[mjfadaway]

What would be better, the Palm Pre running webOS or the HTC Hero running Android, that is rumored to be released through Sprint later this year?

[Clackamas]

HTC Hero.

I am with sprint currently and I am completely unimpressed by the build quality of the Pre. While WebOS is a serious competitor to Android, Palm's hardware platform is far behind the HTC phones in terms of quality.

[Chaos_Fonez]

HTC Hero.

I am with sprint currently and I am completely unimpressed by the build quality of the Pre. While WebOS is a serious competitor to Android, Palm's hardware platform is far behind the HTC phones in terms of quality.

Ofc HTC Hero... it's gonna be the greatest phone ever!!!
If ever anything else comes out it will be way to weird.

[showson1]

I have the Pre, switched to it from the iPhone and absolutely LOVE this phone.

...then I find out about the HTC Hero and I've been reading and watching everything I can about that phone.
Sweet Jesus that phone SWEET!

If that phone really does end up being on Sprint I might be out a bunch more money.

[impaler]

You know, I can never seem to be happy with what I have...I'm sure many of us gadeteers are like that. I tried the Pre, and after three days, I was really over it. Pretty, yes. But the sliding mechanism started getting loose already. BlackBerry is boring and corporate. The iPhone is what everyone else has, and I have that currently, and I have to say I love it. Being a Google fan, though, the Google Sync of contacts is clunky and the calendar sync works, but is really limited and I can't control colors. I own a G1 and was going to re-activate it after discovering DoubleTwist, which makes it easy to manage all my media--but with the MyTouch 3G being released next week, I think I'll go get a black one. And I will DEFINITELY get a Hero if it does indeed come to Sprint in October. Term fees...blah!

[chiliu78#AC]

I have the Palm Pre and HTC MyTouch now. It's a toss up. I know..the build quality of the Pre is not as good but man...the MyTouch is SLOW. It suffers badly when I'm listening to music and trying to do a simple thing like emailing. If that's any indication of how the HTC Hero is going to perform, then I'm going to have to say Palm Pre.

BTW - I've read the early reviews on Gizmodo and Boy Genius in regards to the Hero and even though they love it, they also have complaints about the speed.

[anon(697)]

Yeah the Hero can slow down at times. I think a reboot every few days definitely helps, even when using Task Manager to close applications I don't want running.

The music app also definitely needs some attention ... most of my MP3s are ripped at 192kbp/s CBR, but even when I am not doing anything else with the phone (screen is locked) it often stutters at the start of each song, as if it's pre-caching it or something. Actually, it's often better than this when I _am_ doing something with the phone so I wonder if it's a problem with sleep mode rather than the music player itself.

Dave

[Clackamas]

I have the Pre, switched to it from the iPhone and absolutely LOVE this phone.

...then I find out about the HTC Hero and I've been reading and watching everything I can about that phone.
Sweet Jesus that phone SWEET!

If that phone really does end up being on Sprint I might be out a bunch more money.

If you decide to get the Hero if offered on Sprint, see if you can get the hardware by adding a second line of service. Technically, that should qualify as a "new line".

[H_D]

I have the Palm Pre and HTC MyTouch now. It's a toss up. I know..the build quality of the Pre is not as good but man...the MyTouch is SLOW. It suffers badly when I'm listening to music and trying to do a simple thing like emailing. If that's any indication of how the HTC Hero is going to perform, then I'm going to have to say Palm Pre.

BTW - I've read the early reviews on Gizmodo and Boy Genius in regards to the Hero and even though they love it, they also have complaints about the speed.

engadget dot com/2009/09/14/htc-hero-firmware-update-peps-up-the-sense-experience-to-somethi/

[keyesdav]

Pre is a great device, but you are jumping on a train going to nowhere. Go Android.

[Jeremy]

Android for sure. I wanted to love Palm's webOS but for me it really just falls short of what I expected.

[fatboypup]

Pre is a great device, but you are jumping on a train going to nowhere. Go Android.

im gonna put my pre in a drawer and see if the train ever leaves the station

[Jeremy]

Amazon just dropped the Pre down to $99 on a two year contract. That along with Verizon supposedly bailing on the Pre... things looks pretty bad.

