There
have been lots of blog posts across the inet comparing these two
industry leading phones. I had to compare them before I finally bit
the bullet and dove in. Here's my short version comparing the two.
Advantages of the iPhone
- Larger screen – sure, both phones have the same
resolution, but somehow, the iPhone shows more of a page when browsing,
and bigger stuff is good for my eyes and clumsy fingers - More apps – I have to say, even now at a paultry
30 apps, the Pre is still missing some core apps for me. Glad they
have Facebook and Twitter. But I sure could use at least ONE good
puzzle game like Bookworm, and some way to get Yahoo IM. - iTunes Sync – you don't have to worry about the cat and mouse game that Apple and Palm are playing with iTunes syncing.
- Virtual Keyboard – although the iPhone has no
physical keyboard, it has the best virtual one out there, and
sometimes, opening the keyboard on the Pre is a pain. However, the Pre
is sure to get a virtual keyboard. - Video and Voice Recording – these basics, missing
for so long, are now on the iPhone, and the Pre overlooked them. I
know that imitation is flattery, but what if you are imitating
stupidity? Pre could have added these out of the gate, but did not. - Non-scratch screen – it's nice not to have to work through a screen protector. Really.
- Better coverage? I dunno, some people think that
ATT has better coverage than Sprint. I've found them both equally
spotty, and don't get me started on the whole 3g debacle with ATT and
the iPhone. I'm still not sure that's solved.
Advantages of the Pre
- Cost of Plan – let's face it, ATT is ripping us
off. For $130 per month, I get the same minutes and access on two Pre
phones that I'd get for $180/mo on the iPhone. Bastards. - Smaller Form Factor – you gotta admit, that pre slips in the pocket nicely.
- Physical Keyboard – it's small, but sometimes, a
physical keyboard really is great compared to a virtual one. And while
Pre could add a virtual keyboard and have both, the iPhone can't add a
physical one. - Non-cabled charging – come on, the Touchstone is just awesome – no fiddling with the damned microUSB port to charge is nice. And let's not forget that the iPhone still uses that weird proprietary plug, not a standard (though hopefully their recent agreement on micro USB in Europe will filter down to our models in the future).
- Multitasking – I dunno, I'm still not sure that
the 'multitasking' is really that much of an advantage. The iPhone
sort of remembers state, and the push notification stuff, even though
it is a mimic of true multitasking, is not a bad mimic at all, and
maybe good enough. - Synergy – Again, not sure that the 'better' integration of the Palm is significant, but it could be.
- Better coverage? On my commute home, Sprint drops
out in some areas, ATT in others. Seems to be a wash. I've noticed
that my Pre will vascilate at low signal between Ev, 1x, R, and nothing
for no reason at all, and then suddenly jump to 5 bars for a few
seconds at a time. What the hell?
For me, it came down to the cost of plan. ATT can shove their highway robbery. Amen.