Sprint's Pre business launch guide leaked in its entirety
By Chris Ziegler 
posted May 24th 2009 4:19PM
posted May 24th 2009 4:19PM
[Thanks, Mason]
- Sprint expects the Pre to "make many IT managers' standards list," meaning corporate users could potentially choose it in place of a BlackBerry or WinMo device.
- Despite the fact that the Pre uses a standard micro-USB port for charging, the document warns that "other charging solutions may not work properly." First-party vehicle and travel chargers will be available at or near launch for $31.99 and $34.99, respectively. We certainly wouldn't be surprised if any micro-USB charger worked, but we don't think we'd want to be the first one to test it.
- Also available at launch will be a clear plastic holster for $24.99, a leather pouch for $39.99, and of course, the Touchstone for $69.99. "Phone covers" are expected shortly after launch for $29.99 each, but we're not sure exactly what those are.
- Individual plans include 450 minutes for $69.99, 900 for $89.99, and Simply Everything unlimited for $99.99. All three include unlimited data.
- Employees will have "delayed" availability to ensure that regular customer demand is filled first (this is a pretty common practice with carriers and big boxes, much to the chagrin of said employees).
- SERO plans are not compatible with the Pre.
- Sprint pits the Pre against the iPhone 3G, Storm, and G1 in a comparison chart, noting that you'd be paying $149.99, $158.98, and $124.99, respectively, for equivalent plans.
- Sprint says that the "sealed form factor" of the Pre makes repairs tough and the potential for damage high; therefore, it's an exchange-only phone. No repairs will be attempted on damaged or defective phones.
- A total of ten flagship stores will be hosting invite-only VIP launch events on June 5.
- DataViz Documents To Go won't just be available at launch, it'll actually be built into ROM so that Office documents can be viewed right from the start. An edit-capable version will be available later, though it's not clear when.
- The creation of a Palm Profile is required to use the phone -- there's no way around it. This is a one-time process that can be completed on the phone itself.
- Users don't need to accept Google's terms of service to use the phone, and if they choose not to, GPS services will not be available.
- You can sync to multiple Exchange accounts at once.
- Remote wipe ("kill pill") capability will be available at launch; users simply need to log into their Palm Profile web page to initiate the wipe. Doesn't change the fact that your phone was stolen, though, you poor thing.
Have you noticed how apple's stuff almost never gets leaked? Like it is always a big surprise when they release something.
not saying they are better, but they are better at keeping secrets
Shhh... That's the real secret.
Yeah, but that's mostly because Apple is kind of a standing joke. Kind of like the Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" or something.
Other than the buttonless shuffle (which no one in their right mind would have conceived of), what have they really kept a secret?
They kept the "revolutionary" nature of the iPhone pretty damn secret. Few were expecting it to be what it was.
Maybe that's because Palm isn't Apple?
This whole secret-keeping thing has been stupid from the outset; it's part of Apple's DNA that Palm seriously could do without.
I sent this in too. Must've been beaten to the punch.
It's because they are the leaders in the computer industry. They won't let anyone copy them, especially Microsoft. That is Apple releases award winning revolutionary products like the iPhone.
Are you kidding me? No one saw the Pre coming...
Palm WAS top secret about it's plans regarding the Pre- before it was announced. You can compare the current situation to what went on after the iphone launch to the time it was actually sold.
^^^lies
so anyway...I cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
let the fapfest begin.
circle "Dutch-Rudder"?
More proof that this thing is actually coming out...All I need is an android port and I'm in...
I think the fact that Sprint officially announced its launch date was proof enough that it was coming out :P
And why would you want an Android port? Isnt WebOS the best thing about the phone?
Once your in the Android world, there's no going back.
That seems unlikely.
@ A.Welsh:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/21/palm-pre-android-port-already-in-progress/
Where there's a will, there's a way.
I'm not saying Android is better than web-os, im just so accustomed to android, especially the root aspect of it, to go to another OS. I just like the pre's form factor, it would be a nice upgrade from my G1.
http://www.precentral.net/internal-sprint-pre-documents-leak-out-right-here
It was posted on Precentral.net on Friday. Not a bad read though.
man, we dont get anything up in the north. We are getting the G1 now, why must I be delayed again.
