In such a fast moving industry, where cell phone companies proclaim their list of releases every passing minute, Palm has come up with two of its updates, the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus in order to maintain its competitiveness. Both phones continue with the webOS platform with noticeable face-lift on the inside. Albeit not popular as Android or Windows Mobile operated smartphones, Palm Pre Plus is an excellent buy for first timers who prefer an easy-to-use interface with multi-tasking capabilities.

Look, Design, Feel (9/10)

The shape and feel of the Palm Pre Plus is very much similar to its older sibling; pebble like curved slider and a comfortable hold. At the first glance, realization never dawns that this handset is an update until you notice the missing centre button.

Yes, the feature is still there, however it arrives with a new gesture control technology to enhance the aesthetics of the handset. Just swipe the area as you would press a button on the Palm Pre to shuffle between the "deck of cards" and enjoy the multitasking experience. Palm has also revamped the keyboard to make it more usable for easy clicking. It is not the best QWERTY around, but with enough practice it is possible to get familiarized with the keyboard very quickly.

The 3.5mm jack, ringtone silencer, volumer rocker and power button are located on top of the device whilst the USB port occupies the left / right side. The 16GB internal memory compared to the 8GB of Palm Pre, is an integrant part of the advancements.

The inductive cover included with the Pre Plus has contributed to the change of weight in the handset, making it a tad bulkier. It weighs 139 g, that is 4 g heavier than the Pre. However, dimensions haven't changed and are the usual 59.6 mm x 100.7 mm x 17.5 mm.

Features (8/10)

Palm Pre Plus is pre-installed with webOS 1.3.5.1 and has similar functionality to that of Pre. The Plus version comes with twice the RAM and users are able to enjoy multitasking without any lag. It also demonstrates some amazing 3D gaming capabilities with some great graphics and an accelerometer feature. The speed does not lag as it is backed by enough memory.

One more interesting feature is the Palm Mobile Hotspot app. Using Verizon's EVDO Rev A network, Pre Plus can carry out the job of a Wi-Fi router, supporting up to five devices. The application is free but you need to pay for the hot spot plan.

The back of the handset includes a 3-megapixel camera with flash, but without a video recording feature. However, it is supposed to be available with webOS 1.4 along with Flash plug-in and editing options.

Connectivity (9/10)

Palm Pre Plus comes with multiple connectivity options. With GPRS, EDGE, 3G 3.6 Mbps and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, data uploading and downloading is at a jiffy speed. The phone also acts as a Wi-Fi router enabling connectivity for up to five devices. The hot spot plan has to be purchased separately from Verizon. Nevertheless, it performs flawlessly achieving expected download and upload speeds.

Performance (7/10)

Calls are heard clearly on the Pre Plus although the speakerphone doesn't function well. Verizon's 3G provides apt service and web sites are loaded within seconds. Web graphics are crisp to view but somehow text size changes for different web pages, which is rather strange. . The accelerometer seems nice for viewing images and web pages, but each time you need to return to portrait mode, to type the URL.

The camera offers great picture quality in spite of lacking editing options. The colours are sharp and deep and if editing is required, it is desktop's work. Those with webOS 1.4 version would benefit from both editing and video recording functions.

Value for Money (8/10)

The device justifies the money spent. For some it is much easier to work on the Pre Plus interface than on Android based smartphones. Updates have made it more attractive and features are more functional. Even if webOS 1.3.5.1 lacks in some features, webOS 1.4 makes up for it. Definitely, it is not the best smartphone on the market but for the price offered, it is worth it.

Pros

• Additional memory capacity and RAM

• Improved keyboard

• Inductive back cover for Touchstation charging dock

• Attractive pebble like design

• Multitasking options|

Cons

• Lack of video recording and editing options (webOS 1.3.5.1)

• Speakerphone volume is too low

• V Cast Music or Video not supported