The hottest pocket computer for a time last year wasn’t an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android device. It was the Palm Pre from Sprint. Despite the raves Pre received upon its debut in June, Palm’s smartphone was overshadowed by a new iPhone and phones based on Google’s mobile operating system.
Palm aims to reclaim the glitter with the Palm Pre Plus, introduced recently at the Consumer Electronics Show. Verizon Wireless makes it available Monday, along with a fewer-frills version called Palm Pixi Plus.
As with the first Pre, I like the Pre Plus a lot. But there are drawbacks: a battery that surrenders a bit too soon, way fewer apps than the iPhone and, alas, a few crashes. (Full disclosure: I am author of Palm Pre: The Missing Manual, published by O’Reilly.)
Pre Plus costs $150 after a $100 rebate and with a two-year data plan; Pixi Plus fetches $100 after rebate and with plan. Though Sprint has a more robust network then it often gets credit for, Verizon’s endorsement of the Pre provides Palm a major boost. (AT&T has also expressed interest in the Pre.) Many regular folks I talk to favor Verizon over rivals.
Just know you’ll pay for the privilege. The details:
*Higher tab. A monthly plan on Verizon with 450 talk minutes plus texting costs $60 a month; a plan with unlimited voice minutes and texts commands $90 a month. And you’ll pay $30 a month on top of that for data. On Sprint, the combined tab for unlimited voice and data is $100.
Moreover, to take advantage of a new Verizon “Mobile Hotspot” feature that lets you share a Wi-Fi signal with up to five other devices you’ll have to spend $40 more a month for a “tethering” subscription that permits up to 5 gigabytes of data. Now you’re facing $160 a…