There will be a GSM-friendly 3G Palm Pre
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Jan 8th 2009 4:49PM
posted Jan 8th 2009 4:49PM
Update: We've just seen a copy of the Pre's press release, and sadly, the 3G GSM version is listed as being intended for "other regions" -- in other words, places not served by Sprint. The good news, we guess, is that we've also confirmed that it's HSDPA, so at least it'll be hauling ass.
Come to england, be a good price, and get into my pocket!
Yeah, I look forward to this too!
I am in total concurence with ^ statement.
Couldn't have said that better myself. Other than the England part, that is - show Austria some love, Palm!
I can't believe how excited I am about a Palm product. Come on, GSM baby!
I want it in England too.
One of the things I really dig about this product is that it looks foremost like a phone. Really liking its curvature.
Take note Apple.
Why did Engadget strike out T-Mob?
There are T-Mobile networks outside the US. In fact T-Mobile is a European carrier.
T-mobile in the UK is very good, for me anyway ;]
Bring it to the UK with a switchblade built into it. Take that Anti-Weapons British government.
I want one badly too. Let's hope that we will be able to buy it unbranded here in London. Don't want some corny T-mobile or Orange logo on my little pebble.
China welcomes you too~~~
Palm revives...??? hope so~~~
"show Austria some love, Palm!"
Couldn't have said that better! But I won't have problems buying it unlocked in some other country and then just pop in my card..
Bit late but... yeah! The second this comes to England (probably Orange) ima buy it!
Looks amazing
No USA? Then come to CANADA!!
I think i want this phone. The information isn't coming in fast enough! I hope they have it on my carrier for a reasonable price.
Looks like reasonable won't be the case for American since it seems the only way to get one is to import it unlocked :(
Dear Rest of World,
There...now shut yer pie hole.
Love,
America
Great post!!!
Yeah, shut your pie-hole rest of world because Palm has a new phone that will only work in USA -- and not on all networks -- and won't work in the rest of the world because all those other countries use a global standard for mobiles.
Let's hope it's not too long before Palm create a version that works in the rest of the world "though we don't know when or where".
Why is this CDMA just when the last CDMA carrier around here is migrating to GSM? (brazil)
Read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS
Yippee!! Now if only I didn't live in one of the most expensive countries for mobile data! (Canada).
One step at a time. Great work Palm. Congrats on the launch.
I concur.
...(Rogers - iPhone)
No Sprint in Canada!! Only one GSM provider!!! Yippee!!
(sure, no competition, high costs, but at least I don't have to switch carriers)
Hopefully Bell picks it up and I can use my 15 dollars per month unlimited data plan on it!!!
Maybe because in the US, there are still more than one carrier that currently is operating with CDMA?
--James
Just don't be like the iPhone and have an exclusive carrier everywhere. That'd be AWESOME!
2nded.
here in Brazil, three networks carry the iPhone: Vivo (market #1), Claro (#2) and TIM (#3).
of the major networks, only Oi (#4) doesn't carry it. but if it was on Oi, it would HAVE TO be factory-unlocked (Oi prefers selling commitment-free services rather than devices, and sells only unlocked devices).
@Viakenny: and I was picturing the Pre exactly in Oi's hands ;)
Greetins from Campinas.
Here in Turkey cell phone market is huge. Yet carrier contract phones are unheard of.
Iphone is available as unlocked and all three operators support it.
But it's not popular at all because of its 1300 TRL (over 800 $) price tag (16gb)
Here, in Australia, we have three major carriers with it, Optus, Telstra, and Vodaphone.
Not to mention you can walk into (certain) shops and buy one outright.
Well, we'll have to wait in the US for at minimum 6 months but maybe as long as 9 to see a GSM version. Palm Pre has exclusivity agreements with Sprint that bars other carriers.
Of course, getting an unlocked on overseas if they end up coming out there first is a possibility
Ha Ha they went with the turd of all carriers in the world. Yeah this thing will sell in the US mostly to cheap asses who can't afford a real carrier and actual service that works.
I am in total concurence with ^ statement also.
Damn... I was reffering to Lane's statement.
Good, because I wouldn't even dare become a Sprint subscriber.
I'm sorry, but their horrible customer service (or lack of any customer service) and the poor service quality I've encountered through using friends phones will keep me from ever becoming a customer. The phone looks good, and I'll probably venture into a Sprint store to check it out, but I'll be waiting for it to hit AT&T.
I wouldn't say there cs is that bad anymore. I changed my rate plan and they threw me 900 bonus minutes. The good part about it was i never asked for any free minutes, they just gave me it for free. There customer service use to be horrible, but it is getting better.
This may be a result of me being a business customer, but I find Sprint to be OK. I would like to see some more of the BB products, but for the ones they have and their customer service, they're OK. I can't really speak to the coverage because I rarely travel far. I will however say that while other Verizon and t-Mobile customers have to leave the building to get a signal, my Sprint BB is just fine...
