Palm Pre on June 6th for $200: It's official!

The day you've been waiting for is here. Sprint just announced that the Pre will cost $199.99 after $100 mail-rebate and 2-year contract and will launch on June 6th as rumored this morning. The phone will go on sale nationwide (US-only for the moment) at Sprint stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and select Wal-Mart stores. The Pre will be available under Sprint's Everything Data or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plans. Accessories include the optional $69.99 Touchstone charging dock kit that includes the $49.99 dock and $19.99 Pre back cover. June 6th, that's two days before the WWDC keynote. Poor Apple.

Note: Looking more info? Check out our giant Palm Pre hub!

[lostinsydney @ May 19th 2009 7:02AM]

awesome

[DP @ May 19th 2009 7:58AM]

Second that.

[Marcus @ May 19th 2009 8:19AM]

Nothing about a Europe release?

[Joshua @ May 19th 2009 8:24AM]

Looking forward to some real competition for the iPhone - although $299? ouch.

[wrabbit @ May 19th 2009 9:39AM]

*sigh* and yet we won't see it in Canada for at least another 3-4 months :(

Still exciting news, I can't wait to read the reviews.

[XGM @ May 19th 2009 11:57AM]

Yea us Canadians want some Pre too :(

[canadajohn @ May 19th 2009 12:51PM]

@XGM

Bell has the Pre in Canada - http://www.bell.ca

[Samboini @ May 19th 2009 1:50PM]

I'm going to wait until after WWDC upon which, the winner gets my money!

[sjpillai @ May 19th 2009 7:02AM]

Yipppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

[Derry Quinn @ May 19th 2009 7:21AM]

Poor Apple? More like poor palm!

The Pré is an amazing device, but it;s thunder will be stolen by Apple just 2 days later! What a pity!

[CreepinJesus @ May 19th 2009 7:27AM]

@tj - haha you think THIS is over-hyped?

*cough*iPhone*cough*

[Andrew B. @ May 19th 2009 7:27AM]

@Derry Quinn The author was being sarcastic. He knows that this is risky of palm because the iPhone will be announced a few days later.

[tj @ May 19th 2009 7:43AM]

-Jesus boy

The difference is that the iphone is a device that is worthy of all the hype that surrounds it.
Unlike this piece of filth

[Johnny K @ May 19th 2009 7:49AM]

Prediction: Apple leaks info about upcoming iPhone update on June 2 / 3 (probably background apps, integrated contacts, or another of the Pre features, and does so through back channels). Just a teaser image or small but interesting spec. Then, by two days before WWDC we're in full-on rumor mode, dampening the Pre launch to anyone considering it over the iPhone. WWDC arrives on the 8th, and while it's not as good as whatever Palm's offering, the damage has been done. Believe me: Apple's not going to sit that week out.

[Argot @ May 19th 2009 7:54AM]

@tj Are you moving to Jobstown with the other drones to drink the Cupertino kool-aid when the time comes?

[Freakin Ijit @ May 19th 2009 8:01AM]

Not "Yippee" but instead "Huh? Are they NUTS!?".

$300 is the price to walk out the door - Engadget, for their own reasons - has chosen to make it seem cheaper.

That's not "Fat Middle" pricing.

[JamesR @ May 19th 2009 8:16AM]

Like Apple when they said they cut the price in half but really just moved the cost to the plan and it ended up costing more than the original?

I bought the Instinct with a "$100 MIR" but I didn't have to do it, they just gave me the phone for the $100 off.

There's no deceptive reporting here unless they didn't mention it was with a MIR...which they did.

[smaa @ May 19th 2009 8:15AM]

i can understand fanboy bashing, but i dont think the iphone was "overhyped". thats just being an anti-apple-fanboy and going too far in the other direction. whats you actual reason for it being overhyped?

[Mark Anderson @ May 19th 2009 8:23AM]

Not really interested in this or the iPhone at the moment. Still, you never know...

[Look_Around_You @ May 19th 2009 8:53AM]

"Prediction: Apple leaks info about upcoming iPhone update on June 2 / 3 (probably background apps, integrated contacts, or another of the Pre features, and does so through back channels). Just a teaser image or small but interesting spec. Then, by two days before WWDC we're in full-on rumor mode, dampening the Pre launch to anyone considering it over the iPhone. WWDC arrives on the 8th, and while it's not as good as whatever Palm's offering, the damage has been done. Believe me: Apple's not going to sit that week out."

Better predictions:

Now that there is a date, the gadget blogs, and iTrolls will flood the channel with whatever made up iPhone rumor they can get their hands on. They will also flood boards with made up stories with supposed "issues" wit the Pre. Now that they have a target, they can work the machine for Apple a bit better.

Apple will have people posting/bashing the Pre, but they will not be feeding stuff to blogs. They work well enough for Apple on their own.

Look for muted coverage of the launch from this site and others. They will act as if the Pre launch is just soooo getting in the way of Apple's big party, which they will feel is so much more important.

And DO NOT FORGET the expected hit piece/review from Engadget. They WILL give the Pre a bad review or they will give whatever device Apple has an over the top A+++++ review if they dont feel they can get away with a bash piece on the Pre.

[S4Rs @ May 19th 2009 9:08AM]

I dont need a crappy gaming device like the iphone. I need a life management device like the pre.

