Pre proves a worthy smartphone competitor

Palm, the struggling US-based manufacturer of Treo handsets, is counting on its new Palm Pre smartphone device and the WebOS operating system software that powers it, to revive its flagging fortunes.

So does the Pre, which went on sale for $200 (after a $100 rebate) at midnight in the US through Sprint Nextel, the third largest US mobile network operator, deliver? (Palm is working on a version for European network operators.)

Consumers and corporate customers in the US will decide over the next six months – the length of Sprint Nextel’s exclusive deal - but the answer for me is a cautious and heavily qualified ‘yes.’

Ultimately however I believe Palm’s survival will depend much more on the success of the WebOS which joins an increasingly competitive mobile internet operating system landscape, and on the emergence of a viable WebOS application store – something that is decidedly lacking at the moment.

The Pre, which I have been testing, is a sleek device with an elegant new user interface and both an iPhone-style touch screen and slide-out mini keyboard that has most if not all of the attributes it needs to compete with market leaders in the US like RIM’s BlackBerry family, Apple’s iPhone and the Google Android-powered GI from HTC.

It also has a few features including the ability to run multiple applications at the same time that some of its competitors like the iPhone lack together with a full set of communications options and a really fast, attractive mobile web browser.

In terms of design, the Pre is slightly smaller than an iPhone and about the same size as a BlackBerry Curve with a black curvaceous case that bulges very slightly in the middle making it very comfortable to hold and rounded corners.

The screen is slightly smaller than an iPhone/iPod touch but has the same pixel resolution and supports the same type of easy-to-use gestures. Application icons appear in a panel just below the main screen and below that there is a single zoom in/out button.

Push up on the screen and it slides up to reveal the mini keyboard. Although the keyboard (especially the top row) is smaller and more cramped than most BlackBerrys, its existence is for me, and I suspect a lot of business users, a big plus over the iPhone which only has a screen-based ‘virtual keyboard.’

Inside the case, the Pre includes a now almost standard set of technology features including support for 3G networks, GPS navigation, WiFi, Bluetooth networking, tilt sensor, standard mini-headphone socket and a built in 3.1Mp (megapixel) camera most of which can also be found on rival devices.

As an ordinary phone, the Pre’s voice quality is satisfactory but not outstanding and battery life (Palm claims 5hrs talktime) is somewhat disappointing and significantly less that my BlackBerry.

Like most smartphones, the Pre also supports a full range of email services including corporate email based on Microsoft’s Exchange/Outlook technology which should enhance its appeal to business users although the lack of an easy way to get to the top or bottom of an email list is a disadvantage.

The Pre also comes loaded with a suite of applications including Google Maps and, thanks to some clever software engineering, can connect to Apple’s iTunes store where you can sync your music, photos and video clips. Other than the iPhone, no other smartphones can do this.

The other standout feature is Palm’s Synergy technology which automatically merges data such as email, contacts or calendar entries from multiple sources. But while the Pre also includes a universal search feature that can search for information on the handset, web and some social networks, it oddly cannot search downloaded emails.

Overall, I think the Pre is a worthy competitor in the smartphone market which will probably appeal to consumers more than business users. It should establish WebOS as a viable smartphone platform and pave the way for other new Palm handsets later this year.

Much however will depend on just how quickly Palm manages to attract third party developers to its new applications store – and for the moment at least- the shelves look pretty bare.