Multitasking, How We Missed Thee
When Apple launched the first iPhone many pointed out the things it was missing. It had no support for 3rd party applications, no copy/paste functionality, no GPS, no voice dialing, no MMS support...the list just goes on and one. If Apple had attempted, with the first iPhone, to do everything a smartphone should do the iPhone would have been no different than the Windows Mobile devices that were on the market at the time: a cluttered wreck. Instead, Apple chose a handful of important features that any smartphone should have and perfected them.
Apple brought us a beautiful UI, the first truly usable touchscreen interface, an SMS application done right, visual voicemail and a proper mobile web browser. One of Apple’s mantras during the iPhone development must have been interface speed above all, because the platform does its best to preserve UI speed regardless of what you’re doing - something that smartphones before it didn’t do so well. Part of the iPhone’s ability to maintain responsiveness despite its relatively pedestrian hardware is due to the fact that Apple doesn’t allow most applications to run in the background. When you go back to the home screen and launch another application, whatever you were previously viewing is tossed out of memory. There’s some recording of state but there’s no way to switch between two applications (for the most part), you always have to visit the home screen, effectively closing one application, before starting another.
We’re never quite satisfied with what we’re given, and although the iPhone UI works quite well - I’d personally like to be able to do more. I’d like to be able to switch between IM conversations and browsing the web and checking email and I’d like to do it quickly.
The Pre can do just that.
Palm achieves the significant productivity advantage by enabling true application level multitasking. Simply launch an application then, when you’re ready to launch another one - hit the home button, zooming out to a card view, hit the launcher and fire up another app. You can do this as many times as you’d like until the Pre tells you that you can’t open up any more cards.
More importantly, the apps stay fully active and connected while in the background. If you’ve got Palm’s excellent messaging app open in the background, you’ll still show as logged on in AIM/GTalk and you can still receive messages while you’re reading emails, browsing the web or watching a movie.
The latest iPhone update enables background notifications, but nothing gives you the productivity of actually being able to run more than one app at a time. And thanks to the Pre doing a good job of managing memory, the phone doesn’t get horrendously slow if you’ve got a few cards open. There’s definitely a drop in smoothness and response time but not terrible. Plus, if things ever get too slow, just hit the home button and flick some cards off the screen to reclaim memory and reduce processing load. It’s not as hands-off as Apple’s approach, but it’s way more productive.
The multitasking ability of the Pre is honestly one of two features I really, really wish my iPhone had. Multitasking has been done by many smartphones before the Pre or iPhone, but no one has done it as smooth and as Apple-like as Palm.
Obviously if you have a lot of applications running your battery life will suffer. I have noticed that with a number of apps running I can make the Pre easily die before my iPhone 3G, but as long as you’re smart with what you have running in the background and only have things open that you really need open you should be just fine. I’ve found that in general usage, the Pre lasts about as long as my iPhone 3G. I’ve got actual numbers to share later in the review.
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viciki123 - Monday, February 22, 2010 - link
http://www.weddingdressonlineshop.co.uk/23-mermaid...">http://www.weddingdressonlineshop.co.uk/23-mermaid...jmyette - Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - link
I've been very disappointed by the Pre and had to switch back to my Treo 700p. I'd say of you like Palm OS and its effective PIM applications (calendar, contacts, tasks and memos), you probably won't like the Pre. Otherwise, I think the Pre may be a good choice. The best review of the Pre I found:http://palmprelansing.blogspot.com/2009/07/pre-rev...">http://palmprelansing.blogspot.com/2009...pre-revi...
http://palmprelansing.blogspot.com/2009/07/pre-rev...">http://palmprelansing.blogspot.com/2009/07/pre-rev...
s1ugh34d - Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - link
I'm lost on why the Iphone is the definition of a phone. Last I checked my HTC WinMo phone has just about all the same features. Can't a palm be compared to The Touch Pro. I see the journalistic approach, using palm vs apple. But others mentioned android why is anandtech so in love with their Iphones...Also wouldn't cell phone fall under "mobile" on the tab bar.
s1ugh34d - Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - link
I missed the messaging part. Since Iphone users can't use it, they don't know what multiple messaging is. Palringo, a WinMo/blackberry app, runs every IM service you ever had.Love the magnetic charger, My toothbrush has that, and I always thought that it should be used for small devices.
