Any former Pre users??

[stfd1249]

I'm thinking of switching from the Palm Pre to the Dorid. I am wondering if there are very many people who have also made the switch and if so how many of you were into patching and homebrew on the Pre? I have become a big fan of patches and what not, along with theaming. I know that this os is very new and it will take some time, but will it be as customisable as the Pre?

 

[largeselection]

I would say yes, if not more so. I didn't get crazy with the pre when I had it, but the google OS is open. Look up some of the information on rooting android and you'll see some of the capabilities.

 

[stfd1249]

Thanks for the help. I have still yet to make a choice. I'm seeing more and more people that love the phone and I will most likely make the move!

 

[kehanra99]

I regret nothing of the switch from my switch to the Hero from the Pre. It does everything the Pre did, is built much better, runs quicker, and has more apps. Oh, and the big one for me is I can actually get notifications of missed calls or waiting messages without activating the phone's screen.

 

[darreno1]

I came from a Pre and for the most part I liked it but after playing with the Hero and the Droid, its hardware deficiencies became more apparent.

Palm should have gone with the tried and true slab-like design with a side slide type keyboard and bigger screen, preferably made of glass.

I had issues with the small screen size and I never quite got used to the cramped keyboard. I loved webOS, especially its UI and how easy it was to customize. I also enjoyed the homebrew apps and had tons of them installed. At the end of the day though, I was paying for something that didn't quite fit with my needs.

The lag became a chore as well and as much as I tried, I could not wait till Palm decided to speed things up. It seemed the more I used it the more it lagged.

Ultimately I checked out the Hero and decided against it because I saw lag there as well and just went for the Droid after playing with one at the Verizon store. I must admit, it's the best smartphone I've ever had.


I do miss some things about WebOS but I'm getting quite used to Android's interface and there's no going back. I think you will be very happy with the Droid.

 

[Rainforrest]

I did the opposite. After using the Hero for 4 weeks, I switch to the Pre and been using it heavily for 2 weeks now. While the Hero is nice, it definitely falls short in many areas compared to the Pre.
The web browser on the Pre is much faster and renders pages better than the Hero. The screens are nearly the same size: 3.1 on Pre with 16.7 million colors and 3.2 on the Hero with 65,536 with the same pixel count.

Both email application on the Hero are weak when compared to the Pre.

All pictures on the Hero's people list become blurry everytime when it syncs with Google. So, I had to redo all my contacts pictures and disable the contact sync. No issues on the Pre with contacts and Synergy works great.

The Hero may seem to be more solid than the Pre because of it being a bar phone. But the Hero has plenty of gaps and crevices were dust and grime can enter and collect. The front buttons cover is flimsy and creeky. My Pre is solid with no Oreo with just enough gap for smooth sliding. The Pre actually weighs slighty more than hero. Pre weighs 4.76 oz to the Hero's 4.5 oz.

My Hero was snappy at first but as I began adding widgets and short cuts. It became very slow and laggy. Calling my contracts was a real adventure with double and triple presses being common and as call hang ups. Pre wins here too, with no issues.

The Pre has a screen proximity sensor while the Hero doesn't.

Bluetooth on the Pre is much better and easier to use. I connected both phones to my Samsung Home Theater system. The Pre sounded much better through it while play the MP and Pandora. The Hero sounded like mono sound quality.

Web OS is more polished and much funner to use than any current Android OS flavor. Multi-tasking on the Pre is smoother.

Charging the Pre is Great with touchstone. Battery life is not much better. I need to use extra batteries and a external charger for both. The Pre does charge faster.

The notification system on both are great but I like how the Pre does it better.

These are just some of things I have noticed between the 2. I'd choose a Pre over a Hero anyday...

 

[doublebullout]

Looks like you switched from the Hero just before the HTC update was released. That update fixed some of the issues you mentioned, like the mono sound.

The Hero/Android doesn't fit everyone's needs; webOS has many good points to it. Homebrew and patching add to the fun. But after suffering with the abysmal PIM apps in webOS for 2 1/2 months, I happily switched to Android. You couldn't pay me to use webOS again.

 

[swagner]

I switched from the Pre to the Hero 2 weeks ago- I still have the Pre if I decide to switch back. I am finding battery life is better on the Hero- push enabled, 2 email accounts and calendars. Build quality and reception are better on the Hero as well. I sometimes miss the physical keyboard- and sometimes I don't

Multitasking on the Pre and browsing were better hands down, although the browsing is acceptable on the Hero and stills blows away a Blackberry.

