General

And some "extras"

I've, unfortunately, been out of commission lately and very lax in getting any updates in. I'm finally walking back among the living and enjoying the Palm Pre the more that I use it.

I had planned out an entire entry to write this morning and I'll put that on the back burner for later today - my experience on the train coming into the city still has me chuckling.

I zone out on my commute into work. Throw the earphones on, shut my eyes and listen to music all the way in. So as I stepped into the train today my Pre was already in my hand (closed, thankfully) when someone deciding at the last minute to run off the train blew by me, knocking the phone right out of my hand. I heard it smash to the floor and was convinced I was doomed. But, as I've noted before, when it's closed the Pre is one tough egg. It bounced once and stayed put, waiting for me to pick it up. There aren't even any scratches on it from the fall.… Read more

Homebrew Apps Anyone?

About my experience trying to get some homebrew apps.

As my fellow test-drive bloggers have noted, the "official" apps for the Pre are still a bit limited. I do love Pandora--that has distracted me for a good while--but let's face it: It's time for more and it's getting harder to wait. I knew this would be the case for a while, and I have been waiting--patiently. Until yesterday.

Yesterday, I came across a homebrew app that made me attempt the process of using Virtual Box and installing the SDK: the active homescreen. It looks oh, … Read more

One Solid Option for Protecting Your Screen

My experience with the Invisible Shield screen protector.

Last week, I went into Best Buy with an Invisible Shield I had purchased online and paid a guy $8 to install it. I waited till now to post because I wanted to see how it cured. Bottom line? I am very happy with it. It looks almost perfect.

The process took about 15 minutes in the store. One thing I didn't expect was that you are supposed to leave your Pre untouched for a while (ideally 12 hours) after installation. I had planned to run errands after and it was … Read more

Useful Goodies For The Pre, What Are The Must Haves

When it comes to accessories, face it, there are always the cheap ones that break quickly and ruin your device. Than there are the slightly more expensive ones that not only don't break, they also PROTECT your device/investment. When I go to purchase an accessory, I do a lot of shopping and looking around for reviews through multiple sources like Google, Amazon, Youtube, forums, etc. Once i have all information and pricing gathered i make my decision on what accessories will fit me best and where i can get the best price on that accessory. I was once again lucky enough (thanks to accessorygeeks) to test out some new goodies for the Palm Pre. Today I will be doing a full review of not only a desktop cradle and spare battery charger, but also a oem battery itself, a snap on black protective case, and a glare free, oil free, clear screen protector. When browsing around their site you can find anything and everything quickly and easily, whats also nice is that the prices are fair for their accessories that they do offer for each and every phone. First I would like to do a little review on the screen protector that I have been using for a couple days now. So far I'm very satisfied, in the direct sunlight it does a great job of diminishing the look of the glare allowing the user to still be able to see the icons on the device. The feel of the screen protector is very smooth and honestly I don't know it is even there so the invisible part in the title is very true. Not only is it a smooth stroke with the finger it isn't gooey like some protectors that almost grip your finger when gliding across the screen. I would recommend this without doubt to any of the Pre users or potential Pre users for their devices. 9.0-9.5/10 AccessoryGeeks Link… Read more

Pre Users Have LOTS of Media Syncing Options

A brief overview of media syncing options for the Pre.

Okay, so, say what you will about iTunes, Palm Pre users have many solid options for syncing media.

Pre Central just released a great overview and description of the many options and why you might prefer one over the other. Since I am a Macbook Pro user, I'll be looking at the following Mac-friendly options:

1. DoubleTwist (Free) about which Pre Central says, "If you feel like sticking with iTunes and don't want to deal with the hassle of not updating, then doubleTwist media sync is for … Read more

Reader's Questions About the Pre #2

Answering a few more reader's questions about the Palm Pre...

Kim Dushinski, founder of Mobile Marketing Profits says:

I am a very happy Pre owner (got mine on launch day!) I have a couple questions.

#1.

Q. Is there a way to back space without deleting?

A. Moving the cursor is done by holding the Orange key and swiping on the screen. Article here.

#2

Q. How do I close down the Web without having to "back" out of each page to get the web card in the deck so I can swipe it off the top … Read more

SMALL BATTERY SOLUTION.....I THINK

I've been noticing everyone's dilemma with the battery, which I must say has happen to me as well. If you talk to long or to often, the battery dies. If you're on the internet often, the battery dies. I usually turn my Palm Pre off around 11 pm every night then plug it up to be charged until I get up in the morning. I go over to unplug it from the charger, hit the top right button slightly and the phone pops "ON". It doesn't go through the black screen with the word … Read more

Notifications: The Good, The Bad, and The Pretty

My impressions of the Pre's notifications.

Quick post today to comment on the Pre's system of notifications. Generally speaking, I love it. It's clear, accurate, and subtle without being coy--if that makes any sense.

The Good

Notifications appear as they are registered on the Pre at the bottom of the larger viewing area--stacked if there are multiples. They minimize to (very) small icons in the bottom right corner if they are not immediately acted upon. Tapping a mini-envelope (mail), speech balloon (SMS/MMS/IM), phone (call), or tape (voice msg), brings them back to the stacked view. … Read more

Alternative Charging Methods

Your sitting there working hard at you desk and you realize you need a charge but your touchstone and or stock usb charger are at home or in the other room. What do you do now? If you had a desktop charger you wouldn't face this issue. I myself am always on the go and need chargers in different rooms of my house and at work, the desktop charger is great to have so my Pre is always with me at my desk. I have noticed some pros and cons to the desktop charger and here is what I … Read more