The palm does kick a little Iphone butt, but WinMo blows that phone away, they just need multi-touch on the touch pro2
Jeff7181 - Saturday, June 27, 2009 - link
A coworker of mine says the phone gets really hot when in use for extended periods of time. Not sure if it's from the backlight for the display or just the battery discharging. Either way, the result is a very hot phone and apparently a discolored screen. He's replaced his already once because of some yellowish discoloration at the bottom edge of the screen that spreads the more it's used.macs - Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - link
Guys take a look at the new HTC Hero with Androidmacs - Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - link
SorryThis is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKTDSfbcbBU&eur...">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKTDSfbc...r%2FHTC&...
bored2tears - Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - link
Techies, come on! Really? Are we such navel-gazers that we don't get it? Sure, my original Palm, my Tilt and my HTC phone could do stuff that the iPhone and the Pre can't do (yet). But that's not the point.It's ease of use!!!! The satisfaction of the UI!
I don't hit the start menu so I can scroll through file manager. I don't mess around with crappy windows mobile UI to find stuff. And when the new WM comes out, it will prove that ease of use is the point. That's the iphone feature that everyone wants to copy, and rightfully so. The companies get it while the techies play their little "mine is better than yours" one up spec game.
You can turn on my music on the iPhone and surf the web or open another app, etc. AT THE SAME TIME. That's what people want and do. Only people without an iphone don't know that there is some level of multi tasking. I can play most games or use most apps on the iPhone without stopping the music. If I close my web browser to open another app, my web app doesn't go back to the home page. That page stays open. When I click on the web app again, I'm where I left off. Why do I need to have my web browser open while I'm in another program anyway? Now if I'm using something like Pandora, it's a problem. (And that level of multi-tasking would be welcomed Apple!) If I use the pre, I don't have this issue at all. Either way, these phones are initially made for joe public to understand not just for sammy supertech savvy to gush over. And yet, these phones can go up the scale from casual user to business user like myself.
Anyone who's used the pre for an hour knows how absolutely cool it is. And that's a big factor. It's easy to use. Sure it's powerful and I still think these two smart phones (AND the G1) are great. But it's the UI stupid! That's what sells the phone. Don't hate them because they're beautiful. ;-) There is something under the hood.
Ehsan - Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - link
Hi Anand,I am sorry to ask but am bit curious did you use non formated sites for facebook & Slashdot because of too much discrepency of my Iphone 3GS and your numbers of it.
Also I was wondering if you can do a app launching test on Iphone 3GS with a 3rd party app as most of the native apps run services in background (I found this by installing backgrounder app from Cydia after jailbreak on 3G and found that many native apps were running in background already). So its not launching from standstill if its half running.
Thanks.
Ehsan
Hrel - Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - link
Att's network is completely useless. Their plans are INCREDIBLY overpriced, and they nickle and dime the living crap out of you... I will NEVER get any cell phone from ATT.That being said, cell phones need to transition to voip over WiiMax, once a Nationwide (world wide) WiiMax network is set up.
Data plans need to be INFITINE data, non of this 5GB per month bullshit!! Text IS data, as you said. Voice, well, is kind of data, and should be ALL data soon.
I don't think sprints network is reliable enough to switch though.
Battery life needs to hit 20hrs+.
I want a smart phone from LG, that I OWN, not that BELONGS to a cell phone company. So I can buy the phone, and take it to whatever network I want, Verizon, Net 10, Boost, Sprint, whatever. LG makes great stuff.
Can you PLEASE review the LG smart phones that ARE out, like the Env, and the other one that costs like 30 bucks more... I forget the name right now.