I think its funny how on the comparison sheet it has "Exclusive NASCAR Content" with Yes for the Pre and No for everything else. Well obviously the Pre is the only one who has it, it's EXCLUSIVE CONTENT. Some of the other comparison points sound more like unique Pre features as well. "Layered Contacts"? When have "Layered Contacts" become an industry standard?
... about the same time as when multi-touch on a 3" screen became a must have.
also ZOMG NASCAR CONTENT!!!!!!!
that's on the same level as a "physical keyboard" and "live tv". really.
...guys?
I can't help but continue to think that as much as Palm wants the Pre to go up against the iPhone, WinMo and Blackberry for the mobile enterprise space, they are too late to the game. I want the Pre to succeed to continue to push hardware manufacturers to beat eachother, but the Pre seems more like a concept device that Palm dreamed up when the iPhone launched, continued to have crappy build after crappy build, then all of a sudden one late night a developer for WebOS figured out their OS problems and then said, "Put this OS on an iPhone like device."
They didn't push the envelope at all. Why NOT put a 5MP camera in it, like the N95/6/7. Why NOT have 16GB of storage ANY an SD slot? Why NOT put a virtual keyboard AND physical keyboard on the device? Why did they have to cheap out and have develop NATIVE apps, not this XML/HTML, not the "not-really-a-developing-platform-but-it-works-in-the-short-term" OS?
And why not stock up on inventory? This is not a small launch like every other device they launched in the last 5 years. What it might come down to is running out of stock on launch, unable to fullfill orders for a couple weeks and Apple, RIM or HTC could pick up the business because of how impatient people are. I can't think of ANYONE who wanted an iPhone at launch who didn't get one. I don't know anyone who got an 8900 (myself included) on launch (even though they TMobile said they were selling like hotcakes).
Am I wrong thinking this?
@dizzydj
Yes, you're wrong.
"I can't help but continue to think that as much as Palm wants the Pre to go up against the iPhone, WinMo and Blackberry for the mobile enterprise space, they are too late to the game."
Because there will never be new businesses or businesspeople to use something new. It's all a zeo-sum deal and it is reserved only for a few companies.
Nope that "game" is totally over. No one else is allowed to enter in.
People who use that "late to the game"phrase really need to be whipped.
@look_around_you: How is that "game" over? Yes, the US Military invested huge amounts of cash to go into the iPhone enviornment. Many businesses have invested HUGE amounts of money invested in BES, or WinMo Exchange Server but that doesn't mean if something better comes out they will not consider it!
Objectively, why wouldn't someone move to a new OS/Platform?
Jake ... I believe you are wrong on your thinking
1. This is not an "iPhone like device" any more than the iPhone was like other touchscreen phones. The actual device itself shares very little in common with the iPhone. Just because it is a touchscreen don't assume that the devices are similar.
2. Hardware wise the Pre doesn't push the envelope. However, that is one of the lessons learned from the iPhone. The iPhone doesn't have the best screen resolution, still camera or video camera. No true GPS until the 3G version was released. In many ways the iPhone was inferior from a spec perspective (when compared to other smart phones) but excelled in terms of usability and accessibility. That's the model that Palm emulated.
3. Why rip the OS? So far, the apps that have been demoed have a rich user experience, on par with anything from WinMo, Android, or the iPhone. Until we hear developers saying that they can't create certain critical apps because of the OS it's very unfair to demonize it.
4. As for the other features you mentioned ... sure it would be nice to have a device that does everything. Remember, we are almost 3 years into the launch of the iPhone and we still have no copy and paste. Griping about Palm not having a virtual keyboard to go along with their physical keyboard sounds petty. And I guarantee that someone will develop an app for it if the community deems it necessary.
5. Finally, as for the stocking situation ... different models for different companies/devices. You can take the Wii approach and limit stock or follow a company like Apple and shoot for a huge launch on day 1. I'm sure there are pros and cons for both models. They both seem to work given the right product and market.
I'm excited about the Pre., although I doubt I will get one. It has a lot of potential. I welcome more players into the space. Competition is great for us, the consumers.
Since Joseph only saw fit to give a taciturn comment, I’ll clarify a bit.
Palm could have done all the stuff you mention, but that would have cost more money in R&D would have taken a lot more time to get into a new game they are already late to, and would have cost the consumer even more than it does now.
I think the device they have is a great balance and hope that Sprint and Palm do well, though I will still be using my iPhone.
