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Motherhood, Giveaways and Product Reviews

Testing Out the Palm Pre Plus…First Impressions *Giveaway*

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This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Janette.  Congrats!

The Friday before my husband and I were to go shopping for my belated and much-needed birthday present, I receive an email asking me if I’d like to join a group of bloggers on a test drive of the new Palm Pre Plus.  My fingers can’t type Y-E-S fast enough.  I’ve been using what I call “the dinosaur” of a phone for way too long.  I’ve been BEGGING my husband for a new phone.  My old smartphone is literally falling apart. As in…the front piece of the phone fell off several weeks ago and it no longer slides open and closed the way it used to.  But it still makes and receives calls so we’re all good (ahem!).  Since my husband likes to do a LOT of research when it comes to all things related to technology, my birthday present was to be a month late.  Not anymore!

For the next four weeks, I’ll be taking you along with me on my “test drive” of this amazing phone.  I can describe the phone that way because it does everything except clean my house (and I’m only half-joking!).  This week, I want to focus on my first impressions.  Each week I’ll highlight a different aspect (or aspects) of the phone to help you get a really good feel for how it works.  There will be pictures and videos.  And at the end, I’ll be giving one of you a Palm Pre Plus of your very own (it’s sitting neatly boxed up on my desk as I type).

So what do you look for in a cell phone?  That’s the question I’m going to be focusing on today (and the question I’d love to have you answer when we get to this week’s giveaway).  My husband and I discussed the features I would need (and want) in a phone.  Without further ado, here they are:

First, it has to be relatively easy to use (or learn to use).  Now, when I tell you what features I’d like in my ideal phone, you’ll think it’s a contradiction…to have a phone that does all that I want it to do but still be easy to use.

Second, the phone must have the ability to take decent pictures.  While I aim to bring my camera with me wherever I go, inevitably I will find myself watching my son do something amazing or my daughter look absolutely adorable sleeping and want to snap a picture…and realize my camera is sitting on my desk….at home.

Third, the phone must enable me to stay connected.  In other words, I need to be able to read and send emails, update my Facebook status (and read other’s updates), send text messages (with grocery lists) to my husband, and keep up with my friends and colleagues on Twitter.

Anything above and beyond this list is icing.  So…the question begs…does the Palm Pre Plus meet my basic expectations?

I knew when I opened the box and saw this sleek, black, shiny new phone…that I was going to like it.  But…could I use it?

The first thing I did was attempt to set it up.  Hubby has been gone on business so I was on my own.  Guess what?  I did it!  I figured out how to get my email set-up (I have gmail), go on the internet, load up apps, and take a picture AND tweet it.  Sure…I had to read…but I did it.  It felt good!

The touch screen takes a bit of getting used to.  Fortunately there is a tutorial upon set-up that guides you through the process of learning to use the touch screen.  My old phone doesn’t utilize a touch screen so I had to learn how to “gesture.”  It’s pretty sensitive so I found that sometimes I was opening applications without knowing I was doing so.  I’m still working on getting the hang of that (stay tuned!).  Overall, I do like a touch screen because my old phone had a stylus which I lost.  It’s nice not to have to keep up with something that’s bound to get lost (or taken by my toddler).

Taken with the Palm Pre Plus

Taken with the Palm Pre Plus

Next up, take a picture (you’d think making a phone call takes priority…but no…not in this household!).  The Palm Pre Plus has a built-in 3 Mega Pixel camera with flash.  My hubby tells me this is decent for a phone (since I know nothing about pixels!).  This is the first picture I took.  I’ve since gotten better.  Taking a picture is EASY!  You literally go to the menu, hit the camera button, center your subject, and snap your pictures.

I have much to write over the next several weeks with regards to staying connected. The Palm Pre Plus utilizes applications (free and paid apps are available) that can be downloaded to the phone to help you do everything from updating your Facebook and Twitter status, finding your way (via GPS), making a restaurant reservation, and keeping your toddler entertained.  What a “smart” phone!

I’m totally blogging this!