I agree with you. I used to be a Sprint customer and, although the grass is not perfectly green on the T-Mobile side of the fence, I am quite happy with their customer service and phone selection. Plus, I travel to Europe quite often and Sprint's offering of world-phones is worthless.
That's all I needed to hear because I hate Sprint!
i think some ceo's at verizon just shat bricks.
God, please let it have a proper headphone jack.
Your prayers have been answered.
It has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
It has. And A2DP, in case you want to go wireless at some point.
I can't spot a serious flaw in it yet, other than the lack of autofocus for the camera...
There are a few flaws I think:
1) 320x480? I think we can do a little better than that.
2) A little too much dead space for my tastes. Notice Treo 650 hardly has ANY room to fit more things. Could easily squeeze .2" more into the screen.
That's basically it though. I've been waiting patiently with my Treo 650 in hand for Palm to release a new product. I really want to hear some reviews on performance of this beast.
Congrats Palm! Finally up to speed (and surpassed) with other companies.
Alex dont forget the space beneath the screen IS responsive to tough. It's the gesture area. However useable viewing space is wasted like you said.
What about CDMA, for those without carrier without sim card - USCellular??
they announced the damn CDMA version FIRST.
It launches with Sprint.
Yay!
...I just hope I can afford it...
Love it, but I have always hated those damn palm keyboards... give me a Moto Q9C keyboard and the rest of this and im sold
I have to say, this Palm Pre looks great. They have really worked hard. I thought they were going to go with Android but it's nice to see that they can innovate and we sure need another competitor out there. I think this Phone will be a hit if the pricing is right.
Palm was so close but managed to do something boneheaded anyways, launch with CDMA when almost every carrier in the world (i.e. potential customers) is GSM/WCDMA. When you have extremely limited resources why would you chose the most potential customer limiting network technology to develop for first? I can only hope that Sprint underwrote the cost of the CDMA version and the WCDMA version was developed co-currently but I doubt it.
Best news I've heard from CES thus far. Now it's between this or the N97 for me.
And I just read it's probably only going to have Euro freqs now. Damn it! Worst news I've heard from CES thus far.
WTF Palm?
James, more than one carrier uses CDMA, but Palm could launch a UMTS device on T-Mobile as Google/HTC did with the G1. And they'd have a phone that could work outside US.
CDMA is now dead everywhere except the US, Canada and Japan (and Japanese CDMA phones aren't compatible with US CDMA ones).
If they NEEDED Sprint compatibility, they could make a UMTS model and a CDMA one. Or a dual mode phone as the Blackberry Storm.
CDMA is alive and well in India and China as well
I don't think Palm have ever sold phones in Europe? Dont remember ever seeing Palm in real life.
Anyways it's clear now, Nokias coming E series TS, N97 or this. Really Palm is one of the last brands i would have ever be looking a phone, if not the last. One sweet phone.
N97? pffft! Who cares about the N97 now? I don't care if the N97's screen is 3.5"... It's resistive, this is capacitive and multitouch! Not to mention that this has OMAP 3430 guts!
dont forget the n97s better keyboard and camera though....
They did - but nobody here cared about the Treos, apparently :D
Well there's the higher res screen, looks(imo), camera, qwerty(also the ui landscape qwerty) and i do like S60. That said ui on pre looks stunning and huge plus to it. Dont really care about the multitouch thought.
I dont want this to start fanboy flame war because i'am as stunned as everybody else here and it's indeed running on OMAP 3430, what is more than awesome.
What the hell is Palm thinking... launching this thing on the "Now Network" - Ummm, they better pre they have some other business in the pipeline, cause Sprint seems to be gearing up for their Going Out of Business sale...
I am a devoted palm user and I think this phone looks fantastic. BUT, as much as I want it I WILL NOT GO TO SPRINT (the Wal-mart of phone companies). Lets see, they're still loosing roughly half a million customers a month, and Palm goes with them only?! Jesus tap-dancing Christ!!!
All I have to say is I love Verizon Wireless b/c they have the best service, but this is the second time Verizon has screwed themselves and their customers (Apple went to Verizon 1st about the iphone), and I just hope that VW gets this phone before the end of the year.
I love my Treo 755p don't get me wrong, but after seeing the Palm Pre, I'm looking at my 755p saying, "Dang, u lookin old!"
Very well done,Palm!!! I'm a Nokia fan , currently using a Centro since november (on a $!@" 1-year contract ) ,and was gonna change it next year for a E-series (the Centro was the cheapest smartphone w/data plan around here at U$S 200),but if my carrier here on Uruguay, Movistar got it, I'll change my fan-boy-ism yet again...and if someone manage to port the webOS to the Centro...(drool)
Now that's something to make us europeans very jelous, not that crappy pharos.
I never thought that I would actually be tempted to buy a Palm but this is better than both my touch HD and Omnia together.
