We’re declaring the Palm Pre Plus as the 2010 Phone of The Year.
First, we’re bumping up our timing of the award this year to be in-line with CTIA Wireless expo. Why? A couple of months ago, we started contacting every phone manufacturer with a simple offering; show us what you’ve got, and we’ll see what’s best. By announcing the award now, you’ll know you’re getting a phone that will last you for the full year at the top of the heap. It also gives us the latitude to pick a old phone, a current phone, or even one that isn’t shipping yet.
Why’d we chose the Palm Pre Plus? Read more to find out.
Learn more about the Palm Pre Plus at Verizon Wireless
Times haven’t been very fair to Palm, but this award was not given based on sympathy. The Palm Pre Plus simply has more built-in functionality than any other phone we’ve seen. In addition to answering the featuresets of iPhone and Android, there isn’t any major features that even Windows Phone 7 Series can claim as beating Palm’s webOS. From an always updating push notification service, to comprehensive (and free) sync services, webOS is on top.
That wasn’t true almost a year ago, when webOS first shipped. Without Palm’s PDK, the webOS platform was really in a similar position to the original iPhone’s standing. Users were asking why there wasn’t any native code on the platform, and getting a lot of non-answers in response (Palm, like Apple, was pointing to how the web browser is the end-all-be-all of everything, which nobody really buys).
With that taken into account, the Palm Pre Plus builds on the original Pre in key areas, though the Pre benefits from most of the benefits via updating. From Unreal 3 gaming, to improved charging port compatibility. Big or small, the Palm Pre Plus defines what you should have in a modern smartphone. In addition, Mobile Hotspot service is simply unparalleled.
Yes, we have stated time and time again that tethering is legal, and no, you don’t need a new plan. But for Palm to embrace both tinkering and mainstream users is key. For a mainstream user to have the convenience of paying an extra $1 per day, and being able to turn their phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot (supported by the carrier, no less), is unprecedented in America. It gives the average mobile user the ability to demand more from their carriers, and ask why they should ever buy an aircard, MiFi, or any other unconverged device again.
So why did the Palm Pre Plus beat out the HTC Supersonic and Motorola Droid, the other two phones contending? Couple reasons there.
First, the HTC Supersonic does have 4G. And since we were the people who coined WiMAX 4G almost five years ago (long before most people had even heard of 3G), you’d think that would be a lock. Well, here’s the problem. By the end of 2010, only about one in three Americans will have access to WiMAX on Clear/Sprint 4G service. That means, to most of you, Supersonic is simply a fast Android phone. And, with 4G just getting started, we suggest waiting for 4G to be in your area before upgrading to a 4G phone. That means, for most people, HTC’s Supersonic just isn’t the solution.
The Motorola Droid on the other hand, is an excellent all-around runner up. However, Motorola’s choice to force the Droid to carry “with Google” branding, the loss of MOTOBLUR availability (which much cheaper Android phones from Motorola carry) as well as the lack of multi-touch in nearly every application is what pushed us to the Pre Plus. There are some tradeoffs, the Droid carries a microSDHC slot, while Pre Plus has Mobile Hotspot service built-in.
In short, the Palm Pre Plus is likely to stay on top for 2010, and we think it’s the best buy out there. The Palm Pixi Plus is also a great choice, though it has a smaller screen, and comes down to personal preference for many. When gaming or going into a rugged environment, the Pre Plus is worth the extra fifty dollars, especially when staring down a two year contract.
Palm’s troubles may have also created some of the most attractive pricing options for smartphones of this caliber to-date. Not only is the Palm Pre Plus priced below the likes of Motorola Droid and iPhone 3GS, it does so without dreaded mail-in rebates. This also makes it a prime candidate for upgraders on Verizon, who often are prohibited from taking advantage of mail-in rebates.
I’m guessing you’re revising your guess now? Supersonic isn’t just a 4G phone. It’s everything.
Chris ….if you had the information on this EVO device before you made your comment about the Palm Pre, I fail to understand how the Evo 4G Max falls second to the Pre or the Droid. I mean the 1.3 front facing visual phone chat blows anything out there away in my opinion. I surf from forum to forum, and this is the analogy of most other industry online media companies. Pre very well may have a great OS, and media browser, but the land scape of the phone, and its hardware design in my opinion is lacking. That OS on an HTC EVo hardware platform may make the Palm OS shine. I am not trying to take anything away from Palm either. I interacted with it at VRZ, but the cramped QWERTY key board, and the potrait sliding display cripples the web surfing and media display of this device for me.
