Woz: The "Best 'compromise' solution" for the iPhone 4? A Pre Plus! 43
Henk van Ess, who describes himself as a "a Dutch born investigative journalist and accidental entrepreneur" who sells MiFi cellular WiFi access points, recently took an order from Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple) himself. After verifying that it was the real Woz, van Ess started an e-mail conversation with Woz about the iPhone 4 and other issues, and received permission to post the conversation on his site.
While Woz is always interesting, of particular importance to our community was his suggestions for how iPhone 4 users can deal with the unreliability of the AT&T data network:
If you can afford it, carry a second Verizon phone for backup. Another option is to carry a Verizon mifi and rely on Skype on your iPhone. I have used this mifi technique to rescue my own, and others', iPhones on occasion. If you buy a Verizon Palm Pre, you get free mifi on it so that is possible the best 'compromise' solution, to carry a Verizon Palm Pre along with your AT&T iPhone 4.
Woz continues that he has a Pre (Plus) with Verizon, and notes that "[a]t first [Verizon] charged but then they made free a built-in mifi ability (Mobile Hotspot)."
It's great to know that Steve Wozniak is a member of our community, and we encourage him to explore his Pre Plus; it has a lot more to offer than just a free Wi-Fi connection!
Source: Mifieurope.com (via Mobilecrunch)
43 Comments
now we just need the anouncment of the new palm phone without all the known issues and we are rock stars :)
I think Palm's starting to catch traction! It won
Has anyone invited The Woz to PreCentral yet?
Not a great endorsement. Why isn't Woz lovin' webos itself, rather than just using it as a dumb wireless router for his iphone? This isn't great news, it's bad news. Why buy a pre/pixi just to do what you can do with a mifi device?
BECAUSE.. He needs the Pre to make RELIABL non dropping phone calls.....
let the townsmen raise thy pitchforks and torches and cry out to the mad scientist Dr. H.Packardstein for new hardware.
have you ever noticed no matter what news article that is posted it's usually followed by a grip of comments "demanding" new hardware?
you could post a article about Hello Kitty having a fling with a unicorn in which having an illigetimate love child that looks like a toaster with WebOS on it and yet.... There will be a debate of we need new hardware on that article... Lol
I'm just sayin....
...Hello Kitty having a fling with a unicorn in which having an illigetimate love child...
All that magic going on and no new hardware? What the hell? #kidding
the reason, most likely, that we have been waiting fo good hardware since the Palm Vx ;)
Ehh, same kids that keep a countdown for Santa's next visit. Some folk's self-worth is measured by what their phone can do compared to the droid-of-the-week or Iphone. No known cure. Tolerate it, because when new hardware shows up, it starts all over again, sorta like the Presidential campaigns.
Or it could be because the Pre's hardware is shitty... Look, I LOVE WebOS, and I like the Pre's size and format, but it's my third Pre now. The first two both had touchscreen deaths within a month of getting them. That's a problem. It should not take 2 replacements to get a good phone, and even the good one feels flimsy and overheats like crazy (without even overclocking I might add). Not to mention that every third or fourth time I wanna play a Gameloft game, I have to reboot because the Sprint Pre barely has enough memory to run them.
People who STILL call a Pre+ "shitty" must be misusing it in trying to clean themselves. And Pre+s are not 'plasticky' at all. People who say that are just liars.
Pre+ are the best designed COMPACT smartphones ever produced. Those with fat fingers just like their fat behinds can always buy a bigger phone. But there are millions who like Pre+s the best.
Are you talking about the pre/pre+ or the pixi/pixi+? I ask because the pre really is "plasticky". The pixi, on the other hand isn't.
I carry both the pre and the evo and that works well for me. I do hope HPalm comes out with a "WOW" phone soon.
a Pre and an EVO? How is that working out for you? I was thinking of doing the same thing for the WiFi hotspot with Sprint. Then I can also put the kickstand down on the EVO and watch videos while I'm doing multitasking work on my Pre.. After all that is the only big difference between the 2 devices.. One is great for entertainment (EVO) and the other is great for productivity (PRE)..
that and I don't want to have to use google services and have them monitor what I do unless it's just media such as watching movies.. As far as I know Palm/HP doesn't monitor what you do, look at, etc etc for "marketing" reasons like Android does. So do real people work on my Pre and use the EVO for WiFi and entertainment..... Sounds like a good combo... Just like a Palm Pre Plus and a Apple Ipad working together..
