Think you'll have to wait until
June 6th for all the
Pre surprises to emerge? Think again. A breaking
Reuters report has just dropped one of the biggest cellular bombshells of the year:
Verizon Wireless, America's largest mobile operator, will soon be carrying Palm's Pre. Oh, that's not enough? No worries -- it'll also be selling a "new version of the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm," which is obviously the
Storm 2 that we've been toying around with. The report makes clear that both phones would be cleared for shipment in around six months, which certainly jibes with whispers we've heard about Sprint's
mighty short exclusivity period. The news came from the company's Lowell McAdam, the top executive for the venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone. To quote: "
Over the next six months or so you will see devices like Palm Pre and a second generation Storm." First Sprint, then
AT&T, and now Verizon? T-Mobile, where you at?
[Thanks, E]
Update: Seems Mr. McAdam continued on by noting that VZW would get the Palm Pre "
and a cousin." Hmm,
Eos, anyone?
posted May 28th 2009 12:18PM
Yay!
bring on the Pre!
Yes, thank God, now Verizon can finally have a decent phone.
My Blackberry Storm makes me want to bash my head in a rusty pike daily.
Yay Pre! It's shiny and works without leaked software updates!
This news just made my day.
how do you know it works? you probably assumed the same about the Storm. look at you now.
The only drawback to this news are the people who are going to hold off on buying the Pre on June 6th because they now know the Pre is coming to Verizon, which is a better network. That's going to deaden the impact of the launch. That means, Apple will be given a chance to turn potential Pre buys to the iPhone, when it's released at WWDC a couple of days later.
The marketing guys at PALM really screwed up here. They should have waited until after WWDC to announce this. There are giving Apple a six month gap to take advantage of this news. This is why Apple never shows their hand until the very last minute.
I WANT A GSM VERSION ! ! !
Palm isn't controlling the press on on this. What do you expect them to say? "We don't want the #1 and #2 carriers in the US to sell our latest and great world changing phone?"
I'm not sure this will hit sales that much - supplies are limited thanks to the usual half-way execution by Sprint. They didn't want to pay Palm enough for a longer exclusive, didn't want to guarantee large volumes so get lots of units available at launch, didn't want to spend the money to market the heck out of it while exclusivity was still in place, etc... This is the reason that Sprint continues to bleed subs and squander the limited advantages it has, and is a tier 2 carrier and always will be.
If they had gotten the exclusive on the iPhone, they would have screwed that up too.
One thing is clear now though - unless Sprint cuts prices and such on plans that the Pre is supported under to get people to get the Pre and not wait once supplies are doing better, then I think they are really going to lose a lot of potential adds.
This is all good for Palm though. And since we really care a lot more about Palm and the Pre than Sprint, it's not that big a deal.
@ mike myers
well, sprint does offer cheaper plans for the same amount of service comparable to vzw and at&t. $60.00/mo for 450 mins, unlimited text, unlimited data.
the same on vzw (which i currently have)
$99.99 for 450 mins, unlimited text, unlimited data
before they had the above, where you can do ala carte
$39.99 for 450 mins
$44.99 for unlimited data
$10 for 500 texts, unlimited INnetwork
$15 for 1000
$20 for 5000
=========
$94 to $114/mo
with sprint i can save at least $30. if comparing service to service save $40
fortunately, in the san francisco bay area, where at&t, vzw and sprint are available and service quality is pretty much the same (minus data speed) i will choose to save some $$$. The PRE just gives me a reason to switch, as i've been waiting for a decent phone to come out (coming from a windows treo, blech)
The horse has spoken:
"On to the Q&A: When will there be a GSM version. Palm expects to have one at some point in the future. What about the Verizon deal, asks Walt, noting this morning’s Verizon story this morning. Rubinstein says he can’t comment. We do love Sprint and they are our exclusive launch partner,” Rubinstein said. “It sounds like AT&T and Verizon both want it.. I can’t comment on unannounced relationships.” He notes that BellMo will distribute the Pre in Canada."
http://d7.allthingsd.com/20090528/d7-interview-jon-rubinstein-and-roger-mcnamee-and-the-palm-pre/
Looks like these rumors of Verizon and ATT getting the Pre next are just that, rumors! Canada is next.
Sprint must be mighty angry this has come out. This effectively screws them over w/regards to exclusivity. What do they have that no one else does now?
Does this mean that we can expect the Pre to arrive on AT&T in six months also?
Probably not Chris, unless Palm is currently working on a GSM version of the Pre
Marc, there's been a GSM Pre since World Mobile Congress.
Yes, 6 to 9 months is common for exclusivity for phones in a market.
The TouchPro had about the same time frame before it went from Sprint to ATT.
The GSM issues is a non-issue. Both are being manufactured and any Pre sales in Europe are going to have to have GSM flavors.
