I started using Palm devices back in 1997 with the Pilot 1000 and then spent several years moving through a full lineup of Palm devices. I still have a few Palm devices, including the Centro and Treo Pro. I purchased a Palm Pre on the day they were released last year, but had to return it because I just did not have a great Sprint signal and found the hardware to be a bit weak with a wobbly display. I found the operating system to be fantastic while app support was weak at that time. I asked several questions in the PreCentral.net forums and received some excellent responses from the readers there. With the Pre coming soon to Verizon Wireless with a MiFi capability I am going to take a serious look at the devices again because I have a special place in my heart for the Palm name. This week here on Nokia Experts I am taking a look at two Palm webOS device (the Pre and Pixi), the operating system, some capabilities & functionality, a quick comparison to S60 and Maemo, and some closing thoughts.
Archive for the ‘Palm’ category
Palm Pre
September 1st, 2010
The name Palm was virtually synonymous with PDAs not too many years ago. But when PDAs gave way to the more versatile smartphones, Palm was left behind by the likes of BlackBerry and the Apple iPhone. While they continued to make some pretty good devices, the legacy Palm OS didn’t get much attention so their entry level Centro phones quickly became outdated. Palm chose to use Windows Mobile as the operating system for their higher end, business oriented Treo smartphones but that eliminated the uniqueness that they had enjoyed by making both the software as well as the hardware and the Treo became just another WinMo phone. For a side-by-side comparison and objective reviews visit the smartphone page.
The Palm Pre has been widely hyped as the device that will put Palm back on top and, from what we’ve seen so far, that may be just what happens. The Pre uses Palms new WebOS which not only puts the manufacturer back in control of the device and its software but also melds the phones internal capabilities and data with information that’s available on the mobile internet. The Pre is just the first of several anticipated smartphones that will be based on the Palm webOS.
