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Top 10 reasons to get a Palm Pre instead of an iPhone

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Posted at 3:09pm by

PALM PRE LARGE

1 iPhones are already ubiquitous. And they’re about to get even more so

iPhones are undoubtedly fine bits of kit. But any early-adopter kudos they had disappeared about ten million unit sales ago. And with Orange and Vodafone about to join O2 in offering Apple handsets, they’re going to be ten-a-penny in a few months time. By contrast, the Palm Pre is cutting-edge and still rare-as-hen’s-teeth exclusive.

2 Let’s get physical (keyboards)

Unlike the iPhone, the Palm Pre offers touchscreen functionality for the fun stuff, but is mindful that there are some times when only a physical QWERTY keyboard will do. Ever tried composing lengthy emails on an iPhone touchscreen? It’s not the best.

palm vs iphone

3 Happier snapping

The Pre is fitted with a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash and boasts variable depth perception. In our book that makes it leagues ahead of the flash-free iPhone 3G S as a snapper.

4 Wireless charging

The Touchstone charging panel - sold separately - allows Palm Pre owners to juice up their handsets simply by placing them on a dock. Once there, a magnetic field generates electricity which charges up the battery. Better still, you can stick your handset on speakerphone while it's on the device and continue to take calls the whole time.

5 Removable battery

Replacing the battery on an iPhone is trial by screws, fiddlyness and frustration - especially if you’re caught short and need to make/take a call as a matter of urgency. But the Pre’s battery can be removed in a trice, allowing you to pop in a spare in a matter of seconds.

6 Smooth OS

Reviewers were united in their praise of the way the Pre enables users to access multiple applications simultaneously with minimum lag. This, combined with the seamless integration of a raft of services, means that the Pre a doozie for making the most of your time.

7 The App Store has an app for everything. But loads of them are dreadful

No more to add here. But ponder this: Did the world really need that egregious, shockingly ill-judged Baby Shaker game? And as for the Pepsi app that made Spinal Tap look like riot grrll faves Bikini Kill…well, really.

8 Loads more Pre apps on the way

Only a complete dullard will have failed to notice the paradigm shift in mobile phone industry business models and consumer habits that has made the Apple App Store such a hit. Palm was certainly taking notes and is soon to launch a natty development kit that ought to clear the way for a slew of great applications arriving on the Pre soon.

Palm Pre Screen On

9 Impressive web browsing and connectivity

The Pre’s built in browser and HSDPA support makes for a supremely fast and wholly pleasurable mobile internet experience. Meanwhile, support for A2DP, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 means that the Pre is one of the best connected phones around.

10 It’s cheaper

The cheapest iPhone 3G S contract that offers the handset for free is £45 per month. The Pre, meanwhile, is gratis from £35 per month. That’s £120 per year extra to spend on apps.

View Palm Pre deals here: Palm Pre

More news on: New mobile phones, Touchscreen phones, Palm, Smart mobile phones

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39

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39 Comments

  • A Bit Pre-Vious, 29th October 2009.

    The Pre is a bad boy!

    Reply

  • Rob, 29th October 2009.

    i purchased the pre on day one. so far, i am very satisfied. rob

    Reply

  • Baz, 29th October 2009.

    Yeah. But when it comes to hte number of apps, iPhones rule. There's no guarantee you'll a load more Pre apps.

    Reply

  • Ivor, 29th October 2009.

    I'm a so-called 'iClone'. And proud of it.

    Reply

  • Aaron, 29th October 2009.

    Uhm... The Pre is an 8 Gig phone - surely its inaccurate to compare the 8 gig pre with the 16 gig 3GS with regards to pricing? By the way - the 8 GB iphone is the same price as the pre. Oh and Smooth OS? The iphone is built using OSX architecture, making it the best mobile OS out there... Sorry - but the pre is just yet another pretender! There is a reason so many people have ipods... just as soon, so many people will have the iphone.

    Reply

  • Jon Crossley, 29th October 2009.

    Errr... one good reason not to get a Pre... they're bl%^dy ugly!

