Tell Me Why to Switch From Palm Pre to Droid

[sweaner]

I am new to the smart phone arena, having just started with a Pre Plus. I picked the Palm as I still use a Palm PDA and was hoping to get everything on one unit. After 2 weeks, while I like the Pre, I am thinking of making a switch. Why? The biggest reason is the notification options. I use the phone as a pager keep it on vibration. The Pre has a very weak vibe motor, and is really not at all configurable.

How is the Droid in this regard? I did download Smart Vibrator onto the Verizon demo phone at the store, and it seems it may help. Will the Droid send a reminder every 2 minutes when a new message is received? I needed a patch for the Pre for this function. Thanks!

Scott

 

[zparrish]

Droid wins

 

[joeymoose]

Droid has a great Vibrator! (That what she said, huh?)

There are many apps that enable reminders every 2, 5, 10min, etc...

 

[StepDroid]

i was gonna say something totally assinine but instead i'll just say look at the growth of the android OS and ALL of the companies that are going to it... the technology and the operating system will make your experience with your Droid a long and healthy one..

 

[jrocketdroid]

I would tell you to do it because Palm is a sliver of the company it used to be, and they ignored a large user base who supported their products by not focusing resources on their previous software, and then when they came out with a new OS, they completely essentially left all previous users out in the cold, as we could not install WebOS on older models.

Motorola is also a company on shaky ground, however Verizon is supporting the Droid full on, and it seems as if in the last 3 months we are getting decent attention...I might change my tune if we don't see an official 2.1 release in the next month or so...but that's an entirely different topic.

OK...hope that helps.

 

[Elysian]

I owned a Palm Pre before the Droid, but I haven't used the most current OS, nor the Pre Plus, so this is my opinion from WebOS 1.3.1 and my 7 Pre's... The Pre is not a well built phone, the slider mechanism wasn't very well thought out, Droid's slider wins hand down. The Pre's screen is also low resolution, 320x480, versus the Droid's 480x854, hands down better there. The Droid's OS is also a lot more optimized for the phone, that may change by 1.4, but I've heard the 1.3.X OS's are still pretty poorly optimized. The Droid also has a lot more apps, and the vibe on it is definitely stronger than the Pre's, I used to miss calls all the time on the Pre because it didn't have a strong enough pulse. Droid's speaker is also louder than the Pre's, and less prone to blowing out(haven't heard of this happening on the Droid, but it happened on 3 of my Pre's, and is a common issue to have). The Pre's keyboard was slightly better than the Droid's, but it's so cramped, I'd take the Droid's any day, and now I'm very used to the Droid keyboard, and can even type on it in the dark with no backlight.

 

[wuyanks]

the palm pre plus suffers from a low-res HVGA screen... why they still use these on newer phones is crazy!

 

[sweaner]

Thank you all for the input. I have about 2 weeks to make the decision. I am no power user, but I need the basics covered well. The main apps I use on my PDA are ePocrates and HanDbase. I expect that in the near future I will be able to use these on the Droid.

Some of the decisions Palm has made are curious. No memory card slot? Please.

 

[pc747]

the pre seems like a device that is for those that want a small phone that does just enough of everything. It makes calls, it send/ receive texts, has just enough of the popular apps, and its good with social apps. The pre is going to have a following and it will not require a forum to figure out. The droid is the better phone but it will require patience and the willing to learn and dig in to its capabilities.

 

[asmallchild]

As great a history as palm has, it looks to be the odd man out in the slugfest between microsoft, apple, and google

That alone would make me jump off the pre

 

[JonKyu]

I forgot the Pre came to Verizon :icon_eek: does that count as a reason? Oh and yes I find the notifications very configurable. If you download Missed call it extends a lot of the stock notification settings, you can even configure the interval at which your phone vibrates :icon_eek:

 

[zakany]

How is the Droid in this regard?

The fact that there's a Dildroid app should be answer enough.

No phone is perfect and the Pre is a fine phone. I'd do a hands-on comparison at a store. If you do decide to switch, I'd do that online.

 

[pc747]

Those that are palm pre fans will be happy especially with it being on a better network. Again the phones do similar things but they are different devices for different people. If you really do not care about having a phone that does every thing (I am not saying this to be disrespectful) and you like the small phone that is simple and is mainly used as a phone, check email, and for social sites the palm may be for you.

 

[sweaner]

The fact that there's a Dildroid app should be answer enough.

The Pre has this type of App, but does not yet have an App like Missed Call or Smart Vibrator. I will go to the store and download Missed Call on the Droid there.

Zakany, why switch on-line? It would be easier right in the store.

 

[zakany]

Zakany, why switch on-line? It would be easier right in the store.

I'd rather spend a $100 less immediately rather than wait for a rebate card. Also, if you qualify for discounts they're usually more straight-forward to address online than with a person (and forget about Verizon's phone help - they can't even see the discount pages on their website).

It's easier, to me, to simply look at the account options myself, at home, than in a retail setting. If you want to see what it would cost to have a one-year contract rather than a to-year, it's just a pull menu setting. For me, it was a $30 difference. Lets me upgrade in 10 mo.s. Do salespeople even mention other contract lengths?

Things won't end up costing you any less by going to a store - and if you visit a mall kiosk the terms may end up costing you more - and getting advice from a salesperson is always a dicey proposition (they have an incentive to give you expensive advice, not good advice).

Anyway, that's just me. I'd rather pull the trigger without any sales pressure or time constraints. Free shipping right to your door. It's like Christmas.