[Bryan @ May 19th 2009 9:15AM]

i like how Derry Quinn put an accent over the e in Pre. not only pretentious, but wrong.

[Jay O @ May 19th 2009 9:17AM]

Just a tidbit of info for the people complaining about the MIR, RadioShack does not do MIR any more for Sprint, they are now all instant rebates. So the Pre will be $199 out the door.

[OneLove @ May 19th 2009 10:02AM]

HTC touch pro 2 FTW!

[Duke @ May 19th 2009 10:09AM]

How about we wait to compare it to the iPhone when it's out and being used by people. It looks like a damn nice phone, but I have no idea if it's better or worse than my iPhone without trying it. I also don't see anyone around here having a basis for their opinions on it. Both sides of the iPhone love/hate fest need to STFU and relax a bit.

[CallDon @ May 19th 2009 11:28AM]

Here's a thought...when I am trying to not wake up in the morning, I can roll over and open one eye and with my Treo 755p, with one hand I can hit the right buttons and check my overnight e-mail or check Engadget with virtually no effort. I don't even have to look, I do it by feel. I think it would be too much trouble with the Pre. I would be completely satisfied with my 755p if it only had wifi. And I like my Sero plan, not available with the Pre.

[Rob @ May 19th 2009 11:26AM]

Its amazing to see the impact Engadget's open letter from 2 years ago had on Palm! http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/21/dear-palm-its-time-for-an-intervention/ Palm have implemented most of the suggested changes...

[katiecheng @ May 19th 2009 12:16PM]

www.sprintshops.com has the Pre for $49.99 for new line of service, $179.99 for upgrade (22mo before contract's up). I'm getting it from them. Screw $199.99, you can't beat $50.

[loosely_coupled @ May 19th 2009 4:12PM]

Guys ignore the trolls... Most of them are anti-apple idiots trying to make Apple fans look like morons..

[bjsguess @ May 19th 2009 5:57PM]

Apple fans don't need any help to look like morons.

[sire @ May 19th 2009 6:48PM]

i'm so confused, did everyone forget that the iphone was $600 when it first came out?! $200 for this phone is not bad at all. i am pretty sure i paid more than that for my old blackberry pearl when it first came out.

[VanillaSpice @ May 19th 2009 10:16PM]

@wako - you want to understand? Easy.

They're not Apple fans, they are Apple haters. They are using a variation on the classic Straw Man method of attacking, not your actual opponent or their opinions, but a distorted and wrong view of your opponent or their opinions.

Which is sad, but not as sad as all these gullible people who are so willing to believe that these obvious caricatures are genuine.

Pretty horrible, hey? The staff should have put a stop to this at the start but it is too late now, the haters have achieved their objective and many now have swallowed wholesale this ridiculous notion that all pro-Apple people are trolls.

Welcome to the Engadget comments section. Critical thinking and scepticism are not necessary. Enjoy your stay in unreality.

[donv69 @ May 19th 2009 11:50PM]

From the previews on videos and what Palm has been saying, the software that they plan to release with this phone is pretty impressive and seem to be aiming more that the Blackberry than iPhone market. I am definitely considering the Pre.

[HatsOff @ May 21st 2009 2:47AM]

the only thing that it seems like no one has said yet is the cool feature of if you decline the end user agreement during activation the device will tell you to return it and will "brick". Oh yeah and I have got to use it VERY Responsive!! I can promise it will be better than that damn Instinct, now that was a phone that was overhyped.

[brownman @ May 19th 2009 7:02AM]

Woo! Finally!

[Slugger393 @ May 19th 2009 7:03AM]

Bye Bye Verizon, Hello Pre :)

[Nick @ May 19th 2009 9:04AM]

Exactly! My VZW plan runs out on June 13th. Not only can I get a much cooler phone than the Moto Q I currently have but I'll also be saving around 110 a month on the plan alone. I just hope there's no issue with supply a week after the release.

[John @ May 19th 2009 9:22AM]

My VZW contract is up July 7th. I figure that gives fellow geeks a month to tear the Pre down and figure out how it works in real life.

Either way, I'll probably make the switch. My wallet and VZW are officially fighting and Sprint will likely come in to save the day.

[Logboy @ May 19th 2009 11:45PM]

Um...it's coming to Verizon in 3 to 6 months...You can't wait that long?

[jguilb @ May 20th 2009 11:46AM]

im on sprint now ... you are in for a bad nightmare .. and hours on hold with customer service

[Michael @ May 19th 2009 7:03AM]

hooray!

[Melvin abreu @ May 19th 2009 6:37PM]

OMG i tought i was gonna be the first commenter lol

[spencermorse @ May 19th 2009 7:04AM]

sweeeeeeet!

[Carl-Johan @ May 19th 2009 7:04AM]

But then comes the question, when will it be launched in the UK?

[Tonicboy @ May 19th 2009 7:34AM]

Exactly. I need to get my GSM-Pre lovin' on.

[ray k @ May 19th 2009 8:05AM]

+1 for uk release...

[Proghog @ May 19th 2009 8:58AM]

Right with ya there man, I just hope the European model had support for US 3G frequences so I can use it on at&t.

[jameszy @ May 19th 2009 7:04AM]

iPhone FTW

[tj @ May 19th 2009 7:24AM]

+1

[Postal Dude @ May 19th 2009 7:31AM]

-1, for both.