious consideration, which is unfortunate because the software looks amazing. But no point in me drooling over it with all the other barriers in my way.

  3. Davide-NYC

    04/14/2009 at 7:09 am

    I will definitely be purchasing the Pre. I know it will be buggy at first, but the combination of multi-tasking, physical keyboard, and removable battery has it besting the iPhone. WinMo could be great if they could design a UI. But they can’t. Sprint is great where I am (NYC) so the network is not an issue.

  4. Fred Beiderbecke

    04/14/2009 at 7:12 am

    I am waffling. I want to see what Apple will come out with for the iPhone (I want a 32gig model), see if Sprint will carry the Touch Pro2 or look at the Pre. I am in no hurry at this point so when the Pre comes out (I am assuming Apple will counter with at least an announcement) I will probably decide.

  5. bluespapa

    04/14/2009 at 8:31 am

    That is my next phone. I’ve been pleased with my Sprint experience and wry Palm experiences. Both go back years. Having multiple programs open, ordinary languages, intuitive UI. the only the that I’d love is the ability to do presentations straight from it.

  6. Gary Gendel

    04/14/2009 at 8:37 am

    I may have to wait for the post-Sprint period since there is a big coverage hole right around my home. However, this is a phone that I’d love to own. The main feature is the unified notification information. I hate to have to keep changing apps for important information (pending events, email, etc.). Having them in one place makes this a dream.

  7. Steve

    04/14/2009 at 8:52 am

    I’m planning on grabbing a Pre to replace my cranky Mogul – at this moment, the only question is whether to dive in on launch day or hold off to see some reviews. Concerned about battery life (who isn’t?), Mac-friendliness and price, but the Mogul is being flaky enough that I might just need to bite the bullet and buy it, launch bugs and all. It can’t be worse out of the box than the Treo 700p, right? *fingers crossed*

  8. Jeffrey Graebner

    04/14/2009 at 9:31 am

    I’m very seriously considering the Pre. The UI looks truly impressive on it and the mix of features is pretty close to what I’m looking for with a phone. I have a couple small reservations (I wish the screen were VGA and it had at least a micro-SD slot), but I think the pluses are likely to overcome them. I’m already a Sprint customer, and have been satisfied with it, so the carrier isn’t a problem for me.

    My biggest concern about the Pre is how much software support it will get and how quickly. Palm’s generally precarious condition worries me a bit too. My current contract is such that I won’t be eligible for a discounted upgrade until October, so I’m hoping that is enough time to get at least a general idea of how much the Pre is going to be supported.

  9. smh

    04/14/2009 at 9:31 am

    I think the Pre would be a huge success if Palm had released it early spring and made a GSM/3G available. I myself have used BlackBerry for some time now and am very fond of it, although my current one is a bit outdated I can’t see myself switching to anything other than BlackBerry.

    The hype was much less than when iPhone was announced and the phone(Palm Pre) more than lived up to the expectations. The iPhone, from my point of view, was and still is a big disappointment; I think of iPhone as a toy more than a business tool.

  10. sbtablet

    04/14/2009 at 9:42 am

    I’m getting a Pre for my spouse. He has carried Palm devices for years, and loved them. He loved the idea of combining his Palm data and phone for only one device to carry, but the Centro has not performed well. The Pre looks to be a well designed device, and I’m looking forward to giving it to him for Father’s Day. Sprint in our area is the best game in town, we’ve used them for several years and been very satisfied. They’ve even helped us save money by switching to plans that fit our usage patterns.

  11. Joe

    04/14/2009 at 10:25 am

    I’ll be getting it on Day 1.

  12. asiriusgeek

    04/14/2009 at 10:28 am

    I’m considering it, though I would have to wait for another carrier besides Sprint to offer it as their coverage in my area isn’t good. My contract isn’t up until fall, so should have a number of options to consider then.

  13. Robert

    04/14/2009 at 10:42 am

    I will be getting one… I am already a Sprint user with 3 phones on the account, so that makes the transition easy. Switching to another carrier was NOT appealing. This PRE is the first NEW phone from Sprint that has excited me. I liked the iPhone when I saw them, but the cost for “FULL” use from AT&T with text, web, minutes etc. was up around $150 per month. Sprints EVERYTHING plan at $99 a month is much easier to swallow.

  14. Bob

    04/14/2009 at 10:44 am

    I’m definitely interested in the Pre, but I will wait for a few reviews (and hands-on time in a store) before deciding. I’m on Verizon, so the Pre will really have to live up to the hype to get me to change carriers. (Not that I love Verizon, but I get better Verizon than Sprint reception where I am.)

  15. PreDude

    04/14/2009 at 10:48 am

    Well Sprint in my area has been great, I work for very large software company in the Pacific Northwest, we have to use WinMo phones, but I have a Palm 755p for my personel phone now. Can hardly wait, my contract is over now, so I will buy 2 Pre’s for me and my wife, Sprint’s Data plan for family’s are the best. Can hardly wait to use it, I have used the iPhones and everything from Nokia and Samsung and Motorola. Finally Sprint got a phone I really want.

