Review - Palm Pre+ and Pixi+

(Disclaimer - I am not being compensated in any way by Verizon or Palm for this review. This is simply my take on a new smart phone and how I am using it in education).

I recently got a Palm Pre+ on Verizon. I have been a Palm user for over 10 years, starting with a Palm IIIxe, then T3, LifeDrive, TX, and Centro on Verizon. I've been anxiously awaiting the Pre on Verizon since it was announced by Palm back in January 2009. My wife got the Pixi+.

I'm not going to write a full review of the Palm Pre+ or Pixi+ because that's been done plenty of times (here is Precentral's Review). I'm going to discuss how Palm's revolutionary operating system (webOS) and the Pre are great for me as an educator.

For more in depth info on the specs of these phones you can go to Verizon's site, or Palm's site (Pre+, Pixi+).

Both phones run Palm's new operating system, webOS. WebOS is built on a Linux base and uses web technologies for programming. This means that it is very easy for people to develop apps for it. It allows for multi-tasking, which is unusual for a smart phone. The user interface is bright, easy to read, and easy to use. WebOS also has unobtrusive notifications of incoming calls and messages, allows you to sync and merge multiple accounts, contacts and calendars. It is very easy and intuitive to use with finger touches and gestures doing most functions. It also supports multi-touch gestures. WebOS's ability to multi-task is great, and all apps are handled as cards think "windows" on a PC. webOS also has "Universal Search". Simply start typing at the home screen and it will search your phone (contacts, calendar, etc) and the internet for the search term. It makes finding anything very easy.

The hardware is beautiful. The Pre+ looks like a black, smooth, pebble and fits nicely in your hand. Both the Pre+ and Pixi+ have rubberized backs to make sure they don't slip out of your hand.

The Pre+ has a larger screen than the Pixi+ and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. The Pixi+ is thinner and has a candy bar format with the QWERTY keyboard fixed in position. The Pre+ has 16GB of memory and the Pixi+ has 8GB. Both have Bluetooth and Wifi. They both have great web browsers, email systems, and MMS (text and picture messaging) and there are thousands of apps available for both phones. Both also have digital camera's and LED flashes. The web browser displays web sites just like your computer's browser does and then you can just zoom in on different parts of the page. This means no more "mobile" versions of web sites.

A very cool accessory is the Touchstone charger. The Pre+ simply sticks to this little round charger using magnets and the phone charges using inductive technology. When the phone is on the charger, the screen displays the time and any notifications.

I use my Pre+ every day in my job as an educator and it truly makes my life easier. When I wake up in the morning I go over to the phone on the charger and see what notifications I have (emails, texts, alarms and alerts). I can address those right away or just put them off until later.

I can quickly look at my calendar for the day (synced with my Google Calendar), check notes in Evernote, check my email, RSS feeds (Google Reader), Twitter and Facebook and get my self ready for the day. I also check the weather using the Weather Channel's free app.

I can use the built in Google Maps and GPS for directions and use the media player to listen to music, videos, or use a streaming music service like Pandora (free) to get some great music.

Once at school, I use it for appointments, reminders (memos), taking notes, checking email, RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook and more from my Personal Learning Network. The multi-tasking feature means I can have apps open and running in the background while doing other things. I can even have multiple web pages open using different cards, just like I use multiple tabs on my computer. There is also a YouTube app for viewing videos. Full native Flash support is available now and the Flash app is scheduled for release by Adobe shortly. The ability to see Flash in the web browser is very important to me and education since many educational sites and science sites use Flash for demos, videos, and more. The updates are done over the air and can be automatic.

I have a scientific calculator and unit conversion app on it for use with my physics classes. I also use it to take notes, store my lesson plans, access student info and grades, and much more no matter where I am in the building.

The webOS and great hardware allow me to do so much of the things that I can do on my computer with my Pre+. It doesn't matter where I am in the school or what I'm doing, I have my files, a great web browser, email, and apps to get my work done.

I think it's a great smart phone for educators and it's just as good for students. Students can do research, take notes, go online, check email, and use tons of educational apps in their studies. (see the related article below).

The only downside to the phone is that it doesn't have the best battery life. UPDATE: The February update did bring enhanced battery performance and the battery can be switched by the user (unlike Apple products). The update to webOS 1.4 also sped up actions and applications and made a variety of other improvements.

The multi-tasking really makes things easy for me. I can have Pandora on playing music, and have multiple web browsers open, my URL shortener and a Twitter client and be able to post information to Twitter and my blog. Since all of the apps are running, there is no delay when switching from one to the other.

Overall, I am very impressed with the Pre+ (and my wife loves her Pixi+) and have found it to be a great tool for work and for fun. It is easy to use and very powerful.

I recommend it to anyone looking for a new smart phone or looking to purchase their first smart phone due to it's power, usefulness, and ease of use. The Pre+ and Pixi+ are available on Verizon Wireless and the original Pre and Pixi are available on Sprint.

It is also great for education. I'm hoping Palm will come out with a PDA version and maybe a netbook/tablet version with webOS. It is easy to use and powerful - perfect for students.

Related Articles:

Palm Pre+ Coming to Verizon

Palm Apps for Education

Sources of Funding for Teachers

(cross posted at Tech&Learning) 

Teachers have always had to scrounge for funding and the current economic situation only makes this more of an issue. Even with the government stimulus package, teachers will not see much money for our individual use. We've all wished we had more money to purchase books, supplies, equipment, and other items for our students and our classrooms. But what do we do when the money just isn't there?

The first place to look is grants. There are a lot of grant sources out there. Not all of them are easy to get though. I always suggest that people ask for help from grant writers or other teachers who have been successful in getting grants. Most grants have tips and advice on their own web site also.

Some schools may qualify for Priority School District grants and other State and Federal grants. These are for low income districts and can be used for supplies and equipment to help with extra programs related to drop out prevention and improving student performance.

A great resource for funding classroom projects is Donors Choose. Donors Choose was actually started by teachers. You sign up for an account, fill out a project proposal, selecting the items you need from a variety of vendors, and then people with money to donate go to Donors Choose and select projects to fund. I have had multiple projects funded through Donors Choose. It is a very simple process and the staff can help you with any problems.

Corporate grants are another source of funding. Toyota, Toshiba, Verizon,Microsoft, Best Buy, and Target all have grant programs you can apply for.

Some vendors have their own grant programs, special pricing or can help you find grants to buy their products. Smart Technologies, Epson, Mimio andVernier are some of the companies that will work with you to hep you find funding.

Donations are another source. Local Businesses may be looking to donate money, supplies or equipment. Many companies would rather donate old equipment and supplies to a school rather than just throw it out. Your school gets supplies and the company gets a tax write off. I have gotten lab supplies from a DNA company that updated their labs, a computer from a small company that upgraded theirs, and our school has gotten office supplies and furniture from a nearby business that was moving their headquarters. Many teachers have contacts at area businesses through friends or family. Use these contacts to your advantage.

Do more with less. Look for cheaper or free alternatives to the major brands. There are a lot of manufacturers of interactive white boards out there. Shop around and find the best deal. Use free software and web services instead of paying for licensed software.

Partner with local colleges. Sometimes they have older equipment that they can donate to you. They may also have grants that they can get that can also benefit the K-12 system.

Look for grants and funding opportunities on the web. Tech&Learning has a great section on funding tips. There is a Grant Guru column, as well as a data base of grant sources.

Edutopia and Nortel Learn It also have grant and funding resources. And of course, you can always "Google" for more information. Educational conferences are another great way to find funding resources and talk with vendors on different ways of funding purchases.

Please share your funding and money tips with us!