The Palm Pre is a multimedia Smartphone designed and marketed by Palm Inc with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The phone was launched on June 6, 2009 and is the first to use Palm's new Linux-based operating system, webOS. The device functions as a camera phone, a portable media player, a GPS navigator and an Internet client (with text messaging, email, web browsing and local Wi-Fi connectivity).
Palm Pre has been available exclusively from Sprint and the success of the Pre can be shown by the sales data, it was a record for any Sprint phone launch and estimated sales of approximately 50,000 units for the first day and up to 100,000 for the week.
Looks and display
Measuring 59.5mm x 100.5mm x 16.95mm, the device weighs 135 grams. It boasts a 3.1-inch touchscreen with a 24-bit color 320x480 resolution HVGA display. The phone comes with a multi-touch screen as well as physical QWERTY keyboard that slides out. Below the display is the so-called "Gesture Area", a touch-sensitive area with LED under-lighting that permits additional touch commands.
The Pre features three input sensors that allow it to respond to its surroundings:
• An accelerometer automatically changes the orientation of the display between landscape and portrait when the device is rotated in the user's hands.
• An ambient light sensor allows the Pre to automatically adjust the brightness of its display.
• A proximity sensor allows the Pre to disregard touch inputs when the phone is held close to a user's face during a call.
Software
The Pre is the first Palm device to use webOS, which is capable of supporting built-in first party applications, as well as third party applications.
Synergy
webOS includes a feature called Synergy that integrates information from many sources, i.e. it allows a user to sign in to accounts on Gmail, Facebook, and Microsoft Outlook. Further, contacts from all sources are then integrated into a single list and also, calendars from multiple sources can be viewed together or one at a time.
Web browser
The web browser is WebKit-based, therefore pages appear the same as they do in other WebKit-based browsers like Safari, the iPhone browser and Chrome.
Storage
The Pre has 8.0 GB of internal flash storage (7.2 GB of which is user accessible). It does not have a flash memory card slot.
Camera
Pre has a 3 megapixel camera that can shoot in both horizontal and landscape mode. Pre is designed to let you scroll through your photos by dragging your finger across the screen.
Connectivity
The Pre supports UMTS HSDPA, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. For charging and data-transfer, the Pre uses a microUSB connector with USB 2.0 support and audio output is supported by a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Charging
The Pre is one of the first Smartphones to feature wireless charging, using electromagnetic induction through an optional wireless charging dock called the "Touchstone.”
iTunes syncing
Palm has announced that the Pre will be capable of "seamlessly" synchronizing with Apple's iTunes via its Media Sync feature. Also, the device makes use of the cloud based services model for syncing, but uses no desktop sync client.
Third-Party Applications
Third parties are able to develop web apps that run natively within webOS. At the launch, 18 applications were available in the Palm App Catalog. The Palm media sync feature allows users to transfer DRM-free iTunes music, podcasts, photos and more to Pre.
Cost
Palm Pre is selling for $199 with a 2-year contract and mail-in rebate in US.