Here is a quick summary of the new Palm Pre Plus from the site:

The new Palm Pre Plus…helps you navigate your life with a vivid touchscreen, full keyboard, and the intuitive Palm webOS platform, which runs multiple apps at once. View websites and watch videos in widescreen. Slide out the keyboard to fire off a text or email. Bring work and personal events or contacts together in one simple view.

Win It! One of you will win a $25 gift card to Verizon (which is the service provider associated with this phone).  Simply leave me a comment with a feature you look for in a phone AND one of the features you like about this phone from the site.  Comments will close on February 25, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest.  Please use the hashtag #VerizonPalmPrePlus

Bonus:  If you come back each week and comment, you’ll get an extra entry into the Palm Pre Plus giveaway.  You must comment on each of the four posts to get the extra entry.

Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!

I wrote this review while working on a Verizon Palm Pre Plus campaign by TheMotherhood.com on behalf of Verizon Wireless and have been given a Palm Pre Plus (and prizes for giveaways) to facilitate my review.


Caryn Bailey
Latest posts by Caryn Bailey (see all)

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113 Responses to Testing Out the Palm Pre Plus…First Impressions *Giveaway*

  1. I really wanted a touch screen smart phone, but no the iphone because it didn’t have a keyboard – another must for me. SO, I like the Palm bc it has all of those features (as you mentioned). I did recently get the droid, and I’m loving that, but it doesn’t have a mirror on it! How swanky!

    Reply

  7. I like a phone that works everywhere! Living in a more rural area, that’s not always easy to get-LOL! And I love that this phone has a touch screen-very neat! 🙂

    Reply

  14. We were just looking at new verizon phones this past weekend. Hubby’s phone is almost to the point that he can’t use it any more. Some of the keys have stopped working.

    We looked at the Palm Pre and one of the features that he liked was the intuitive Palm webOS platform.

    A feature that is a must have a Touch screen with slide out QWERTY keyboard.

    Reply

  16. I look for a handy keyboard and I love this phone’s keyboard! Plus its ability to run multiple apps is always a good thing =)

    Reply

  21. i work with someone with special needs that LOVES to take pictures…. my phones always have to have a camera on them 🙂 i like that the verizon site is easy to navigate.
    oheeyore at hotmail dot com

    Reply

  24. i don’t really know what I look for in a phone because I never have gotten one before. My husband gives me his old cast offs when he is done with them…they are always old, outdated and don’t work well.

    I like the touch screen on this one. Its like my husbands new one

    Reply

  28. I am honored to be in your company, as a Palm Pre Plus Blogger, for the next few weeks — next week, I’ll be focusing on the apps, too! Looking forward to reading your thoughts.

    Hugs,

    Liz@thisfullhouse

    Reply

  31. Hi there, I subscribed to your email! 🙂 I’ve been tracking this phone ever since the original was announced for Sprint!

    What do I look for in a phone?

    Well to start, I would love a touch screen phone, but it would have to be on Verizon, as that is the only service I get in my area.

    Secondly, it needs to have a keyboard in addition so I can type either way. This is the main reason I haven’t bought an iPhone.

    It needs to have what I call the “wow” factor, because I try to live at least a semi-trendy life, and I need a phone that can keep up with me.

    I also need to be able to take pictures with decent quality, as I can’t lug my digital camera with me everywhere.

    Having a robust application library is a necessity, as is having a workable user interface.

    Lastly, and potentially most importantly, it needs to be what you had called “connected.” I need it to be able to contact my friends and family through text email and Facebook.

    As a financially broke geek, I really hope I stand a chance in this contest…..

    Thank you so much for your time, love the blog! 🙂

    Reply

  33. I really only use my phone for phone calls, so good coverage is all I am looking for, but I also like that this phone has a 3MP camera

    Reply

  35. I don’t really look for features in a phone, just as long as I can text. I do like that the palm pre plus can run more than one app at a time

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  36. I always look for a keyboard for texting (real one, not electronic) and the calendar looks like a great feature on this phone
    tvollowitz at aol dot com

    Reply

  38. A must on a cell phone is the speaker so you can talk handsfree. I like that you can download apps on the Palm Pre.
    dolniaks[at]consolidated[dot]net

    Reply

  39. One of the features that I look for in a phone is a touch screen. I like that this phone has a camera with a built-in flash.