WebOS is s a a great maneuver by Palm, just as their massive advertisement of multiple 3rd-party apps, even if they are just using the Apple-funded WebKit with HTML5 that use a local DB, which really just makes them different browser windows. But this is thinking differently and it is allowing Palm to get to market faster with a device, with a developer SDK) and background apps.
They won’t be as powerful as other SDK apps but the majority of apps don’t need to be. They only have to be good enough. The rumours about the iPhone getting background apps are probably true, but not on any current or past iPhones as the OS is too bulky for the HW to handle them. The next one will probably a different story if it gets 256MB RAM.
OS X has a lightweight kernel for a desktop, but it’s bulky on a mobile device. Palm is using a much lighter OS and apps for their Pre with HTML, CSS, and JS being the code. This will allow a lot of quickly made apps that will run well compared to other platforms. This "leg up” will eventually cause some issues as HW gets more capable for mobiles, but hopefully Palm is working on a more robust setup to accommodate a richer SDK.
the major selling point of webOS is that you build apps using web standards. that’s not just a put-me-over until they figure out something else.
also, im sorry to inform you that not every device with a capacitive screen and some icons at the bottom of the screen is iPhone-like any more than it is Magic-like, etc... especially because many people would get this happily over an iPhone
Jake G @ May 24th 2009 5:01PM
@bjsguess: Good points.
I know I can not afford switching carriers again, so I know I will be playing with the demo and my local BBY!
I am looking historically. The iPhone was great, but people using is always complained about how the OS should have native apps, thus they created the App Store and enabled native apps to be written for the iPhone. I also hate limited availability. It must just be my way of thinking, since most product launches I look forward to are software titles and movie titles that come out en mass. I hated having to get up super early to maybe get a Wii. I hated how I had to get in line 2 hours early for a phone (1st Gen iPhone, which I sold for a Blackberry, then went to a Palm-WinMo device, then to another Blackberry, then back to the iPhone 3G, call me an Apple Fanboy when I use OSX and Win7 side by side. Do it, I dare you!).
@ bjsguess,
1) The most they share are that many of Palm’s employees used to work for Apple. :D j/k
2) The original iPhone did push the envelope. The resolution on most phones in the US were below the 480x320 resolution, don’t have capacitance touchscreen, didn’t have any worthwhile internal storage and the main HW components were slower. Others tried to keep costs down by requiring an SD card for any data and Apple needed a faster CPU and more RAM just to get it to run the OS.
3) Saying they are on par with other OSes is a stretch. There is a lot web-based apps can’t do, but that may not be an issue for most if it can do most things for most people. Having the best or strongest isn’t always a win-win situation. Palm was smart to go with lighter, yet limited apps using web-code.
4) The iPhone has been out less than 2 years and x/c/v is not as simple as adding a clipboard. The whole setup has been quite complex and even in the betas for v3.0 there is still work for Apple to get it right. They figured out the logistics an have most of it working well but there are still some caveats. When you only have a finger-based touchscreen you have to expect these challenges to crop up.
5) There are pros and cons with everything, but the limited release makes me think that there are production issues that have not been disclosed. As much as I look forward to throughout reviews of the Pre and hope Palm succeeds here (couldn’t care less about Sprint) I will be sticking with the next iPhone.
Yes, Apple responded to demand and created an SDK for native apps. But you're wrong if you think that Palm doesn't have native apps as well. The difference between Apple's web apps, and Palm's apps in a nutshell, is that Palm's apps run locally on the device with hooks into the hardware.
I think web apps on Apple would've been fine, had they done something similar- the issue was that people didn't want to have to go online, just to use an app. With Palm, you don't have to. Now, you're never going to see Nintendo DS-like games on the Pre, but I'm ok with that. I'd rather get a 64 GB iPod Touch (please Apple, please!) to supplement my Pre.
@ Byran Newell,
They are native, but they are still webcode and ultimately because of it. This will be a bonus for Palm at first as it allowed them to get 3rd-party apps with an SDK made, will allow them to get all those web developers to create apps, and get most apps that most people want on the device quickly, but as the HW get more powerful the apps will show this limitation. Apple started with a desktop kernel and so the HW evolution will only help it grow.
I hope Palm has plans for a more robust SDK that will allow more than webcode in later versions. Regardless, it was the best choice to compete at this stage of the game.
