New Phone
I got a Palm Pre yesterday!
It does exactly everything I want, right out of the box. Everything just works. My google contacts, calendar and chat buddies all sync up automatically with basically one button. The connectivity with my MacBook is plug and play. The drag and drop file transfers are seamless, and it has 8GB of internal memory, which is enough space for me to use it as a secondary MP3 player. Happily, it also has a slide out keyboard. I still much prefer a physical keyboard over the onscreen keyboards of the iPhone or Nexus One. Texting with the phone has taken some getting used to; the curve of the phone forces one to hold it in a way that feels slightly awkward at first, but after about a day of use I’ve adjusted.
WebOS is the selling feature of this phone. It is both intuitive, and really really good looking. I love the mail client, and I love that I can be connected to my Google Talk account at all times. Oh and I love the mail client. Did I mention that I love the mail client? It doesn’t require you to use IMAP or POP3 to connect to your Gmail account - it just is your Gmail account. I am thrilled by this. I love that you end apps by flicking them off the screen - there’s something very satisfying about picking up a running application and throwing it away. The app store does leave something to be desired, especially in comparison to the iPhone app store, but this is to be expected. Apple has really raised our expectations of what an app store should be, and it will take other developers some time to catch up. However, the Palm App Store is certainly acceptable; it’s easy to use and functional. As someone who doesn’t prefer to load their devices with pointless apps, I’m not disappointed by it.
My love of/obsession with phones is a well documented fact. I love getting new phones, and I am always on the lookout for my next one. But this time I feel as if I’ve found a phone that I can be happy with for a long time. Well done Palm. Sure you’ve had your hardware issues, but I am so in love with WebOS that I am more than willing to look past them. And as long as it’s not twisty, the Pre hardware is really cute. Thanks Palm, for rescuing me from the dredges of Windows Mobile.