...One is great for entertainment (EVO) and the other is great for productivity (PRE)...
LOL
what? It's kinda true for me at least.. The EVO hs the bigger screen and I'm in Chicago which is a 4G market which would make watching streaming video or downloaded movies easier.. And with my Pre I can quickly and smoothly multitask on WebOS better then I can on Android... Yes before you ask I spent some time with an Android device..
at any given time I will have 3 different web sites up, 2 different emails going, instant messenger going, texts going, facebook running, accuweather running, camera running and my Sprint Pre almost never slows down.. And the fact I can easily re-arrange my card line up to cater to what I'm using most in that given time helps tremendously. Also the fact I can shrink the cards down with one swipe and with one swipe make it from the first card to the last card is quick. There have been a few times I had 6-7apps running at once and with 2 swipes I went from app 1 to app7 quick...
when I used Android OS yes it has multitasking but to get from app 1 to app 7 you have to swipe the screen 7 times one way then 7 times back the other way to get back to app 1.
I was racing a Sprint corporate store employee between apps with him on the EVO and me on my overclocked Pre... We had only 4 apps going but by the time they were on their way back to app 1 I had already made it to my last app which was my text log typed "ok" to my friend sent that text and was already back at the first app waiting on him on the EVO.
if you truly know how to use WebOS it can be a very good tool for multitasking productivity. Sad to say most people are too busy complaining about hardware to realize it's the OS that makes a smartphone a smartphone.. Otherwise it's just a glorified 4+" screen portable television. Why do you think Google hired Palms UI guy? Cause that's a big downfall of Android OS. And they know it and so does the tech media.
for the time being until either Palm releases new kick a$$ hardware or Google fixes Androids cold unfriendly UI and you can afford 2 lines on your contract then ya both phones used together as a team is a good duo. Just as Woz is using a Pre Plus with an iphone4 as a kick ass duo..
just saying people need to keep an open mind because there is no smartphone out there that's perfect. Each one of them has their own flaws. To some the flaws in a device could be bad to others that same flaw won't effect them. It's all about what you need a smartphone for in the end. Pick the carrier you want to do business with, look at what smartphones they have and then pick the Operating System that works best for what you need it for. WebOS is good for the type of stuff I do, Android may be best for what my girlfriend does, iOS may be best for my friend and BlackBerry is best for my friend that runs a big business network. But it's all about what you need a smartphone for.. Not what the next best thing is.
unfortunately people are going for what the next best thing is and with a new Android phone every 2-3weeks I feel sorry for those people because they will never be happy because they bought their phone based on specs and not what they need it for... And with specs changing so fast right now, what's released today may very well be outdated by next week. Which leads to people unhappy with their phones because they bought them based on specs.
damn word vomitted all over this thread... Sorry everyone..
I'm just as productive on my EVO as I was on the Pre. This is why I "LOLed" at your earlier comment. I NEVER have to do ANYTHING 7 times to get from app 1 to app 7. A long-press here, the use of QuickDesk there and I'm gold.
For the record, used the Pre (as my only device) from launch day to just a few weeks ago. So I know webOS pretty well. I'll just agree that my experience is different from yours.
it's a shame you didn't know how to use your Pre when you had it. To switch from app 1 to app 7 (or app 50), you can go into extended card view and swipe to the side. In that view, the cards are really small, have momentum and keep scrolling. This is unlike regular cardview where you have to swipe 6 times to get to app number 7.
Not that I have anything against the Evo or Android, they are my next choice to webOS if no new hardware comes out soon. I just really like a birds eye view of all my apps are they are open, not just their icons. I really hope Palm comes out with a new iteration of this cards metaphor as more powerful hardware comes out, maybe something fancy like in Windows Vista/7 where you press Windows Key + Tab.
After over a year of using, patching, tweaking, developing for and managing all pre's on my family plan, you honestly think I didn't know how to use the device? Really? Like I've said, I'm just as productive on both devices. If your experience is different from mine, that's fine, but please don't assume my preference for Android is based on a lack of understanding of webOS.
I wasn't trying to imply that. I was merely trying to convey that perhaps you missed out on the specific gesture that lets you switch between apps faster. I can now see how my wording on that was a bit off.
toaster with WebOS...Brilliant lol
Ok.. the mere fact that Mr. Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, is toting a Pre+ around with him as his second phone, is a resounding endoresment - he's a tech-geek, of course, so he knows what is done well and what isn't.
