Palm Pre: more of everything you ever wanted to know

It's been a tense bunch of months between the Palm Pre's January unveiling and the almost palpable launch next month, with fears of delays and a fairly tight-lipped Palm keeping us on the edge of our seats. But with the launch finally just two weeks away, we thought we'd revisit our "everything you ever wanted to know" feature on the device and work in everything we've learned since.

Read - Palm Pre: everything you ever wanted to know
Read - Everything else at our giant Palm Pre hub

[Monkey with glasses @ May 25th 2009 5:28PM]

Don't have to, all we have to do is look at post from yesterday and most question answered.

[Monkey with glasses @ May 25th 2009 5:30PM]

Sorry, meant to say that you've been covering this all weekended.

[ShirkPower @ May 25th 2009 7:06PM]

Just trying to milk all the hits they can before the pre becomes boring again

[iphonerulez @ May 25th 2009 8:35PM]

Oh, is this the overhyped Palm Pre that everyone's been talking about and ready to put a dent in iPhone sales? I had heard that a total four units will be available in Manhattan on June 6th. That should make quite a statement of the power of Palm and the mighty Pre. One thing for certain, with that number of Pres being available on launch it's sufficient to say I'll never see one being used in Manhattan. Not that it matters since Manhattan is the home of iPhone Central and iPhones are king.

I think this fact tells me far more than I want to know about the Pre. They'll be pretty much non-existent in the northeastern part of the U.S.

[miko34 @ May 25th 2009 5:28PM]

Oh, what's this? A new phone from Palm?

[James @ May 25th 2009 6:37PM]

Calm down there Grimey!

[Gad Get @ May 25th 2009 5:29PM]

Wow, you're kidding. It doesn't even look like a Centro.

[chris @ May 25th 2009 6:27PM]

That's because it's not.

[gouken85 @ May 25th 2009 5:29PM]

What is the advertised battery life according to palm and Sprint?

[B3astofthe3ast @ May 25th 2009 5:51PM]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=palm+pre+battery+life

:/

[Pascal @ May 25th 2009 6:18PM]

Claimed talk time is 5 hours. Sadly, that is entirely irrelevant on a large screen EVDO smartphone. The handset has a small battery at 1150 mAh. Those talk times are based on screen off, no use of GPS, no use of wifi, no use of data connection, no use of anything but the 1x CDMA for voice. No matter how efficient the chipset, it still has to drive a sizable screen for all its activities, handle data connections, processor power from use of the GUI, programs, bluetooth, etc. And those hardware and feature elements chips are power hungry.
It is probably battery life will not be a strong point with that small capacity battery, especially for people who don't pony up for the $70 handsfree charger and a car charger.

[ShirkPower @ May 25th 2009 6:21PM]

@B3astofthe3ast

I believe he was asking a question,
not wondering what google is.

[gouken85 @ May 25th 2009 6:28PM]

@B3astofthe3ast
Google has an article on top from arstechnica that claims battery life will probably suck...

@Pascal
Do you have a link for that info?

I find it strange that palm has said nothing about battery life.

[B3astofthe3ast @ May 25th 2009 5:30PM]

Just so you fail, I'm going to vote you up...wait, it might be reverse psychology! hmm...I'll just hit the the [!]

[kingofdaberbz @ May 25th 2009 5:31PM]

That phone looks really nice. I kind of want a change of tone from my iPhone, but I can't this. This phone is a Sprint exclusive, and I hate Sprint, no offense. If this phone comes to T-mobile, I may get this phone.

[Sisyphus @ May 25th 2009 5:37PM]

"I hate Sprint, no offense"

Have you used Sprint?

I have been with them for 3 years now (formerly a Verizon customer). I've had a couple of customer service annoyances, but overall I have had a great experience.

In the D.C. area, I always have a strong signal and 3G internet is fast on my HTC touch diamond.

Also, in those circumstances where I had a bad experience (a billing error and a troublesome phone exchange), I wrote a letter to their main office and promptly received replies, along with credit toward my bill to make up for the mistakes.

[Cleverboy @ May 25th 2009 11:42PM]

My wife has used Sprint, and she's personally attested to horrible customer service. Not simply for one instance of how somebody might interact, but for how she has. She CALLED them, and on issues of billing... they've been awful. Like, having a plan that has a certain amount of text messages included, and being charged much sooner, or issues with minutes, etc. Personally, I was with Sprint when Nextel switched over. Nextel's website was always a pain in the ass, often telling me that I didn't have permission to view my own billing statement, before changing its mind after clicking around in frustration. Their consumer report ratings are in the TOILET. I'm sorry, they simply ARE, and they introduced their "Simply Everything" plan simply to stem their precipitous rate of attrition. This has all been reported on before, so... anyone providing a "positive" note on Sprint should be saying "lately they've been better" or "I know they've got a poor reputation on customer service, but..." Trying to start with, "Have you even used them", is woefully the wrong foot to launch from. Personally, I've never used T-Mobile, but their customer service reputation proceeds them by leaps and bounds.

[danotoriousb @ May 26th 2009 1:02AM]

Ive had Sprint ( and Nextel for work ) and I didnt like them either. Plus coverage is extremely spotty in the area I live in.

I would have to say the best most advanced carrier is ATT, but theyre also expensive. I currently use US Cellular and despite their drawbacks, they have been the best carrier Ive been with yet. Great coverage in my area. Great reps. Theyve always replaced my handsets, no questions asked. Never had a billing problem with them either.

