My trusty but outdated and mistreated Palm Centro is due to come off contract at the end of the month. Assuming that I don't own a Mac or a PC that runs Windows, my decision has centered around which Smart Phone would be most Linux-friendly? The Droid seems to be gaining momentum, but I've been a Palm user since the Handspring Visor - and I like the idea of being able to share a Broadband connection with multiple PCs. I don't use my Smart Phone as an MP3 or movie player, but I do text and make extensive use of Contacts, Calendar, Memos and Tasks. Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Well, I don't know much about how Linux-friendly either of them are for syncing; but in terms of comparing the two phones, there isn't even really a debate, the Droid is worlds better than the Pre.

The hardware is superior in every possible way, and I doubt even Palm themselves would dare claim webOS is on par with Android 2.0. Software support is much, much, much better on Android for one thing. Last I heard webOS was up to 1,000 apps, compared to the 10,000+ on Android.

The only reason to get a Pre is if you are a diehard Palm fan and might actually use the emulator. Beyond that, you would have to be crazy to get the Pre over the Droid. It is really a shame, as many people (myself included) hoped that webOS would bring Palm back into the mainstream, but it just isn't happening.

You can tether the Droid, it is just that Verizon charges you extra for the privilege and there is a cap on the amount you download which have truly usurious fees if you exceed them.

I've been using a Droid for all of about three weeks, but I can say it is hands down the best phone I've owned. It is ridiculously easy to mount the Droid as a drive on a Linux box over USB and there is at least one file manager that allows you to connect to a Samba or FTP server. For me, that has really eliminated the need to tether to a computer. Contacts and Calendars are good, however the Calendars is really aimed at either Google Calendars or MS Exchange. Since I already used Google calendars, it wasn't an issue for me. There are excellent memo and task apps as well (3banana and Astrid are my favorites).

Thanks for the reply. That's a good point about tethering with the Droid. I might just opt to get a USB modem instead of tying up the phone using it as a modem. I've used the USB760 with an eeepc 1005HA running CrunchBang, and it worked out of the box.

I'll add this variable to the list - the Google Nexus One. So far, even though it's ostensibly "unlocked", it really only supports T-Mobile at 3G speeds, and T-Mobile coverage in my part of the world is spotty at best. I'm pondering the idea of keeping it on AT&T and settling for 2G/EDGE speeds, but I have until the end of the month to decide...

Had been using a Palm (several iterations) since, well forever, but I'd never buy another one of their products, no matter what the promise.

Why? Well it seems that every update to the software has made it less stable and/or incompatible with previous versions and software. They've never been Linux or open source friendly and have rebranded themselves, how many times? Why reward these clowns with more business? Just my (annoyed) two cents, ignore the rant if you've heard it all before...

I think you're pretty much looking at hardware differences/preferences between the Nexus One and the Droid. From what I've seen on various Android forums, the Droid is ridiculously easy to root. I haven't done it yet, but for all practical purposes the Droid is unlocked. I think that the Nexus is running a slightly newer version of Android at the moment(2.1 vs 2.0.1), but an update for the Droid is apparently imminent.

Of course there is the network issue. One of the main reasons I'm with Verizon is that they are the only carrier with a decent signal at my house.

The Nexus has also been rooted. Infact, it was rooted before it was officially released to the public. But that isn't what he means by locked.

Locked or unlocked, when referring to cell phones, determines which carriers the phone can be used on. The Nexus is unlocked, meaning it can be used on any GSM carrier, compared to something like the iPhone which could work on any GSM carrier, but is limited by Apple to only work on AT&T (unless modified).

The Droid is a CDMA phone, which means that even if Motorola allowed it to work on other carriers, you would still be limited to CDMA networks, of which Verizon is basically the only one worth using.

I have a palm pre and am very happy with it. The touch interface is bettter than the droid. All other smarthpones except the iphone, the interface felt unusable on the touch. It mounts no problem on my linux box too. Just my $.02

I have an HTC Incredible and I am happier than pig in crap

-C

Any Android phone is better in my opinion. There are plenty of different phones that run Android, so it's really a matter of what hardware you like.