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"OK for n00bs, teens. Big Hype little capability"
2.5 starson by roadlifePros: Good for casual user, people upgrading to first smartphone.
Cheaper Centro batteries works fine (you will need lots of batteries in your pockets)Cons: Poor build quality
No GPS outside of Sprint
No expandable memory
Very poor battery
Screen defects
Tethering disabled
Subpar reception
Cut/Paste limited
No Voice dialing via speakerphone
Email not searchable (!)
Ringer volume very lowSummary: I really wanted to love this phone. I've been with Palm for years. I picked one up last night at a release "party" and have put it through 24 hours straight of use.
If this is the flagship phone for Palm they are really in trouble. The first thing I noted was the extremely poor build quality compared to other smartphones. I am getting light leaking from the side of the screen, and a blotchiness in the lower area and the device creaks. The casing feels very plasticly and fragile.
The second thing I noted was the rapid loss of battery, even with avoiding wifi. I am comparing to Palms Pro model as well as other competitors. The Pre will clearly not make it through a workday.
In call Audio quality was good if you are in an area with good reception, but the reception on the Pre is poorer than my Sprint Treo Pro and markedly worse than my other handsets.
The cut and paste is crippled. You literally cannot cut from an existing email. It is crazy. The only way around according to support is to create a reply, cut from that you have to cut from that and then delete the reply. Incredible! You also cannot cut and paste from a web page.
AYou are unabel to search your email ! That's right, a basic function from BB, WM, iphone and others smartphones is gone from Pre. This is very important in a supposed synergy and email device. What is more worrisome is that it is not likely you will be able to once you understand the limits to the way the Pre handles email..
Last the ringer volume is very low. unlikely you will hear it from another room, an increasingly relevant need given people giving up their landlines.
The disabling of tethering, lack of certain security capabilities, and lack of memory card point to an expectation by Palm that this will also not be for power users.
If you are considering this handset I would advise waiting, Too many bugs, most of which are unlikely to be addressed in software updates. I would wait for a more robust and powerful successor, or with the new Windows mobile phones coming out which are much more powerful and have a huge body of serious software.
Also the GPS is not standalone. Nav will not work outside of Sprint unlike windows mobile phones. This is a problem Palm has had before and problem is repeated with Pre
- 8 replies to this review
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Poor build quality ---- wrong
No GPS outside of Sprint -- don't need any other gps service, works great and included in price.
No expandable memory - a lot of phones don't
Very poor battery - most smartphones have terrible battery life- nature of the beast
Screen defects - wrong - on screen defects since i bought it in june of last year
Tethering disabled - same as a lot of other phones
Subpar reception - this is a lie. sprint coverage is great, certainly better than t-mobile but no one complains about them.
No Voice dialing via speakerphone - i've had plenty of phones with this feature, rarely used. same is probably true for most people.
Email not searchable (!) - flat out lie
Ringer volume very low - wrong
are you sure you were using a palm pre or some other phone? -
Your statement that this is viewed as a great smartphone by first time PDA users but not by those who need a serious business device is dead on. In my view, Palm went so far in trying to match/kill the iPhone, they forgot to A) make a phone that works as a great phone, and B) include all the things that have made Palm products great in the past.
Good review. -
OK. Of course you can't cut from an email. You cant do that in outlook either because you would be editing someone elses email. Oh, yeah, and try to 'cut' something from this or any web page from any phone or pc you don't own rights to. Didn't work did it? You want to 'COPY' not 'cut'.
BTW, if you have ever really owned any palm treo you would know that the volume of the ringer abd calls is always dismal. -
@crashinto it. I have the phone. I got it Friday afternoon becasue I was invited to a Sprint event and because I have tried every sprint phone since my company pays for it anyway.
ANYONE reading my evaluation can see I do know my smartphones and put this through a thoughtful and full test.
Your comments are generalities, mine are specifics.
Look, "crashinot it" you appear to have JOINED CNET today. -- and only commented on the Pre. I smell shill. Stop adding to hype and stick with details and facts -- as I did. -
@roadlife
I am very much doubting the truthfulness of your review. I looked through your comments and YOU HAVE COMMENTED NEGATIVELY FROM THE TIME THE PHONE WAS SHOWN AT CES (on what info I have no idea) . Yet you started your review saying you really wanted to like this phone. Don't be a hypocrite. Why didn't you just start your review with I hate the whole idea of this phone from the beginning when I had first heard of it from no details, and I was right to do so. That would have been honest.
I wish people would stop trying to effect public perception with BS reviews. You basically mentioned none of the serious advances this phone has made which are universally acknowledged in your review. You just make some dubious claims which are hard to verify. -
@gaink
my complaints were already common knowledge? There was no discussion of screen defects, subpar reception, no cut and paste in email or web and many of the other problems in any of the leaked information. Now you see multiple complaints of these issues.
On security you are the one who doesn't know what you are talking about. You can't do PIN security of EAS on the Pre and it is not something Palm itself is working out according to Palm. I know, I tried and I called them to check.
gzink, since you don't know smartphones, don't critique my review with false statements. -
There are no surprises here; why did you buy the phone when all your complaints were already common knowledge? And by the way, some of the stuff you complained about is not true. If you don't know how to fully operate the device, then you shouldn't be complaining about it. For example, you are in charge of the degree of security. I had mine locked up in no time flat.
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excellent review! reflects what I determined in a short period of time at the Sprint store with the phone....currently waiting for my touch pro b/c of the failure of Palm!
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