Plus they dont have data roaming so I can use my Windows Mobile data plan anywhere in the US, even if Im not on their network, and I dont get charged for roaming fees.

Oh yeah, and theyve got free incoming minutes too. Since I rarely make outgoing calls on my cell phone, this is a godsend.

[p3t3b2 @ May 26th 2009 2:08AM]

I guess it's casual to say "I hate Sprint, Sprint sucks", mainly from people who have never had Sprint. If you follow the herd, you will end up on the grill.

[JZ @ May 26th 2009 2:42AM]

I couldn´t agree less, Sprint really sucks. Over here I got 0 coverage which results in continious roaming together with massive bills and when I call the helpdesk they don´t even want to speak Dutch to me.. I mean do I ask to much to speak the local language to someone from the Netherlands?

[umm....hello??? @ May 26th 2009 9:18AM]

@dano

I agree. US Cellular is the best network I've had so far. used to be on cellular one before it became at&t. Free incoming everything (text/phone calls/pictures) is great. and they recently added free battery replacement for your phone--swap your dead one for a fresh battery for free.

[Sasja @ Jun 5th 2009 11:12AM]

@JZ: I'm from the Netherlands and as far as I know Sprint doesn't operate here or in any of the bordering countries (I may be wrong here). So, I don't see why they should speak Dutch at customer support (which I assume is not in the Netherlands either).

[BloodReaper @ May 25th 2009 5:34PM]

:|

[ladygoogoo @ May 25th 2009 5:35PM]

Gimme an unlocked GSM version, then let's talk!

[Homeboy @ May 25th 2009 6:13PM]

To be honest, the phone is a bit redundant without 3G, especially with all that hot internet capabilities, email and push notifications. A GSM only version is very much a wasted opportunity to fully exploit the phone's all benefits.

[Icchansan @ May 25th 2009 5:47PM]

No 3G wtf?

[munir @ May 25th 2009 5:52PM]

homeboy is confused.

[Phoenix @ May 25th 2009 5:54PM]

it HAS 3G. 3G is not only GSM

[chriss @ May 25th 2009 6:02PM]

@Homeboy
GSM != no 3G

[John @ May 25th 2009 6:13PM]

he was saying that a GSM version would be like that because it would not have 3G. We all know the Pre is 3G.

[Phoenix @ May 25th 2009 6:15PM]

...it WOULD have 3G though

[p3t3b2 @ May 26th 2009 2:01AM]

I think what he (Homeboy) is trying to say is... An unlocked GSM Euro Version will not have 3G access in the US, which is true. The unlocked GSM Pre will only have Edge access and will not be able to access a lot of features.

[Dennis Kristensen @ May 25th 2009 5:43PM]

Are the Pre-lovers soon satisfied until the launch? There coudn't possibly be anything more to know before the hands-on??

[nae_t @ May 25th 2009 5:43PM]

Just found out I'm getting mine this Thursday (28th). I have a trainning class for it, and every attendee gets a free one, with free service.

[USS_Doyle @ May 26th 2009 12:36AM]

um...doubtful

pictures or it doesnt happen

[Mike Kosek @ May 25th 2009 5:50PM]

Umm who cares?

[Zorque @ May 25th 2009 7:01PM]

Me and lots of other people?

[munir @ May 25th 2009 5:51PM]

ive seen conflicting answers to this question, so ill ask again. can the pre (or any webOS phone) sideload programs, or will all apps need to be downloaded through the app store? one of my pet peeves about my iphone is having to get everything through itunes (thus forcing me the jailbreak), so im hoping webOS will allow sideloading right off the bat.

[Phoenix @ May 25th 2009 5:55PM]

you can load them wherever you want

[Phoenix @ May 25th 2009 5:55PM]

*from wherever

I.e. they can be downloaded on your PC and downloaded

[munir @ May 25th 2009 6:03PM]

@Phoenix

can you provide a source? the folks over at gizmodo stated that apps would exclusive to the app store, a la the iphone. then again, they are gizmodo after all

[Phoenix @ May 25th 2009 6:08PM]

every story on it I've ever read is my source.

[ShirkPower @ May 25th 2009 6:22PM]

@Phoenix

Huh?
From the stories i've read,
you cannon get apps from your computer whatsoever.
period.

[Phoenix @ May 25th 2009 6:27PM]

A quick google search...

http://www.precentral.net/palm-ceo-ed-colligan-talks-pre-investors

"Not only will Palm have an app store at launch, they're not locking down the device so you can only install apps from their app store. You'll be able to "side load" apps directly over USB or over the air from any provider. Good news!"

[ShirkPower @ May 25th 2009 7:08PM]

from what software...?

[Phoenix @ May 25th 2009 7:56PM]

USB drag and drop? I'd assume that the same files that WOULD be downloaded from the app store would get transferred by USB and then would install the same way.

[PedoJokerBear (aka Deeznuts) @ May 26th 2009 8:44AM]

yeah like every other palm phone does...

[Brandon @ May 25th 2009 5:59PM]

Palm Pre, what the hell is this?

[Samboini @ May 26th 2009 2:23PM]

I am 12 years old and what is this.

[Monkey with glasses @ May 25th 2009 5:57PM]

@B3astofthe3ast


Good one. Lol. I did once myself but yeah report him.