Apple couldn’t have gone this route until this year. They didn’t have HTML5’s DB features until either a recent update to Safari on the iPhone OS v2.x or won’t have it until iPhone OS v3.0. That said, Apple will be initiating background apps, but has to be more careful as their OS uses a lot more resources than the Pre does. They can either use the new HW in the next device to have one or two background apps running or allow the user to have background apps using a local webpage, like the Pre has. This was available in the non-public betas of Safari 4, but they have since removed it. I’m sure it will show up again at some point.
In other words the hypePhone sucks. gotcha.
Sadly, it doesn't make sense for companies like Apple and Palm to give customers everything they want.
They would much rather sell the same phone over and over again with incremental upgrades!
I don't like that business model, but you can only vote with your feet.
I'm pretty sure the iPhone and Storm have integrated calendars... and are "Ready Now".
"Sprint pits the Pre against the iPhone 3G, Storm, and G1 in a comparison chart, noting that you'd be paying $149.99, $158.98, and $124.99, respectively, for equivalent plans.”
I don’t know if they include anything else with their plan that they are making ocmparable plans for other carriers more, but the iPhone with unlimited data and 450 minutes is the same $69.99 for both Sprint and AT&T for the Pre an iPhone, respectively.
I am waiting for the day that someone takes Sprint to court for misleading advertising. Especially when you consider that me and my fiance both have iPhones and are paying $140 / mo with unlimited SMS, unlimited data and 1400 minutes.
Compare that to $200 that they want for two EVERYTHING UNLIMITED plans and it doesn't add up. (To be fair, I know they are talking about AT&T's Unlimited Talk Plan + Data and Unlimited SMS, but who buys those?)
$69.99 sprint plans also includes unlimited texting which is a $20 add-on on ATT for iphone bringing the monthly price to $89.99 for same features. Sprint also includes Telenav for turn-by-turn directions
but Mr. Hesse even said himself that his plans are über cheap. you cant deny that
Sprint's $99 everything plan is one of the best in the business. You get unlimited talk, data AND text for that price. ATT charges $99 for unlimited talk ONLY. You would still need to add data for $30 and text for $20. That makes ATT's closest plan cost $150 for the same package.
@Jake G
That same plan with Sprint is $130. Try comparing apples to apples (so to speak).
Sprint saying their plans are cheaper isn't false advertising, it's stating fact. I know Apple folk have a hard time dealing with that concept.
Eh, I agree with both sides. Sprint is notorious for their misleading comparisons, but their pricing really is much, much cheaper. The only reason I'm still on a Treo instead of an iPhone is the low plan rates on Sprint. Unlimited data is $15/month, versus $30/month on AT&T. Plan features like nights starting at 7pm are standard on my Sprint plans, and options on AT&T. If the base AT&T plans were cheaper to make up for that it would be one thing, but they're not - they give you even fewer minutes at the same pricing tiers. Start doing this for multiple lines and you're in for a world of hurt. I ran the numbers, and it would be a full $50 a month more to switch to AT&T and get the same plan features on two lines. Until that's mitigated somewhat, I'm staying on Sprint.
Don't forget the Simply Everything Plan includes tethering which once that is added on to the other plans, reaches the stated price points.
Who cares about unlimited talk time ... I uses about 30% of my 450 any time minutes and I have send/receive ZERO text (except from the carrier) ever since I have a phone. All I care is the ability to connect to the 3G network. We have email, twitter, and facebook, and I don't understand why people are still spending money texting.
Crazy plans you have there in the US.
30$(17$ phone+13$ data)plan, unlimited data and zero minutes. That would be enough for me. Like I have now.
zero minutes? why do you even call it a phone then? a netbook with a 3g connection makes more sense
phone covers must be the clear film that resists scratches/damage....maaaaybe
@Joseph: Explain why I am wrong. Why is that so perposterous?
this isnt the purpose of the pre. a 5mp camera would certainly hike up prices beyond 199, considering it already costs palm 138 to make it. some dev could always make a virtual keyboard or it could be introduced later on in firmware updates. the lack of sd slot was explain by palm for it "was for sleekness".
if you want more internal memory, an sd slot, 5mp camera, then this isnt the right phone for you. maybe you should be looking at an N97, considering that you can afford a 8900 from t-mobile as well as an iPhone from at&t.
