Palm Pre promising but not ready to replace Apple iPhone in pocket

The much-awaited Palm Pre is a bit premature. I really wanted to love this smart phone, but I only like it.

I've been carrying three of the smartest phones available (to U.S. consumers) for a few weeks -- the BlackBerry Bold, the Apple iPhone (not the newest 3G S model) and the Palm Pre. Each have pluses and minuses, but the Bold and Pre have more of the latter.

•On the plus side for each:

The BlackBerry Bold runs on the AT&T 3G network; is great for e-mail; has a fair number of third-party applications (apps) available; has a great screen; has good battery life; good camera; looks good and operates well.

The iPhone also runs on the AT&T 3G network (which I was already using before getting the iPhone); has a large and fluid touch screen, is intuitive to learn and use; has thousands of third-party apps available and syncs calendar and contacts very well with my Apple Mobile Me account (I don't use the Mobile Me e-mail). It is the thinnest of the three, which makes carrying it in a pocket bearable. It also does an excellent job of displaying Web pages. Camera is just OK.

The Pre has a slide-down keyboard; can run multiple apps simultaneously with easy switching between programs; good camera; and combines multiple messaging and contact sources into single views. This feature is very helpful, especially when you have a contact that is in your personal e-mail address book, is on your Facebook friends list and is also in a work e-mail contact program. It displays Web pages well.

•On the minus side for each:

The BlackBerry Bold does a horrible job displaying Web pages or HyperText Markup Language e-mail. Beyond e-mail, this device pales in comparison to the others.

The iPhone can run only one application at a time, making switching from e-mail to check a calendar or look at a Web page, then going back to e-mail cumbersome. It can be done, but it takes familiarity and time. The battery life of the iPhone is short with heavy use, so I always have a charger handy.

The Pre runs on the Sprint network, meaning many customers must change carriers or wait until their carrier can sell the Pre. It uses the new Web OS, which could use some polishing. The "gestures" that control navigation are not always intuitive. It took me a few days and a bit of coaching to figure out how to use the "back" function. A left-swipe of the area below the screen does the job, but I feel a "back" arrow would be simpler and faster.

The screen is bright, but too small for my liking, as the iPhone has me spoiled. I didn't like the responsiveness of the touch screen, as it often lagged. Not enough apps yet, either.

I've been a Palm fan for more than a decade, and have confidence the Pre will improve. For my money, I'll stick with iPhone -- for now.

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