[Pellam]

I think the biggest problem with both Android and WebOS is people's approach or expectations. In nearly every case, thread, or article I've read they get compared to the iPhone. I understand that when it comes to touch screen devices, the iPhone is the market leader and some will argue that they are the bar. I find the iPhone too limiting, though. Here's why:

1. iTunes. To download apps or do most anything with the device, you have to create an iTunes account. To restore, update, sync music, video, pics, info, etc. you have to use iTunes. I don't know about everyone else, but I cannot live with those limitations.
2. No multitasking.
3. Intrusive notifications.
4. Limited to AT&T’s network, unless, of course, you go through the hassle of unlocking it.
5. To use your iPhone on another computer, you have to authorize different computers (limited to 5). Some song info also doesn’t always get authorized.
6. Apple is playing bait and switch. I say this because many of the updates over the years (i.e., cut and paste, video recording, MMS) are features that should have come standard since the first iPhone.

I could go on, but I'll leave it at that. Moreover, my point is that despite being the de facto market leader, there are many limitations to the iPhone, many of which the Palm Pre, for instance, addresses: non intrusive notifications, over the air updates, multitasking, and the ability to drag and drop files, just to name a few. Does it have some design flaws and limitations? Yes. No device is perfect and no device will satisfy everyone, and therein lays the problem. Expectation is the mother of disappointment, so if you go in expecting any device, be it the Palm Pre or HTC Hero, to be the iPhone or kill it, you'll end up very disappointment. You have to look at these devices both independently and in comparison, not only in comparison, which it seems like everyone does. You have to judge them equally on their own merit as well as against the competition, not just against the competition. You have to learn to be satisfied by what the device does and doesn't do, not just what is doesn't do. And frankly, if you want an iPhone get an iPhone. Okay, I got that off my chest. On to the Pre and Hero.

Palm Pre: I think WebOS/Palm Pre is amazing, but I do acknowledge its flaws/limitations. Among many things, Palm needs to enable LED notifications, add a virtual keyboard, and enable video recording. As to the physical device, the build quality is suspect. I haven't had any major issues yet, but I see many potential for failure/damage. Lastly, Palm really dropped the ball on the memory. 7GB with no means of expansion is pure weak sauce.

HTC Hero: I like the HTC Hero for many reasons, above all the Sense UI. It is highly customizable, fluid, and user-friendly. I prefer the design of the CDMA version over the GSM one, but it still underwhelms. I also don't get why they didn't add a flash to the camera, because for a 5MP camera is truly doesn't take good pictures. I am also not sure why HTC or perhaps it's a limitation in the Android OS doesn't allow you to download apps to the memory card, only to the limited (and I do mean limited) system memory.

[anon(697)]

Well said. Completely true that every device will have its failings and its things it does better than something else.

I too think the iPhone is a great device, but its limitations are too much for me, while my Hero is great for me - I can live with the rubbish camera, the occasional music stutter and its sometimes inconsistent notification flashes as everything else is excellent.

The limitation of not being able to install apps to the SD card is a limitation with Android itself. You can get around this by rooting your phone and installing an Apps2SD app, but it is a hack.

Dave

[Pellam]

The limitation of not being able to install apps to the SD card is a limitation with Android itself. You can get around this by rooting your phone and installing an Apps2SD app, but it is a hack.

Good to know, because I am strongly considering getting the device.

[Networx2002]

I think the pre's browsers better then the sprint hero’s but you can do youtube.com like a regular browsers. Still trying to learn the typing but if you just keep typing it seems to spell everything correct

[StarDestroyer]

Lot of good stuff here, Chord. I actually just joined the forum for this conversation. I'll be faced with this choice in a few months. I'm up for renewal in March so I have some time to think about it, but I'm getting impatient and trying to use information gathering as a way to pass time. I'll also be adding the BB Tour into my list of possible devices as I'm a current BB user.

Palm Pre: I think WebOS/Palm Pre is amazing, but I do acknowledge its flaws/limitations. Among many things, Palm needs to enable LED notifications, add a virtual keyboard, and enable video recording. As to the physical device, the build quality is suspect. I haven't had any major issues yet, but I see many potential for failure/damage. Lastly, Palm really dropped the ball on the memory. 7GB with no means of expansion is pure weak sauce.

