The Palm Pre, with a launch date of June 6, 2009 in the U.S. and available through Sprint Nextel, is a smartphone that is seen as an alternative to the iPhone 3G.
According to Wired magazine, when the Palm Pre was first announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it offered features like universal search that scans contacts on the phone and the web, copy-and-paste and multi-tasking that were not available on the iPhone 3G. But in March Apple closed the gap significantly. The iPhone 3.0 update to be released in the summer of 2009 is expected to bring many of the Palm Pre’s features to the iPhone.
The Associated Press offered a glowing review of the Palm Pre, stating that Pre had better software capabilities ("a phone operating system that is more powerful, elegant and user-friendly") than the iPhone. The article mentions webOS features like multitasking, seeing notification regardless of which application you're using, and aggregating contacts from various sources including Google, MS Exchange and Facebook.
Another interesting feature of the Palm Pre when it launched was that when you connect it to a Mac or Windows PC, the computer thought that the Pre is an iPod. So the iTunes software could be used to transfer music libraries easily to the Pre. But on July 15 2009, Apple released an update for iTunes that broke this interoperability. Since Apple puts restrictions on the video and certain songs sold via the iTunes store, they cannot be played on the Pre.
Comparison chart
 | Apple iPhone 3G | Palm Pre |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Screen Resolution | 320 x 480 pixels | 320 x 480 pixels |
| FM Radio | No | No |
| Operating System | (proprietary) iPhone / based on OS X core | (proprietary) webOS |
| Headphone Jack (3.5mm) | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 4.7 oz (133 g) | 4.76 oz (135 g) |
| Music Player | Supported Formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV iPod | Supported Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WAV |
| Screen size | 3.5" diagonal | 3.1" diagonal |
| Wireless Carrier | AT&T | Sprint |
| Dimensions | 4.52" x 2.44" x 0.49" (115 x 62 x 12.4 mm) | 3.9" x 2.3" x 0.67" (99 x 58 x 17 mm) |
| Picture messaging | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth | Supported Profiles: HSP, HFP 1.5, PBA version 2.0 + EDR | Supported Profiles: HSP 1.1, HFP 1.5, PBA, A2DP, AVRC, PAN version 2.1+EDR |
| Games | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Hard Drive | No | No |
| E-mail client | Protocols Supported: POP, IMAP, Exchange built-in attachment viewer (Microsoft Office, PDF) | Protocols Supported: Exchange Direct Push, POP3, IMAP |
| Voice recorder | No | No |
| To-Do List | No | Yes |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| SyncML | No | No |
| Text messaging (SMS) | 2-Way: Yes threaded | 2-Way: Yes |
| Stereo Speakers | No | No |
| Flashlight | No | No |
| Keyboard | No | Layout: QWERTY |
| Headset Jack (2.5 mm) | No | No |
| MMS | No | Yes |
| CPU | Samsung 32-bit RISC ARM11 @ 620 MHz | TI OMAP 3430 |
| Ruggedized | No | No |
| Side buttons | volume keys, ringer switch on left / sleep key on top | volume |
| Wi-Fi support | Version(s): 802.11 b/g | Version(s): 802.11 b, g supports WPA, WPA2, 802.1X |
| Push-To-Talk | No | No |
| Screen Colors | 16.7 million (24-bit) | 16.7 million (24-bit) |
| GPS | A-GPS supports LBS, photo geo-tagging | A-GPS |
| Streaming Video | Protocol: H.264 / MPEG-4 (MOV, MP4, M4V, 3GPP) via Safari web browser / plus dedicated YouTube client | Protocol: RTSP |
| BREW | No | No |
| Video Capture | No | No |
| Java support | No | No |
| Browser | Safari supports landscape mode, multi-touch zoom and pan, and multiple windows. | WebKit-based |
| Networks | GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900 WCDMA 850 / WCDMA 1900 / WCDMA 2100 | CDMA 850 / CDMA 1900 |
| Screen Type | LCD (Color TFT/TFD) | LCD (Color TFT/TFD) |
| Infrared | No | No |
| Picture ID | Yes | Yes |
| PictBridge | No | No |
| Languages supported | English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Polish | English, Spanish |
| Auto-complete suggestions for text | Yes | No |
| Supports enlarging text | No | No |
| Speakerphone | Yes | Yes |
| Physical design | Bar Internal Antenna | Slide-out; QWERTY keyboard; Internal Antenna |
| Built-in memory | 16 GB (internal memory available to user for storage) also available in 8 GB model | 8 GB (internal memory available to user for storage) |
| Ringer Profiles | No | No |
| Ringer ID | Yes | Yes |
| Digital TTY/TDD | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | Resolution: 2+ megapixel supports geo-tagging | Resolution: 3+ megapixel LED flash |
| External Display | No | No |
| Voice dialing | No | No |
| Alarm | Yes | Yes |
| Vibrate mode | Yes | Yes |
| USB | Version: 2.0 supports charging | Version: 2.0 High Speed built-in microUSB connector / supports mass storage mode |
| Live TV | No | No |
| Polyphonic Ringtones | No | Yes |
| Calculator | Yes | Yes |
| Data network | Technology: HSDPA 3.6 | Technology: 1xEV-DO rA |
| Touch Screen | Primary input method: Finger multi-touch | Primary input method: Finger capacitive |
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Palm Pre 
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Comments: Apple iPhone 3G vs Palm Pre