Its always funny to me to here people disagree with another persons opinion! The person making the opinion tried all the devices and chose pre plus as best! now the rest of you think you have chosen the best device because thats the device you bought and have never even tried the pre! i do not like i-phone because i am not typing on a f***ing screen and no i am not going to get used to it so i can be a me too person sorry! as for droid its too f***ing heavy and hard to use and its keyboard sucks because u cannot feel a difference from one key to another plus i never liked a side slideout keypad anyway! what i like about pre is the multi-tasking and synergy of the device something people without pres do not understand! i am just not going to close out of one thing to do another when i do not have to with pre! sometimes i do 7 or 8 things at once plus pandora! i know the droid has mult-tasking but it does not do it seemlessly as the pre and i just love the card system! nothing can touch that! like i have stated before people are like sheep they buy what everyone else has or they buy what the store tells them is best and the salesperson pockets the spiff! i went to a verizon store and the clerk must of mentioned the word droid 10 times even though i was only interested in pre!
I have had a Pre for eight months now and love it. I’m a phone geek and have used and owned them ALL. Multi-tasking is SO easy on the Pre that going back and using other phones is frustrating. The synergy feature is also just amazing. Combining contact info from multiple sources for the same contact is AMAZING. Also, I’ve had to hard reset my phone once and everything restored itself in automatically (Google, Facebook, Apps… everything!).
I can agree the sales people in the store will push all sorts of other phones. Never the Pre. Be independent. Don’t be a sheep! I personally see iPhones as boring. Apple used to be “different”. Now it’s just generic. The Droid is just a mess. Ugly, clunky… and Android looks like Windows 97 on a mobile (anyone else notice that?).
Here’s an honest PROS and CONS breakdown of what I think Chris (the author) should have included in the article:
+ Multi-Tasking
+ Synergy
+ Gestures
+ User interface
+ Photo and Video Quality
+ Cloud-based
– Fragile
– Battery Life
Cheers!
[…] The 2010 Phone of The Year: Palm Pre Plus Nu komt het goed met de Pre Calling The 2010 Phone of The Year: Palm Pre Plus | PhoneNews.com __________________ Palm Pre , iPhone 3G, (iPhone 2G, Treo […]
Love my Palm Pre too – and as a developer I must say: WebOS is the best platform to develop for! So many options, OS-independent – Palm Pre rules!
Ron kill the noise, and grow up…..I made my comment based on “my” personal interaction with the Pre. The “F” this and that just shows your fustration, and the lack of self control that you have over some ones views of a device that “you” like. Since no one had the EVO before yesterday to interact with it is impossible for Chis to make a fair analogy of that device versus the Pre. I don’t take away from how capeable an OS the Web OS is. However; to base his review with out having a unit in his hand to make a fair comparison isn’t a review it’s an opinion. Go to any online news media and ask the reviewer if he agrees with Chis, and I bet over 90% will disafgree with his comaprison about the EVO. Wi Max has nothing to do with the hardware design, and overall function, but 4G Wi Max is a game changer for sure. So correct me if I am wrong, did anyone have access to the EVO for review before yesterday’s launch. To say not caring about slider this, or touch that just shows you are just as legacy as that device. Today most everyone thinks opposite of you and thats why I Phone was so revolutionary. As I mentioned for “me” personally the cramped QWERTY key board is just the right size for my 8 year old son to handle, but too small for me. The smaller screen takes away form the beautiful display thats rendered, and that’s too bad.To surf the web which most people do on a phone is a challenge because the portrait view isn’t the best way to view a web page. I know I am asking too much of that device for todays standard, but the Droid, EVO, HD2, I Phone, and the Google N1, address these issues and make all around interaction a breeze!
great response QWIKSTRIKE. It’s too bad most people are getting caught up on the phone that they have/like, and are not looking at the facts.
I know it’s early, but i think it’s safe to say that your comment is the “comment of the year”.
While I’m at it, lets declare this article is also the “article of the year” too.
Adam you crack me up.
The only people agreeing with the article is the people who have the pre.
I have the droid and I never thought my phone was the best and I had it since last year, that’s because phones keep coming out every month with better specs..
