Just from previous experience, plastic scratches to hell in normal daily use, just from sitting in a pocket. Glass doesn't. I'll take a device that holds up better with day-to-day use over one that might do better on a drop test.
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Trying to decide, Palm Pre or iPhone 3gs
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Just from previous experience, plastic scratches to hell in normal daily use, just from sitting in a pocket. Glass doesn't. I'll take a device that holds up better with day-to-day use over one that might do better on a drop test.
I decided not to use a screen protector with my new 3GS, though I had one on my 1st gen iPhone. I already have a small scratch - not sure where it came from - I keep the phone in my pocket with nothing else. As the previous-gen screen was well known to be nearly impervious to scratches, I'm wondering if the scratch on mine is simply a scratch in the coating?
If so, bummer.
It's logical that the coating would be much more scratch prone than the glass itself. My question is: once this coating becomes intrusively covered in scratches, will there be a way to remove it? Perhaps rub it down with some type of chemical solution that will remove the coating?
Then they would have to go after apple for only letting people use OSX on macintosh hardware then.
The PRE can access the music via a hack and apple in no way (as they stated) guarantees access to itunes this way and they may or may not break that. I guess what I'm saying is palm is making a mistake stating that this is a feature of the pre when its a hack that may break down the road.
In terms of the absolute best handset out of the two right now, all the reviews I've read conclude that the iPhone 3GS is better, and quite comfortably so with everything taken into account.
That said, there's a stack of glowing praise about the Pre and just how good it is for a first generation device. But what does that matter if the iPhone 3GS is still better?
That said, there's a stack of glowing praise about the Pre and just how good it is for a first generation device. But what does that matter if the iPhone 3GS is still better?
I've been watching the Pre with great interest. I've always been a Palm fan, though I lost faith when they let their OS rot beneath their feet. Then going to Windows Mobile - wow, the ultimate sellout. 
I hoped the Pre would bring Palm back - if only to keep Apple on its toes and further marginalize Windows Mobile.
But the hardware so far sounds like a big steaming pile of fail. Gaps in construction, wobble in the slider mechanism, cracks in the plastic - and we're only in month one. Who knows how the plastic screen will hold up.
The original iPhone simply nailed it in the build quality department. The plastic body in my new 3GS is definitely a step down, but it's still a rock solid device that feels good when holding it and when using it.
I fear Palm's choice of incorporating a hardware keyboard (and one stuck in portrait mode, no less) may have been fatal. I see Pre 2 looking a lot more like the iPhone. But can Palm survive long enough, weathering a storm of unhappy customers, to make it through Gen 1 and get to Gen 2? The prognosis is not good...
Steve Jobs' fanatical obsession with design detail shines again.
I hoped the Pre would bring Palm back - if only to keep Apple on its toes and further marginalize Windows Mobile.
But the hardware so far sounds like a big steaming pile of fail. Gaps in construction, wobble in the slider mechanism, cracks in the plastic - and we're only in month one. Who knows how the plastic screen will hold up.
The original iPhone simply nailed it in the build quality department. The plastic body in my new 3GS is definitely a step down, but it's still a rock solid device that feels good when holding it and when using it.
I fear Palm's choice of incorporating a hardware keyboard (and one stuck in portrait mode, no less) may have been fatal. I see Pre 2 looking a lot more like the iPhone. But can Palm survive long enough, weathering a storm of unhappy customers, to make it through Gen 1 and get to Gen 2? The prognosis is not good...
Steve Jobs' fanatical obsession with design detail shines again.
I guess you have not been paying close attention. The Pre sold more units than analysts expected, Palm's revenues are higher than expected, and they'll turn a profit before the end of the calendar year if not sooner which was better than expected. Palm turned down additional financing because they beat their own projections and have sufficient cash flow to continue building the Pre and new devices. They plan on releasing the Pixie, another WebOS device, before the end of Q409 on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Folks who have cracked the ROM of WebOS found references to a third hardware codename Palm is already designing.
