Venerable PDA and smartphone manufacturer Palm made a lot of waves at this year's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas while debuting its much-buzzed about new Pre phone. The Pre is aimed as a direct challenger to both Apple's popular iPhone and the G1 smartphone from T-Mobile which uses Google's Android operating system. Along with creating a sleek new phone with a touchscreen and a pull-out keyboard, Palm launched a brand new mobile operating system at CES called webOS for the Pre.
Indeed, it was hard to tell which got more press at the show, the Pre smartphone or the webOS operating system. We've been able to take a look at both the phone and the operating system and think they both have some serious potential and could give the iPhone and the G1 a run for the money.
First there's the Palm Pre itself. Though it looks a lot like the iPhone, there's are some nice style touches to the Pre including a smooth, rounded design that feels great in your hand. If you're slow at typing with the iPhone's touchscreen, you'll love the Pre's physical QWERTY-style keyboard which slides out at the bottom of the phone and resembles the keyboard on the Palm Centro.
Other pluses to the Palm Pre include a removable battery; integrated GPS; a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash; a nice 3.1-inch touchscreen; and a cool light sensor which automatically dims the display if you enter a dark area such as a movie theater. We also really like the optional Palm Touchstone charging dock which wirelessly charges the Pre.
The real story with this new Palm smartphone is the webOS platform which seems to further perfect the iPhone and Android mobile operating systems. One of the best features of the webOS is the ability to run multiple applications at the same time and flip through them like a deck of cards. We also like the intuitive and unobtrusive alerts which pop up on the screen without interrupting what you're doing. For instance, if you get an email while you're surfing the net or updating your calendar, the notification will appear at the bottom of the screen where you can either ignore it for later or respond to it right away.
Like the iPhone, webOS has an instinctual multi-touch interface; a layered calendar feature so you can view all your work and personal appointments together or separately; and Linked contacts which lets you access your Gmail, Facebook, and Outlook address books all at once. Palm's webOS also has the ability to copy-and-paste, a feature which has been noticeably missing from the iPhone. Like the iPhone and the G1, Palm will launch an apps store to add small time-saving and fun programs to the Pre.
Though it will be available initially only on Sprint for the first half of 2009, it's expected that versions of the Palm Pre will eventually be offered for other wireless carriers. There will also be a GSM version of the Pre for use overseas.
Pricing for the Palm Pre has not been announced yet.
Learn more about the Palm Pre.