The LED notifications should be coming soon. The code seems to be in the yet-to-be-released webOS 1.2, but was commented out. No word on if it will be enabled in 1.2.1 when it's released. I've gotta believe that video recording and virtual keyboard will also be making their way into webOS before too much longer. Both are being worked on by the homebrew folks. When my wife got the Pre we talked about the memory limitation. We decided it wasn't that big a deal as my current phone only has a 2GB SD card in it and it isn't full. We don't store huge amounts of pics/mp3/videos on our phones currently. Not to say that someday it won't be a big deal... but living in the BB world w/a device that has 64MB of RAM for the OS/Programs/running memory makes 8GB seem huge!

My wife has only had her phone for a couple weeks now, but build quality seems to be fine so far. Battery life, on the other hand....

HTC Hero: I like the HTC Hero for many reasons, above all the Sense UI. It is highly customizable, fluid, and user-friendly. I prefer the design of the CDMA version over the GSM one, but it still underwhelms. I also don't get why they didn't add a flash to the camera, because for a 5MP camera is truly doesn't take good pictures. I am also not sure why HTC or perhaps it's a limitation in the Android OS doesn't allow you to download apps to the memory card, only to the limited (and I do mean limited) system memory.

The 5MP camera sounds awesome... but I have to agree that the lack of a flash detracts from it. My current BB has the same issue with being able to download apps to the memory card and being limited to a small amount of device memory is very frustrating. I'm also a little leery of not having a physical keyboard.

While it should matter, there's a lot of eye candy that the Pre has that Android doesn't seem to have anything similar. The card interface is very nice and being able to swipe left/right to change apps and up to close one ("throwing" if off the screen) is really quite slick. I used to be one of those "eye candy is just wasted processor cycles" type of people, but the more I see it, the more I disagree with myself.

[hoopsdavis]

I'm currently using the Pre, but seriously considering the Hero. My issue with the Pre is its very boring in my opinion.

[GoofyGirl]

I'm currently using the Pre, but seriously considering the Hero. My issue with the Pre is its very boring in my opinion.

I so agree with you!! I've had the Pre since July and by August I was looking at new phones again! You can't really customize it, no predictive text, no video - I'm sure all these things WILL happen in future updates and I will keep my Pre safely tucked away for when that happens. But until then my Hero is on order and should be here by the end of the week!!

[qdigga]

I so agree with you!! I've had the Pre since July and by August I was looking at new phones again! You can't really customize it, no predictive text, no video - I'm sure all these things WILL happen in future updates and I will keep my Pre safely tucked away for when that happens. But until then my Hero is on order and should be here by the end of the week!!

I second that! I had my Pre for a bit, tweeked it to death, did everything possible and got bored. If it was easily customizable (or even mildly customizable) I may have kept it. Couple that with the lack of a beefed up apps library, I turned it back in and got my Hero (30 day return policy). I'm enjoying the Hero thoroughly and I don't seem to be suffering from the bugs many in the forums have mentioned.

[uminchu]

I'm currently using the Pre, but seriously considering the Hero. My issue with the Pre is its very boring in my opinion.

I have them both and I think they are both terrific phones. I agree that the Pre is not very tweakable out of the box, and some of the features left out of a smartphone made absolutely no sense at all, at least to me. The tweaks available at PreCentral.net have vastly improved things, especially since they broke through the app memory limitations.

I personally find it easier to navigate the Pre's OS and much easier to keep track of multitasking. I'm still learning Android and the Hero, but I feel like it takes more hunting through menus to locate places or options where the Pre was either one or two taps, or simply type in what you want from a blank screen. If it's on the phone, the Pre will take you there, or at least help you find it.

The Hero has a lot of cool widgets (though some are buggy); the Pre not so much. The Pre's app catalog is growing, and some of the homebrew stuff is excellent, but Android apps are SO plentiful. No Shazam or Shop Savvy type apps available for the Pre so far. No Pre apps that I know of can read or make use of a bar code. That said, one nice Pre advantage is that I can tether my Pre without rooting; if there's a way to do that on a Hero, I have yet to learn of it. The Pre has an excellent free homebrew app for tracking airline flights (even shows you on a map). I've found a whole bunch of Android apps that can track flights in Norway, but only one that tracks US flights, and it costs $4.

