The Palm Pre is a multimedia Smartphone designed and marketed by Palm, Inc. with a multi-touch screen which incorporates the pinch to zoom technique when browsing the web or examining photos and a sliding QWERTY keyboard. However there is no on screen touch keyboard, a big difference from its main competitor the iPhone 3GS. The phone was launched on June 6, 2009, and is the first to use Palm’s new Linux-based operating system, webOS.
The Pre features a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen over a 24-bit colour 320×480 resolution HVGA liquid-crystal display. The touchscreen allows for manipulation of the UI with fingers instead of a stylus, commonly used with older Palm phones and PDAs. Below the display is the “Gesture Area”, a touch-sensitive area with LED underlighting that permits additional touch commands. These include, messaging, email and calendar which are fixed icons on the main screen.
Like other recent Palm phones, the Pre features a full QWERTY keyboard. On the Pre, the keyboard slides out, and is curved to “follow the contour of the human face”. In addition to the keyboard, the device features a single button in the centre of the Gesture Area, a volume rocker switch on the side, and a ringer switch on the top.
The Pre features three input sensors that allow it to respond to its surroundings. An accelerometer automatically changes the orientation of the display between landscape and portrait when the device is rotated in the user’s hands. An ambient light sensor allows the Pre to automatically adjust the brightness of its display. A proximity sensor allows the Pre to disregard touch inputs when the phone is held close to a user’s face during a call.
The Palm Pre also has an integrated 3 megapixel digital camera with LED flash; 8 GB’s of internal flash storage (approximately 7.4 GB of which is user accessible) however there is no flash memory card slot so there are no means to increase the memory.
The Pre is also one of the first Smartphones to feature wireless charging, using electromagnetic induction through an optional wireless charging dock, or “Touchstone” for short.