PC World - The Palm Pre Plus ($150 with a two-year contract from Verizon; price as of 1/20/10) is really more of an update of the original Pre on Sprint than a completely new product. Even so, the subtle hardware tweaks combined with Verizon's speedy network makes it an overall improvement from its predecessor. Some quirks remain, however, with the keyboard design and the sluggishness of the software.
Because there are so few significant differences between the Pre Plus and the original Pre in both hardware and software, I have focused here mainly on the updates and new features in the Plus. For a closer look at its WebOS and most of its hardware specs, see our in-depth review of the original Palm Pre--the two models are that similar.
Refined Hardware
Right off the bat, you'll notice one small difference between the Pre Plus and the first Palm Pre: The single hardware button that was on the latter has been removed. Palm says that this design choice is mostly a matter of aesthetics--getting rid of the button eliminated one more moving part, resulting in a sleeker profile. Like the Pixi and Pixi Plus, the Pre Plus has a capacitive touch area below the screen with a light-up bar. To shrink an app down to card size, you simply tap this area (on the original Pre, you would press the button).
Besides the omitted hardware button, the only other design differences are subtle changes on the slide-out keyboard. According to Palm, the Pre Plus's keyboard has been enhanced for a better user experience. In my side-by-side comparisons between the Sprint Pre and the Palm Pre Plus, I did notice that the Plus's keyboard was a bit more responsive. The slider mechanism feels much more secure, as well. The original Pre's keyboard felt a bit wobbly and insecure; the Pre Plus's keyboard slides in with a nice snap.
Even with these improvements, some of the problems I experienced with the original Pre remained on the Plus: I had to use my nails to type on the small keys, and I made a few errors in long messages. I wish Palm had rethought the slide-out design, as well. The sharp bezel lip on the sides and bottom sometimes interferes with typing. Furthermore, the top row is a few millimeters too close to the edge of the slider screen, so you have to angle your fingers to press those keys.
Another small change: The option and number keys are now gray (instead of the bright orange on the original Pre's keyboard). I'm sure the color change had something to do with Verizon's branding of the device, but I prefer the orange coloring as it makes the keys stand out more.
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