Pre's gonna be a massive disappointment, and Palm's stock has shown investors' true feelings in the last week. Buy APPL, sell PALM, new iPhone will destroy the tiny-screened competition.
Palm's stock is retreating because it went up from $1.42 to $12 in a span of a couple of months. A correction was inevitable.
That would be unwise.
Buy both, then dump both when they peak because of the launches. Both, I have a feeling, will go up on their respective days (before, not after).
What is this APPL company you speak of?
Well gee thanks.
I hope we all listen to these Apple flunkies for advice on consumer electronics, because we can totally rely on their objective and honest opinions.
@3rdman
Have you ever looked at stocks before? He used what is called a 4 letter symbol. Learn something about how the economy works, America would be much better if everyone took some time to do so...
Stock prices retreating 2 weeks before a major product launch is not a correction, it's a realization that the product is lackluster and won't be as competitive as was once hoped.
the stock is AAPL, and it is doing very well right now. get over it
@sacapuntas
I don't usually say this, but...you faaail.
Apple fanboys, mount up!!
They seem to be very good at doing that to each other it seems.
Your comment assumes that they aren't already riding on their high-horses 24/7.
>.>
PS. I wrote this on my macbook pro. So I don't think you can call me a "windoze fanboi", or what-have-you. I'm in both apple/ms camps.
As a current Sprint SERO plan holder, I am saddened to see that I will not be able to upgrade to the Pre without paying more than twice as much for the same plan that I have right now. I guess it's understandable since we pay basically nothing for our plans, but still it's regrettable. I'm sure there will be many SERO plan holders who will skip out on this beautiful phone to keep their "too good to be true" plan.
Sucks I have a SERO plan and wanted a Pre!
There's a certain irony in a comment on a Palm topic referring to Apple as a "standing joke." I don't know about anyone else, but if I've got $25 billion in cash, I'll gladly accept the "standing joke" label. But, unlike most of you, I don't live in my mom's basement eating hot pockets and coco puffs, so my perspective (no pun intended) is sorta, you know, matured.
@bjsguess: Good points (altough, I didn't call it an iPhone-like device. Its a smartphone, I get that, which is why I am comparing it to more then just the iPhone).
I know I can not afford switching carriers again, so I know I will be playing with the demo and my local BBY!
I am looking historically. The iPhone was great, but people using is always complained about how the OS should have native apps, thus they created the App Store and enabled native apps to be written for the iPhone. I also hate limited availability. It must just be my way of thinking, since most product launches I look forward to are software titles and movie titles that come out en mass. I hated having to get up super early to maybe get a Wii. I hated how I had to get in line 2 hours early for a phone (1st Gen iPhone, which I sold for a Blackberry, then went to a Palm-WinMo device, then to another Blackberry, then back to the iPhone 3G, call me an Apple Fanboy when I use OSX and Win7 side by side. Do it, I dare you!).
the ruling is still out whether this is Sprint's holy grail or if it is Palm's last handset to be produced, which is really a shame
* SERO plans are not compatible with the Pre.
well, that's a deal-breaker for me. :(
i was planning to upgrade my moto q9c on SERO plan to Pre, but alas :(
You folks with SERO should get used to not being able to transfer that contract to these new phones. Sprint is obviously trying to phase that plan out.
They are only phasing it out for their premier devices. That, of course, makes sense. They want to keep subscribers but at the cost of losing money over the contract makes no business sense. Sprint is paying a premium for the exclusivity of the Pre. The data plan is required, like for the iPhone, because the device isn’t being subsidized the measly $100 or $200 for most phones. The subsidy is more $400. Palm needs Sprint, but Sprint needs Palm a lot more. Palm at least had some options but Sprint has failed miserably with the Instinct and its marketing campaign has cost them dearly. The Pre is more of a viral campaign, still expensive, but considerably cheaper. If the Pre isn’t a relative success I fear that Palm will not have another shot and Sprint will be hit very, very hard with more loses that it may not be able to get out of.
I take it a few of you didn't actually read....sero is getting replaced by the everything now plus plan(or other single user plans) which you can clearly switch over to as a sero customer...still nice prices, for ex. everything family shared 1600(2 phones) 109 in lieu of the 129.99 :-P
http://i40.tinypic.com/293hco0.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/14djacj.jpg
Nice prices yes, but nowhere near as good as SERO.
