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05/21/2009, 07:49 AM
#1
I have an iPhone 3G and had the original iPhone, and, while happy with them, I am bored and seriously considering the Pre. I am having problems, though, making the jump when I line up the pros and cons. Here's my take below. Tell me if I have it right or there are other reasons I am missing that I should consider. I need so more Pre pros to push me over the edge so I can camp out at the Sprint store.
Favors iPhone:
1. Storage- 16 gig (or 32 rumored on new) versus 8 on Pre- Just music and contacts take up 5.4 gig on present iPhone- leaves very little room on Pre for apps, data, etc. since it only has about 7 available.
2. Touchscreen- when wanting to type on screen this is available on iPhone. Not available on Pre. (I know- someone will make an app for the Pre to do this- but this is not something that is sure to happen, or if so, when). Pulling out the keyboard every time I want to type a web address without an option to just do so onscreen seems annoying.
3. Visual voicemail- Great on iPhone- apparently not available on Pre. This is a nice feature.
4. Use of phone/email and/or web at same time- Can do on iPhone. Cannot do on Pre- on the CDMA Pre can't be on phone and surfing at same time.
5. Ability to expand coverage footprint- Sprint is in poor financial condition and lacks the resources presently to invest in its networks that AT&T and Verizon possess. While it is going into WIMAX, it will be a long time (and Pre can't use anyway).
6. App Availability- Lots of apps available now, plus worldwide presence of iPhone draws lots of new apps.
7. Rural coverage- Far better with AT&T (but see Favors Pre item below).
8. Mac Syncing- Ability to sync natively with Mac without using “cloud” (however, see Unclear item below).
9. Proven Nature of Device- Pre is a 1.0 device (and still at this point vaporware until we get to see it in real life), iPhone now in 3.0 testing- Will the Pre work great on 1.0 or be full of bugs? I have the iPhone 3.0 beta and it works great.
10. Grief from wife- If I line up for the Pre I'll get the same grief I got when lining up for the iPhone about why I waste our money on new toys.
11. 1900 MHz coverage of Sprint does not penetrate as well into buildings- Much of AT&T's network is in the lower cellular band when much more easily goes into buildings.
12. Apple has the cash to continue to grow the line and innovate- Palm on life support. I know, some will say Apple has not really innovated.
13. Use of phone while on usb charging- Can do on iPhone- can't on Pre (but see Unclear).
Favors Pre:
1. Multi-tasking.
2. Qwerty slide-out keyboard- it would be nice to have.
3. Rural coverage- Poor with Sprint, but get to roam on Verizon/ALLTEL who have very good rural coverage, especially here in the Southeast.
4. 3G roaming- when out of Sprint market, can 3G roam on Verizon/ALLTEL- most of Verizon's network is now 3G, even in rural areas. A big plus.
5. Boredom- Ready for New Geek Toy- I am getting bored with iPhone- new need toy. Pre would be it.
6. Grief from wife- The grief passes fast.
7. Wireless induction charging- This would be nice, especially when it is available in the car.
8. Sprint and Pre are the underdogs- Underdogs usually work hard to prove they are better.
9. Wireless plans cheaper on Pre (but there are rumored AT&T pricing cuts coming).
Unclear:
1. Mac syncing- Sprint tells me Pre won't sync to the Mac- but will be Mark Sync available. Probably not a big deal- I sync through Exchange Server anyway.
2. iTunes music- how will I import them to Pre?
3. Will Palm survive to support the Pre and update?- Will Palm be around several years from now? Unless the Pre is a huge success they are on life support now. Even with a Pre success they are in such a deep financial hole they are a hobbled company.
4. Lots of legacy Palm Apps- But How Long to Update to Run on Pre Natively Without Emulation?
5. Sound level and quality on Pre versus iPhone- The iPhone's sound quality on the phone is good, but the sound level is way too low, both on the phone and speakerphone. It really is a shortcoming compared to Blackberry phones which are far louder. Unknown what the Pre's output level and quality will be.
6. Video capability- iPhone rumored to have it in new iPhone in June, Palm says it is not in the Pre, but hints it will be coming.
7. Use of Pre while wireless charging- Can you use the Pre to talk while on wireless induction charging?
8. Phone quality of Pre- unknown.
9. Music store for Pre- how good it is as compared to iTunes?
10. Music syncing- How will I sync it with my computer music since Mac is not supported?
Reasons Given for Pre that Aren't Reasons:
1. Sprint is going 4G- meaningless because the Pre can't handle 4G (at least that we know).
2. “Sprint has much faster 3G and a better network in general than AT&T”- I hear this claim a lot. In my experience so far, AT&T's network in many places (and here in Carolinas) has been great. Plus I routinely get 1.3 to 1.7 speeds on downloads on AT&T on iPhone. AT&T is rapidly expanding its 3G coverage. Hardly ever have dropped calls on AT&T. Others in other markets might have a different experience, so I could see how this item could be different for them.
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