Sync hole

Competing against the iPod heritage of the iPhone is a tough nut to crack for anybody, but Palm decided to give it a go anyway. The Pre is an able enough media player and it handles most common video and audio formats, like MP3, MPEG-4, AAC, etc. Plug it into your computer with the included USB cable and the Pre will display a menu with three options: Media Sync, USB Drive, and Just Charge. As you might suspect, the last just juices up the Pre's battery and the middle option lets you treat the Pre like a USB flash drive, along with the ability to import photos into Image Capture or iPhoto. But it's the first option where the Pre works its magic.

For when you choose Media Sync, the Pre will appear in iTunes's source list, exactly as though it were an iPod. From iTunes, you can choose to sync music, videos and podcasts to the Pre, though of course the device cannot play back encrypted content such as iTunes videos or songs with DRM--that content won't even show up in the Pre's media playback programs. Music and audio podcasts will appear in the Pre's Music app, videos and video podcasts in the Videos app. I had no luck getting it to sync photos, however.

Depending on your point of view, this move is either brilliant or idiotic. Brilliant because it links the Pre with the world's most popular media playback software and lets users slide the device into their lives as seamlessly as if they'd bought an iPhone. Idiotic because it relies on Apple not changing the way it syncs iTunes and iPods--if that format is altered, then Palm will have to scramble to see if it can update the Pre to work as well, which could turn into a game of cat-and-mouse. So far, though, everything is copacetic.

An ill-favoured thing, but mine own

Of course, you can just plug your Pre into its included USB-to-AC adapter to charge it, but the irritation of getting that little access door open, time-and-time again, is enough to drive almost anybody to madness. If you're willing to spend the extra $70, the Pre's Touchstone inductive charger will simplify that process.

A cylinder cut off at a 45-degree angle, the Touchstone is a little over two inches in diameter and about an inch and a half tall at its highest point. On the back is a small micro-USB port; that's where you connect it to the Pre's AC adapter with the micro-USB to USB cable. The bottom of the Touchstone features an adhesive ring that impressively sticks to almost any surface without leaving a tacky residue. The package also includes a special back plate for the Pre that you'll need to swap with the device's default back--it's got a soft-touch matte finish instead of the normal glossy finish.