Now that we’re giving awards so early I’m giving this article an award for the most ridiculous one I have ever read of the year 😉
The EVO’s a great phone. But again, keep in mind that for 2010 (which is what our award is based on)… two out of every three phone users won’t have access to Sprint 4G. You’re paying a huge up-front premium for a device that will be much cheaper, and probably much improved upon, by the time 4G is available in your area.
We really can’t consider a phone that most people can’t use well. Without 4G, things like HD YouTube are worthless. Mobile Hotspot won’t even work on the EVO 4G without 4G coverage (with the Pre Plus, it just works everywhere). And the price starts becoming very hard to justify on EVO 4G, considering the phone will be more than double Palm Pre Plus before any contract, sans the necessary 4G coverage.
If you have 4G coverage wherever you want, you’re probably going to get the EVO 4G if you’re in the market for a superphone. We know that. It’s not Phone of The Year material though if most can’t get 4G.
That may not be popular with the people always chasing the bullet points (and we love the people that do chase those bullet points, by the way). This award is not meant for that though; we look at phones that impact the industry, and are the best all-around call for everyone.
Car enthusiasts don’t like that Honda Accord and Chevy Malibu win car of the year awards. They freak when the latest Audi or Cadillac don’t win those awards. If we did an expanded list, certainly Droid, EVO 4G and Nexus One would be right up there. Still, we fully stand by the Palm Pre Plus taking the top spot for 2010. When 4G is reasonably available, of course that will change. But that won’t be in 2010.
So Christopher is this for “Phone of the year” or “Great phone that’s on most major networks but that no one is really buying”?
Pre Plus is only on one carrier at the moment, Adam.
yes, but coming to sprint & at&t in the very near future……
but for arguments sake, i’ll revise my post since it is currently only on VZW…..
So Christopher is this for “Phone of the year†or “Great phone that no one is really buying of the year�
I for one hope PhoneNews.com never awards a phone anything based on popularity. If that happened we’d be told to all buy iPhone and submit to the Apple overlords.
Chris I really appreciate your interaction with us here. I am in deep respect of your opinion and work. I do believe that you have misinformation about the EVO. While it is a 4G phone it also is 3G capeable. That said this phone will work until 4G is rolled out in a particular market. I think that with the current hardware, and the larger screen, which is why “I” want this phone as well as the Google OS. I will be surfing the web, and the larger screen appeals to my eye sight. All the other features like Wi Max 4g is just a perk for me as long as the phone will work in a 3G enviroment. So you seem to be discrediting this phone based on the lack of wide spread 4G service and price. The price of the Pre is low because it’s not selling, thus the price continues to slide. I see your point here, but the fact that EVO is a 3G/”4G” phone the lack of 4G service is moot in “my” opnion since 3G service is available. The fact that the EVO is a 3G/4G device means that I won’t have to buy another phone in a few months. Most importantly 4G service should be available by the time of a Sprint customer service July/August estimated launch here in N.Y..
Touch Pro 2 didn’t have a price reduction until a week ago. I feel if the hardware does what I want, and I need a phone that is 3G ready, and 4G capeable without having to buy a repalcement 4G unit later I get the best of both worlds. I think waiting for a lower price won’t happen unless there are major issues. Also may I say that we can’t make price an issue because there is no price offering yet. I think that the phones OS, and hardware should be a major factor in making a phone “phone of the year”. I just don’t see anything out side of a small brilliant dispaly, and a great OS for Palm. Most of your competitor media sites agree with what I am saying here. I don’t make this statement because someone else is leading me either. I make this statement as a potential customer of Palm. If the hard ware configuration was like the HD2, AAPL, or the Droid….I would consider it. The new EVO takes that consideration off the table for “me” unless Palm made a redesign of their legacy design “IMHO”.
@ quick no you are wrong! the f is for people that have to disagree with someone elses opinion blindly! i have seen many online opinions from people different than this auther and they say the same thing PRE is better! go to youtube and put in droid vs pre or i-phone vs pre and you will get same result!
My appolgies to you Ron….I now stand corrected. Most reviews that I pass by say Palms only failure is the hardware setup…..I agree with that based on “my” interaction with the phone. Too bad, because I like the brilliance of the screen resolution, but hate the smaller screen size, and also the OS has promise. I owned a plam briefly and hated the key board set up. So I can speak as a palm owner from the past. This is verifiable through Sprint for those thinking I am just a Palm hater.
