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Pre-view of the Palm tipped to give Apple's iPhone a run for its money
Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Correspondent07.07.09
The mobile phone experts say could topple Apple's iPhone is set to go on sale in the UK within months, it was announced today.
The Palm Pre will be available later this year and features both a touchscreen and keyboard, a design experts say could help it take on Apple's hugely successful mobile.
It will feature a new interface designed to incorporate sites such as Twitter and Facebook into a user's contact list. Users can navigate by simply swiping their finger on the phone's screen.
The Pre also features a radical new charger called a touchstone. To charge their phone, users simply place it on the touchstone rather than having to plug it in.
According to UK experts who have seen the handset, which has already gone on sale in the US, it could beat Apple's iPhone, which has been criticised for its high price. "This is the first phone I have seen that can really give Apple's iPhone a run for its money," said Katherine Hannaford, of gadget magazine T3.
"It's a very, very impressive phone, and the keyboard will appeal to people who perhaps don't like the iPhone's touchscreen."
The Pre will be sold exclusively in the UK by O2, which also holds the exclusive rights to Apple's iPhone.
"I think it's a great move by O2, as these are the two most impressive phones out there," said Miss Hannaford.
O2 hopes Palm's phone will give it an advantage over its rivals.
"Our customers will be the first outside of North America to experience one of the most successful mobile devices of the year," said Matthew Key, chairman of Telefónica Europe, O2's parent company.
First Review: Fast, sleek and finger-flicking good
Palm Pre
4/5
The iPhone has long been the benchmark for high-end mobile phones, but Palm's Pre could change that.
The phone's curved design makes it feel far smaller than Apple's handset, and it is, arguably, even better looking.
The interface is superb, and it feels fast and responsive as you swipe your finger through menu items. The on-screen animation is excellent, for instance to remove an application, you simply “flick” it off screen.
The Pre also has a 3.2 megapixel camera, and an LED flash, giving it a major advantage over the iPhone. Crucially, the Pre also works with Apple's iTunes software, so downloading music is simple, and the music playing software is well thought out. The slide out keyboard is a little disappointing however, as the keys are tiny. That said, it is still faster than Apple's on-screen keyboard for long emails.
For music fans, the iPhone still (just) has the edge due to its software. However, for everything else, the Pre is the first real competitor.
In fact, the only major problem with the Pre is that we'll have to wait until later in the year to get hold of it in Britain — and by then, who knows what Apple will have come up with...
Reader views (1)
Phone sounds great - BIG downside is that O2 have exclusive rights to it again! Why do they do that? Having been an O2 customer in the past and had countless problems with them, there's no way on Earth I'd ever go back to them, whatever the phone and however good the tariff.
- John, London
