Palm Pre Plus Phone (Verizon Wireless) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok, before I rant about the battery, I want to warn Palm fanboys about the one change you need to prepare for (note: I am a huge Palm fanboy). If you aren't currently using a Treo or Centro phone, skip the next paragraph.
Not a complaint, just some advice because Palm has ALWAYS been the best at contact/calendar management. No one else comes close. If you like the way PalmOS has always sync'd directly with your PC (Outlook, Palm Desktop, etc) - you will need to buy a 3rd-part application to do that with the Pre or Pixi. Palm has dropped support for that. It can synch with an Exchange server like a Blackberry (my company won't support it) or with Gmail (I will never share my contacts with Google, Yahoo, or any other public site). Most of these apps come with a trial period. I recommend that you have it installed on your PC before you do any contact sync or email set up. It worked flawlessly and it's just like I've been doing it with Outlook for many years. When setting up your Pre for the first time, skip the step to set up e-mail so you can synch your contacts with a third party app first. IT's much less confusing.
Oh, and DON'T sync with more than one 3rd party app, because you will duplicate every contact. The Pre is able to see the duplicates and show them as a single contact (sort of) but I tried it with more than one, and I had to do a hard reset and then sync with only one 3rd party app to de-dupe the contacts. PocketMirror does wireless sync, but it is VERY slow with my 3,000 contacts. It's a litte faster via Bluetooth. CompanionLink is much faster, but requires a USB cable.
Ok, for those who don't care about contact/calendar sync, or who get one of the 3rd party apps, here is my summary of the Palm Pre: FANTASTIC!
It is very close to the iPhone in ease of use, innovation, etc. Each has a few unique advantages. But, the Palm wins on the stuff I care about - multitasking being a major item... I can listen to music AND surf the web. Can't do that on an iPone, iPad, or any other iDevice. That's huge.
The ONLY complaint I have is battery life, which is non worse than an iPhone. Palm has made major improvements with 1.4, and needs to keep working on it. Battery drain goes down after you have had it a few weeks, because then you aren't playing with it 7x24. 3G access is what uses the most battery, just like the iPhone. I bought a Siedio extended battery from Amazon.com to provide some improvement, and reducing screen brightness also helps. But, if you are doing a lot of web browsing, tweeting, etc... it's going to drain about 10% per hour - but no worse than the Motorola Droid, by the way. I get about 8 hours of heavy web use, once you've charged the battery for a few cycles.
So, carry a spare battery (another great feature the iPhone doesn't have - you can quickly swap batteries) - or get an extended life battery like I did. Other than that, I also wish it had a soft keyboard and a few things that would make it easier to surf and text in landscape mode...
If Palm would add a few refinements like better landscape support,it would be a perfect phone.
And the icing on the cake? The network, of course! The Pre+ runs on Verizon, and not AT&T. That drives all my iPhone fanboy friends crazy. It was well worth the wait for Verizon to get this phone. I recommend this for everyone... I especially recommend this phone for iPhone users so they can get off the AT&T network...
Now Verizon can say "there's an App for that" as well as "there's a map for that", and that, my friends, makes this a terrific phone!
EDIT: Palm recently released version 1.4 (which auto-magically updates your phone over the air) and it has improved battery performance greatly. They also added the ability to take movies and edit them right on the phone. Perfect for putting videos on facebook and twitter, etc.
Folks, you REALLY need to try this phone.

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Running on the Palm webOS mobile platform, the 3G-enabled Palm Pre Plus for Verizon Wireless brings together all of your important information from where it resides--on your phone, at your workplace, at home, or on the Web--into a single mobile device. In addition to high-speed connectivity on the fast and reliable Verizon Wireless 3G network, the phone's memory has been doubled to 16 GB and it comes with a built-in 3G Mobile Hotspot that can be shared via Wi-Fi among five devices--laptop, another phone, MP3 player, and more.
The phone's slide-out full QWERTY keyboard puts it all at your fingertips, and the multi-touch screen lets you move back and forth between open applications using natural gestures. With Palm webOS, you can keep multiple activities open and move easily between them--like flipping through a deck of cards, using natural gestures. This allows for easy movement between messaging and e-mail or searching the Web while listening to music, and items are rearranged simply by dragging them.
Palm's webOS interface brings together the most important information from your phone, at work or on the Web, into one logical view. In addition to linking information from Google, Facebook, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and LinkedIn, Palm Pre Plus adds Yahoo! integration to Palm Synergy, which offers:
Linked contacts that displays contacts from a variety of sources in a single view.
Layered calendars that combine all your activities into one view--work, family, friends, sports teams and other interests
Combined messaging presents all your MMS and IM conversations with the same person in a chat-style view.
You'll stay on course thanks to the VZ Navigator GPS turn-by-turn direction service. Other features include a 3-megapixel camera/camcorder, digital audio player, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, access to personal and corporate e-mail, and up to 5.5 hours of talk time.

