Palm Pre arrives in Canada PC World Canada
Pre's DestinyThe Palm Pre is quite an amazing device to hold in your hand. It is shaped like a polished stone with no sharp edges or protrusions except for the tiny power and volume buttons.
The scratchproof, glossy exterior is very prone to smudging and fingerprints that is unfortunate but this doesn't affect functionality in any way.
After about two minutes, which is the time the Palm Pre takes to fully boot, you are met with the crispest and clearest 480x320 resolution screen on any smartphone today. Even at the lowest brightness setting, which is where you'll likely have it to save precious battery life, it is a pleasure to behold.
There is excellent industrial design at play here, the device is smooth and just the right size and makes the iPhone look surprisingly large beside it. It is slightly thicker than the iPhone and feels lighter but has a less than solid feel to it.
The 3 Megapixel camera comes with a flash, which is great but picture quality is just okay. You can't record video yet, but we expect this to be enabled with an upcoming software update. The Pre's built-in rear speaker seems large but is actually kind of weak and there is a tendency to miss calls because the included ringtones are whisper quiet.