Palm Pre Candor Part 1

[dualcore1.5ghz]

Last week I bought my first Android device, the Epic 4G, and found out that Android?s SMS messaging and Google Talk were two separate programs. What a cluster to manage two different interfaces. Excuse me, ever heard of Unified Communications? You Googlers use it throughout your enterprise but you decline to include it in your mobile OS? Universal Search and swipe to delete email or similar need to be employed to make the user experience much Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Say it with me! daft punk is in da house!


I?m a former Palm Pre owner (and still am as its great around the house on Wi-Fi) who is happy with the overall improvement in life of switching to an Android based device. Nevertheless, I also realize that Google is missing the boat big time upon such simple and much needed features. What dummy needs to be fired around there?

 

[acran]

I couldn't agree more...

As a fellow defector from the Palm camp, I too miss the elegance of webOS (notifications, unified email/messaging, "cards"...) even though for the most part I couldn't be happier with my EVO.

Let's hope that Gingerbread ups the ante in this regard.

Regards,
Adam

 

[Mercule]

I switched from WinMo to webOS in Sept of 09 and webOS to Android in Sept of 10. I like my Epic better in a lot of ways. To be honest, though, I'm extremely frustrated with email, contacts, and messaging. A year ago, I was still giddy about my move from WinMo to webOS.

This year, I'm happy when I'm dealing with the Epic form factor, the games, and customization. I'm extremely unhappy when I'm using my phone for most of the core phone/PIM features.

A year ago, it was smooth sailing and I was selling everyone on the Pre. Now, I give caution in every breath I praise the OS.

A year ago, I couldn't dream of ever changing platforms (the crappy hardware eventually changed my mind). This year, I'm already wondering if the next webOS phone will have better hardware and what apps WP7 will have by the time I can get reduced hardware again.

I've gotten over (even used to) the difference in multi-tasking. I will switch platforms if I can't find a good email client.

 

[MannyZ28]

It's only been since June that I have stopped using my Pre due to it being replaced by my Evo, but, I really don't see the problem with how Android handles the core phone and PIM functions. I guess I never saw the elegance with which the Pre did it? I do agree though, the swipe to delete was nice, but really, it's not that cumbersome on Android. If I want to call someone, I either use the People widget or just go to the dialer and start typing the name of the person with the number pad, easy as pie, to me at least.

 

[Mercule]

It's not the swipe to delete. I'm fine with a long-hold context menu. I find the email app to be ugly and missing some features (or I haven't figured them out, in which case I'm willing to be educated). I can't click on links, IMAP doesn't correctly pick up read flags, the combined in box is kludgy, and probably a couple of things that elude me ATM.

Really, it's not that there's a different way to do things -- interfaces are a preference/opinion thing. It's that I don't feel there's a way to do everything I could on the Pre.

 

[Kupe]

Anyone here try K-9 Mail? I find it to be superior to both the Android and Pre baseline offering for email. It's highly configurable (which can be daunting to some), but even with the default settings it's a slick way to do email.

 

[dualcore1.5ghz]

I will give k9 a try but I am seriously thinking about switching back to my Pre as it does email, messaging and google talk so much better and that is what I use the most. I also miss Preware and all the patches.... Is there an android "preware" type patching system that I am unaware of?