14 DAY TRIAL // Palm's Pre handset is undoubtedly one of the most expected devices at the moment. The company unveiled it about a month ago at the CES show in Las Vegas, and we've heard a lot on this phone, either news and details concerning it specs and functionality, or info on its software platform, webOS, which the manufacturer announced to replace its older operating system, the PalmOS.
For the time being, some of the specs announced for the device have been confirmed by the company, and they show a handset pretty well featured, although some functionalities haven't been included in the package.
To start with the beginning, at the heart of Palm's Pre we'll see an ARM Cortex A8 processor (PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x+ DSP + ISP), as well as about 8GB of internal flash memory, which is actually reported to float around a 7.4GB point. Although the device will not include a microSD memory card slot (Palm chose not to pack it in for design reasons) we'll still have a microUSB connection slot.
The Plam Pre is expected to come to the market with a 3.1-inch touchscreen capable of delivering a 320x480 pixel HVGA resolution, a 3-megapixel camera with LED Flash and extended depth of field, although no zoom, a 3.5mm headset jack, Bluetooth with A2DP and stereo Bluetooth support, WiFi enabled with 802.11 b/g, and support for CDMA EVDO Rev A and GSM 3G (for the European version).
The upcoming device will sport a hardware keyboard – a Software Keyboard is expected to surface after the handset gets launched – Accelerometer, Ambient light and proximity sensors, Audio Support for MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, and WAV and Video Support for MPEG-4, H.263, H.264. Pre will also include GPS receiver, and will support MMS, SMS and IM, as well as Flash.
Other features of the device include Google, Facebook, Exchange, and LinkedIn support at launch, standard applications like Calendar, Contacts, Messages, Notes, and others, Synergy, Copy and Paste, Tethering support (either Bluetooth or USB 2.0), Universal Search capability, and Optional Touchstone inductive charger, which requires a special battery cover.
At the same time, when launched, the handset will not include an Alarm application, Bluetooth Keyboard support, PalmOS emulation, Software Keyboard, microSD card slot, IR, Today screen, Audio or Video Recording capabilities (they might be added after the launch), nor Video out connection.
There are still a few things that we do not know yet about Palm's Pre, though we hope to learn them in the near future, such as SDK Availability, RAM specifications, Processor speed, battery life, YouTube support, Visual Voicemail, Voice dialing or Simultaneous voice and data usage (the European version has good chances to include this feature though).
Here we have a twenty-five minute long video with the Palm Pre, taken at CES in January, where you can see Peter Skillman, VP of Product Design at Palm, talking about the device.