@ Ron
People may very well say the Pre is better than the droid. But I have yet to see anyone say the Pre is better than the Nexus One, and definitely haven’t seen anyone say the Pre is better than the EVO 4G.
Even in the article, some of the reasons the Pre was said to be better turned out to be things the EVO does too (carrier supported WiFi hotspot, for example).
The EVO has 3G just like the Pre, so even if you’re not in a 4G area, the EVO will still be a better phone. It has a better screen, better camera, more RAM, and a better processor. Not to mention the front facing camera.
The EVO seems ot be getting knocked for the pricing- but we don’t know the pricing yet.
@ Ron,
leaving the HTC supersonic out of the picture,
Please tell me how teh Pre plus is better than the droid?
As far as OS comparison, for arguments sake, lets call it a tie. We can go back and forth on which is better but personal feelings, and alliances will get in the way, and we will be here all day. There’s no denying tat they are both have a great OS. They both multitask very well, easy to use, and are both are very fast.
Similarities
both on verizon network
Similar specs (with droid getting the slight edge in clock speeds)
Droid
Arm Cortex A8 CPU (a 600MHz, OMAP3430 chip downclocked to 550MHz), 256MB of RAM, and 512MB of ROM.
Palm
600 MHz (underclocked to 500 MHz) Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 (ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX) and: 512 MB DRAM
Multitouch
looking at them side by side, here’s a few categories that make the droid a better phone
Larger higher resolution screen 480 x 854 vs 320 x 480
Better camera (5 mpx vs 3)
better video capture
better external speaker
Tethering (non-rooted) for $30 1 time fee (vs 30 month w/Pre)
Apps over 30k vs 1k+
Free google Nav
As for the Pre, can someone tell me in what ways the Pre is better than the droid, without letting personal feelings get in the way?
video on palm is fantastic! as far as camera 5 vs 3 does not always mean 5 is better! palm takes fantastic pictures and is easy to use! the droid camera is hard to use and get used too! more bad apps does not make a device better or repeats or same ones. does tethering let you hook up 5 devices at same time like the palm device? webos has better multitouch and its easier to use. palm pinch and zooms which droid tap double tap. the card system is the best in the business!
@ ron
Droid supports pinch to zoom as well, supports mobile hotspots up to 5. What makes the droid camera hard to get used to? It has a dedicated camera button, and an onscreen icon, shoots dvd quality video (720×480 pixels)
One thing I’m tired of hearing is that the droid is hard to use, either the camera or the missing start/end buttons, I’m sorry but if you can’t figure out new/different technology does not make it worse than others. As for me I never played with a difficult phone, I never thought any smartphone is difficult, and I played with a few from htc touch pro 2, blackberry storm, iphone, treo, other blackberries…just because you can’t figure something out does not mean the technology is wrong ..ever thought of operator error?
Is this some kind of joke. The Palm Pre?…lol The company won’t even exist this time next year. Probably the only reason the Pre won is because they are the only manufacturer that would talk to you. Sorry, just being real.
Adam,
Droid does not support Mobile Hotspot. You have to root the phone and hack in a Wi-FI tethering app to do that. The only tethering options on Droid that run without rooting are USB and Bluetooth.
Droid also only supports pinch to zoom in third party apps. And, based on Apple’s recent lawsuits, we are concerned that Android 2.1 was delayed in order to remove multitouch functionality from the upgrade in the device’s software.
Christopher,
Whether pinch to zoom is done through 3rd party, or by default, droid still Does. Is this your only case for the Pre? I listed several areas where the Droid out performs pre , but all you bring up is that droid cant do multitouch by default, and it has to do it with 3rd party apps. Does it make the droid less of a phone? Is pinch to zoom really that big of a deal?
Droid Does support mobile hotspot with PDAnet. Would you rayther pay $30 a month for this feature on the Pre, or a 1 time $30 fee for PDAnet on the droid? Unless of course you like throwing away cash…..
BTW reports are saying that 2.1 is being rolled out again to VZW employees this week, with a full rollout in the next few days.
http://www.droid-life.com/2010/03/23/verizon-to-try-again-2-1-update-coming-this-week/
…. and lets not forget the new Skype support & google voice. Hmm, wonder why the new skype app isnt coming to the Pre?
As far as we’re aware, Skype for webOS is very much in development.
