[From Kyle Wiens, iFixit CEO] We just finished our detailed teardown and hardware analysis of the Palm Pre. At the same time, we also took apart the revolutionary new Touchstone Charger, which enables the Pre to charge without having to plug any cord into it. The Touchstone Charger comes as part of a kit that includes a new rear cover and the charging base to which the Pre adheres magnetically.
We published both of the teardowns on our brand-new teardown platform that launched this week. Our platform allows anyone in the world to share their knowledge by giving them the power to write a teardown on anything they'd like.
http://www.ifixit.com/
http://www.ifixit.com/
Our teardown platform announcement:
http://www.ifixit.com/blog/?p=
Here are some cool and interesting tidbits we learned about the Palm Pre:
* In general, this Palm hardware reminds us a lot more of Apple's engineering style than any of hardware we've taken apart by other manufacturers (like Dell).
* The Pre logic board is substantially smaller than the iPhone logic board, which is very impressive considering how renowned Apple's engineers are for shrinking hardware footprints.
* We identified a liquid submersion sensor in the Pre, visible through the micro USB port.
* Some parts of the software feel rushed. For example, the app store describes the price of free apps as "$Try now." It looks like an overeager programmer hardcoded that dollar sign. While certainly not a showstopper, we hope Palm gets a chance to tidy up the little things like this soon.
* We tested out Sprint's 3G EVDO network on the road home and didn't notice any interruptions. Uploads and downloads were fast, and Pandora's application ran like a champ.
* A prepaid plastic recycling envelope is included in the box, making it easy to recycle your newly obsolete phone.
* The Pre's battery capacity is 1150 mAh, exactly the same as the iPhone 3G, though the Pre is reported to have slightly worse battery life due to its background process capability. The battery is user-replaceable, something the iPhone fails to offer.
* The Palm Pre is the first phone to use Texas Instrument's new OMAP3 (Open Media Applications Processor) platform.
* The processor is a 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x + DSP + ISP (Image Signal Processor)
* The Pre is definitely not an easy phone to service. There are lots of fragile and tricky tabs that will make putting the phone back together challenging.
Some interesting photos:
Opening the back cover:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.
iFixit #1 in line for the Pre:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.
Palm Pre compared to the iPhone 3G:
http://s2.guide-images.ifixit.
Palm Pre vs. iPhone 3G internals:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.
Inside the Touchstone Charging Kit:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.
We also wanted to comment a bit on usability when compared to the iPhone:
* We love the feel of holding the Pre in our hands. In its closed position, it feels much more comfortable to hold than the iPhone.
* Users who prefer physical keyboards will be satisfied, but iPhone veterans may be left disappointed by the lack of a software keyboard option.
* The Pre is definitely thicker compared to the iPhone (17mm vs 12mm). Not only does this allow the engineers more flexibility in designing the physical layout of components, but it also makes the Pre conform really well to our palm.
* The Pre is "Inspired by and designed in California," while the iPhone is merely "Designed by Apple in California."