Palm Pre slips to $80 on contract, makes the Pixi that much less attractive
By Darren Murph 
posted November 19th 2009 9:05AM
posted November 19th 2009 9:05AM
posted November 19th 2009 9:05AM
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No, it's solely the iPhone. No one likes the AT&T network, not even AT&T.
LOL @ you save $420.
You end up paying more for the expensive service plans. I wouldn't call it saving. Although you get to use an expensive phone you wouldn't pay the full price for in one go.
It's all relative.
Now that Pre and Pixi are within noise bucks of each other and both require the exact same carrier plan, buying the Pixi seems MUCH less cost-effective all round compared to the Pre.
Of course, there are other Sprint phones equally as cheap and significantly as/more powerful so one has to wonder if anyone not completely naive would spring for the Pixi anymore (which probably IS the reason behind the price drops).
@AbbasJin It just important that everyone experience webOS. Who cares what device?
@Freakin Ijit Wait, which $30 phones are as powerful as the Pixi?
@AbbasJin . Hey Moron, what carrier has lower Unlimited (the only plans that matter) Service plans?
I have to say its sweet to be able to get such awesome stuff for so cheap the last 3 years or so.
You would have shot people for a Pixi 36 months ago at that price, disregarding the existence of the Pre.
Wow, I guess Amazon are really trying to get 'top seller' status.
Regardless, I don't see why you have to pay at all, Australia has a pay-by-the-month system that I think works better (an extra 5 dollars on top of your plan isn't really all that much, considering).
I would be happy to pay a big wad o' cash for the HD2 - no interest in phones for kids. Too bad Sprint doesn't carry and high end phones.
@boe "Down-ranked into oblivion"
Meh, I'm still recommending the Pixi to people who are rough on their phones. The Pre is awesome, just crappily made.
As soon as a WebOSed Treo comes out, I'm jumping ship.
Wasn't it $25 at wally world?
@Spoony That was the Pixi, not the Pre.l
@nicholi
Hey, you might like it! $70 bucks a month for unlimited text, calling to cell phones, data, Sprint TV, and Navigation is pretty sweet. And for the occasional lack of Sprint service, you can hop on Verizon's network for free(no roaming charges).
The Pre brought me to Sprint, and I'm not leaving.
Palm has really blown a great opportunity to make a comeback. You know they aren't selling well by the continued price chop. I hate to make the iPhone comparisons, but the iPhone 3GS hasn't dropped in price at all since it was released, and here, the Pre is being sold at less than half it's original on-contract cost. WebOS is good, and could have competed, but Palm dropped the ball on two fronts:
1. their marketing and advertising sucked so bad, it was laughable. The average consumer probably still doesn't know what a Palm Pre is.
2. Palm dragged their feet on letting developers get started on WebOS development for so long that too many lost interest. Customers walked away because they weren't getting the apps that they wanted. I wasn't approved as a developer until a few weeks ago, and by that point, I had already moved on to iPhone and Android development.
@christopheradammanning
wtf is a pompree?
@christopheradammanning So does that mean the iphone was a failure because it dropped it's price in half after a couple months of the first one being out?
Price drops for phones dont mean they arent selling well, its usually the opposite.
The RAZR went from like $200 to free in about a year, and we all know how that turned out.
@bill cant fart
Except if you use the free roaming it takes away from your total minutes.
I like the Pixi better than the Pre. The form factor and keyboard are the real selling points if I wanted webOS but im happy with Android 2.0.
@nicholi
I thought the same way about Sprint.... I was switching over from Verizon. I've been pleasantly surprised, I haven't had any issues with service.
I just got a Pre for work and I really can't see how WebOS could run on a slower processor. Even on the Pre, if you're doing a couple of things at once it seems like the phone is always trying to catch up with you.
What I will never understand is why they don't offer these great pricing deals to their existing customers. I have been trying to get my hands on a current-gen smartphone since before the Mogul-700p era and have been stymied by the fact that I could only get them with a pretty minimal discount, often more than twice what a new Sprint customer would get it for. I took my request to their executive customer service and got the run around before settling on being able to get the phone at the lower price only if I paid full price for the phone and then received a series of credits to my account over several months. Ludicrous.
If you're listening, Sprint, I really like your ~$100 for new users line-up, and would be interesting in paying something in that vicinity, and not be punished for a decade of loyalty. BTW, AT&T just lit up their 3G network in my neck of the woods, so the competition is getting hotter.
@Jason I
Aren't you a Premier Customer by now? You can get a new phone every year then.
I'd love to buy from Amazon for the cheap price, but can you jump on the EPRP (replacement for SERO) if you buy from Amazon?
@Elranzer I doubt it. But If your currently on a month to month SERO plan, ask them about getting $20 a month off of the $69 450 Everything Plus plan. ($49.99) Both my brother and I were able to do it. But it goes up to $69 after 2 years. They offer it to SERO upgraders only & You must talk to a supervisor.
Going, going . . .
@aardivark Gone.
I don't understand people ragging on Sprint. The service is great and for the price it is even better.
Lolz, first sign of a product ending.
Hopefully it comes to verizon as rumored beginning of next year.. I'm totally ready, but I can't stand sprint :P
Ah man, this doesn't make things any easier. Pre vs. Moment vs. Hero. It's going to be hell making a decision next month.
@HotBBQ
Love the avatar. go Noles.