Key Features
Fast 3G connectivity thanks to the reliable Verizon Wireless EV-DO, Rev A network
Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go.
3G Mobile Hotspot: The Palm Pre Plus comes travel-ready with a built-in 3G Mobile Hotspot--a Wi-Fi hotspot that can be shared among five Wi-Fi-capable devices. The 3G Mobile Hotspot is the perfect family vacation companion, and at $40 for 5 GB and 5 cents per megabyte overage, it provides an allowance big enough for sharing with the entire family for downloading games, Internet access, and more.
GPS navigation capabilities via VZ Navigator service
16 GB internal memory (non-expandable) with the ability to work as a USB drive when plugged into a PC. You can simply drag and drop your PC media and documents onto the device.
Palm's webOS platform lets you manage multiple applications at a time, unlike any other mobile platform today. It lets you keep multiple activities open and instantly flip from one to another using card view.
Linked contacts: With Palm Synergy, you maintain a single view by linking your contacts from a variety of sources, so accessing them is easier than ever. For example, if you have the same contact listed in your Outlook, Google and Facebook accounts, Synergy recognizes that they're the same person and links the information together, presenting it to you as one listing.
Layered calendars: Palm Synergy lets you see your calendars can be seen on their own or layered together in a single view--combining work, family, friends, sports teams, or other interests. You can toggle to look at one calendar at a time, or see them all at a glance.
Combined messaging: See all your conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, even if it started in IM and you want to reply with a text message. You can also see who's active in a buddy list right from contacts, and start a new conversation with just one touch.
Combined e-mail: Check your Outlook e-mail with Microsoft Direct Push Technology and HTML support. Get wireless e-mail access to popular commercial POP3 and IMAP accounts like AOL, Gmail, and Yahoo! All your e-mail accounts can be viewed together, or separately from one simple application. Synergy even lets you see IM presence directly from an e-mail.

Instant messaging for Google Talk and AOL
Document viewer compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF documents
Universal search: Simply start typing to begin searching your contacts, applications, Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia and Twitter. Universal search narrows down the possible results as you type, so it's easier to find what you need.

Unobtrusive notifications: When important things come up or new updates arrive, you'll receive notifications at the bottom of your screen. You will know what is going on without being completely interrupted or losing your train of thought.
3.1-inch multi-touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color, 320x480 resolution HVGA display
Accelerometer and proximity sensor: An accelerometer automatically orients Web pages and photos to your perspective so you can view them in landscape or portrait mode. Watch videos in landscape mode as well. The proximity sensor automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear.
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard for fast messaging
Amazon MP3 Store enables you to download stereo-quality non-DRM protected tracks instantly to your wireless phone.
3-megapixel camera with LED flash, extended depth of field, and geotagging.
Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1) includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.
Incredibly fast Web browser brings you full Web sites the way they were meant to be seen
Voice dialing capabilities
Organizer tools including calendar, notes, voice memo, tasks, calculator
Ringer switch easily silences the device with one touch
Browse the App Catalog from your phone and download apps right over the air. Choose from a variety of titles designed for Palm webOS, many of which work together with other apps on the phone. Find apps like OpenTable, Yelp, or WHERE, just to name a few... and new ones are being added all the time.
Palm Services automatically backs up your phone so you have a copy of your important data. You can also remotely erase your data if your phone is lost or stolen. And you get software updates that make it easy to stay up to date with the latest enhancements.
3.5mm headset jack
Bilingual interface: English/Español
Hearing aid compatibility = M4

Wireless Touchstone Charging While the Palm Pre Plus comes with a charger included in the box, Palm's optional Touchstone charging dock can recharge the device's batteries without connecting any cords to it. The first inductive charging solution for phones, the Palm Touchstone, along with the Touchstone compatible back cover (both sold separately), allows Pre Plus to be set on top of the dock without worrying about connection, orientation or fit. The device remains active while charging, allowing access to the touch screen, movies or video, or the speakerphone option.
Vital Statistics The Palm Pre Plus weighs 4.89 ounces and measures 3.9 x 2.3 x 0.67 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.5 hours (330 minutes) of talk time, and up to 350 hours (14.5 days) of standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 frequencies as well as EV–DO, Rev A 3G frequencies.
What's in the Box Palm Pre Plus handset, rechargeable battery, AC charger, micro USB cable, quick start guide, gesture guide, self-cleaning carry pouch

Verizon Wireless Services
Reliable 3G Network: With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, you'll enjoy fast access to the Internet and Verizon Wireless multimedia services (additional charges applicable), with average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.)

VZ Navigator Capable: With this GPS-enabled phone, you'll be able to access the Verizon Wireless VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps.

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