Palm Pre vs the iPhone 3G
Wired has an interesting Side by Side comparison and Priya says with the iPhone 3.0 update anticipated this year, it is an “even contest”.
I am not so sure it’s really that even a contest as no matter how Apple tweaks the OS, it cannot make up for some features which may make the difference for some medical users.
1) Lack of a physical keyboard. I’ve had the iPod Touch for about a week now and I still find it more difficult to type text on a the on-screen keyboard. Give me a physical keyboard any time.
2) Lack of multi-tasking. Is this a big thing? Probably no, but it is a good thing to have IMO provided it does not jeopardise stability and battery life. I think the Palm Pre/WebOS has great potential in this area and I have hopes it will prove to be the best multi-tasking PDA phone to date.
3) No emulator for Garnet/PalmOS. Apple, why didn’t you let Styletap release their PalmOS emulator for the iPhone? This means tons of still very good legacy medical Palm apps cannot run on the iPhone. MotionApps will have an emulator for the Palm Pre so that is a big plus for me.
On the other hand, the iPhone has a nice Appstore and a healthy number of medical apps now.
Some questions remain on the battery life. If you are always reliant on 3G/Wifi (e.g. push email) and use the ‘net heavily, the battery life of the iPhone I am told is quite dismal and may not get you through a typical working day. There are some early indications that the Palm Pre with a new efficient processor fairs quite well in the battery department but we’ll have to wait for real world reviews. Battery life is crucial for doctors on call who work long hours. The Palm Pre has swappable batteries whereas you can’t remove the iPhone’s battery so you’ll have to have the charger with you or some form of emergency charger when the juice runs low.
Here’s the pic from the Wired article which summarises the features:
Now details about the rumored iPhone 3.0 which may be released by Apple in July are emerging. How true this is, is anyone’s guess. An OLED screen sounds great and that will probably help battery life but I wonder how much it will add to the cost of the device. The iPhone 3.0 will likely have larger storage capacity than the Palm Pre but honestly unless you are keeping lots of videos 8Gb is plenty for the serious medical user running mainly applications on the device.
Finally I think it’s the device’s functionality which to me is more important than looks. The Palm Pre I believe has the edge over the iPhone as it will handle calendar, contact, tasks, memos better and the promise of Universal search and “Synergy” which will pull and collate data from web services like Exchange, Google, Facebook, Linked-In to me gives the Palm Pre a significant edge over the iPhone.
But all this is only my opinion. You may have your own views on choosing your next PDA phone. I’ll put up the Poll again:
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About the author, Alan: Alan Teh is a Malaysian Physician who specialises in Hematology-Oncology & Stem cell Transplantation. He has been using Palm PDAs since 1997 and is absolutely reliant on them. His current PDA is a Palm Pre and is a strong advocate of the webOS platform, Palm's latest operating system. Caught the blogging bug in 2004 and has been addicted ever since… |
My first PDA is Palm Vx and it’s always in my mind.
Reliable is palm. hope that time will be come back forever
Alan can I counter some of your points:
“1) Lack of a physical keyboard. I’ve had the iPod Touch for about a week now and I still find it more difficult to type text on a the on-screen keyboard. Give me a physical keyboard any time.”
There are so many medics around me with iPhones these days that I no longer even count. This is despite the massive numbers of Windows Mobile devices around with a larger medical app library, and many different form factors. The latest gartner figures peg the iPhone market share to have doubled from 5% to 10% in the short time the 3G has been with us. This is despite the fact there essentially is only one model of iPhone (apart from the memory capacity) with only one form factor. I appreciate that some medics use their device to log notes, but the overwhelming majority (anecdotally) use it as a reference and appointment book. This does not require extensive text input and people are doing just fine with a touchscreen keyboard. text input will also improve when a landscape keyboard is available in all apps. I suspect that with the opening up of bluetooth in iPhone 3.0 that BT keyboards will be available in the near future for the guys who want to write essays on their iPhone.
As someone who migrated from a trusty Treo 680, I can’t say that the keyboard really bothers me anymore. It di for about a month, then I got over it and learnt how to type onscreen. The only thing that still others me is the autocorrect which seems to always get things wrong!
So overall I don’t think the keyboard is really going to win people over to pre as much as you think it will.
“2) Lack of multi-tasking. Is this a big thing? Probably no, but it is a good thing to have IMO provided it does not jeopardise stability and battery life. I think the Palm Pre/WebOS has great potential in this area and I have hopes it will prove to be the best multi-tasking PDA phone to date.”
The irony with this point is that you probably had to explain to jeering windows mobile users as much as I did in the days when PalmOS was still king of medical apps why multitasking isn’t the bees knees that noobs or novices think it is when poring over specs.
I think this is still true and I can’t believe that no one seems to be listening to what Apple has had to say about this. Does anyone honestly think Apple would leave a huge achille’s heel with their world-conquering device? If anyone bothers to go listen to the keynote, Apple went to great lengths explaining their research on to battery drainage and multitasking. The bottom line was that multitasking is a huge drain on battery life, and their workaround was push notification between apps. This principle has already been adopted by RIM, which gives it some credit.