Yes, like the above users have mention. That is the beauty of having AT&T or T-mobile. Whatever Sprint or Verizon dishes out, it will most likely be released in a GSM form factor. Outside of the US. GSM dominates.
woo hoo! now THAT'S something i'll be camping out for!
so long, POS Glyde!
sprint should have exclusivity for more time just like at& has for the iphone or verizon has for the storm
Um - no. The iPhone is a totally different animal. Consider it the Wii of phones when it comes to bringing non-smartphone users to the smartphone realm. AT&T is not going to be giving that up. Verizon's Storm exclusivity was great at first, but I doubt there are companies clawing at that phone once reviews started coming out.
Palm needs more help than sprint, so of course they want it to be available as much as possible. Apple wasn't in any trouble so they didn't really care if it was only available on one carrier.
No, exclusivity is total bullshit any way you cut it! It's a form of bundling and should be made illegal by the FTC!
Well that ought to make some people happy.
Get ready to live in the now
(6)8 Days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 34 seconds!
Whoa, I forgot how many days were in a month... disregard :(
Countdown fail.
Cool countdown fail :P
Apple better be gettin' in on the Verizon action too... or there goes the #1 smartphone slot.
yayyyyy even tho my Contract will be expiring ANOTHER 6 months after it gets released
Its funny that people are excited because ATT and VZW would both require a new plan like for the iPhone. If they require this and if VZW and ATT didn't change their current rates, Sprint is still cheaper. Just an interesting point.
Agreed -- AT&T and VZW both abuse their market positions, both in price and lax customer service, and are thus the worst carriers. I wont consider the Pre (or any other phone) on any carrier other than T-Mobile or Sprint. I'm still mad at Sprint for the 5GB data maximum, so I would switch to T-Mobile if they got the Pre or a decent Android phone.
Crippled?
(burned Verizon Touch Pro Owner)
I am sure it will be, like every other verizon phone. Heres hoping it won't be.
Well its good that the Pre launched on Sprint first so if the big red V attempts to Gimp it when it shows up in their inventory, we will bare witness to their deliberate device lameness!!
Unfortunately the touch pro also launched first on Sprint and I complained to Verizon about their reduced specs, and they came back with something like, "Well the software that verizon puts on the phone is second to none, and that's where the real value is." I would have switched to sprint then, but work is covering the monthly cost on verizon only.
Can u explain to me how my Storm is "Crippled" on VZW? I just dont see it.
It the Strom was crippled by BB themselves. If you look at the Vodfone version you will the same crippledness. That why their are bring out the Storm 2 so quickly.
The notion of a branded webOS makes me shudder. It's enough to make me want to wait until an unlocked GSM version comes around. But it looks like Sprint didn't get much branding in the Pre, though.
Good news for Verizon. Bad news for Sprint, on all levels.
This is what Palm needs to do to survive. Sread your seed as fast and as far as possible. By not making it exclusive (Sorry Sprint) it gives Palm the ultimate amount of exposure around the globe. Go Palm, Go.
Yeah, Sprint is going down.
Good news for Palm and consumers.
Finally a good phone for verizon, f*ck my storm
That will actually leave me with a tough choice... Pre or Storm 2. Regardless, the fact that Verizon is leaving me with any choice at all amazes me. Now if they pull an LTE iPhone out of thin air, I'll be screwed by my own indecisiveness.
Dont worry, good 'ole TMO is probably just holed up somewhere working on yet another sidekick to push out to the teeny boppers.
That's all well and good Verizon, except I'm STILL waiting for a release date for the Tour.
Come on already
July.
I knew that.....I just meant it in the "make it official already!" sense
I am awaiting reviews but hoping the device lives up to the hype.
From a service area perspective, this is great. I have had Verizon service and in my areas where I go they are generally the best. I have an ATT Blackberry for work and not that happy with the serivce. I am going to try Tmobile (just bought a pre-paid), and am trying to figure out the best way to sample Sprint.
From a device perspective I am hoping the Pre lives up to the hype. I have tried WinMo and Android and while both are fun for tinkering, they are still rough around the edges (I could deal with it but my wife would be lost). I have an iPod Touch and while I hate all the way Apple try's to keep you in their ecosystem, it is hard to deny that it is a well designed combination of hardwear and software.
Wow
can you believe it . The Iphone 3.0,The Pre,The Storm..on all 3 major carriers now thats what I call the best news ever...Now T-mobile bring home the bacon :-D
I'll just wait till is avail in ATT
Will they cripple the HW and put ugly red Verizon firmware/theme on Pre like they always do? That's only thing I hate about Verizon.
My Verizon Blackberry Curve 8330 works just like any other Blackberry on another carrier. No custom Verizon-ness.
GPS works on Blackberry maps... but it's gimped for any other application. But, I have a Garmin as my travel GPS anyway.
