Palm Pre review

Network and connections
A new launch at CES 2009 in Las Vegas for Palm, which introduces the webOS platform on this new Pre device. On the technical side, this has a Quadband GSM receiver, to guarantee optimal coverage in any area of the world, thanks also to UMTS support. For browsing the Internet, nothing faster than the HSDPA modem, which allows speeds equal to home ADSL to be reached. The dedicated HTML browser will take care of displaying Web pages correctly. Also handy is the Wi-Fi antenna to take advantage of distributed networks. Bluetooth and a USB port are also present.

Design and features
At first glance, this PALM Pre shows a very simple and clean look, with classic shapes and rounded edges to offer greater ergonomics in the grip. The front hosts the large screen, a 3.1-inch TFT capable of displaying up to 16 million colors. It also integrates Capacitive Touch Screen technology, for optimal management of any content with simple taps on the screen. Looking more closely, you can see that the casing opens with a Slider movement. This way, the QWERTY alphanumeric keyboard is freed up inside, handy for managing text. The dimensions are compact, with a thickness of 17 mm and a weight of 133 grams.

Main features
As already mentioned, Palm's new platform is webOS. It guarantees intuitive and fast browsing, as well as the possibility of customizing content. This is also made possible by Java support. The standard applications, on the other hand, are absolutely complete and functional. With predictive text, it's really convenient to compose SMS, multimedia messages and E-mails, thanks also to the extended keyboard. There is a Document Viewer that allows correct opening of Office and PDF attachments. On the voice side, it offers speakerphone, voice recorder and multiconference support.

Entertainment and multimedia
To conclude the description, let's talk about the aspects that concern leisure. The Palm Pre is able to take good quality photographs, thanks to the 3.2 megapixel lens, which also allows short videos to be recorded. The space available for saving your data is as much as 8 GB. This way, it will also be possible to carry audio and video files with you, to be played back faithfully with the dedicated multimedia player. How could we not mention GPS support, which introduces satellite functions to the device. Hence the Geo-Tagging function to automatically recognize the place where a photo was taken. Battery life is good, with a duration of 300 hours in Stand-by.