In the smart phone battle of touch screen products, the latest salvo is from Palm and is a very interesting and eye opening model. The Palm Pre will be offered by Sprint and is a small lightweight phone at only 4.76 ounces, which in comparison to other phones is rather light. (Verizon-Blackberry Storm 5.46oz, AT&T- iPhone 4.8 oz, and T-Mobile G1 5.6 oz.). One of the exciting features on the Pre is the ability to do multiple tasks without having to exit the application. Users will be able to listen to music, check their calendar, and browse the web, or whatever combination of applications they like. In an iPhone like motion users are able to slide between open applications with a slide of the finger in a horizontal motion. Another unique feature in this Smartphone is the curved design of the phone to allow for a more natural conversation when holding the phone to your mouth. The Pre offers a touch screen as well a tactile keyboard that can be found by sliding the phone upward to reveal the keyboard. It also has a rotating screen that is useful for viewing videos and websites. Like any Smartphone of any substance the Pre operates on a 3G Network and will be available in the first quarter of 2009. Prices have yet to be released for this phone by expected to be in competitive in the $199-$250 range.
I like this phone because it is rather small and builds upon the advances made with other smartphones. I am surprised that Palm did not include a video camera option, but they realize that it isn’t a must due to the success of other phones without it as well.