It’s cold comfort to Droid owners surfing the web that their hardware can handle it… at least Palm is willing to stand up and challenge Apple’s overreaching patents, much like HTC and Google are doing.
As to Wi-Fi, we’re starting to beat around the bush here. Both sides have been covered pretty much in-depth. We gave credit for Palm’s daring to be different, daring to make the industry support Wi-Fi tethering, and even Sprint is now returning to tethering in phones because of it.
WiFi Tethering is avail free on Pre with MyTether @ PreCentral HomeBrew Apps Store. That kills the argument for the Android – also Pre has Video in HD & editing of vid, plus lots of Apps are loc specific like dining in San Fransisco, or subway sched in east coast, so max apps w/ lots of loc spec does me no good.
droid does not do the mobile hotspot only the pre plus! as far droid supporting pinch and zoom! i can care less if it supports it or not but i know people that have the droid and it will not pinch and zoom! maybe like i said its hard to use! the pre pinch in zooms out of the box! webos and android are not equal! webos is far superior! google owns android and they are a search engine company that wants to make sure you are searching google on your phone is the only reason why they have an operating system! they do not have to make it the best because hell they are giving it away for free so they just will make it seviceable and then get back to what they do best! search! just because a commercial says droid does that does not mean u have to believe it!
This is starting to sound like a Halo vs. COD argument.
Half of the comparisons written by @adam are simply personal preference.
You can’t argue that the Droid is better because it has a bigger screen… I HATE the fact that the Droid feels like a brick, and didn’t comfortably fit in my pocket.
Better camera… yes. But when I want a better camera, I get out my Canon DSLR.
Better external speaker? I’m not doubting this, but I’d love to see actual specifications…
Tethering is available without rooting the Pre for a one-time $15 donation
Google Nav? Who cares? I’ve got Sprint Nav and I don’t see any worthwhile improvement.
Apps? Yea, there’s more. That’s why people like me are capitalizing on making apps for webOS…
Can’t stop talking about my Pre- It is the best single device I own. I don’t even pick up my ipod touch anymore to listen to music. Thanks Palm- Thanks Sprint.
Yes! indeed its a great phone!
No question the Pe is a great OS, and the decvice has great features, but to discredit the EVO and give phone of the year to PRE is way off base….sorry to say it to all of you Pre lovers….no contest. Just go to any online media sight, and the EVO is being proclaimed the best phone made to this date bar none. The Pre was fine last year but this year’s competitoin blows it away hardware wise. The Pre has a great OS, outside of that I am going to say it has major issues. That’s why it’s not selling that strong. If the damn phone was as great as you say it would be selling instead of almost going out of business. The biggest problem is the cramped keyboard, and smaller screen. If they redesign this thing with the keyboard in the landscape postition I bet they make better sales. Ergonomically its sucks……period! I went and did a hands on evaluation, and I owned a Palm in the past, and I didn’t like it then, nor do I like it now. It’s sad because they were one of the first “smart phone” manufacturers. Get rid of that busted legacy design Palm.
All the analyst, and reviews say the hardware is lacking, and that the OS is great……you guys are just in denial. It’s has promise if they can address the short comings QWIKLY;)
Thanks Eric…for programming for webOS. I appreciate the fact that there are developers finding webOS a good platform to program for…good luck to you and we look forward to new apps you and others like you may develop.
Some of the posts here seemed a bit ‘over-zealous’ on both sides of the debate…or was it 3 sides? Anyway, here is a little of my experience…for what it’s worth…and please don’t post a reply just to say ‘it ain’t worth much’…that would be a waste of your time and mine…and anyone else who is reading. Just give us something helpful…not hateful…please.
I have the Pre+ and sometimes I have the DROID (my office after hours emergency phone). I used the DROID off and on for about 2 months before I got the Pre+. I’ve had the Pre+ since launch day on VZW. I had been waiting for the Pre on VZW, but when I saw Google Nav on the DROID about 1 month before the DROID came out, I had second thoughts.
Once we got the DROID, I enjoyed getting to know it. I like many things and don’t like some things about the device. It is a great device. The interface of the OS is confusing to me. I find myself regularly going to the task killer to see what’s open, and closing what I don’t need. I’m confused why it takes an application to close out applications…but I’m not terribly tech savvy. I don’t like the feel of the keyboard. The size is nice when compared to the Pre+, but I can’t tell where I am, little to no feel between keys. I prefer the ability to use phone one-handed which I can do with the Pre+ keyboard but can’t with the DROID keyboard open.
