HP Veer; size

I am now the proud user of the world's smallest smartphone, the HP Veer.

I'll be using this blog and my twitter account (@roneyii) to talk about this nifty little phone on an on going basis.

First disclaimer: The HP Veer is an AT&T phone and I'm on Sprint.

So most of my usage will be over Wi-Fi.

I don't think you can talk about the Veer without mentioning that it's small. A lot.

And I don't think you can truly comprehend just how small this phone really is without holding it.

And the size is the first thing I'm going to talk about.

A lot of people on various sites and forums have been trying to list the size as a negative.

Or when they do list it as a positive, they claim it's for other people like teenagers and women who have small hands.

Well I'm here to tell ya that I'm a man and I'm just under 30, and the size isn't a problem.

The phone actually fits in my hand better than my Pre.

I've been using a Palm Pre since June 6, 2009, before that I used a Palm Centro, and I had no problem transitioning to the smaller keyboard of the Veer.

I've used all of the webOS devices, and the Veer is probably my favorite keyboard so far.

It has a nice clicky-snappy feel to it.

I can two-thumb type on it with the same skill as my other webOS devices.

Alright, so the keyboard isn't cramped and I say that it's usable.

But what about the screen?

Isn't it small?

Well it's the same size as a Palm Pixi.

So if you've used a Palm Pixi, you've used a Veer as far as the screen goes.

And it just so happens that I have a Verizon Palm Pixi Plus.

The screen on both the Pixi and the Veer is usable.

Would I watch a two-hour movie on it? Probably not.

Can I surf the web and check my e-mail on it? Certainly.

Okay, so lets say that I believe you.

The keyboard works, the screen works.

Why would I want a small phone? Isn't everyone using big phones now?

Yes, big phones seem to be on the rise.

But you don't always need a big phone.

Let's say you're in the market for a tablet.

Like the HP TouchPad for instance.

If you have a 9.7" tablet, do you really need a giant phone?

And if you really do have a Veer and a TouchPad, you can do cool things like touch-to-share.

Just tap your Veer on your TouchPad and all of a sudden the web page you were viewing on your phone is now on your tablet. Size problem solved.

Out and about

So lets say that you're going out.

Where do you normally keep your phone?

Purse? Pocket?

Maybe you have one of those phones that's too big to fit in a pocket so you just hold it all the time.

My Veer fits inside my change pocket. It's that small.

That just freed up my entire left pocket.

How cool is that?

So now we go back to the comments of women wanting a small phone.

Women do tend to have smaller pants pockets than men.

If this thing fits in my change pocket, it'll fit in your pants pocket; regardless of gender.

It'll also fit in your purse, clutch, change purse, or bra.

I can slip this thing in a suit pocket and no one knows its there.

My keys make a bigger impact than this thing does.

That's all for now.

Next time I'm going to talk about power.

Did I mention that it's small?

Sure, that's my phone...

So I was on the Palm site today looking at the Palm Pre 2.

My son was on the lap and asked me if the picture on the screen was my phone.

Normally when pictures of Pre's show up, I agree that it is my phone.

But how can I tell him that my Sprint Pre is the same as the Pre 2 in the picture?

So I told him that it wasn't my phone; it was the Pre 2.

"It's the pre too?"

Hrm...

So I decided to show him the differences and picked up my Pre from the desk.

Skipping over OS versions and processor speeds, I tried to keep it simple.

See? Mine has a circle button. That one has a white line.

And without missing a beat, he pointed over my Pre Plus sitting on the Touchstone.

"It has a white line too!"

Best Buy Mobile on webOS

So I found this "Best Buy Mobile Guide to Mobile Phone Apps" pamphlet at my dad's house.

And, naturally, I flipped through until I found webOS.

I found the page labeled "Operating Sytem Overview: Which OS is right for you?"

I skimmed past RIM, Android, Windows Mobile, and found webOS (right above Symbian).

This is what Best Buy has to say:

webOS is comparable to the Linx OS for computers. It is belovved by many Palm users, who appreciate its synergy with multiple information sources, over-the-air updates and its touchscreen-specific graphic interface.

Ah, "beloved by many Palm users". Yes, webOS is certainly beloved.

A very powerful fan base. So powerful, in fact, that we're a feature of the OS.

My #palmspot Idea

For those of you who don't already know, the folks over at http://www.webosroundup.com/ are having a little contest.

Basically, make your own Palm Prē commercial.
I'll let you head over to the site for the rest of the details (and prizes).


And I came up with what I think is a good idea.
Problem is, it invoves a celebrity.

Yeah.

As I'm married to a foodie, I've seen my share of "Good Eats" episodes. The host, Alton Brown, is always talking about how your kitchen gadgets need to be capable of multiple tasks and have lots of applications.

As he puts it, the only uni-tasker in his kitchen is a fire extinguisher.


Now that all of the non-foodies are caught up.


We take AB here, and have him in his kitchen when he sudddenly needs to make a call, or look something up.
Point is he needs a phone.

Then Thing (a little hand who often hands him various items) pops out, and tries to give him an iPhone.

AB takes one look at it, says his line about uni-taskers, tosses it off screen and says while picking up a Pre, "No, /this/ is what I need."
And then have him highlight a few of the multi-tasking features of webOS.



Yes, it's still a rough idea.
No, I don't expect Mr. Brown to guest star in an ad for /me/.
And it's target audience is foodies.

But my wife loved it.


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Last I checked, William Shatner uses a Pre.
Palm should get him to endorse it.
Seriously.