Palm Pre

I am and have been a huge fan of the iPhone and how it has changed the game in the mobile world. Well 2 years later (which is about the development time for a device so it looks like the devices we are seeing are directly influenced by the iPhone) we are finally starting to see other devices that are starting to rival the ease of use and functionality of the iPhone. When Google launched the Android platform upon first site I knew that a simple, flexible, and elegant mobile platform and every device not named iPhone should utilize. 

Now Palm has finally launched a device and a platform that will give the iPhone and Android a run for its proverbial money. Most of what I have seen (see 4 videos below for demos) has been pretty impressive. There are things that the Palm Pre does that the iPhone will definitely need to do better. The biggest is how the Pre can integrate different applications allowing the user to simply just use the device rather than worry about which app they are using. The best example is whether you are IMing or Texting or MMSing you use the same interface so if you and it stays all as one conversation if the person you are talking to jumps from IM to Text. It also integrates all your contact info one spot so you can easily jump from e-mail to IM if you see the person you are e-mailing is online via IM.

I know a lot of people will also love that the Pre has a full physical QWERTY keyboard but as for me and my fat thumbs that is almost a non starter. I can't stand physical keyboards. I love the iPhone virtual keyboard and the software because I don't have to be super accurate with every keystroke and the software corrections is fantastic. Also since I can't spell to save my life it works great for me.

Ultimately, the more competition in the smartphone category we have that are at this level will be great for consumers. The iPhone opened the door and changed the game and showed consumers that mobile phones don't have to be tedious to use. I just hope the iPhone will start to integrate some of these features into the next firmware update because some of this stuff just makes sense.

Part 1 goes through the hardware of the device in detail:

Palm Pre demo, part 1 from Dean Takahashi on Vimeo.

Part 2 goes through some of the User Interface:

Palm Pre demo, part 2 from Dean Takahashi on Vimeo.

Part 3 goes through some of the applications and the flexibility of the platform:

Palm Pre demo, part 3 from Dean Takahashi on Vimeo.

Part 4 shows how the platform integrates applications:

Palm Pre demo, part 4 from Dean Takahashi on Vimeo.