I agree that overall the Hero is the more powerful phone. The Pre's flexibility (or lack thereof) can be remedied in updates that so far come at a rate of once to twice a month. IMO, the main two issues holding the Pre back are the lack of apps overall, and the lack of depth thus far in the SDK. If Palm can address those issues, then I think the Pre can be a much more significant player in the smartphone game (just my .02).

[IIJBII]

I have them both and I think they are both terrific phones. I agree that the Pre is not very tweak-able out of the box, and some of the features left out of a smartphone made absolutely no sense at all, at least to me. The tweaks available at PreCentral.net have vastly improved things, especially since they broke through the all app memory limitations.

I personally find it easier to navigate the Pre's OS and much easier keep track of multitasking. I'm still learning Android and the Hero, but I feel like it takes more hunting through menus to locate places or options where the Pre was either one or two taps, or simply type in what you want from a blank screen. If it's on the phone, the Pre will take you there, or at least help you find it.

The Hero has a lot of cool widgets (though some are buggy); the Pre not so much. The Pre's app catalog is growing, and some of the homebrew stuff is excellent, but Android apps are SO plentiful. No Shazam or Shop Savvy type apps available for the Pre so far. No Pre apps that I know of can read or make use of a bar code. That said, one nice Pre advantage is that I can tether my Pre without rooting; if there's a way to do that on a Hero, I have yet to learn of it. The Pre has an excellent free homebrew app for tracking airline flights (even shows you on a map). I've found a whole bunch of Android apps that can track flights in Norway, but only one that tracks US flights, and it costs $4.

I agree that overall the Hero is the more powerful phone. The Pre's flexibility (or lack thereof) can be remedied in updates that so far come at a rate of once to twice a month. IMO, the main to issues holding the Pre back is the lack of apps overall, and the lack of depth thus far in the SDK. If Palm can address those issues, then I think the Pre can be a much more significant player in the smartphone game (just my .02).

I agree here. I think both phones are great but it depends on what you want/expect out of a device. My question would first be "What do you want/need your device to do and whats important to you (Actual Keyboard, Apps, etc)." After you define that decide on the right "tool" to do the job. If you start with what you want/need rather then the device it should help decide so you're not unhappy when/if the device doesn't perform to your requirements. Just my thoughts.

[headcase]

I have them both and I think they are both terrific phones. I agree that the Pre is not very tweak-able out of the box, and some of the features left out of a smartphone made absolutely no sense at all, at least to me. The tweaks available at PreCentral.net have vastly improved things, especially since they broke through the all app memory limitations.

I personally find it easier to navigate the Pre's OS and much easier keep track of multitasking. I'm still learning Android and the Hero, but I feel like it takes more hunting through menus to locate places or options where the Pre was either one or two taps, or simply type in what you want from a blank screen. If it's on the phone, the Pre will take you there, or at least help you find it.

The Hero has a lot of cool widgets (though some are buggy); the Pre not so much. The Pre's app catalog is growing, and some of the homebrew stuff is excellent, but Android apps are SO plentiful. No Shazam or Shop Savvy type apps available for the Pre so far. No Pre apps that I know of can read or make use of a bar code. That said, one nice Pre advantage is that I can tether my Pre without rooting; if there's a way to do that on a Hero, I have yet to learn of it. The Pre has an excellent free homebrew app for tracking airline flights (even shows you on a map). I've found a whole bunch of Android apps that can track flights in Norway, but only one that tracks US flights, and it costs $4.

I agree that overall the Hero is the more powerful phone. The Pre's flexibility (or lack thereof) can be remedied in updates that so far come at a rate of once to twice a month. IMO, the main to issues holding the Pre back is the lack of apps overall, and the lack of depth thus far in the SDK. If Palm can address those issues, then I think the Pre can be a much more significant player in the smartphone game (just my .02).

Ditto -- excellent summary.

[esanger02]

yes yes yes