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 at 12:18PM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Technophile @ May 28th 2009 12:21PM
Yay!
D @ May 28th 2009 12:25PM
bring on the Pre!
Paul a. Chapel @ May 28th 2009 12:28PM
Yes, thank God, now Verizon can finally have a decent phone.
Technophile @ May 28th 2009 12:33PM
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!
MONKEY @ May 28th 2009 12:35PM
This news just made my day.
trainwrecka @ May 28th 2009 12:39PM
how do you know it works? you probably assumed the same about the Storm. look at you now.
Paul a. Chapel @ May 28th 2009 12:40PM
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.
Smart People Play Tuba @ May 28th 2009 1:34PM
I WANT A GSM VERSION ! ! !
mike myers @ May 28th 2009 1:53PM
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.
rBz @ May 28th 2009 3:24PM
@ 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)
p3t3b2 @ May 28th 2009 8:38PM
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.
rv @ May 28th 2009 10:48PM
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?
chris @ May 28th 2009 12:22PM
Does this mean that we can expect the Pre to arrive on AT&T in six months also?
Marc @ May 28th 2009 12:24PM
Probably not Chris, unless Palm is currently working on a GSM version of the Pre
Drew Warwick @ May 28th 2009 12:26PM
Marc, there's been a GSM Pre since World Mobile Congress.
kjb434 @ May 28th 2009 12:29PM
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.
Totalfixation @ May 28th 2009 3:23PM
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.
a ham sandwich @ May 28th 2009 12:22PM
woo hoo! now THAT'S something i'll be camping out for!
so long, POS Glyde!
damiaking @ May 28th 2009 12:24PM
sprint should have exclusivity for more time just like at& has for the iphone or verizon has for the storm
trainwrecka @ May 28th 2009 12:42PM
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.
moush @ May 28th 2009 9:22PM
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.
loosely_coupled @ May 29th 2009 7:55PM
No, exclusivity is total bullshit any way you cut it! It's a form of bundling and should be made illegal by the FTC!
sweet greggo @ May 28th 2009 12:24PM
Well that ought to make some people happy.
ash @ May 28th 2009 12:25PM
Get ready to live in the now
(6)8 Days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 34 seconds!
ash @ May 28th 2009 12:25PM
Whoa, I forgot how many days were in a month... disregard :(
gunner @ May 28th 2009 12:31PM
Countdown fail.
Jakob @ May 28th 2009 2:42PM
Cool countdown fail :P
Chris @ May 28th 2009 12:25PM
Apple better be gettin' in on the Verizon action too... or there goes the #1 smartphone slot.
216 @ May 28th 2009 12:26PM
yayyyyy even tho my Contract will be expiring ANOTHER 6 months after it gets released
chris.routhe @ May 28th 2009 12:28PM
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.
Fred @ May 28th 2009 10:48PM
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.
TentosToys @ May 28th 2009 12:30PM
Crippled?
(burned Verizon Touch Pro Owner)
Puggs @ May 28th 2009 12:41PM
I am sure it will be, like every other verizon phone. Heres hoping it won't be.
Frankenstein Black @ May 28th 2009 1:03PM
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!!
TentosToys @ May 28th 2009 1:25PM
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.
Millionaire2K @ May 28th 2009 4:07PM
Can u explain to me how my Storm is "Crippled" on VZW? I just dont see it.
Al @ May 28th 2009 6:22PM
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.
dishbreak @ May 29th 2009 4:54PM
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.
ClydeJ @ May 28th 2009 12:31PM
Good news for Verizon. Bad news for Sprint, on all levels.
Tanker-X @ May 28th 2009 12:34PM
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.
oghowie @ May 28th 2009 12:32PM
Yeah, Sprint is going down.
Good news for Palm and consumers.
Steven M @ May 28th 2009 12:34PM
Finally a good phone for verizon, f*ck my storm
matt merritt @ May 28th 2009 12:32PM
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.
Digdug @ May 28th 2009 12:33PM
Dont worry, good 'ole TMO is probably just holed up somewhere working on yet another sidekick to push out to the teeny boppers.
KeegdnaB @ May 28th 2009 12:34PM
That's all well and good Verizon, except I'm STILL waiting for a release date for the Tour.
Come on already
Dorf @ May 28th 2009 12:36PM
July.
KeegdnaB @ May 28th 2009 12:42PM
I knew that.....I just meant it in the "make it official already!" sense
upsidedown @ May 28th 2009 12:34PM
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.
Eddy120876 @ May 28th 2009 12:35PM
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
Jose Ramirez @ May 28th 2009 12:36PM
I'll just wait till is avail in ATT