Help me awesomeate my Pre!
February 6, 2010 11:45 AM Subscribe
I have a Palm Pre. Now what?
So my friend gave me a Palm Pre. I'm not gonna spend money on apps, but what apps should I have? What else should I know about this quirky little gadget in order to optimise and enhance my experience?
So my friend gave me a Palm Pre. I'm not gonna spend money on apps, but what apps should I have? What else should I know about this quirky little gadget in order to optimise and enhance my experience?
Best answer: If you're not scared off by homebrew, there are tons of great patches that help make the device much more useful. Off the top of my head, you can change the battery icon to show percentage, you can add character counters to the Messaging app, turn on LED notifications, and include a link to download YouTube videos, among many others. Homebrew apps will let you tether your phone with WiFi to provide Internet access to up to 5 devices. I'd recommend checking out Precentral.net for reviews of apps, both official and homebrew.
posted by hilaritas at 12:49 PM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by hilaritas at 12:49 PM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Many of the best apps for the Pre are the built-in ones - it's very good at PDA roles, things like contacts, calendar, etc. These work best when synced with Google and Yahoo web apps, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
'Evernote' is a good app to install for managing notes, snapshots of text, and web clippings. 'Classic' will cost you money but does give a pretty good emulation of old-fashioned PalmOS which has *lots* of drab but potentially useful or fun apps. 'Tweed' is a decent Twitter app. 'Flixster' is very good for finding movies in your area.
I'm in the UK and paid apps aren't available here yet, so I've never used them. As a plus, Bluetooth tethering is available to UK Pre users as a built-in feature.
The homebrew software is slightly fiddly to set up the first time but quite convenient after that, and Palm doesn't oppose its use (they just don't support it). With homebrew you can get stuff ranging from a CuteOverload app to Quake, a Gameboy emulator, or even a webserver.
I can't think of any great hints, but I find it useful to save my most often used websites and contacts as icons to the Launcher. View the contact or webpage then choose Add To Launcher from the menu.
If you've got a smartphone of any sort with notes, personal info, etc, then make sure it requires a password or pin number to unlock it.
posted by BinaryApe at 3:43 PM on February 6, 2010
'Evernote' is a good app to install for managing notes, snapshots of text, and web clippings. 'Classic' will cost you money but does give a pretty good emulation of old-fashioned PalmOS which has *lots* of drab but potentially useful or fun apps. 'Tweed' is a decent Twitter app. 'Flixster' is very good for finding movies in your area.
I'm in the UK and paid apps aren't available here yet, so I've never used them. As a plus, Bluetooth tethering is available to UK Pre users as a built-in feature.
The homebrew software is slightly fiddly to set up the first time but quite convenient after that, and Palm doesn't oppose its use (they just don't support it). With homebrew you can get stuff ranging from a CuteOverload app to Quake, a Gameboy emulator, or even a webserver.
I can't think of any great hints, but I find it useful to save my most often used websites and contacts as icons to the Launcher. View the contact or webpage then choose Add To Launcher from the menu.
If you've got a smartphone of any sort with notes, personal info, etc, then make sure it requires a password or pin number to unlock it.
posted by BinaryApe at 3:43 PM on February 6, 2010
Photo Dialer. Lets you make phone calls to frequently used numbers by tapping on an icon. Keep it open all the time. Real handy when making a call while driving. I can't get used to dialing on touch screen without looking at the screen, which makes it dangerous while driving.
posted by choochoo at 7:21 PM on February 6, 2010
posted by choochoo at 7:21 PM on February 6, 2010
Yeah the homebrew stuff is where it is at. Get Preware on the thing and you'll be able to patch and tweak and install homebrew stuff all day.
Of course the Pandora app is a must. I also like Broadcast Radio which is a Shoutcast client and Dr.Podder, a podcast catcher. I use Evernote instead of notes. With the Pre client, the Firefox and Thunderbird plugins and the Windows client, I have important info whenever I need it. Twee is my preferred Twitter client for the Pre and I like FriendsBook better than the Palm Facebook client. Switcheroo Free will alternate the desktop picture. Nice but unessential.
Battery life sucks. I have found micro-USB cables for $2-3 and have them at home, work and for travel for charging.
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 8:55 PM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Of course the Pandora app is a must. I also like Broadcast Radio which is a Shoutcast client and Dr.Podder, a podcast catcher. I use Evernote instead of notes. With the Pre client, the Firefox and Thunderbird plugins and the Windows client, I have important info whenever I need it. Twee is my preferred Twitter client for the Pre and I like FriendsBook better than the Palm Facebook client. Switcheroo Free will alternate the desktop picture. Nice but unessential.
Battery life sucks. I have found micro-USB cables for $2-3 and have them at home, work and for travel for charging.
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 8:55 PM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
There are two things you should do as soon as possible: Join the Treo mailing list (ignore the name) and join PreCentral, as mentioned above. The people there will guide you well, without snark or ill will.
As to the basic usage (email, calendar, contacts, phone), I've found no better complement to the Pre than Gmail/Google Apps. Tasks and Memos have yet to mature, though, but evolution of Pre and Google seem to be equally rapid and on the same technological/philosophical track.
MeFiMail me if you want more. I'll be glad to help.
posted by Cobalt at 9:50 PM on February 6, 2010
As to the basic usage (email, calendar, contacts, phone), I've found no better complement to the Pre than Gmail/Google Apps. Tasks and Memos have yet to mature, though, but evolution of Pre and Google seem to be equally rapid and on the same technological/philosophical track.
MeFiMail me if you want more. I'll be glad to help.
posted by Cobalt at 9:50 PM on February 6, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you're satisfied with web browsing, listening to music, and Google Maps, all that stuff is already on there. You may want the Yelp app and a weather app (both AccuWeather and the Weather Channel are fine). I like StopTimer as a simple timer utility.
Keep a charging implement handy; the battery life is not great, especially when service is weak or spotty. I tend to turn off wi-fi when I don't need it. The Touchstone charger is a major convenience.
posted by scatter gather at 12:33 PM on February 6, 2010