Have you seen the ubercool wireless desktop charger for this thing ? Or its UI? And the resolution and gamut of its screen?
I just hope that it will come with a UMTS/ HUSPA version too; if it does I'm gonna buy it on the first day it lands on my frigid country.
I just hope Palm is not going to screw it up with a crappy camera or sub par materials, but it seems unlikely: they can't afford to screw this one up, this is the last chance Palm has got to survive.
If they make it friendly to european 3,5G palm has got a sure winner.
,
i think it will be an awesome phone, hence the last 50mil injection just a few weeks ago. i'm a little hesitant on the OS, i mean it's virtually a first release, we all know about first release software and how that can turn out. i'll give it the benefit of the doubt. i need to know about the OS more, though they said it was open and easy to write.. like a giant browser on steroids. i am really looking forward to this, got me really excited to hear more about it!
Kudos to Palm for thinking ahead and staying with its vision. I don't think the important thing about today's announcements is the handset - it's all about the new ecosystem. Looking forward to hear more.
Why it gotta slide out from the bottom? I hate that kind I do want a new phone and I have had every palm phone sprint ever offered but damn. Its kinda of ugly
That means Verizon too with their LTE and intergrated with vodafone
god i hope they make it with triband 3G & bring it to Canada
Why wait when there's a better alternative out there, the iPhone?
No matter how hard these companies try, it will never be as good as the original: iPhone.
Damn it, Palm. I really want a Palm phone so it can sync to my Yahoo calendar for free! Unlike Google calendar (which kinda forces you to do it via cell phone provider's bandwidth)
Palm *always* goes to Sprint first. Centro was Sprint first. Treo 650 was Sprint first, but eventually the Cingular version came out.
I will wait...if this thing becomes Palm's iPhone and is *only* on Sprint it will epic fail. No serious business person uses Sprint.
You're kidding right? Sprint probably has more business contracts than any other provider. Two of the two fortune 500 companies i've worked for so both have sprint for all of their employees.
@krische
That's exactly it, people need to research further before they comment. Sprint does have the largest Business network of any US carrier, and as someone has mentioned Palm always goes to Sprint first. Palm might not admit it, I think this is a shot at Rim (not only Apple), prior to the explosion of the BB, Palm had a large business customer base.
For such a nice device why did they pick Sprint? I know Sprint is desperate and they probably offered them great terms to bring it to their network but all I care is the UMTS version has North American 3G bands or even one of them. I'm getting it unlocked, imported whatever. I just want it. After paying ridiculous prices for unlocked S60 devices for the past few years this device is easily worth getting unlocked.
"Why it gotta slide out from the bottom?"
My guess is that Palm took this route to keep the keyboard easy to use with one hand.
Why all the hate against Sprint? They've recently won awards for their quality customer service (come along way from only a couple years ago) and recent testing has shown they have the fastest, largest, and most dependable 3G network in America. Lastly, their prices can't be beat. I've had sprint for a couple years now and have nothing to complain about.
I´ll buy one as soon as it is available in Finland. Note to Nokia: this is the way to design phone software.
sprint is gettto every time im in one of there stores i feel like im in the hood!
This product looks great and it´s the first phone (beside the iPhone) that creates this "Want to have" feeling...Also Palm is a likeable company to me, I just can see here the box of my old Palm m100 organizer.....But they should try to launch it in Europe very soon. Ok, it´s a US company but they often sell more of their products in Europe than in the US, so they should launch it the same time than in the US. Also most EU countries have better and more modern mobile networks than the US. So I can´t really understand why they only developed a US phone without a UMTS version.
I'm sick of these carrier-specific phone models. It should be illegal to say that a particular phone can only be used by a particular carrier.
I thought it was.....
So a world GSM phone won't work on T-Mobile's US network?
You have let me down Palm.
Having been a loyal user of many Palm devices from the first PDA though my current Treo, I am completely disappointed that the Pre has no support for my existing Palm apps. Also one carrier. Sprint. Give me a break.
Remind me why exactly I should stay loyal to Palm? If I wanted something that doesn't run my Palm apps and doesn’t work in the USA and Europe - I have a huge choice. I'd have moved to a modern phone ages ago. But I waited patiently, I had faith Palm would be back with a perfect Palm OS smartphone and wouldn't let me down. I feel like an idiot now.
When it can run my existing apps and there is a GSM version, maybe I'll look at it.
How many more years do I have to wait for that Palm people?
Oh and it's shiny. So it shows every smudge and fingerprint and will be slippery. The slide out keyboard is nice, but how do you skin the Pre?
I was beyond excited about Pre, but having found out what it’s missing, I’m looking at alternatives. Thank goodness for StyleTap. Maybe if you work with them, Palm, so they can support your apps for you, and you might lose fewer customers.
This is what I get for living in the US. Sprint is horrible. AHHHHHHHHHH