After reading the comparison chart I see one feature that could matter, Live TV. The rest of it is just hyped of nothing. An Integrated calender? That was a good selling point in 1998. Also another point of interest is seeing how they are building up springs network and services. This ultimately means the Pre will not be coming to a GSM network in the US. That is a little disappointing Since I will not be willing to fork out $699 or more for an overseas unlocked GSM phone.
The Palm Pre is a CDMA phone, but this operating system will be coming to GSM after a timed exclusivity.
the one thing that bothers me is the micro-usb cable issue. The best part of my HTC Touch Diamond is the ability to just find any mini-usb and it just works, its going to be a pain if you can only use palm branded micro-usb cables,that are probably selling for way may then an off brand one
It wouldn't be called micro usb if it was proprietary to palm.
Micro-USB is the new standard for phones - it started showing up about a year or two ago. I first encountered it on my RunCore SSD's, and the only way to find a cable was to get it as a cellphone accessory. Overall, I must say I like the connector much more than the old mini-USB ones.
In this case, micro-USB _is_ the way to go. One reason all the phone makers (except Apple) are choosing to make it standard is that it is much more robust than mini-USB. The number of lifetime insertion sycles is much higher with the newer micro-USB.
Yes, I am a little miffed - I have a bunch of mini-USB devices and cables, but it is the standard - and open.
@ Rohan,
I figured they’d have to offer other benefits. With as many subs as they are losing they can’t afford not to offer lower rates.
@ Jason,
If you need unlimited everything then that is a great deal.
im so glad the iphone came out because it forced other cell phone manufacturers to really make great phones like the pre. ugh if only i had sprint...
Phones have been evolving for years. The only original thing that iPhone added was multitouch to a mobile device. Oh wait, they had visual voicemail too, but does it count if you stole it?
Modern OS; capacitance touchscreen; useful built-in storage; user friendly UI; media as a focus; good web browser; solid construction; glass display; carrier contracts that allow Apple to control updates, tech support, and apps; simple sync with iTunes; Cocoa SDK for rich apps; App Store; free rich updates for phones in their 3rd year.
Sure others had some aspects of these, even the app store idea wasn’t new. Apple almost never does anything ‘new’, they just do it in a new way that is logistically better for the average person. For example, even their 10 month old App Store is not the success it is because they are copying everyone else’s model. They aren’t letting the carrier control what apps are on the device, like having them remove YouTube and GoogleMaps like Verizon has done to devices in the past. They have started with a simple device and built upon it, like Palm is doing with the Pre, while others are still trying to out-Apple Apple in PCs, PMP and now smartphones by trying to put anything and everything into their devices regardless of how well it works or how easy it is to use. But this strategy only works to make a few über-geeks spooj in their into sweatpants when they read the spec sheet.
@Bender: Not all of those are such a big deal. I'd say the most important innovations for the end user are the quality web browser, the simple UI, and the app store. For the developers (and the future) the modern OS and API set will keep it going a LOT longer than most other phone platforms, which have been showing their age for quite some time (classic PalmOS and WinMo especially).
Palm did the right thing with the Pre. With WebOS, they have an excellent UI, presumably a decent web browser, and more flexibility on application distribution. Developers say things are excellent on their end as well, and Palm has jettisoned nearly 15 years of cruft in the process.
The real question is whether the Pre is good enough to sway people who are actively looking for an iPhone, which thanks to the miracles of advertising, a LOT of folks are. If you simply look at the features, UI, and design, the two are very closely matched. I just worry that this may be too late.
@ Joshua Ochs,
I’d say that it’s best competition the iPhone has seen to date, but there are a lot of issues that they won’t easily shake. They have done well and upon launch will have a more modern and faster browser engine than the iPhone 3G. That is, a new version of WebKit that can render JS much faster than the iPhone 3G can right now, and the CPU be faster, have more RAM and have more of this at it’s beck and call since the Pre’s OS is much lighter. The HW and browser engine advantage will go away as soon as the next iPhone is out, but surely not before side-by-side testing shows that the Pre kicks the iPhone 3G’s ass. That said, the iPhone platform still has a lot more to offer many users and will surely remain upon it’s pedestal.
