This may be the greatest single thing I've ever purchased in my life. I've owned a variety of dumb phones, smart phones, Pocket PCs and the like. I had been a loyal Sprint user with very few complaints for the better part of the last decade. They had treated me well and had provided me with very reasonable phone/data plans and the phone I had could generally be configured with all of the things I thought I needed.
Sure I was occasionally frustrated with the Windows Mobile platform and it's quirks and issues. However, for the most part I was content with the cool things I could do on those handsets and turned a blind eye to the Iphone mainly because of the size and the fact it was perceived by me to be a trendy device owned by a bunch of snobby elitists.
I always took pride in the fact that i've owned phones that flew under the radar and that I could configure to be "just as cool as the Iphone".
However after purchasing the latest and greatest "Iphone" killer - the Palm Pre - I was for the most part very underwhelmed by the device. Although the multi tasking was nice, it was something I could already do on Windows Mobile and it seemed to be lacking many of the functions of most phones I had already owned. The lack of customization options and anything else that i'd consider game changing really disappointed me. There was nothing about the phone that made me say "wow, I can't believe it can do this too!".
It also came with it's fair share of issues - heat issues, pixel distortion, a shabby UBS cover and a questionable build.
I was still relatively excited about it and would check out all of those Pre vs Iphone 3G comparisons online. It was funny how it was almost as good as the Iphone in most tests. Since this was Palm's foray into the high end phone market and they were essentially laying down the gauntlet, why wasn't it better? Why didn't it match the features of the Iphone and then exceed them? That was disappointing.
Oh well, soon it would have a robust app store. Soon they would have video recording. Soon it would have the ability to customize notification sounds. Soon it would have many of the things the Iphone had.
With all of those comparison I started taking a closer look at the Iphone 3GS. It seemed way more intuitive. The layout was much nicer, the buttons were larger and the overall look and layout made much more sense. It seemed like this was the phone developed in 2009 and the Pre was created in 2007.
I suddenly had the itch and there was no turning back. And now I could use my Slingplayer on the Iphone and it has copy and paste? On a whim, I drove to the Apple Store last Saturday and it was all over!
The whole buying experience was just a refreshing change from anything I had experienced. There was a true energy in the store. The employees were super friendly and knowledgeable. I did have to wait in line for about 45 minutes until I was able to complete my purchase. So what did the staff do? They went and bought cold bottled water to give to everyone waiting in line.
After i was called I was set up and ready to go in less than 15 minutes.
I still can't believe that this phone only costs $199 (the same as the Pre).
Sure I have a few gripes - the MMS is a joke, can't use Slingplayer on 3G (grrrr) and the AT&T service in my area is a notch below Sprint but that's about it.
I had heard AT&T's pricing plans were expensive but it's actually cheaper since I can survive with a relatively low usage plan compared to Sprint's Everything Plan.
Anyway, sorry for the long story but I just wanted to share my experience for anyone else that has been deliberating a switch. So far the phone has exceeded my expectations. I can't imagine ever switching phones again.
Sure I was occasionally frustrated with the Windows Mobile platform and it's quirks and issues. However, for the most part I was content with the cool things I could do on those handsets and turned a blind eye to the Iphone mainly because of the size and the fact it was perceived by me to be a trendy device owned by a bunch of snobby elitists.
I always took pride in the fact that i've owned phones that flew under the radar and that I could configure to be "just as cool as the Iphone".
However after purchasing the latest and greatest "Iphone" killer - the Palm Pre - I was for the most part very underwhelmed by the device. Although the multi tasking was nice, it was something I could already do on Windows Mobile and it seemed to be lacking many of the functions of most phones I had already owned. The lack of customization options and anything else that i'd consider game changing really disappointed me. There was nothing about the phone that made me say "wow, I can't believe it can do this too!".
It also came with it's fair share of issues - heat issues, pixel distortion, a shabby UBS cover and a questionable build.
I was still relatively excited about it and would check out all of those Pre vs Iphone 3G comparisons online. It was funny how it was almost as good as the Iphone in most tests. Since this was Palm's foray into the high end phone market and they were essentially laying down the gauntlet, why wasn't it better? Why didn't it match the features of the Iphone and then exceed them? That was disappointing.
Oh well, soon it would have a robust app store. Soon they would have video recording. Soon it would have the ability to customize notification sounds. Soon it would have many of the things the Iphone had.
With all of those comparison I started taking a closer look at the Iphone 3GS. It seemed way more intuitive. The layout was much nicer, the buttons were larger and the overall look and layout made much more sense. It seemed like this was the phone developed in 2009 and the Pre was created in 2007.
I suddenly had the itch and there was no turning back. And now I could use my Slingplayer on the Iphone and it has copy and paste? On a whim, I drove to the Apple Store last Saturday and it was all over!
The whole buying experience was just a refreshing change from anything I had experienced. There was a true energy in the store. The employees were super friendly and knowledgeable. I did have to wait in line for about 45 minutes until I was able to complete my purchase. So what did the staff do? They went and bought cold bottled water to give to everyone waiting in line.
After i was called I was set up and ready to go in less than 15 minutes.
I still can't believe that this phone only costs $199 (the same as the Pre).
Sure I have a few gripes - the MMS is a joke, can't use Slingplayer on 3G (grrrr) and the AT&T service in my area is a notch below Sprint but that's about it.
I had heard AT&T's pricing plans were expensive but it's actually cheaper since I can survive with a relatively low usage plan compared to Sprint's Everything Plan.
Anyway, sorry for the long story but I just wanted to share my experience for anyone else that has been deliberating a switch. So far the phone has exceeded my expectations. I can't imagine ever switching phones again.
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