As I saw on on online video, the Navigation on the DROID is stellar. It is likely better than Sprint Nav (no, I haven’t used it so I could be wrong) because of the voice recognition searching and the satellite photo overlay. The voice recognition works very well, although it can’t figure out my address…must be my southern accent? 😉
The DROID seems a little snappier, but the Pre+ does well for me. I wonder if some of you who complained about the slow nature of the Pre had experience with the Sprint original Pre? The Pre+ has more (twice I think?) the RAM of the Pre.
Multitasking is so intuitive. Yes, the Pre is pretty…polished…feels good in my pocket…which can be good for some and maybe not for others.
One last comparison that will never be tested by me, but that speaks to the beauty of the external design of the Pre vs. the DROID…the Pre would skip much better over the water than the DROID! Sorry, but the Pre feels like a polished river stone to me, and I fear I might forget it’s just a phone next time I’m walking along a mountain stream…
We can all debate the Pre versus the Droid all day and all night. Obviously they are both great devices and an argument can be made for either one against the other.
I am still waiting for someone to tell me why the Pre is better than the Nexus One though.
And the EVO is way better than the Nexus One. I’m really waiting for someone to tell me why the Pre should even be mentioned in the same breath as the EVO 4G.
The reasons given in the article why the EVO didn’t win are now proving to be invalid. One reason was the carrier supported hotspot- we now know the EVO has it too. Another reason was 4G won’t be available. We now know that 4G is rolling out to a lot of places this year. And even so, the device has 3G too (just like the Pre). Another reason was paying for 4G when you can’t use it. We now know (or at least have some pretty strong hints from Sprint) that our current everything plans will work with the EVO and 4G won’t cost any extra.
I am not seeing any reasons whatsoever that would put the Pre over the EVO. The only reason I can think of why the Pre was chosen instead of the EVO is because Sprint kept a lot of details about the EVO secret until after this article was written. Had Sprint told Phone News that the EVO plans would not cost any extra, that 4G was rolling out to even more cities than previously announced, and that it had a built in tethering app that allows 8 connections, then I can’t imagine why Phone news would not say that is the hands down choice for phone of the year. And that is all on top of the ridiculous specs of the device (8 megapixel camera with 2 flashes, HD video recording, HDMI output, front facing 1 meg secondary camera for video calling and also accessible to free apps for free video chats- with one included on the stock ROM, better youtube than any phone on the market, simultaneous voice and data, and all the other great specs and features).
And I am still waiting for you Pre fanboys to tell me why the Pre is a better choice. You seem to be arguing that the Pre is better than the Droid, but you are ignoring the EVO 4G and the Nexus One.
Yo Saltydawg…Pre fanboys? How do you know I’m a ‘boy’?
Ignoring the EVO 4G and the Nexus One? Why is it necessary to read your opinion into other people’s posts? And why are you waiting…it sounds like your mind is already made up. 🙂
Look, I only spoke from my own experience, not your experience. I have used a DROID, I have used a Pre+. I have not used the HTC EVO 4G or the Nexus One. I assumed that was clear in my post since I talked only about what I’ve used. I hope it is still OK to only talk about what I know about…I’m sure no one is saying this thread can only proceed if it included the HTC EVO 4G or Nexus One in it’s discussion….are they?
I think the Nexus One is on Verizon, is that right? Maybe my company will change out the DROID for the Nexus One…but unless that happens, I won’t be using one. Not because it’s better or NOT better…because my Pre is brand new…I’ve got it for 2 years.
I’m really enjoying the Pre+. My hardware seems sound (for some this has been an issue). I prefer the possibility for one-handed use, although it is a tight keyboard. But I can ‘feel’ the keys on the Pre while I couldn’t really on the DROID. I just wanted to share what I learned in my time with both of these phones. Others can (and have) chimed in on what they have experienced.
By the way, I will make a comparison with either the EVO 4G or the Nexus One…the pre will STILL skip farther…it’s shape is sublime! Fits better in my pocket too! OK, I can’t really say that for sure since I haven’t put the others in my pocket…I was afraid I’d get arrested for stealing! 😮
@ Rockbeast
Fanboy is just an expression. It doesn’t mean you’re a boy. It just (loosely) means you are extremely biased towards something.