Page 10: "Exclusive NASCAR content"
HAHAH is Sprint trying to cater to hicks and rednecks?
does this sero business simply mean i can't buy the pre at $199?
it seems like they are trying to say i can't have it at all, but if i buy the pre on ebay or at full price and try to activate it online using the ESN on sprint's website, it's really going to stop me simply because of what plan I'm on? i find that a little hard to believe and a lot hard to accept, with plenty of other phones like the touch pro 2 coming out with higher specs than the pre and being able to activate them without issue.
You will not be able to keep SERO if you buy a Pre. No matter how you get it.
why does it say Instant Rebate on page three i thought sprint required a Mail In Rebate
All of these are very valid points. I wish Palm the best. I too, would be switching if I wasn't on an iPhone for home and a BB Bold for work on ATT. The Pre looks amazing, but I'm going to wait and see what happens with it a bit. No more early adopting for me, these smartphones change too damn fast for a 2 year contract! I'm still waiting for the ETF to be cancelled, illegal or whatever.....aren't we all sick of these? I think once a cell phone company kills the damn ETF fee (yeah, right) it will pit MANY competitors against eachother, to offer the best bang for the buck which is perfect for the consumer. The plans need to come down in price also, It's 2009 for christ sakes...cell phone plans should be dirt cheap because there are so many competitors. ATT sucks in my area and I'm in San Diego...what gives? I drop calls in my apt or outside all the time on both Bold and iPhone and am WELL in the middle of the coverage area. If the Pre is all it claims and more, that 99.00 price is looking very nice...I COULD adopt early if the Pre comes out fighting and wins afterall!
just some thoughts.
wasn't congress(?) working on an action to kill the ETF the mobile companies are charging or was that just for the legal right to be pro-rated based on the plans start date?
It's all soo confusing LOL.
Beer time!
This part looks too much like Apple's crappy practice of allowing to use only approved (read "licensed and paid for") accessories with a special chip inside.
------
Despite the fact that the Pre uses a standard micro-USB port for charging, the document warns that "other charging solutions may not work properly." First-party vehicle and travel chargers will be available at or near launch for $31.99 and $34.99, respectively. We certainly wouldn't be surprised if any micro-USB charger worked, but we don't think we'd want to be the first one to test it.
Has anyone even wondered if this thing has a GSM support?
I can not find any spec on this thing! Even on palm page is just says:
Network specs1 3G EVDO Rev A
Whate does this even mean???? (in my opinion this is a stupid text which does not say anything to a end user like myself)
I really hope it does have GSM since 3G does not work all to well in asia and i'm buying a phone first. Otherwise i have to upgrade to another iPhone. Been looking forward to pre for a long time so hopefully i wont be disappointed.
If you guys have any better information about the network chip please let me know.
Going back to WebOS, an internal sprint document stated that Electronic Arts is developing some applications for the Pre. Maybe they are allowing some companies to develop native apps. It would be great if the "Palm Catalog" had some games right at launch. Either way, I hope the phone succeeds as I will be deciding between this and the "new" Iphone. But for those Apple fanboys that are bashing this phone, the better the Palm Pre does, the better Apple does, and so on.
By the way, could Palm be allowing game developers access to flash? Meaning, is it possible for the Pre to have games that utilize flash only for games?
Great job guys! How did you get this? Lots of new information that no one has.
Can't wait for launch. I hope I win one.
page 15 is missing
People, People, let's the Pre hits the street first, don't shoot the iPhone down, I really don't believe that now the iPhone is a piece of garbage when compare with a Pre, when do we started to see the future? How the Pre is sooooo revolutionary that the iPhone is a pure trash, but how about the Nokias, the Blackberries, the HTCs, the Samsungs and LGs or even the Sony Ericssons, why did we erased them from the Pre equation? or they don't matter anymore? Forget about the iPhone and let's the Pre hits the street... Palm SHOULD has a hit or demise itself from the business, they haven't been inNOvating for a looooong looong time, so they better have a hit here or else and please let's the iPhone alone, Palm has other bigger threats, the iPhone is just one...
In the comparison chart, a NASCAR feature is unique to the Pre. Is this feature important enough to compare to the other phones?
Related to this, on page 11, the promo states: "We cannot afford to sell the Pre to the wrong customer.
"Is this feature important enough to compare to the other phones?"
If you have poor marketing people, Yes.