    Reply

  • George, 29th October 2009.

    The pre is a better option because of the multitasking ability and it is much cheaper to pay montly...iphone is a rip off compared to the pre.......

    Reply

  • Aogoy, 29th October 2009.

    The US version of Palm Pre comes with free talking turn-by-turn GPS navigation whereas, you pay extra for the iPhone for a TomTom for over $100.

    The Palm Pre also works great as a USB Removable Drive, iPhone can't do this. However, you forgot one of the most important features of the Palm Pre compared to the iPhone. It's multitasking! On an iPhone, you can only run 1 3rd party app running at one time. With the Palm Pre you can have several browsers, Internet music, GPS navigation, Google maps, etc all running at the same time.

    iPhone's OS is getting old, out of style, and obsolete.

    Reply

  • Michael, 29th October 2009.

    iPhone OS does not allow 3rd aprty multitasking, does not have universal back gesture navigation and does not allow you to flip between apps through an intuitive interface. These are good arguments to state that WebOS is a better OS. Both iPhone OS and WebOS are built on *nix cores ultimately. So just because iPhone OS is built on OSX is not a good argument for why a mobile OS would be better.

    Where IPhone OS shines though is number of apps written for it. Pre just hit the 300 apps today. iPhone OS has 100,000+. But if all the apps you need and use are on WebOS, then a webOS based phone is a better chocie.

    Reply

  • Isheeple, 29th October 2009.

    Yes there IS a reason so many people have ipods...its called advertising, not because its a superior device. The iPhone cannot do what I need, the Pre can. That makes any argument for an iphone a moot point. iPhone can't work on my network, iPhone has no keyboard, iPhone can't (readily) be a mass storage device, iPhone can't charge wirelessly, iPhone can't change battery in an emergency, and iPhone can't run my work software. These are all features I have to have in a "phone" so, yes, Pre is a better phone for me. I have had the Pre since Sprint release and I have no complaints.

    Reply

  • Brandon, 29th October 2009.

    palm pre all the way!! who cares about 85,000 apps?! how many are you goin to use?!! about 65% of them are for other countries. over rated...

    Reply

  • Josh , 30th October 2009.

    I have a Pre in the States, and I love it.

    @ Aaron, the price comparison isn't the hardware; it's the plan. Over in the UK it's a savings of 120 lbs (sorry, don't have a symbol for that). For the family plan my wife and I have the difference in pricing is $840/year! Cool as the iPhone is, the Pre is an excellent competitor and much cheaper to own.

    Reply

  • Sorli, 30th October 2009.

    Who are you kidding...if Mac OS was efficient the iphone would already offer Multitasking...nope nothing yet.

    Palm has some way to travel when it comes to apps, but developers are making progress, Native SDK will be here soon, and iphone developers will move in droves. Let me see, 70K iphone developers looking for other options for their products besides a market full of $.99 apps. Time to move on to a different and more open platform.

    Reply

  • Jake, 30th October 2009.

    I had an iphone and hated it. Every time I wanted to open another app I had to close the last one. Why? To save battery? I was going to get the bigger battery for the iphone and then realized there isn't one. Why?

    Typing on the screen does suck. I don't care how small my hands are and how responsive it is you will still get errors. Didn't have that with the Blackberry, had it with the iphone, don't have it with the Pre.

    AT&T sucks too. I was way happy to go back to sprint with out any problems.

    I do like the fact that the pre is still in its earlier stages and has already surpassed the iphone in quality.

    Now defend the iphone, users.

    Reply

  • SG, 30th October 2009.

    I own neither, and have owned many Palm PDAs, but was considering both until I played with a Pre in an O2 shop last week.

    2. Keyboard was difficult to use. I was skeptical of the iPhone's touchscreen keyboard but it works better than the Pre.

    6. Swiping cards was well done, but I had the web browser and the camera app open and then I was warned I had to close apps to open another one. Little point multitasking if you can barely have more than 2 or 3 apps open.