It also makes sense if you think what you really *need* multitasking for. The multitasking paradigm in personal computers is *radically different* from that of smartphones for one major core reason: a huge screen (these days at least 20″ on your desktop, or 12″ on your laptop. On a computer with a large screen, you can easily work on two or more programs at once. This is not so on a 3.2 or 3.5″ screen. It’s not physically possible to use eg a web browser and your calendar at the same time. To do so what you really do is switch between the two.
This is where palm got it right when they dealt with their 80′s operating system: a simple alternative in that setting was to make each application aware of what was happening on the screen at the time of the program switch and just “resume” where the user left off when restarted. This saved precious RAM and power resources which are much more restricted with handheld devices.
This approach obviously does not work with IM programs such as skype or windows messenger where messages need to be “pushed” to the user. That’s where push notification comes in, and can be applied to just about any program that needs a continuous presence. This also prevents the increased RAM usage and power drain that multitasking in a smartphone presents.
Let’s face it, what are the key things you really *need* multitasking for? (1) so that you don’t have to re-do what you already did before in the app your using and (2) that you stay online in the app if it is a communications app. This is achieved via push.
I think the Apple/RIM way is the way to go for smartphones, and thats how palm survided for as long as it did. I am very skeptical that Palm is going to live up to a promise of full multitasking in the WebOS, and if they do I think it will be at the expense of the apps ( my understanding is that all apps on the WebOS need to be in Java/web standards – this is what apple tried to make it’s developers do when the iPhone initially came out, and we all know how poorly that went – there are significant limitations to programming purely with Java and CSS- by all means I am happy to be proved wrong on this)
My final point: Windows mobile has had “multitasking” for donkeys years, and look how well that has worked for microsoft – poorly. I have had multiple windows mobile devices, of different generations, from win mo 3 thru to winmo 6.1 and every time I splurge on a windows mobile device I have regretted it. The user experience has always been poor, down to the finicky install process and poor sync (inculding the occasional fail-to-recognise-device problem) and the web browsing is appalling, which is really sad for the makers of the dominant web browser on the desktop. A smartphone is more than the sum of it’s features, and all you palm users out there should know not to count features as reasons for superiority!
“3) No emulator for Garnet/PalmOS. Apple, why didn’t you let Styletap release their PalmOS emulator for the iPhone? This means tons of still very good legacy medical Palm apps cannot run on the iPhone. MotionApps will have an emulator for the Palm Pre so that is a big plus for me.”
I have to agree on this, I think this is a major issue I have with apple. I can see why they don’t want an emulator running on their phone (to the lay user, instability of the emulator will reflect badly ont he device), but emulation is a potential gold mine for all those palm users sitting on the fence and a key opportunity to send palm to its grave right now and kill the most significant compettition. I ams till hopeful Apple will change their mind at some point. I honestly don’t think their current approval process will last too much longer (with things like eg the shaking baby game getting through!)
“Some questions remain on the battery life. If you are always reliant on 3G/Wifi (e.g. push email) and use the ‘net heavily, the battery life of the iPhone I am told is quite dismal and may not get you through a typical working day. There are some early indications that the Palm Pre with a new efficient processor fairs quite well in the battery department but we’ll have to wait for real world reviews. Battery life is crucial for doctors on call who work long hours. The Palm Pre has swappable batteries whereas you can’t remove the iPhone’s battery so you’ll have to have the charger with you or some form of emergency charger when the juice runs low.”
I don’t agree with the “not getting through the working day” business. I use 3g push and wifi every day and get through the day. The issue is getting through a SECOND day when I forget to charge my phone! battery life will always be the bugbear of smartphones until some new tech comes along to remedy this, which looks like at least a decade away. All being said about removable batteries, you should probably look to doing a survey on this sometime. People groan about not having a replaceable battery, but how many people actually *HAVE* more than one battery? From my smartphone selling days, I think I sold less than 5% of total smartphones with a second battery. That being said, I do carry around a spare external battery which is 1/3 of the size of my iPhone, charges it to 100% in an hour and uses the same connector as the iPhone. Comparing that with a spare Pre battery, there’s probably very little difference in carrying a second battery vs. what I do.
Don’t get me wrong, I am excited about the Pre as much as everyone else and I’m glad it’s coming and presents a sensible alternative to the garbage Microsoft is still trying to peddle. I am definitely buying one to try when Palm pull their finger out and release a 3G GSM version. However, I don’t think it’s really going to be an iPhone killer, though it might help knock windows mobile a peg or two. No matter how much preparation goes into a new device, there are always teething issues in version 1.0 and my bet is that the pre will have two main issues : battery life and some issues with the connectivity that they are touting (the whole “cloud sync” is something that every smartphone manufacturer has tried and none of them have been without significant flaws)
here’s hoping they succeed to some degree- compettition in the market is good (as long as the compettition doesn’t have deep pockets and buy their way to success a la microsoft)
I do enter quite a fair bit of text every day
- emails, txt messaging, journal logging, creating memos, taking notes during meetings, lectures etc.