Im just smiling here... its a huge compliment to PALM in a small way, but, its siginificance shouldnt be minimezed!
Pre owners: just savor the moment, if you can!
I know I am...
The guy reduced the Pre+ to a MiFi and this is to be considered a huge compliment? Wow.
Oy.
Boy, you sure do intepret freely.
He didnt insult the Pre. His is an iPhone advocate, but, because of the iphone 4's recpetion issues, he said to carry a "second Verizon phone"... which, he said that the Pre was the best choice because it also can be used for "miFi"
He said it was the best compromise.
From the Founder of Apple, an absolute loyalist, I find that to be extremely complimentary to the Pre and Palm.
LOL, yeah, yours is not a free interpretation at all. I stand corrected. This is a resoundingly huge endorsement for the Palm Pre+. #sarcasm
You're an idiot. For an icon of the tech industry like Woz (not to mention a far more likeable person than Jobs) to carry a Pre is a big deal. For his to even carry anything other than an apple product is itself a big deal.
Wow. An idiot. I guess that's better than a troll. Silly we can't disagree without the name calling. *smh*
Ok.. the mere fact that Mr. Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, is toting a Pre+ around with him as his second phone, is a resounding endoresment - he's a tech-geek, of course
....more like a tech-geek god! ;-) (he did co-found Apple, after all...)
The fact that he has constant exposure to a Palm product is a cool deal for me. Also consider he can afford any wireless connection/wireless device to back up his iPhone/Att compromise, is a positive vote in my eyes.
Get the toaster w/WiFi so you can read email while toasting bread....
Yeah, that's the ticket - just sign up with a second carrier, pay for a second data plan, and get a second phone as a backup to your $200+ iPhone. For those of us that aren't a co-founder of Apple, that might get a tad pricey.
Here's a photo of Woz I took with my Pre at the Rose, White, & Blue Parade on The Alameda in San Jose on the Fourth of July. (He was the Grand Marshal.) Seems fitting to share here.
http://flic.kr/p/8fKwpb
Interesting that this floated _while_ Apple is having a conference about iPhone issues...
Has Anyone Put webos on another piece of hardware? Webos would be great on an evo
oke we became second at footbal but nice to hear a dutch guy talking good about palm!
any publiciti to get the great majortity to know Palm in europe.
also nice to know major aple dude walks wit a pre around.
what a misleading title know where from this article do I see him saying that the palm pre plus is a compromise to iphone 4 all he is saying is that he has one to get service through verizon when at&t fails or another verizon phone/ device. Can we please have some truth in this journalisim? You make it sound like he is saying that the pre is a alternative to the iphone4.
I got a Palm Pre Plus for the same reason as Woz, to fix the reception issues with my iPhone 3G. I'm tired of dropped calls on AT&T and needed to get back on Verizon. Since I'm not as rich as Woz, I also ditched AT&T's service. The free Mobile Hotspot is great because I can still have a web connected iPhone. I am really liking WebOS, but you can't argue that there are way more apps for the iOS. Having both devices is the only way to have all these apps at your fingertips "Plus" Verizon's reliable phone service.
Lol, I don't think so!
Wow, Steve Jobs just admitted that Palm makes good software during the 'anntenagate' conference...
"And we're pretty good at making software, we showed that in the iPod... other people are good at it too, like Palm,, but we brought great software to the smartphone space"
Of course, he's probably just thinking, "that's because half their staff came from Apple". So it's still a self-serving compliment.
Did you also hear Jobs say Apple makes mistakes & will provide Rubbers for IPhone 4 for FREE.. Yes my high school also provides Rubbers for free, but do not admit to mistakes...only accidents...
You know, I own a Palm Pre and saw this link on an Apple related website. I don't doubt that Woz dumps it in a few weeks for something else. I know I can't wait until iPhone is released on another carrier.
The OS is half-baked and the hardware is crappy. I can walk away from the damn phone, not even standing 10 feet from it when it places a call by itself.
It's going in the trash when I can switch again.. I wouldn't wish this phone on an enemy..
MrJspeed wrote: "maybe something fancy like in Windows Vista/7 where you press Windows Key + Tab."
Dude! I've had Windows 7 for about 4 or 5 months and didn't know that move--COOL! You da man!
What he needs to carry around is a Pre and an iPod Touch.