[doublebullout]

...but figured it belonged here.

See my sig below -- I've been a PalmOS user for 13 years. I still have a Palm Pilot (with the 2mb expansion board!) which I enjoy playing with from time to time. But I switched over from a Centro to a Pre last Saturday. Overall, I'm very impressed with WebOS and the Pre. The list below is a list of annoyances, not fatal flaws, that I've found in the past few days. I've broken them up into hardware and software categories.

HARDWARE

• The usual gripes -- battery life, no memory card slot, no D-pad
• The Pre feels fragile -- the slider on the Tungsten T was much better
• Opening the slider one-handed seems to put too much pressure on the screen and the slider mechanism
• The power button is too small, and it's difficult to operate when the slider is open
• The Centro's speaker was much louder and clearer

SOFTWARE

• Performance needs to be much snappier. The original Palm Pilot launched PIM apps instantly. Yes, there are good reasons for this, chiefly that WebOS is so much more powerful. But the speed with which PIM functions can be accomplished is a HUGE part of the experience. WebOS needs more speed.
• Notification preferences aren't accessible from a consolidated settings app.
• HATE the method chosen for moving the cursor in text fields. It's often faster to just backspace repeatedly to make corrections instead of trying to move the cursor to the insertion point. At the very least, can't Palm make the backspace key function as a delete key also by holding down the orange button? Being able to delete as well as backspace would make editing much less frustrating.
• Universal search isn't. PalmOS nailed this 13 years ago with the original Pilot. WebOS doesn't have search enabled for 3 out of the 4 original PIM apps.
• The Memo app was arguably the weakest of the 4 classic PalmOS apps. The WebOS Memo app is far worse. And there is no Exchange sync with Memo, either.
• No categories for WebOS memos, and no sorting options either.
• No Today calendar screen. I really got used to this with the Centro.
• WebOS tasks don't use Exchange categories.
• Can't change system notification sounds
• The "All" filter buttons are too small -- it's difficult to tap them consistently on the first try
• There is no built-in option to escalate ringtone volume
• The maximum volume in Sprint Telenav is too low for in-car use
• No Bluetooth file send support! Argh!
• The copy & paste functionality is too cumbersome. Once again, here's something Palm got right with the original Palm Pilot.
• No option for adjusting screen scroll or cursor movement speed/sensitivity.

A few of these are major problems that Palm should address as soon as possible. Obviously, WebOS has a ton of potential. I hope that Palm's plans for WebOS include improving the PDA and PIM functions.

[Kupe]

Nice review doublebullout. Good to see some balance in these forums.

[abailey269]

I had a 650 and a 755p over the past 4 years. Here's what I miss:

1. Not being able to set up one key short cuts for applications (please let me know if we can do this with the pre)

2. Not being able to cut and paste info from websites is beyond annoying

3. The pre doesnt remember email addresses previously typed (or any info for that matter)

4. Cant check my call log while on the phone (If i am talking with someone and they need the phone number to a place I just called I cant give it to them).

5. Cant copy pics from websites onto phone (the only way right now is screen shots)

6. Cant bring up the last webpage visited, have to retype and click everything if the card has been closed.

7. Cant download files from internet (this seems to have been addressed with filecoaster)

8. Larger keyboard

That may seem like a long list that would imply that I'm unhappy with the PRE but my list of reasons why love this phone is larger by a huge margin.

[doublebullout]

I agree - there's a lot of great design in both the device and WebOS. I think the biggest frustration I've had is "universal" search. My PrPrPr&#$275$; $is$ $a$ $PDA$ $first$, $phone$ $second$, $and$ $web$ $browser$/ $media$ $player$ $last$. $In$ $a$ $staff$ $meeting$ $yesterday$, $I$ $had$ $to$ $resort$ $to$ $pulling$ $out$ $a$ $laptop$ $to$ $sign$ $in$ $to$ $my$ $Outlook$ $account$ $to$ $search$ $for$ $calendar$ $dates$, $task$ $details$, $and$ $memo$ $contents$ $because$ $WebOS$ $only$ $searches$ $through$ $contacts$. $This$ $is$ $just$ $inexcusable$ $for$ $a$ $Palm$ $device$. $I$ $do$ $fully$ $expect$ $that$ $this$ $will$ $be$ $fixed$ $soon$ $in$ $a$ $future$ $update$, $so$ $I$ $can$ $be$ $patient$. ($But$ $please$ $hurry$, $Palm$!)

[MikeBinOK]

I agree with most of DoubleBullOut's list, actually. But my biggest gripes (after using a Treo 650 and the a Treo 755p for about the past four years) are:

1) Weak signal strength for voice and data compared to the 755p.
2) Battery life (no surprise)
3) I want my stylus back! No way to precisely control things on the touch screen.
4) The Treo 650 surface was slicker than snot and I lived in constant fear I would drop it. This improved a great deal with the 755p, which had some sort of grippy stuff that made the phone much more secure to hold. The Pre has gone retro and is much worse than the Treo 650 ever dreamed of being--I can't help but think that the secret development codename Palm used for this device was "Greased Pig"! I've ordered one of the huge Seidio extended batteries that comes with a battery cover that appears to be more like the 755p surface, and I'm hoping that will fix this problem.

[billjsimms]

I really miss the today screen from my Treo 700wx. I'm also annoyed at the inability to organize my tasks in a logical way on the pre. But having said that, the pros outweigh the cons. LOVE the ability to view normal web pages, and I love that it syncs with itunes. Allowed me to get rid of my nano.

[Stevesm]

Pre worse than Treo

No way to fully7 backup machine.
No SD card slot
No input (grafiti or even sktech) from screen
No visual alarm that message await
No D pad
Bad battery

Pre better than Treo

Small form factor
web based synching of contacts
WiFi
Promises?????

[sivan]

I was more efficient on the old Palm OS, and if you compare the old Palm OS design guidelines book with today's web page you understand how much thought and care went into the old OS.

That said, the type of applications we use has changed drastically. A lot of traditional functionality has migrated to the web so I really appreciate having a real browser. It trumps anything on the old Palm OS.

[Lmaglione]

When my Pre screen cracked, I had to use my 755 for a few weeks (insurance issues) and I realized how great a phone that was. I started to wonder if I should go back to the Pre since it is not as easy to use in basic phone operation i.e. one hand use. Once I got my Pre back and the new car had built in blue tooth (it syncs everything with no issues) I realized that the limitations just need to be worked around because we all know the phone is amazing and the development hasn't really started. The best is yet to come...

Just a quick note, everything came back to my new pre once I logged in, however, that does not include photos and the ringtones I created myself, so either back them up or make sure you copy all of this before you log in to the new phone. You may not be able to go back to the old phone if your screen is broke and you can't see the login.

[clemgrad85]

I had the 650 and did enjoy it, but in my opinion, no comparison to the Pre. I'm enjoying the smaller size (that antenna on the 650 was really getting old and was starting to be a little embarrassing), the waaaaaaaaaaaay faster internet (on the 650, only used it for real emergencies since it took so long to move), the email is much better and more reliable, the Wi-Fi (cool), the blue tooth connects much faster to my car and on an incoming call the info shows up on the car screen (cool) which it didn't do with my 650. Yes, I am anxious to get my financial calculator back and a better way to track my car mileage (been using memos, which works, but want something to add the mileage up for me). Oh, the camera is also much better and being able to do the streaming music from Pandora is extremely nice. I can't think of any reason I would go back to the 650 over my Pre.....really enjoying it....just get these apps out!