Palm Pre (Mostly) Lives Up to Hype

Palm's new Pre smartphone isn't without its flaws, reviewers say, but its first-rate software and design mean it could be the iPhone's strongest rival yet.

• Bonnie Cha, CNET: "The hardware could be better," but "Palm has developed a solid OS that not only rivals the competition but also sets a new standard in the way smartphones handle tasks and manage information."

• David Pogue, New York Times: "Do the Pre's perks (beautiful hardware and software, compact size, keyboard, swappable battery, flash, multitasking, calendar consolidation) outweigh its weak spots (battery life, occasional sluggishness, ringer volume)? Oh, yes indeedy."
• Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal: The Pre is "thoughtfully designed, works well and could give the iPhone and BlackBerry strong competition—but only if it fixes its app store and can attract third-party developers."

(More Palm Pre stories.)