    Reply

  42. I look for size and weight when looking for a new phone. I really like the quality of the camera on the palm pre plus.
    jjak2003 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  59. The feature that I have to have on my smart phone is the ability to check and answer emails – both The Hubs and I are obsessed with that.
    What I really love about your new phone is the quality of photos – it is SO much better than my iPhone photos – I love the one of your son!

    Reply

  62. I like taking tons of pictures. Having a good, quick camera on my phone is important. That’s actually one of the things I love about the palm pre…good camera!

    Reply

  64. I look for web browsing capabilities in phones — and the Palm Pre Plus definitely has that. I also like that it has a touch screen — the pearl part of my Blackberry Pearl is only semi-functional, so it would be nice to get rid of it altogether.

    Reply

  65. I look for a phone that has email capabilities and can handle tons of apps. Love the apps. What I like best about the Palm Pre Plus is the webOS platform and the 3MP camera.

    Reply

  67. I currently have an ancient (5 year old phone) and I want to be able to text. The Palm Pre with it’s touch screen with slide out QWERTY keyboard will let me do that.

    Reply

  69. I like the touch screen feature. Thus far, I’ve never owned a cell phone but need one due to extensive medical problems. Would use the giftcard to get phone.

    Reply

  70. Really, all I look for is a Qwerty keyboard and good reviews. I don’t need internet or any of the other fancy stuff on my phone.

    I like that the Palm Pre layers windows or apps that you might have open/running. I’ll bet that is handy for people who use smart phones!

    Reply

  72. i look for a phone that has email capabilities, what I like best about the Palm Pre Plus is the camera

    chromiumman (at) mail (dot) com

    Reply

  73. I love a phone that allows you to have customized ringtones, like portions of songs or funny sayings. I like the Palm Pre touchscreen display.

    Reply

  78. I look for an easy to use Keypad that has enough space between the letters to ensure that texting is easy. What I like about this phone is the Touchscreen, which I think is quicker and better than pushing a bunch of buttons over and over again. Thanks for this giveaway. It could go toward a monthly bill!!!!!! Thanks. 🙂

    Reply

  81. I really like the fact that you can turn it into a wi-fi hotspot whenever. that is so neat! in a phone I look for a good app store, or the ability to access facebook, twitter, and youtube.

    ferriza2(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  83. I look for good sound quality more than anything – I hate having to yell at the person on the other end because they can’t hear me, lol. I like the wi-fi on the phone – super sweet!

    Reply

  85. I love that the Palm Pre can be used as a portable wifi hotspot. My first cell phone was one that I won in a contest, and unfortunately, it got mixed in with the laundry. My husband found it at the bottom of the washing machine and of course, it was destroyed. So, what did I look for in my new cell phone. Cheap! That’s my number one priority.

    Reply

  86. My main concern is whether I can *actually* make calls from a phone, and I know Verizon’s good for that. Other than that, I like a really sleek phone with a simple interface. I love the the Touchstone charging dock!

    Reply

  90. I always am looking for one with keyboard&able to use the internet.I like the touch screen the most

    ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply

  92. I’d have to say my favorite feature is the 3 mega-pixel camera! Most cell phone camera’s don’t even come close to that.
    Features I look for in a phone…something that looks nice, has a decent camera and can text…=D

    Thank you for the great giveaway!

    Reply

  93. In a phone I look for portability, I don’t care too much about extra features and would rather have a phone thats more compact. In the Palm Pre Plus I really love the QWERTY keypad!

    Reply

  99. I’m always looking to make sure there is extensive coverage before I get a phone. We live in a rural part of the state and I want to make sure there’s coverage. The thing I love about this phone is the touch screen! Very cool!

    Reply

  101. A full qwerty keyboard is a must for me! I really like the fact that you can turn it into a wi-fi hotspot .

    Reply

  104. i like to know a phone is reliable and i will be able to get in touch with my kids wherever they are.a camera is always nice in case you need to snap a pic..in this phone i really love the universal search which would make contacts and stuff easy to find the layered calendars look cool also 🙂

    Reply

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