In addition to an early Pre review by Boy Genius, a few more sites got their hands on Palm's new webOS handset. Sprint employees have also been busy playing with the phone, most recently posting pictures on Twitter. We should see more mini-reviews before the big day, as early phones continue to get passed around. Below is a summary of what each reviewer liked (and disliked) about the device:
GigaOM: In this "super quick" hands-on review, writer Om Malik got some one-on-one time with the Pre.
- Design: It has a squat design, nice screen, is easy to grip, and is round in all the right places. However, the slide out keyboard seems flimsy and cluttered.
- Browsing: Browsing was really fast, comparible with Apple and Google's, and trumps Nokia's browser. The phone is also good at integrating web-centric apps.
- webOS: "oozing with smarts" that include universal search, unified address book and calender, and dozens of other such features.
- Overall: With the Pre, Palm joins players Apple, RIM, Microsoft, Google, and Nokia. Strong community, browser, webOS, and hype should help Palm sell itself to companies looking for an acquisition, like Dell.
PedroTheGoat: In this review via the Precentral forums, one member got to play with the new webOS device for "about an hour". Here's what he came away with:
- Design and keyboard: The phone feels solid. Throw the "Fisher Price" stuff out the window. It feels "marvelous" compared to the Blackberry 8330. Solid slider, great ergonomic feel. Even with very large hands, the keyboard worked just fine. Thumbs hit the bottom of the screen on the top row, but overcome easily with adjustment. "After only about 1 minute I was able to type just as fast as on my Blackberry."
- Battery and Screen: Battery hardly moved after 45 minutes of heavy use (29% to 23%), but won't hold up as well as Blackberry or Touch Pro. Bright, crisp screen, FAST accelerometer.
- webOS and Browser: No crashes or slowdown, even with 10 cards open. Web pages loaded just like as on a desktop, faster than an iPhone.
- Other: Camera worked as it should, contacts screen looked "really beautiful", speaker was loud with minimal distortion.
Prethinking: This was one of the earliest hands-on reviews (so not much could be disclosed at the time), but here's what was covered:
- Feel: Phone feels solid, like a smooth river stone. Slider is responsive and not loose. The keys are small and a little rubbery, but after a few minutes it worked fine for blasting out text messages.
- Ease of use / Multitasking: Very simple navigation, mix of iPhone, Windows 7, and Linux. No lag with real-world multitasking, and notification system works without a hiccup.
- Applications: The Pre has an exensive array of applications, load quickly, and will be the phone to beat once the App Catalog gets established.
- Other: Battery life seems strong, boots up as fast as an iPhone (faster than a 700p), and overall quality seems good.
In lieu of a review, other sites have predicted what will define success (or faliure) of the Pre. Below are a few of them:
Five reasons the Palm Pre will triumph: Asylum gives five reasons the Pre will rise to the top of the gadget heap, including form factor (an inch shorter than the iPhone), Sprint network technology, Synergy, QWERTY keyboard, and Apple haters boosting it up.
Five reasons why the Palm Pre will be a homerun: ZDNet gives their own version of "five reasons", identifying success of the Pre through application ecosystem, iPhone competitor mentality, developer platform, touchscreen+QWERTY, and true multitasking.
Five reasons the Palm Pre won't prevail: PCWorld has a more pessmistic outlook, and gives five reasons why the device will not be successful. These reasons include that Palm is starting from scratch with the Pre and webOS, the iPhone will get multitasking, inexperienced developers, questionable keyboard, and lack of funding / financing.
And what does the big boss, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, have to say of the success of the Pre? In an interview in Atlanta last week, he stated:
"The iPhone is a fantastic consumer device, the BlackBerry is a terrific business device. But if you want one phone that's good at both, you'll want a Pre...It will probably take about three months before we know (the phone's success). Early on, it will sell like crazy. The real issue is what kind of legs it will have after the initial euphoria."
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