Still... it's a Blackberry on a fast EV-DO network... no complaints here.
Yeah what are you talking about? My storm has no special VZW look or Crippling. Heck the GPS works on all programs in the phone. Beside the preloaded VZW wallpaper, the Storm looks like it would on any network.
The BB STORM is one of the FEW exceptions to the VZW gimping
hell yes
@Chox
I was just going to ask that. They will probably disable half of the hardware and clog it up with red crap.
Anyone else find it creepy that ALL ads on this page (atleast for me) is about the Pre? There's atleast 20 different pictures of the Pre at different angles! I've heard of gadget p0rn, but this is ridiculous!
to be honest i dont see ANY ads on the page..... adblocker ftw?
so does this mean pre may come to rogers or fido in canada?
both of them are gsm
I don't think I'd get excited about this until I heard from Palm directly. How many people are now thinking about waiting 6 months so the can stick with Verizon and/or AT&T instead of jumping to Sprint? Probably the same amount of people who will be waiting six more months come December 2009.
I'd call this a pre-emptive strike to keeping their customers from jumping to Sprint.
it's amazing how many people are falling for this BS, isn't it?
GET THE NOKIA N97 TOO. The CEO at D7 said it is headed for ATT but according to consumer Reports Verizon has the highest customer retention rate sooooooo put a flagship phone with a quality carrier.
"T-Mobile, where you at?"
is that a Boost mobile reference? LOL
good bye sprint, :(
you were my first
I think everyone is missing the point. If the Pre is a breakout success, and it goes head to head on the big 3 networks, Verizon & ATT will have no choice but to lower data plans. Thats Sprints claim right now with the $99 everything plan killing the other 2 everything plans. But going head to head on all three might force them to meet sprints price. Also Pre on all three networks may have real capability to match the iphone or RIM in terms of sales. 2009 is the year of the Smartphone Wars!
i'm glad someone made the competition point. all this talk of sprint going away will not be good for consumers. when was the last time you saw less competition being good for consumers. sprint's demise is not something to cheer.
@ krofsref when HD-DVD died? Wasn't that better for competition seeing as now there would be more streamlining? But Yeah Ari makes a very good point and I do hope that this does occur(let add T-mobile in this mix for the hell of it) so prices on all carriers(VZW for me) to go down. Even if AT&T just gets the Eos at first it still would help prices going down.
I happy it's coming to ATT. But yall should made a option people for that going to wait it out regardless.
"T-Mobile, where you at?"
is that a Boost mobile reference? LOL
good bye sprint, :(
you were my first
Where is the choice in the poll for "I'll save my Ne2 that is up in July to get a Pre" ?
Man, go ahead and call me a Sprint fanboy but this just sickens me! I mean can't we just have a superior phone to ourselves for a while? Don't get me wrong, I completely understand the nature of Palm's history of working with a variety of carriers but wtf?
I feel I should explain my loyalty towards Sprint for 10+ years now (since I now I am the Minority). It's simple really: they are reliable and have been for me in my area and I pay a little for a lot! Adding the Pre to that formula is only going to make me happier:-)
The actual quote is:
"Over the next six months or so you will see devices like Palm Pre and a second generation Storm," on the Verizon Wireless network, McAdam told a webcast.
He DID NOT say they would be getting the Pre. If that was the case I'm sure he wouldn't have said "devices like Palm Pre" but instead "you will see devices such as the Palm Pre". I'm betting Verizon is getting the Eos and they are phrasing it that way to slow defections.
You assume he's familiar with either a grammar book or Winston ads.
Not necessarily likely.
i'm pretty damn excited all around
Sweet Jesus, hallelujah! Goodbye KRZR you POS.
Verizon getting the Pre and Android phones? What the hell is going on? Since when did Verizon start to get good phone?
In all seriousness, I have been a long time Verizon customer and was getting ready to jump ship due to their lack of good phones. This news seriously just saved me from switching carriers (I was planning on switching in June).
I'm sticking with my iPhone since I have absolutely no problems with AT&T.
Good News as long as it's not crippled. I had a Treo once on Verizon and it was cool in the fact that it had it's own interface - not the crappy VCAST GETITNOW corny Verizonware. I'm pretty sure the Pre will stand on its own as well - although the iTunes integration might freak Verizon out.
This is kinda slutty in a way for the Pre to just get passed around all the carriers, lol.T-Mobile is the last one left.
I'm not complaining and it doesn't really matter to me, I'm already on Sprint.
"T-Mobile, where you at?"
Dont you worry. I'd say good ol T-Mo is gearing up to release a dozen or so more entry level crap phones & some more Sidekicks for the kids.
