Internet on the Palm Pre
I bought this thing. And it’s awesome. Domainers are addicted to the internet anyway. The only thing left to develop is an internet microchip embedded in our brains. Or maybe an internet feed that displays on the inside of our eyeglasses.
The Palm Pre is basically a mini computer that is a cell phone, a camera/video capture device, the internet with full self-adjusting display, a television, an ipod-like mp3 player, and other stuff I haven’t had time to explore. As a domain investor & developer, having internet access is fundamental to most everything I do on a daily basis.
The Palm Pre is ideal for reading news & blogs, viewing pics & video, and spending limited amounts of time navigating websites. I say “limited” because the experience is a little confining when compared to using a large laptop or desktop monitor.
The Palm Pre utilizes a touchscreen in conjunction with a tiny keyboard. The keyboard works very well although it takes some getting used to due to the teeny tiny size of the keys. The touchscreen is incredibly responsive and intuitive. The primary feature is the ability to instantly expand or shrink what you are viewing by simply placing your thumb and index finger on the screen … and either spreading them apart or bringing them together. This causes the video display, like magic, to zoom in or out. A truly great feature -> very useful. And exactly the right tool for viewing large graphics-heavy websites on a small device.
There is a bookmarking system that provides a visual representation of your favorite websites. It’s quite satisfying to check your own sites on the Palm, and the device functions as a good confirmation tool when checking your website’s rendering and load times. Currently, my Palm Pre does not display certain scripts which simply show up as empty sections on the website page. Don’t know if this is a limitation of the Palm Pre browser, or perhaps a display option which simply needs tweaking. Sites typically load very quickly. The color and detail on this machine are really outstanding.
The phone sound quality is excellent. One negative however is the speaker phone, which is not very loud, and could be difficult to hear in a noisy environment. All in all, the Palm Pre is very well designed and excels in a number of areas, particularly internet display. The Palm is capable of having multiple windows open simultaneously … just like your PC or Mac. While I don’t have the specifications in front of me, I am certain the device contains a powerful processor and ample memory. Check it out.