    7/8. As a pure percentage a lot of iPhone apps are useless, but there's also a lot of very good ones. Palm's left it too late to catch up now IMHO. The momentum and developer support is with the iPhone.

    9. I found the screen too small for browsing nicely. Can it really do anything the iPhone can't?

    Only better battery and camera from the other things on the list would make me doubt the iPhone, which is a shame because I really wanted Palm to do well. They probably would have if they'd launched this 2 years ago.

    Reply

  • A. L., 30th October 2009.

    I made the switch from iPhone to Pre. What a big step up... multi-tasking, better interface, better performance. True, the Apple App Store has more apps, but considering 99% of them are totally useless to me, I don't actually care. The Pre's WebOS operating system even makes it easy to write your own app, if that's what you want. I used to be an iPhone fanboy, but it's difficult to ignore the reality that other phones are overtaking it in terms of technology.

    Reply

  • Khalil, 30th October 2009.

    @Chris Peat well since I bought my pre one week ago the number of apps has more than doubled, I thyink that's proof enough

    Reply

  • A. L., 30th October 2009.

    @SG I actually own a Palm Pre and have been using it as my main phone.

    Your points are interesting, but my experience would lead me to disagree.
    1. The keyboard on the Pre is small (naturally, as the phone is more compact than the iPhone slab design) However, it is surprisingly easy to use. I even use my thumbs to type with more accuracy and speed than the iPhones on-screen keypad.
    2. I routinely use the device with more than 3 apps running concurrently... no problems with mine when I opened 6 or more. I know that multi-tasking is a sore point with iPhone fans, but let's be fair; it works on the Pre.

    Technically, there are many more WebOS capable developers out there, as the technologies used are the same as those used for general Web development. The emergence of new apps isn't something that Pre owners should be worried about.

    Overall, I have found the Pre to be more convenient than my iPhone. It is comfortably small, yet big enough to easily read content (including web pages) on it's excellent high-res screen. The synergy approach to contacts and calendar is another advantage over the iPhone.

    Reply

  • Kev, 30th October 2009.

    Oh dear. I think someone may have a pet peev against the iPhone, not exactly unbiased journalism hey Johnny boy!! I have neither an iPhone or a Pre and was comtemplating which one to get - this article convinced me to get an iPhone! Apple all the way. The only phone that will better the iPhone is the next 3rd Gen iPhone Apple release next year or in 2011!!

    Reply

  • Ben, 30th October 2009.

    Quote from Kev: "The only phone that will better the iPhone is the next 3rd Gen iPhone Apple release next year or in 2011!!"

    Isn't the current iPhone their 3rd Gen phone, complete with its big new feature; a "Copy and Paste" ability? By Q4 2011, it might even have a small flash to go with its onboard camera, so it can be used away from direct sunlight. The next century will no doubt herald the iPhone with a removable battery, while your grandchildren may even get multitasking before they retire (assuming Nokia don't make Apple pay for all its patents).

    Reply

  • Scott, 31st October 2009.

    1. Your first argument is terrible - "The iPhone is popular therefore the Pre is better".

    2. "Pre has a physical keyboard" is also a bad argument. I can type quite fast on my iPhone with few errors, and the autocorrection on iPhone is simply brilliant.

    3. The iPhone 3GS also has a 3.2MP camera. It also has AUTOFOCUS and can record video… unlike the Pre. Funny how you'd miss this out of this very unbiased review…

    4. Wireless charging by placing the Pre on a dock? Gimmick. It still has to be on a dock, the only difference is you don't connect it to a physical connector. The novelty of this (which requires a costly additional purchase) will wear of very quickly. Hopefully one day we can have true wireless charging, but this is about as revolutionary as my toothbrush charger.

    5. Most people do not use or carry extra batteries. It's a plus if you're one of the minority who do, but for many this offers no benefit at all. And if you regularly charge this shouldn't be an issue. The iPhone having no removable parts could even be seen as a plus, it's less bulky than the pre, and there are no parts to lose/fall apart.

