I tried a Palm Pre on Sprint last year and it didn’t take. To be honest, I didn’t really try it as a primary device, I just played with it a bit and returned it. I’m going to give it another go – I have an appointment at the local Verizon to pick one up tomorrow morning.
I’m torn between the Pre Plus and the Pixi Plus. On the one hand, the Pixi is the form factor I prefer in a smart phone (going back to my Treo 600 days). On the other hand, speed is really important to me in a mobile device and one of my complaints about the Pre was speed (I’ve heard it’s been improved) and the Pixi has slower hardware. The reviews all say they’ve improved the keyboard on the Pre from the Sprint model, which is a good thing. I’m planning to play with the models in the store to make the final decision.
I’ve been primarily a BlackBerry user for the last few years, mainly based on the keyboard. The BlackBerry has been a great utility device for me, however my BlackBerry Tour suffers from horrible stalls and lag, takes 6 minutes to reboot and I’m tired of being on a platform that’s going nowhere. Getting off a dead platform is why I moved from the Treo to the BlackBerry in the first place.
There are some other interesting considerations as well. I currently have plans with 3 different carriers:
- Verizon for my BlackBerry. I use this for primary mobile data and voice. The Palm would replace this.
- AT&T for my iPhone. I use this for occasional mobile data.
- Sprint for MiFi. I use this when I travel, which has been more rare of late.
With a Palm on Verizon, I can add MiFi functionality as a feature for $40/month ($20/month cheaper than what I pay Sprint). In addition, I would always have it with me (I don’t carry the MiFi all the time), which would mean I could use it for mobile data for my iPhone. Canceling the AT&T and Sprint plans and adding the MiFi feature on the Verizon Palm would save me about $95/month, which makes the cancellation fees from the carriers a bit less painful.
I’m going to live with the Palm for at least a few weeks before taking the plunge on all the cancellations, but it seems a lot more sane than the current set-up. 🙂