I simply need a real keyboard (and Cut, Copy, Paste) to do this efficiently. Perhaps with practice I could do this reasonably well on the Apple soft keyboard but the lack of tactile feedback is a negative point with soft keyboards.
As for the medical users who don’t do much text entry and instead use it mainly as a reference tool, they’re really not maximising the potential of their device. They’re the light users and not the power users.
PalmOS actually did allow multitasking and areas where this was useful included true background IM, push email (e.g. Chattermail) running in the background. The iPhone/iPod will allow playing music in the background but denying third party apps the ability to multi-task is not a good thing IMO.
WinMO I agree is klutzy but provided one is careful about how many apps are running, it is ok. My connected device is currently a Palm Treo Pro and I rely heavily on IM+ and Fleximail for my daily communication needs.
CNET has a great article on the multitasking issue (Pre vs iPhone):
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10234043-94.html
I didn’t mention Notifications but the lack of that from third party apps is a big negative for the iPhone and I suppose 3.0 will address the issue to some extent but it will still not be as good as Palm’s.
The iphone is pathetic at one-handed operations. I reference on my palm all day from uptodate to atozdrugs to oxford clinical in one hand, and with a pen in the other.
Yes, multi-tasking would be fantastic. Do you know how many times I have to reopen these individual apps when trying to cross reference information? Having them already open and switching to them with a flick would be God send.
Synergy is the other ingenious thing Palm has integrated in the phone, but we’ll see how that pans out — from what I’ve seen on the net — intergrated messages (SMS, IM, facebook) all on one ‘card’ looks great.
I was an iphone ‘fanboy’ at one time but after using it for 2 years now (still have my 1st gen 8GB iphone, anyone wanna buy?) I can only say that its good for media (music) operations.
I even bought a couple medical apps on the iphone but I don’t find them as useful (and they load slow! speed is essential in medicine!) as the ones on the palm. Heres hoping the programs on the pre also launch fast.
I agree with David Choy for some of his points.. iPhone has “extra” battery which when u plug in it can recharge your iPhone in few hours.. this solved the removable battery prob..
I’m not too sure about multi tasking.. i didn’t use much emails or IM though..
About the apps speed, yeah, it needs time to load.. i have never used a Palm before so i do not know the speed.. i think iPhone apps load quite ok for me.. yeah, not so satisfied with the speed..
With the new iPhone coming out in July to compete with Palm Pre, new processor and bigger RAM will certainly help things out..
BUT, how far can they go? This is the prob..
I think it’s only good to compare the NEW iPhone with the Palm Pre as iPhone 3G has been in the market for some time.. it’s not fair to compare something that is going to be out and something that has been out for some time.. isn’t it?
Anyway, can i ask a question?
As i know, the old Palm interface is not so nice.. kinda “old”.. hehe..
Wont it be weird to put it into such a nice Palm Pre?
I’m surprised that no one seems to be even muttering about the most powerful pda/phone to hit the market, which will be shipping out at the end of June. The Nokia N97. I understand that it is bundled with a hefty $700 price tag since nokia refuses to tie it down with US mobile company demands, but it is still extremely capable, and has nearly unlimited potential. I think for a medical professional it will take a year or two to gain software, but it has a lot of promise, even if it is a linux based machine. Nokia N series machines are supposed to offer a more complete internet than iphone or windows mobile, and at quicker speeds.
palmdoc: power users aren’t the norm for smartphones period. Until hospitals allow proper access to medical records via smartphone, medical power users will still be in the minority.
re: palmos allowing multitasking : that is an exercise in semantics. Provided third parties are allowed access to background processes, what type whether “true” multitasking or not is not a question any users really care about. And of course I am comparing apples with apples (pardon the pun) ie iphone 3.0 vs palm pre, which are both out in roughly the same timeframe and are comparable rather than comparing with last year’s iphone os.
re: winmo: that’s my point! Most people don’t even know how many programs are running on their winmo phone, which is inherent with the stupid way that microsoft enabled multitasking. Closing the “x” in the top right hand corner should behave a la windows, and is a large reason for the problems novice winmo users have. You shouldn’t have to keep an eye on how many apps you have open, and if you do this should be obviousl rather than relying on third party solutions for this.
Winmo isn’t going anywhere fast, but I can’t see microsoft fixing the massive flaws in winmo for a while. They’re certainly not
fixed in winmo 7 or what we know of it.
K PA: No one talks about the N97 because it runs symbian and symbian is the same old kludge it’s been for a long time. Series 60 symbian has been around for the last 5 years and still has yet to have a sufficiently large software library despite that time. Look at apple – less than 2 years of the iphone 3g and the app store is caning in the number of apps available. Part of that is because symbian is diversified onto so many different handsets with different specs and performance, there is no way developers can get apps to run consistently on all of them.
Nokia N series definitely do *not* offer a more complete internet experience, and I can attest to that personally. Only the N800 tablet comes close and even then it has issues.
The only real contenders in this race are android, palm and apple.
A better comparison table of the speces of the iphone and palm pre can be read at
http://www.clashem.com/phones.php?id1=1196&id2=1148&id3=63