    6. Smooth OS? Are you saying iPhone OS is not smooth? A comparison of the Pre and the iPhone revealed that Pre apps can take upto 10 seconds to start, while iPhone apps start in as little as second. The Pre can also be quite slow and definitely not smooth. Have you even used an iPhone 3GS?

    Standard iPhone apps run in the background, but third party apps are prevented from doing so - for most people this actually isn't an issue. Apple's Push Notifications system overcomes this problem in many situations. For streaming audio apps it IS a negative, and I'd like to see a solution for this soon, but it's nothing something I'd choose a Pre over an iPhone for. However, battery life on other phones can take a significant hit when running many applications at once - and for apps such as IM, they do NOT need to stay in the background all the time, running down the battery.
    +1 to Pre for being able to play 3rd party music apps in the background. -1 to Pre for not having a push notification system and requiring apps to run in the background for constant updates.

    7. Many iPhone apps suck, many are fantastic. How is this a negative? Are you saying that 300 javascript/html apps, are better than 100,000 (I believe this is the latest figure) native apps? There are many fantastic apps and games which the Pre cannot even begin to compete with. The Pre currently cannot really run anything close to a "game" (by modern day standards) since the apps are written in javascript and HTML.

    8. "Loads more Pre apps on the way" isn't a good argument either. You're basically saying that yes, the iPhone has many apps, but the Pre may probably have more in the future maybe, so you should buy a Pre and wait in the hopes that people will make more apps for the Pre. You are also lying to yourself if you believe that the Pre won't also have a large number of pointless apps in its appstore equivalent. Or, Palm will reject these apps from the store and people will complain about that! You just can't win, eh?

    9. Again, a terrible argument. The iPhone has a fantastic browser, and pretty much made mobile browsing on the "real" web popular. In fact, the iPhone has ALL of those things that you mentioned that the Pre has. How can you possibly use this as an argument AGAINST the iPhone? Are you going to also claim that the Pre is a better phone because it has a screen?

    10. The iPhone's cheapest plan is £30. Over 2 years that means the iPhone costs £80 more. Over 2 years.

    This all just reads like the writer is trying to justify his purchase of the Pre over the iPhone, and he's doing at terrible job at it.

    Reply

  • You Made My Day, 31st October 2009.

    @Oh Dear

    You made my day, Thank you.

    Apple can go die.

    Reply

  • Jdub, 31st October 2009.

    (Yawn) another iPhone "killer"......whoopee. Anybody seen the latest iPhone sales figures??? Nice job of "killing" it! Palm Pre sucks....

    Reply

  • Steve, 31st October 2009.

    I've been using an iPhone for nearly two years now and have never once thought I should be able to remove the battery. With several iPods I had no need to remove the battery. For me, a removable battery is a product flaw, not a selling point.

    A physical keyboard is also a flaw --- something I'd never own. I have good use of one hand so tapping on a screen is easy while a keyboard would be a nightmare.

    I've taken thousands of pics and only a few times would a flash have been nice. Often on my digital still camera I would turn off the flash.

    For me the iPhone is the only phone. For others it is some other phone for the reasons stated above. A feature to one person is a flaw to another.

    Reply

  • Joe Anonymous, 31st October 2009.

    There are 10 reasons why the Pre has failed to live up to its hype and has only garnered a tiny number of geek users (and sales seem to be falling off quickly):

    1. Usability
    2. Usability
    ....
    10. Usability

    I wonder if the writers will ever get it? On something like a cell phone, it's not about counting up features. It's not about some philosophical point like 'openness' of the app store. Apple has excelled because their phone is the most usable smart phone on the market (which is why iPhone users are on the internet far, far more often than other smart phone users.

