My last experience with this type of phone was a Samsung Instinct. I didn't care for it. I saw it as a teenagers phone, long on gadgetry and short on productivity. I prefer to have both in one phone, but given the choice give me productivity. So I went to the Palm Treo 755. For over a year, I loved it. I would still have it but it was time to upgrade for a couple of different reasons. So I chose the Pre, same as my wife, and they arrived on Friday. This is simply the best and coolest phone I have ever owned.
The calendar function was something I was looking forward to. I'm a guy that doesn't like paper planners yet I need some sort of planning tool or else my life is a wreck. Some might think big deal but let me tell you, I am the pickiest person in the world when it comes to planners and calendars - my latest venture being making my own out of a compostiion book lol - but even that did not last with me. That's pretty sad when you reject your own creation. Some of you probably know what I mean. I messed around with the Pre calendar function last night and I LOVE it. Yeah, it's just a calendar but I have never ever been happy with a phone calendar in my life. In my mind, they are all useless - except for this one. I didn't bother with merging of several calendars because I DIDN'T HAVE ANY lol. But entering new data is a cinch, setting it to whatver interval you like is a snap (I work 4 days on, 4 days off, so sometimes setting things to once a week will not cut it). I just love the format overall - very pleasant and readable.
I love how this phone operates. I can't say enough good things about WebOS. I've only used it for 2 days but it's got me hooked already. I love being able to multi-task for the first time ever on my phone. I hated the fact that if I wanted to answer a text on my Treo I would have to close out the internet. Also, being able to just flick apps off the screen to close them is a very cool way to do things.
Email finally !!!! I was totally unable to get outgoing email to work on any other phone I have used, including Motorola smart phones and Palm Treo. I could recieve but never send, although I know for a fact that everything was set up right. I'm a moderately advanced computer user. Well for the first time I actually sent an email using my Pre and it was effortless. No banging my head up against a wall. Do you know how maddening it is to be in receive only mode for email on your phone ?? Aaarrrrgh !!!
The alarm works great, it wakes me up much better than my Treo did, which is good because the alarm clock in my bedroom is kind of hinky. I mention this because I have read that some people have problems with their alarms. It's probably something user or software glitch related that can easily be fixed.
Battery life: I have read a lot about the Pre battery being weak, and the very first day my battery lasted about 3 or 4 hours, but I was putting it through its paces at the time, so of course it's going to drain fast. Yesterday I put it through a normal (for me) usage cycle and it lasted all day. This included texting, email, and web use. I wasn't abusing it in other words, but getting what I wanted from it. If you need extra battery might I suggest a car charger? I bought 2 of them the first day but they are still in the package and I'm thinking of returning one because clearly the battery lasts good enough for my wife and I to share one. Also there are plenty of helpful tips to make the battery last longer, such as turning down the screen brightness, setting your email interval to a lower rate (15 minutes recommended), turning ON Wi-Fi, and best of all DON'T ABUSE YOUR PHONE AND EXPECT IT TO LAST ALL DAY !!!!!! Those type of users just need to get more realistic expectations and buy a spare battery or perhaps the upgraded battery.
In short, I love eveything about this phone, and there is nothing I have discovered yet that I don't like.
