Palm Pre First Impressions Review - Hardware

Keyboard
 The Pre's slide-out QWERTY has keys arranged in a slight U-shape, unlike the keyboards of the Treo Pro and Centro models, though its keys have rubbery surfaces like the keys on those models. The keys are quite small but do offer good tactile feedback. Our quick typing test on the demo unit yielded pretty much the same feel as we found on the Treo Pro - the keys are small enough that it requires attention to hit the right keys and using a fingernail will result in bettery accuracy. Since the unit used for the demonstration was not a production model, there could be some changes to the keyboard before the device is released in its final version.

Controls
The Pre's single button on the front below the screen serves to show you the Cards view so you can scroll through all open applications and close or select them at will. The volume rocker on the side sits almost flush with the side of the device and offers good tactile feedback though not a lot of travel. The ring/silent toggle on top slides into place with enough feedback to let you know it's engaged.

As with the keyboard, all of these controls may change in terms of tactile feedback or travel in the final production version of the Pre.

Display
The Palm Pre's display measures 3.1" diagonally and its 24-bit color capability and 320 x 480 resolution looked gorgeous in person during the demonstration.

Ports & Storage
The Pre comes with 256MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage for media and other data, of which about 7.4GB will be available to the user. The MicroUSB port can be used to connect the Pre to your computer for media transfer and for charging. The Palm does not have any other card slots, so it's not possible to extend its storage capacity.

One unique accessory announced along with the Pre is the Touchstone charging base that charges it via electromagnetic induction. When there's an incoming call, answering it while it's on the Touchstone automatically puts it into speakerphone mode. The magnet that holds it in the correct alignment for charging is pretty strong, and a Palm staff member demonstrated this by holding it upside down while mounted on the Touchstone.

   
The Palm Touchstone charging accessory

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