    Until someone can give a compelling reason why their phone should be purchased over the iPhone, there will be an endless stream of these 'iphone killers' which never make a dent in the iPhone's sales. So instead of trying to be another iPhone, give us a real reason why you should succeed. Here, I'll even give Palm some ideas:
    1. For many users, a much lower price (I'm talking about FULL price including the service contract) would be a sufficient driver for them to use an 'OK' phone rather than a great one.
    2. Service. If you can provide superior service and prove it, that might help. There are some locations where AT&T coverage is poor (although not as many as some iPhone bashers claim). You can gain share in those areas if you have a compelling story.
    3. Unique product. Invent the next 'must-have' feature. It's not about the NUMBER of features, but if you can develop something new that is so exciting that people are willing to change phones for it, you will succeed. Of course, that will never happen from Palm - you're unwilling to even develop your own software to sync to the iTunes library - even though every other cell phone manufacturer has done so.
    4. Usability. Come up with your own UI rather than trying to copy Apple's if you are able to create some vision of how it should be done.

    Bottom line, stop with the "we have more features" nonsense (although, admittedly, Palm isn't quite as bad at it as Android) and find some way to make a compelling phone that people want to buy.

    Reply

  • Alice, 31st October 2009.

    > iPhones are going to be ten-a-penny in a few months time. By
    > contrast, the Palm Pre is cutting-edge and still rare-as-hen’s-
    > teeth exclusive.

    So the *REASON* you choose to buy a certain cell phone is because "you can't get them very easily"?

    Huh?

    Reply

  • Hurrumph, 31st October 2009.

    No need to go past reason one in this list to know what a fluff piece this is.

    What amazes me is how all the iPhone users are labelled fanboys whilst extolling the virtues of the Pre...
    Irony is not dead

    Reply

  • Chris, 1st November 2009.

    It seems like, while composing this article, you forgot what it was about. [#7] The iPhone may have thousands of useless apps, but it has more useful apps than the TOTAL number of apps the Pre has. [#8] More apps on the way? The iPhone will have thousands more apps before the Pre gets another 100. #9 should just be removed from the list, since the iPhone 3GS has Bluetooth 2.1, A2DP, and Wi-Fi, plus a better web browser. How does the Pre tying with the iPhone in those hardware specs, and having an inferior browser make it better than the iPhone?

    This article started off fine (though we've already known this information for months) but revealed how biased the author was towards the Pre. If you're going to stick with the subject and say how the Pre really is better than the iPhone, that's fine. But don't just make up nonsense to add more reasons.

    Reply

  • Mike, 1st November 2009.

    One thing nobody has mentioned is homebrew. Apple cracks down on "jailbreaking" but Palm has supported the homebrew community. Why does that matter? I already have a Virtual Keyboard, my phone has a Seinfeld theme- already there are close to a thousand themes out there--and I have awesome apps that are not in the official app catalog--there are tons more apps out there in addition to the official apps. All you have to do is install PreWare and you're set.

    Reply

  • Kbjornst, 1st November 2009.

    I have had a Pre for a few weeks now. It isn't a bad phone at all. But we have a couple iTouches in the house and I would really rather have an iPhone.

    Pros:
    I like the smaller size (personal preference)
    Multitasking is nice, no doubt.
    Cheaper plan (in the US) - the main reason I bought it instead of the iPhone.
    There are smaller things like downloading files off the net that are great.

    Cons:
    I am just NOT pleased with the calendar. It is terrible and slow.
    The music player is VERY basic and unsatisfactory.
    The apps in the app store so far are almost completely worthless and quite expensive compared with the iphone apps.
    I don't like having to open the phone to type the smallest entry like a phone search. There really needs to be the option of an on-screen keyboard.
    I do not find the touch input to be very responsive. I often have to tap 2 or 3 times for it to register.
    Not the smooth sync with my Mac (have to use 3rd party which is very slow and problematic.)
    Lots and lots of rough edges.

    It is an OK phone and I will live with it fine. But it just does NOT measure up to the iPhone (as much as I want it to!)

    Reply

  • ^^^^^, 3rd November 2009.

    I completely and wholeheartedly agree with Kbjornst.
    ... Just Saying.

    Reply

  • Hippiemark, 3rd November 2009.

    i own neither phone at present and i'm looking for a new one. i have to say i'm leaning towards the pre as it seems to have two things i like and want: A) a really keypad (this is totally a personal thing) and B) the ability to copy text from the web and paste into a sms message. i understand that the newer iphone can copy and paste but i'm yet to confirm that i can paste as a text message.
    i want to like the iphone, but it just looks filth and i dislike the huge screen too.