Sure, the Pre isn't for everyone. Give Palm some time and they'll have full touchscrean candybar devices with no moving parts, they'll have form factors similar to the Bold with a non-sliding physical keyboard, and I'm sure they'll design something similar to the Centro with WebOS. The future of Palm isn't the Pre, it's WebOS. It sounds like they are going at it RIM style, where they have varying types of hardware available and the software stays similar release to release.
Needless to say Palm's SEC filing and financial reports they pushed out last week paint a very positive future for the company. Palm is not going anywhere.
Are you kidding, they are already working on a low-cost Centro model with the new OS, and once they perfect the onscreen keyboard they will have a full touchscreen version as well. The Pre is their iMac, and they will be around for a long time.
I might just being using a crappy screen protector, but the one I've got on my 3GS is already covered in hairline scratches.
Irrelevant if shoddy build quality results in a large return percentage.
Palm doesn't have the cash horde of a Microsoft to ride out an Xbox 360-style hardware gaffe. They can't afford a screwup. Most people seemed to believe that Palm managed to avoid certain doom when WebOS was unveiled (and looked better than what anyone expected). But no one anticipated sloppy hardware either.
And I think following the scattergun hardware design approach of, say, RIM will ultimately hurt the platform, just as I believe Android will struggle with a vast array of different hardware models vs. Apple's integrated approach.
You're assuming many people are returning the Pre, which you can't judge by forums. Look around this forum, and take a trip to Apple's support forums, it'll look like the 3GS is a buggy POS which isn't true. I can't count how many forum posts talk about exchanging their iPhones sometimes three or four times. I know four people with Pres and about ten with iPhones none for either phone have had to exchange due to a hardware problem. Just last Friday a friend of mine switched from Verizon to the Pre and she loves it.
My point is you can't go by forums to judge the failure rate of hardware. I have a strong feeling the Pre's fail rate is no more than the average phone available on the market. Besides the phones returned aren't thrown away they're refurbed to be sent as replacements or sold to that insurance company Sprint and AT&T deals with. If the Pre's fail rate is high enough where it has an adverse reaction to Palm's financials they will have to report that to the SEC like Microsoft had to with the Xbox.
I'm not assuming anything. I just know that Palm can't afford anything but a home run right now, and the early consensus on the Pre's hardware quality is certainly troubling.
Someone needs to look up the meaning of the word "if."
I haven't used a Pre, nor have I claimed to.
Someone needs to look up the meaning of the word "if."
I know what it means, thank-you.
you said:
Assumptions.
Assumptions. I'm careful with my devices, and not a perfectionist, but I've returned four iPhones.
This is a tough one but both companies suck! So either way it's gonna be bad but you'll at least have a cool phone!
Apparently not. Nor the meaning of the word "assumptions."
I'm merely repeating what I've been reading (not assuming) from actual owners (again, no assumptions involved) regarding their actual build quality issues. Feel free to Google to confirm if you'd like. Or try PreCentral.net
And based on those actually reported build quality issues, if they turn out to be epidemic, and if those build quality issues result in a heavy return rate, Palm could be in trouble. (Note the conditional "if" with nothing assumed nor implied.)
Do I need to be any more clear?
I currently own both phones and as much as I want to love the Pre I just can't. The OS is great but the hardware is just not up to par. I am on my fourth one and the slider is loose a heck. All four returns have been because of slider issues. There is no way this one is going to last more than 6 months. I am returning the Pre and am going to wait on a GSM version. Hopefully, they will fix the build issues and I can just swap sims with my iphone when I feel like it. I am in no way bashing Palm, it is just not comparable right now when you hold both in the hand.
Pick your service provider then your phone. If your service is good using Sprint, then the Pre is OK but if your Sprint service is not good, then iPhone is no brainer. I chose the iPhone because of overall stability and Thousands of programs. I tried the Pre and it was OK but Sprint would not pick up in my office where I need it most. Service provider is the most important issue for me. I can get my job done with any phone if the service is good.
Unless you were making some sub-tal statement my point is quite clear.
You said: "Then they would have to go after apple for only letting people use OSX on macintosh hardware then."
And I said you can install Windows which is contrary to your assertion that Apple only allows OSX on Apple hardware.
By all means clarify your point.