As far as this thread proceeding without the Nexus One or the EVO 4G… We’re talking about the “Phone of The Year” here. Any discussion about the “Phone of The Year” simply HAS to include the two most powerful and most revolutionary devices on the market.
So yes, if you are here saying the Pre deserves “Phone of The Year” then you simply MUST include the Nexus One and EVO 4G in the discussion (as the article did).
SaltyDawg, I was just kidding about the fanboy thing, I was aware of the term…sorry, sarcasm doesn’t translate well to the written page…I need tonal fluctuations! 🙂 Is there an option for that in this comment section?
Now back to the subject at hand…The NO and EVO4G are included in the discussion…often by you and some others. They were already discussed in the thread of comments. I couldn’t speak to them, but I could speak to personal experiences related to using the Palm Pre Plus and the DROID. I suppose it would have been more helpful for me to start my post out by saying “Now I don’t know nothing about the NO or the EVO4G, but I do know a little bit about the DROID and the Palm Pre Plus, so I’ll just say a little bit about them…meanin’ no disrespect to the NO or the EVO4G…I’m just not educated enough to tell you anything about them…” In retrospect, that might have been helpful. C’est la vie! 🙁
I know you aren’t saying, no one can add a post in this thread without including a discussion of the NO/EVO4G phones, right? I have no experience with either. I have not even touched one of them. I don’t think I had even read an article about them. The only thing I have that could remotely be considered experience with them is I’ve seen a picture with their name in an article…I don’t understand why I must include a discussion of something when I have nothing to say about it. That last sentence is not a slight or a comment on what I think about the NO and EVO4G… I don’t have anything to share on those two phones because I have no experience with them. From what you have shared, they sound wonderful. They sound like the next best thing and anybody looking at smartphones would be doing themselves a disservice by ignoring them. If I were looking now, I would include them in my list and check them out. I don’t deny their abilities, their character, their anything. I don’t claim them either, because I don’t know.
I would be intellectually dishonest if I talked about something like I knew about it when I didn’t. Think of me as only a witness here. A witness is called to give account of their knowledge, their experience. A witness better not go off sharing about something about which they don’t know…and I don’t know about the NO or the EVO4G.
Well, I did read something today…the NO screen was ranked as number 4 our of 5 while the Pre was ranked in 2nd place, just behind the DROID. It was in a CNET article. I pasted the url text below…not sure how to insert a clickable link.
http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-20000582-85.html?tag=smallCarouselArea.4
Wait a second…do you know what this means? Hey SaltyDawg! You will be proud of me, I actually included a piece of information about the Nexus One! I know something! I’ll bet my name is now in the phonebook so I can say with pride, like Steve Martin in ‘The Jerk’, “I’M SOMEBODY NOW!”
Cheers to all, no offense meant, none taken either…hope all is well.
Cool…I pasted a clickable link…and I didn’t even know how…maybe this idea of sharing about something you don’t know about is not so bad!
Now where to I turn on that ‘tonal inflection’ switch?
Sorry to take up so much time and space here Christopher, I enjoyed your article, and partly because I do have the Palm Pre Plus and do really enjoy it…learning more about it every day. It’s a great phone, it’s got pluses (not just in it’s name) and minuses…it works for me and it seems right for me. Other phones might too, today it is the Palm Pre Plus.
Ya’ll go out there and enjoy your phone of choice, ya hear? (working on my Tennessee accent in print)
@ Rockbeast
LOL, man your posts are definitely interesting.
No, I am not saying you must include the Nexus One or EVO 4G in every post, lol. Not at all.
I am just saying if anyone (not you specifically, but anyone) is saying the Pre deserves phone of the year, then I would hope you compare it to more than the Droid.
And for tghe record- none of us know anything about the EVO 4G at this point. It isn’t released yet so nobody (excpect the people who went to CTIA) have ever held one. We only know what we have about it or saw in pictures/videos. So you are certainly not alone in not knowing anything about the EVO 4G. And I have never seen a Nexus One in person either, so you aren’t alone there either.
[…] it might be jumping the gun a little bit, PhoneNews has named the Palm Pre Plus Phone of the Year for 2010. There's still a lot of phones scheduled to come out, but Phone News looked at those and said that […]
I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees the beauty, convenience and solid OS in this ridiculously underrated smart phone masterpiece!