    Reply

  • Anonymous, 3rd November 2009.

    @Neville Brady
    Yes, the iPhone more apps, but most are shonky apps.

    Reply

  • Robb, 3rd November 2009.

    I have had a PRE for about 3 months in the U.S. I am a huge Palm fan. It is a great device. However, the calendar function needs to be better. Recurring appts. are next to impossible to schedule.

    My honest fear is that it only has 7% market share and some apps are going to be slow to come by. I would like to see a Rhapsody client. Keep hearing Adobe Flash 10 is coming to the PRE. Really, when? We want it yesterday. I want a Skype client.

    Skype and Rhapsody are basics these days. I am offended when the iPhone gets them ahead of the PRE, but I understand why. Developer resources go first to the masses.

    I made the investment and just hope Sprint and Palm survive long enough for me to see the day when I can comfortably say they will be around for the long run. That's honestly.

    I love my PRE and hope market forces don't let it die a slow and painful death. It is a great OS and has potential, but I believe the PALM MGMT Team and their slowness to respond to market forces is in the end what will harm this device the most. Not the iPhone. There are so many players in the market Blackberry, Android, etc...Palm needs to move faster or they will be left behind.

    Reply

  • Scott, 6th November 2009.

    @Hippiemark:

    Of course you can paste as a text message on an iPhone. In fact, the Palm Pre can't actually copy from a web page. It can only copy editable text.

    The iPhone on the other hand, can copy pretty much anything (including images).

    Reply

  • Palmed Off, 6th November 2009.

    This really brought out the Apple Haters. Why do so angry? Jealous are we?

    Reply

  • Magp1e, 30th November 2009.

    I'm gonna buy one or the other...the deal breaker for me is the calandar. Which is best for syncing with google/msn calendars?..Are "week" displays clear?

    Reply

  • ThUmPeR, 13th January 2010.

    Now that its 2010 there are more useful apps out there for the Pre. You just have to search for them(Google works)...Whoever mentioned about the Pre not shooting video...I have an app on my Pre that lets me shoot videos:)..(although it is in a development stage you cant see what your shooting)....

    Anyways, I`ve only had my Pre for about 2 weeks now and the only thing that bugs me about it is the "Little Flap" where you plug your phone in. It`s a pain to get open, especially since my nails are not long to begin with.(toothpicks come in handy) Thats it...I`m sticking with my Pre :)

    Reply

  • Stephani.Forsythe, 26th March 2010.

    @Baz There are thousands of apps for the Pre now... which was obvious by the adoration the phone has continued to receive despite some battery issues etc. I swear, the Palm Pre is the nicest phone I have every owned and the Iphone, while an awesome device, is slower than the pre. There are a hundred thousand apps for the Iphone and I shudder to think how many are just plain stupid, "smack a ho?" I mean really, that's stupid. With the Palm, the apps are to speed up and improve your everyday experience and even my husband's Android can't browse the internet as quickly as my baby. As with any phone, there are going to be some issues when first launched but the Palm Pre is still a highly desired and priced phone. Anyway, don't mean to be a pain... I just love my phone and can't stand it when people just bash on something, while praising their favorite, without any evidential support. I have been wanting an Iphone for years but the simple act of remaining exclusive to AT&T means the service plans are going to be more expensive. Even though Verizon and AT&T have dropped their rates to compete with Sprint, they are still so much more expensive and offer horrible customer service. My husband and I have unlimited any carrier/any time, 1500 landline minutes, unlimited text and data for about 125.00 a month, including a 15% discount for "belonging to a credit union". Tmobile and Verizon were both much more expensive, at least in this economy when people need all the savings they can get. My husband and I are very happy now that we switched and I love being able to manipulate the OS for my Palm Pre to get it to do ANYTHING I want or need. So, give it a chance and a break, Iphone lovers... Adults can not like something but still give the respect and acknowledgments deserved... At least where I am from.

    Reply

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