I found I needed to hack the Pre to get it to do what I really wanted. This wasn't tough and I could tether, add the virtual keyboard (which isn't great), add more homescreens and icons per page, etc. This was necessary to get the pre to behave in the ways I wanted it to. This isnt as necessary for the Hero (unless tethering is a must).

Overall they are both great smartphones. The abundance of apps is what has made me decide on the Her0 - for now.

 

[mikef1182]

I did a 30 "showdown" between the Hero and the Pre. If you follow this link it will take you to the posts I made.

I used both phones fro 30 days and made some videos about my thoughts. Hope they help.

 

[rem_kujawa]

Ex- Pre users??

who made the switch? After the first of the year sprint will be changing their contracts and I can get out for free. I love my pre but hate the build quality, every time I use it I can't get it out of my head which will part will break. Can you change themes on a droid?

 

[Zorro1]

I made the emotional switch, if that counts. I was merely waiting for the Pre to get to VZW...but since I have to switch from Palm to something else anyway, and it cannot be WinMoHel nor Crackers...why not pick the one with a dozen manufacturers which guarantees that it'll be around? That's why I'm picking up my Droid next week.

 

[thebizz]

Yes you can change the theme on the Droid. I made the switch and I am loving this phone the multi touch was nice and gestures were nice. Bit this is such a better phone more features better build quality and it uses the hardware to the fullest

 

[acipollo]

I did. I like the Eris and the Hero better.

 

[grandebob]

I'm a Pre user for my personal phone. I got a droid from work for testing purposes.

There are things I love and hate about both phones, but if I had to pick today, I would stick with my Pre. I like web OS better then Android so far.

The build quality on the Droid is great, though I think the physical keyboard could be better.

 

[tcassio]

I came from a Pre. After 4 hardware failures I asked Sprint if I could get a different phone. They said NO. So I droped them and went to Verizon with the Droid. Paying the early term fee was worth it to me. Verizon's coverage is so much better that Sprint. I loved the Pre, but having to swap the phone 4 times in less than 6 months was a little much for me. I depend on my phone for work.

 

[CUlaw78]

I also switched from the Pre. I'm glad I did. The build quality is significantly better. I don't feel like I'm going to break the phone just by looking at it. The screen doesn't scratch easily either. I've had mine for a month and the screen is still great. I'm not a fan of the keyboard, but I like it significantly better than the Pre's. The virtual keyboards on the Droid makes up for the physical one, anyway. Pre's multi-touch was nice, but Droid's screen is so large, it's not as necessary. I also love the battery life on the Droid. My Pre would drain so quickly, I had to recharge it every five hours. I can usually go anywhere from 8 to 12 hours on the Droid. Overall, despite some shortcomings, I think the Droid is a much better phone and worth the switch if you can afford Verizon.

 

[dg417]

I have the Pre now and I will probably make the switch to Droid in January when Sprint changes contract terms. I really like WebOS and the multi-tasking, and I don't mind the flimsy hardware. The one thing that is really getting to me is the lag. The Pre is soooo slow. I hear the Droid is much more responsive.

 

[ali.fazal]

I have both phones and the Droid is at least three times as fast. Actions like opening an email or finding a contact that take 4-6 seconds on the Pre are literally instantaneous on the Droid.

 

[jlgraham]

I came from a Pre. After 4 hardware failures I asked Sprint if I could get a different phone. They said NO. So I droped them and went to Verizon with the Droid. Paying the early term fee was worth it to me. Verizon's coverage is so much better that Sprint. I loved the Pre, but having to swap the phone 4 times in less than 6 months was a little much for me. I depend on my phone for work.

I did the exact same thing. They refused to replacemy continuously faulty pres with a hero. So I dropped them, after some very heated customer service calls, and switched to a droid on verizon. Not looking back.

 

[dvillerider]

I had my Pre for 4 months and I simply got tired of waiting on Palm updates, apps, etc. EVERYTHING the Pre is missing the Hero has!!! Video recording, visual voicemail, ultra customization, etc! I don't regret the change I just wish I didn't spend $150 on the Pre. The Pre is nice if you want everything done for you (with missing components:camcorder) but the Hero WOW. I like techy phones!