I’ve had my smartphone for a little over a couple of months now.  I was like a kid in a candy store when I first got it.  My kids,  family, and friends would laugh at me whenever I pulled out my previous phone, which was barely a step above the Jitterbug phone.  See for yourself.

See what I mean?  It’s okay you can laugh.  I did too.  I’d be out to dinner with girlfriends and pull out my phone to check a text message and someone would inevitably say through a chuckle “you need to update your phone.” Really?  I had no idea I was so behind the times as I looked around the restaurant and noticed half the patrons playing on their iPhones and the other half on the newest and hottest version of some other popular phone like the “Droid.” 

I guess I never knew what I was missing because I only used my phone to text message and make calls.  That’s really all I ever needed it to do.  Albeit, texting a message was like Fred Flintstoning my way through it.  Chizzling away one letter at a time.  My phone did have some web access but it wasn’t user-friendly or part of my plan. It certainly didn’t have a touch screen. 

It was time to raise the white flag.  I needed to update my phone and my plan with Sprint had long expired.  I was a free agent.  Free to choose and have any of the latest smartphones and carriers on the market.  My boyfriend works for Motorola as an electrical engineer and he had the Droid so I tapped into his phone knowledge.  However, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to change my carrier. I had always been with Sprint since I bought my first cell phone.  So it seemed only natural to want to stay with them.

I’ve never been the kinda girl to hop on the fad bandwagon.  I’m more of a loyal kinda girl. Sure, occasionally I’d get in a dead zone and have no Sprint service, but overall, I’ve never really had any trouble with Sprint when it counts. And since Sprint was behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T,  I’ve also always been one to root for the underdog. 

So it was time to begin my upgrade search for a phone similar to the iPhone and Droid, but not as expensive.  Sprint was advertising this all-inclusive deal for $69.99. Unlimited web, unlimited texting, mobile to mobile, anytime minutes after 7 pm, and more. How could you beat that price? This is where I tapped into my boyfriends knowledge and phone expertise too.  I brought him along.  We were perusing the empty Sprint store and I already had my sights and heart set on the Palm Pre.  I just needed him to ask the questions and explain the technical details to me in layman’s terms.

I remember his advice to me was “The Palm Pre is a great phone hon. The operating system seems to be better than the iPhone, but Sprint isn’t really economically stable right now and might go under.  Also, HTC is coming out with a 4G phone, you might want to wait.”  I love it when he talks nerdy!  But I wasn’t hearing any of it. I had my heart set on a new phone.  I wasn’t waiting any longer.  Instant gratification…that’s how I roll!

I made my purchase and got home and wanted to immediately get to know my phone.  I read the quick guide for an overview, but I’m more of a hands-on person.  This phone was the bomb!  I don’t know how the iPhone operates and I’ve played with my boyfriend’s Droid here and there, (somehow that doesn’t sound right!) but I was in love with my new smartphone.  “Wow, this is what I’ve been missing?”  GPS, Multi-tasking capability with more than one application at a time, IM, MMS, SMS capability all in the same app and in thread form.  3 megapixel camera and video capability with direct uploads to Facebook. Google.  It went on and on.  I felt like I had just discovered a new world.  Sure, I knew it existed, as I saw people out and about with their fancy schmancy smartphones, but to actually be a part of that world was like an endorphin rush I’ve never quite experienced before.

I think the Palm Pre has gotten a bad rap because the iPhone and Droid are so popular now and most people are quick to jump on the “latest trend train.” It might be a little lacking in the app department, but I find I’m not that big of an app person myself.  And the QWERTY keyboard is slightly crowded and small, but I had no trouble adapting and adjusting after a few days.  What it lacks in some areas, it surely makes up for in others.  The iPhone can only run one application at a time.  Palm Pre lets you minimize one app and pull up another, these are referred to as cards and you can slide them off your screen easily when you need to discard one.  

Now, I’m not trying to dis the iPhone.  As I’ve said I’ve never operated one.  I might be slightly green and jaded being a newbie to the smartphone and all.  I certainly wouldn’t toss an iPhone out of my hand if that’s what you want to know.  I just think the Palm Pre isn’t getting its fair share of props.  It’s misunderstood for its smartphone capabilities and when you compare the cost and plans to other more popular smartphones,  it seems to be the more economical deal.  It really is a great phone.  The only thing is,  that because I’m that instant gratification kinda girl, I just read that the new HTC 4G EVO premiered this past weekend and surpassed Palm Pre and Samsung Instinct combined in its first weekend of sales.  That’s good news for Sprint, but bad news for me, because I hate when my boyfriend is always right!

Oh, and I almost forgot that my phone actually makes and receives calls!