The news that many of us in the defense field (as well as other companies) is that there is going to be a non-camera version available, so the phones can be taken to work. Many companies are restricting camera phones from the property. If a Cell Phone manufacturer and carrier can team up to create a non-camera model for every model it makes/provides service to then I would take all of my money out of my 401k and buy thier stock because the trend is leaning more towards non-camera phones in area that work with sensetive/proprietary information
hahahaha Verizon?
What phone has Verizon NOT crippled? omg wtf is everyone getting excited about...wait till you see what verizon does with that interface...yuck
How has Verizon cripplied the Blackberry OS? Besides not releasing new software for the Storm, they haven't implemented their standard OS like they do on other phones. I would imagine the Pre would be the same.
THE STORM!
Even though the Pre is a vastly overrated phone, this is good news for the cell phone market.
This "exclusive" stuff like T-Mobile's G1 and AT&T's iPhone has GOT to end. You should be able to buy any phone no matter what carrier.
VZW, late to the party as usual.
6 months is 2 years in mobile years.
Wouldn't that mean, then, that the iPhone is like 6 years old then? Looks like AT&T is behind the times!
oh so now I know what Steve Jobs meant when he said the iphone was "5 years ahead of any device" :)
I'm not surprised by this. Palm needs to be successful no matter what. If webOS takes off like they hope it will, then perhaps we will see newer Palm devices with longer exclusivity deals.
6 months is a loooooooooooooong time in mobile months.
I am still switching from Verizon to Sprint and getting the Pre. I have been a Verizon customer for at least 7 years, but its time to let go. The argument for Verizon has always been that they are more expensive but have better coverage. This was mostly true for me when I lived on the east coast, but in California where I have lived for a few years now, Verizon service is lacking. I get NO service in some parts of my house, and do not live in a rural area. My housemate has solid coverage on AT&T in the same location. Secondly, Verizon is just too much for considering its not the best. Right now I pay $50 a month for 450 minutes, 250 text messages, and no internet. The Everything Data plan for the Pre on Sprint is 69.99 with 450 minutes and unlimited sms, internet, TV, GPS nav, etc. The equivalent plan on Verizon is 79.99, and does not have TV or streaming music. This does not even take into account the numerous, nearly automatic EVP discounts Sprint offers. Anyone can get 10% their bill for joining any credit union, which is free. Now your at 62.99 . I also just confirmed that you get 25% off every month if you are a member of Alliant Credit Union! This is also free to join. You are now at 52.49 for an awesome plan. I will basically be paying the same amount and getting unlimited text messages and internet and navigation. Finally, everyone fails to mention that Sprint has voice and data roaming agreements with Verizon, so my coverage is not going to get any worse. For me, especially once I found out about the 25% discount, the switch was a no brainer. Adios Verizon, hello Palm Pre on Sprint.
Welcome to the Sprint family. I've been in customer in CA for the past 8 years. Sure customer service was spotty for the 10 times I called them during my tenure with them, but their excellent coverage and cost supersede that.
Considering I can get a better plan for less money AND actually be able to use all features on the phone (GPS), I'm going to Sprint.
and when do we get the UNLOCKED version?
Well that settles it for me. I was honestly considering making the jump to Sprint because I want a smart phone, with a real internet, that has a physical keyboard, and looks cool. I was a little concerned about jumping to the Pre early on because of glitches/bugs, etc... But now, 6mos is enough time to hammer out some issues, send out some updates, etc. And now I don't have to cancel my verizon service and take a cut. As much as I've hated Verizon for years for their shitty customer service, I've liked their cell service in my area and right now, I'm paying a pretty reasonable price for the service that I use.
This makes me very glad.
EWWWWW verizon is gross, they lock down their phones and remove original features to put their crappy v-cast and related bloatware on their. sprint may suck, but at least their phones come relatively open
"Over the next six months or so you will see devices like Palm Pre and a second generation Storm."
Am I missing something? This article is nothing but FUD and speculation, no different than the article about ATT allegedly getting the Pre. To date, I haven't heard one person from Palm echo this. I find it odd that it's the CEO's of both companies making these comments. This is nothing but propaganda, do not fool yourselves, Verizon is not getting the Pre. Has anyone seen the exclusive contract between Sprint and Palm? THANK YOU!
At least half of the features on the Pre will be crippled by Verizon anyway, plus having to pay an additional $30 a month on Verizon. What's the point?
"see devices like Palm Pre"
That doesnt mean its going to be the Palm Pre. He said LIKE Palm Pre.
where are all the sprint drones now
This is good to hear, but still, in my area Verizon and Sprint are pretty much equal in coverage, but Sprint has the advantage of much more attractive plan pricing. For that reason I'll probably still move to Sprint over Verizon. On AT&T right now - for the iPhone of course - but I moved and my coverage is zilch at my new place, so between that and the cheaper prices on Sprint for the same minutes and more txt, it's really an easy choice.
where's the option for "Not in the USA"?