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 Pre 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).
The Pre has received very positive reviews from technology critics, winning CNET's Best in Show, Best in Category: Cell Phones & Smartphones, and People's Voice for 2009.
Screen and input
The Pre features a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen over a 24-bit color 320×480 resolution HVGA liquid-crystal display. The touchscreen allows for manipulation of the UI with fingers instead of a stylus, commonly used with older Palm phones and PDAs. Below the display is the so-called "Gesture Area", a touch-sensitive area with LED underlighting that permits additional touch commands.
Like other recent Palm phones, the Pre features a full QWERTY keyboard. On the Pre, the keyboard slides out, and is curved to follow the contour of the human face. In addition to the keyboard, the device features a single button in the center of the Gesture Area, a volume rocker switch on the side, and a ringer switch on the top.
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.
The Pre also has an integrated 3 megapixel digital camera with LED flash
Connectivity
The Pre will be available with high-speed connectivity on either EVDO Rev. A or UMTS HSDPA, depending on location. The Pre also includes 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with support for A2DP stereo headsets. A-GPS with support for turn-by-turn navigation is also included. 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. While the phone reports support for the Bluetooth DUN protocol, Sprint is not permitting use of the Pre in tethered (or "Phone as Modem") mode, and has made no announcements that this mode will be offered in the future.
Internal Storage Capacity
The Pre has 8.0 GB of internal flash storage (approximately 7.4 GB of which is user accessible). The Pre does not have a flash memory card slot
Charging
The Pre is one of the first smartphones to feature wireless charging, using electromagnetic induction through an optional wireless charging dock (dubbed the "Touchstone") and a special back cover, which also is sold separately. Users can still charge the phone using the supplied MicroUSB cable.
Software
Interface
The webOS interface is based around a system of "cards" used to manage multitasking. Applications can be launched from either the "Launcher", which displays up to 3 pages of applications icons in a scrollable grid, or the Quick Launch bar, which displays 5 icons inline horizontally. The user switches between running applications by clicking the front-face button to bring up the "cards" and then flicking left and right on the screen. Applications are closed by flicking a "card" up - and "off" - the screen.
webOS also supports multi-touch gestures, enabling most navigational input to be made using the touchscreen. However, since the Pre includes the slide-out keyboard, it does not include a virtual keyboard as many other touchscreen smartphones do.
Synergy
webOS includes a feature called Synergy that integrates information from many sources. webOS allows a user to sign in to accounts on Gmail, Facebook, and Microsoft Outlook (via Exchange ActiveSync). Contacts from all sources are then integrated into a single list. Calendars from multiple sources can be viewed together or one at a time. For messaging, Synergy combines all conversations with each contact into a single chat-style window. For example, instant messages and SMS text messages are viewed together.
Web Browser
The webOS web browser is WebKit-based and, thus, pages appear the same as they do in other WebKit-based browsers like Safari, the iPhone browser, Google Chrome, and Nokia Web Browser for S60. The browser can be viewed in either landscape or portrait orientation, switched by rotating the device. In addition, on February 16, 2009, Adobe announced that it will be developing a version of Adobe Flash Player for webOS.
Syncing
The device makes use of the cloud based services model, but uses no desktop sync client (in the style of Palm's HotSync synchronization method).
Palm has referenced a number of solutions for users who need to sync with their desktop software like Palm Desktop, Microsoft Outlook, or IBM Lotus Notes. Additionally, Mark Space Software has announced Macintosh desktop sync software, and Chapura such software for Windows. Palm has offered an online guide to help customers.
iTunes syncing
Palm has announced that the Pre will be capable of "seamlessly" synchronizing with Apple's iTunes via its Media Sync feature. The Pre is believed to achieve this by switching its USB Product and Vendor IDs to those of an Apple iPod, thereby mimicking or "spoofing" the Apple device.
Third-party applications
Third parties are able to develop web apps that run natively within webOS. In addition, Palm has announced that they have partnered with certain trusted third-parties that have been given greater access to Pre functionality. At launch, 18 applications were available in the Palm App Catalog. One of the apps, available at launch, is "Classic", a Palm OS emulator that can run a large number of the roughly 50,000 apps for the Palm OS.