  16. FlyingShawn

    04/14/2009 at 1:32 pm

    I’m seriously considering it to replace my Mogul. I’m already on a Sprint SERO plan and my two years is almost up, so when I replace my current phone I should be able to get the full rebate deals (in exchange for re-upping my contract, but it’s a great deal and I really can’t complain about my experiences with Sprint flying up and down the east coast).

    I’m probably going to wait for the reviews and some more info before I make a final decision. I want to see how the battery life ends up, how buggy it is, and I want to see that their philosophy toward apps will be (I hate Apple’s heavy-handed tactics about controlling apps). One of the things I find essential is the ability to tether to my laptop, but I’m worried that the tethering function on the Pre will only work with a tethering plan (and I’m curious if they’ll block/disable alternative tethering software). If I decide the Pre isn’t for me, I’ll probably be leaning towards the Touch Pro 2.

  17. geekay

    04/14/2009 at 5:01 pm

    It had better have utilities to transfer my PalmOS app data, e.g. contact, memos, calendar, etc.

  18. Art

    04/14/2009 at 6:52 pm

    I can’t wait for Pre to come out and expect to get it as soon as it’s available. Finally a truly innovative phone after almost 2 years of copy cats imitating apple. The device is not perfect (why is it the new cool to have gigantic phones??). But the OS is amazing and has a potential to have a huge presence in the phone market.

    Speaking of the carrier, as a current BlackBerry user on AT&T network I can’t believe people trash Sprint as bad carrier. Annoyances with AT&T:
    – Charges for every little thing (e.g. text messaging is not included with data plan). Don’t even get me started on their super confusing international plans and million ways to charge up your bill;
    – The EDGE data service has significantly deteriorated since first iPhone introduction and hasn’t snapped back;
    – Services are becoming more restricted – no VoIP, monthly data transfer limitations, crackdown on using BlackBerry tethering unless you pay for mobile broadband;
    – Besides iPhone 3G there really are no phones in AT&T lineup that combine technology with a cool design

  19. Shawn

    04/14/2009 at 10:38 pm

    I think it’s funny to hear all of the iphone supporters bash Sprint, just because the iphone is on AT&T… therefore it has to be the best network, right?? I guess they would be shocked to know that Apple originally offered the iphone to Sprint and Sprint turned it down… That’s right, AT&T was their 2nd choice. Not necessarily Sprint’s best decision, but it shows the confidence that Apple had in the Sprint network.

    Also, not sure if people are keeping up with it.. but JD Power has Sprint ranked number #1 in the West and Midwest markets, tied with Verizon.. They are close behind at #2 in the other markets. However, they are ranked the most reliable 3G data network in the country, and it is 3 times larger than AT&Ts 3G network…. Let’s not even get started on 4G markets, Sprint is the only one working on one.

    Just some food for thought….

  20. Alan Robertson

    04/15/2009 at 4:45 am

    Definitely interested in a Pre (I still run a Palm TX and with the new emulator on the Pre it looks like my legacy apps will still run on it). It does however very much depend on what terms a carrier is going to offer it in the UK. The iPhone is on O2 and tethering to a computer isn’t allowed – I instead use an SE K850i on T-Mobile with 3GB/mo of data either on the phone or the laptop (usually via Bluetooth). I would want similar functionality before making the move.

  21. Mark

    04/15/2009 at 11:06 am

    I’m obsessed with this damn phone. I’ll not only be getting it as soon as humanly possible, but I’ll likely be paying full price for it as well (most of a 2-year contract remaining). I don’t care if that makes othe Pre $499 or $599 or whatever. Since switching from a Treo 650 (loved it, but some limitations got in the way), I’ve suffered with a Sprint Mogul and now a Touch Pro. The former was simply horrible, the worst device I’ve ever owned, of any kind. The Touch Pro is the typical mix of relatively sexy hardware with the ungodly frustrations of Windows Mobile–poor performance, tiny on-screen buttons, quirky, finger-unfriendly behavior overall.

    I do like Sprint, however, and the iPhone’s limitations are just too much for me (including the improvements to 3.0; the inability to multitask is a deal-breaker for me). As bad as Windows Mobile is, going to the iPhone would be a step backwards in overall functionality for me. If the Pre is even 70% as cool as it looks, it will do everything I want, and more.

  22. Jose R. Ortiz

    04/15/2009 at 12:28 pm

    I will definitely be getting it….when a GSM version becomes available for import. I’m really liking the phone but I have never liked the idea of being on a CDMA carrier for the simple reason that I swap phones almost on a daily basis. I need to be able to easily switch between devices, not to mention the fact that a GSM phone is easier to work with overseas. So yes, I will be getting a Pre, but not until I can get an unlocked (preferably unbranded) GSM version.

  23. mrpacs

    04/15/2009 at 6:32 pm

    Can’t Sprint Phones be used on VZW Networks? I’m sticking with my iPhone 3G but I hope the Pre is a winner.

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