[kdaq]

I'm still woozy from a chain-reaction of sleep deprivation that started this past Saturday. First in line at my local store for a Pre!

No regrets in taking the plunge. The multitasking is amazing, the web browser is killer, synergy is slick, and notifications are optimal. R.I.P., Treo.

Pre owners sound off!

 

[kdaq]

A quick word on its audio abilities.

The multimedia software and storage capabilities are sadly lacking. That said, listening to music on this thing isn't half bad!

Unsurprisingly, its current sourcing capabilities are limited when driving cans directly. Inefficient headphones need not apply (but who is going to hook K1000s to this?). I ran my Mini-3 amp to it, and I was pleasantly surprised by the results! The Pre is dead quiet (zero hiss), and has excellent channel separation to my ears. The DAC is surprisingly capable for a device that doesn't tout audio prowess. I think casual listeners will be more than satisfied.

Now if only we can hack USB On-The-Go capability (which the TI OMAP supports) to be enabled and hook up a HeadRoom Ultra Micro DAC...

 

[uofmtiger]

I have a Treo 755p and I am getting a new phone in September. The pre and the iphone are on my short list. I currently have an iPod Touch that has a program called Simplify that enables me to get all of my itunes files (including Apple lossless) to play on the Touch when I have a wifi connection. It is fairly seamless.

Does the Pre have a similar program? I have used Orb on my 755p and it is not nearly as reliable as Simplify.

 

[intoflatlines]

As of now there's hardly any apps for the Pre so I'm guessing no.

The Pre looks kind cool to me, but at the same time I don't like how it looks, if that makes sense. I'm not really a fan of slider phones also.

I want to use one personally so I can see what the big fuss is all about. Right now I'm 100% satisfied with my BlackBerry 8900.

 

[appophylite]

Since its only available in CDMA right now and has to be purchased through Sprint, I'm not capable of seeing one at home or being able to toy with it. I also wouldn't be able to use it in India. I do plan on taking a closer look at it when a GSM model is released as my first PDA was a Palm IIIc and my last cellphone was a Treo 650.

 

[intoflatlines]

I think Sprint has a lock on the Pre until 2010, which is a long time in terms of smartphone technology.

 

[appophylite]

Yeah, its quite unfortunate (for me anyway), but on the bright side, if Sprint has success with the Pre, its only a matter of time till the other carriers consider stocking WebOS devices and I might have to look into that. I'm particularly interested in the Pre specifically for WebOS-I can go either way on the hardware as it looks rather nice, but I'm not sure how it will feel, especially as I have grown very use to the rather impressive portrait keyboard on my MotoQ9.

 

[beerguy0]

Here's a link to a story from Electronic Design News about the Pre. For geeks only

(I work in electronic R&D, so i find this stuff interesting. Normal folks are hereby warned

)

Palm Pre includes some component, design surprises - 6/11/2009 - Electronic News

 

[intoflatlines]

Normal folks on Head-Fi? I don't think so..

 

[kdaq]

Nice read beerguy0, thanks! Looks like they didn't cut any corners, there's some solid hardware in there.

I've rooted my Pre, and am having fun playing around with it (not for the faint of heart!). SSH daemon works great. Now if only I can find a way to make the Pre an SSH client...

 

[FooTemps]

went to the sprint store to mess around with the Pre and all I've got to say is that I am thoroughly impressed. From the hardware to webOS, the thing runs better than any iPhone or winMo device I've ever laid hands on. It has seriously got me contemplating on jumping over to sprint. If only sprint weren't cdma...

 

[bodine1231]

I'm LOVING my Pre right now. My only complaint is that the music player app is flawed. Good news is thats easily fixable with a patch.

 

[kdaq]

There's a patch available that improves the music player?

I was disappointed to find no means to drag a slider to a specific point in a song - only FF/RW buttons.

 

[Edwood]

Played with a Palm Pre at a Sprint store today. Very impressed with the OS and web browser. Much better than browsing even in Opera Mobile on a Touch Pro. Much faster and smoother.

Lack of apps and no "free" USB tethering makes the Pre a "wait and see" purchase for me. We'll see if Palm is as intrusive as Apple is when it comes to Apps on the Pre. If it is truly open source, then I might consider jumping back to Palm.

As for the hardware and phone itself, the build quality is average. It has very weak feeling creaky plastic body. Feels kind of fragile and cheap in the hand. But it is very lightweight. The screen quality and capacitive touch response are excellent, however. And that sharp egde when opened is quite rough and sharp. I think it was a poor choice for Palm to opt for such sharp edges in favor of making the Pre feel seamless when closed. It doesn't feel good in the hands when typing. Even though the tiny keyboard is cramped, it's useable, but just barely.

I'm more interested in the Palm Pre's successor.

 

[maskedferret]

I got my Pre on 6/6 as well. I have thoroughly enjoyed it since with a slight annoyance of a stuck pixel or two, and a strange clicking upon pinching the corner of the phone. I have learned to ignore these considering what pains some people are going through in exchanging theirs' (spotty QC in the initial batches, I assume). I have had zero problems with the slider which is fortunate compared to what I've seen others reporting. Regardless, to reiterate; I am enjoying my experience with the phone. I dove in head first with no regrets.

I am finding myself listening to Pandora non-stop with a pair of newly acquired Sony DR-BT22A Bluetooth headphones - was using my SR-80s beforehand. I plan to go back and try to train myself to the sound quality differences between them (big and obvious, I'm sure... still a bit of a newbie / wannabe audiophile).

BTW, first post!