YEA F’n Right…. THIS PHONE IS UGLY AND WAK… HTC HD2 kills every phone on the market PERIOD.
Um the company is about to exist the industry and you are naming it phone of the yar? LMAO
ugly and wak? grow up little man! you sound like a sony playstation fanboy if i ever heard one lol i bet u think xbox live is wak too! cause u cannot afford it! pre plus is best! this is not up for debate if ya do not like it then go and review all phones instead of just thinking another phone is better because u were silly enough to buy it without trying therm all!
If the Pre is the phone of the year, then the iPhone should be the phone of the decade.
Since its launch and huge market-capture (together with the App Store, of course), everyone
else was forced to invest in serious R&D and start producing phones with similar functionality
to the iPhone, which is what users had been waiting years for. Love it or hate it, Apple and the iPhone revolutionized the industry and, arguably,because of that the Pre, Nexus One, etc. now exist……
Ok, for the EVO folks out there, while it looks like it is a fantastic phone, please consider:
1. It isn’t out yet. There will always be a better phone in the future, at some point you have to say let’s judge the phones we have now.
2. The plans, cost, 4g rollout, etc. aren’t even fully public, and may change. Again, 4g probably will roll out in many spots, but this hasn’t happened yet (and I bet they do put a premium price on the data plans).
So it comes down to the old saying a bird in the hand is worth two in a bush. I think most will agree the EVO WILL BE great, WHEN it arrives, and IF Sprint plans aren’t outrageous, and even better IF 4G is in your area.
As far as the Droid, Nexus One, etc. go, those are also great phones. I think the author had some issues because people were trying to compare modded/hacked/updated Android phones to the out-of-the-box Pre+ experience. Yes, you can do PDANet on Android (and then google pdanet to see where it launched, years and years ago, on phones from a small company called ?). You can do multi-touch on SOME apps, on SOME versions, with your supplier facing a lawsuit. Android phones have various overlays, but Synergy for the WebOs was there at inception, so all the core applications use it. The Droid and Nexus Ones are great phones, on a greatly improving OS, but the author’s points are still valid.
As far as the Pre/Weg OS goes, to clear up some false info:
1. There are now 2800+ applications, with iPhone 3D games being ported over daily, and the new low-level SDK just released, so expect more fully featured apps soon.
2. Palm has come out with monthly updates, often turning on new features (video, app store, etc.) that weren’t available at launch. Alot of the original flaws have been addressed (but yes, they have to address more).
THE IPHONE 3GS IS THE BEST PHONE OUT THERE WITH 140,000 APPS AND INCREAEASING EVERY DAY. BEAT THAT ALL OF YOU AND APPLE IS AMAZING YOU GUYS ARE ALL FOOLS AND COMMUNISTS
I think this article is going to seem like a pretty poor idea when December comes and Palm is out of business. Tethering is great, but support from the manufacturer doesn’t mean much when the manufacturer is gone. I’ll tell you why this was written in March -It is probably the last chance to do it.
For those of you that are old enough to remember the Beta/VHS war, you understand that the best device does not necessarily win.
@chowza, the problem with iPhone is that the hardware has become quite dated. I believe Apple will release new hardware this summer, though we have no idea how it will compare to more modern phones. Software usability is good, of course, but it’s locked tighter than Fort Knox and requires a remarkably expensive data plan – so no thanks. Market share doesn’t really define phone of the decade, BTW, otherwise RIM or Symbian would take the title (depending on whether you care more about the USA or world ;-).
I’m another “buy over the Internet and avoid the contract” person, saving several hundred dollars over 2 years with my Amazon-supplied N900 and T-Mobile contract-free unlimited-everything plan. I may well have chosen the Pre had it been available on T-Mobile (after a long line of beloved Treos), but I’m geek enough to love my wide-open N900. Not the best phone for mere mortals, though – my wife drives a Cliq. 🙂
Interesting choice, Christopher, and a very fun read. Thanks!
You must have been paid a pretty penny to have written this article. The whole point of a smart phone is that it is a platform to do much more than be a phone. A crappy tiny keyboard, a flakey OS and no apps makes me wonder by what stretch of the imagination you consider a pre so wonderful. The first few comments were also obvious plants by palm employees. Your web site has no credibility what so ever…. I am on my 3 generation of iPhone and will buy an iPad soon to use applications that are useful in the real world.