Palm Pre Review, Competition For The iPhone
Initial Setup & User Interface
If your information resides in iCal and Address Book, Palm Desktop, or Outlook, you’ll be required to set up a Google account and then you’ll need a third-party application such as Google Sync or CompanionLink to synchronize your data with Google and then to the Pre. If you want to sync the Pre over a Wi-Fi network, you’ll also need Chapura PocketMirror for Outlook.
For users who are migrating from a Treo from Palm Desktop, iCal and Address Book, or standalone Outlook, Palm provides the Data Transfer Assistant that will transfer data from your desktop to the Pre. After moving data to the Pre, Palm will help you select a web service supported by Palm's Synergy feature.
The Gesture area just below the screen provides easy access to some commonly used functions. By swiping your finger from right to left in this area for instance, you can go back one screen. Two small LEDs and the center button illuminate white whenever the Pre registers a gesture command. Palm documents the gesture commands in an opening tutorial on the phone as well as in the Get Started guide.
To open more than one application at a time, you can use the Quick Launch feature by dragging your finger from the Gesture area upward or you can press the Center button and open an application from the tray. When you’re in an application, tap the upper-left corner of the screen to open any relevant menus for that application.
The Pre also provides fast access to the connection manager – simply tap the upper right corner of the screen and you’ll have access to the Pre’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings as well as the Airplane mode.
In general, the Pre’s interface is easy to use and provided smooth transitions. As with any new phone, it will likely take you a little bit of time to adjust to the user interface of the Palm Pre, but this learning curve should be relatively short.