I would go with the hero though. 2.0 update coming soon.
@HotBBQ
when we bought our 2 Pre's, I was going to try out the Hero for 30 days, then I could play with both phones. But apparently, since 4/20/09 sprint charges a $35 restocking fee. So, unless you don't mind that fee pick/review/choose wisely. I have to say though that the Moment felt the most solidly built.
iPhone killer....
Sons of Bitches. I just took the plunge on "little brother" yesterday.
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
You wonder how much longer they can get before they have to launch another device simply to have a phone compete in the premium space with decent margins.
Tick, tock, the sound of the Palm bankruptcy clock is getting louder.
9 minutes to midnight.
News? yeah last week's news.
The iPhone killer just got cheaper. Snicker.
I think the only people who ever referred to the Pre as an "iPhone killer" was the media and insecure fanboys who would cuddle w/ their iPhone like a teddy.
@nicholi
Sprint is really good man. The perception is bad, I know, but things have seriously turned around. The data speeds are FAST. The pricing per month/year beats out every other carrier and the Pre is an awesome device. People really need to try out Sprint now. Trust me, they're good.
@nicholi
Yeah, Sprint is pretty cool. Also, you should check with your employer and whether they provide you with a discount. My employer saves me 23% on my bill every month. It's pretty awesome.
I wondered about Palm's ability to execute after they announced the Pre at CES last January...and then for some reason crapped out one last Treo in March. I remember thinking to myself why a company that was going all-in on a whole new device would still Balkanize scarce resources on that last Treo, a guaranteed money-pit for Palm and Sprint after announcing the Pre.
I think Palm/Sprint still has a chance to make the Pixi relevant, they should be selling those things for $150, no contract, on Boost Mobile. All these regional no-contract EV-DO operators like Cricket, US Cellular, MetroPCS, Boost, etc. add up to a big market...and none of those carriers has a desirable smartphone (Windows Mobile doesn't count anymore) to offer their customers. Pixi would be a perfect fit in that market, and its already EV-DO to boot.
Don't count on Palm to do anything smart business-wise though, I sense a final circling of the toilet bowl for Palm at this point.
damn, Palm is really staying competitive lately.
I actually prefer WebOS over Android after playing with both the Moment and the Pre for a little bit. It seems like a more intuitive interface and runs more smoothly than Android.
The Pre is a great form factor but they should have given it either more internal memory or better yet, an SD slot. 8GB for their premiere phone in the days of a 32GB iPhone wasn't a good strategy.
I'll buy a Pre 2 if they ever come out with one.
wow, that's a very tempting deal.
I've used the Pre a lot. It has quite possible the best mobile OS out there. Multi-tasking and Synergy are great. The phone has too many downsides though and almost no apps compared to it's competition. I had one through work but since I'm not working there any more I've been going back and forth between a Pre and a Moment. I'm going with the Samsung Moment cus it's built better, has infinitely more apps, and a much better keyboard. WebOS is so much better in every way than Android but WebOS just seems dead in the water with no future. I'd gladly move to a less superior OS to have something that is going to last, have future support, and apps galore.
@ZeRo_Co0L
Just to let you know the samsung moment is not that great currently owned both devices. I will return the moment its battery life really sucks is mostly because it can't pick up a good signal and is not on evdo all the time. I know is the phone cause th pre is on evdo 100 percent of the time. Now to the software android is buggy and I am always getting the message android needs to force close.
Multitasking on android can't even compete in that category with the pre. Not to mention most apps suck for example the pandora really sucks big time on the moment you hear garble sound all the time specially when a text message comes in and no is while it had a good 3g signal and it still does that when connected with wifi. The moment has great hardware like the qwerty keyboard and big screen but the os is definitely not that great when i have to open and close it reminds me of windows mobile it lags to put the screen in landscape mode.
All to all if the moment had web os it would be perfect but it doesn't. Maybe an update will fix it but how long is going to be for that. Now everybody has different opinions but that's what i have experience with the moment so far in 3 weeks of use. Of all the devices the pre is by far the best because of its software. Hardware wise it has some flaws like the keyboard but once you get used to it is alright and for the people that bring the cheap material excuse that's why i have the insurance with sprint i can easily swap it out unlike cough cough iphone.
The Palm Pre is a very reliable phone, with fast hardware.
My family has owned two Palm Pre phones since June 2009, when it was first released; about 5 months now, and both phones have been rock-solid and consistently reliable. In addition, the Palm Pre phone comes with a 1 year manufacturer warranty - which shows that it was built to last. I use my phone about 1 to 3 hours each day - to talk on the phone, surf the web, and listen to music.
As far as WebOS, it is simply the most advanced and user friendly smart phone operating system on the market. It is at least two years ahead of the competition.
The WebOS operating system is very fast, so opening and running multiple applications at the same time give you a nice user experience. I love everything about this phone. Especially the fact that it is much more solid than some people were guessing it would be. It proves that in life, there is no substitute for actual experience.
If the Palm Pixi was available when I purchased my Palm Pre, I would have bought the Palm Pre for myself, and the Palm Pixi for my wife. Oh well, that is life!
+1.
I've dropped my Pre easily 10 times, and it's been essentially bulletproof.
However, the ease with which you can flow between tasks is probably the biggest draw. This afternoon I was downloading 4 podcasts, listening to music, writing an e-mail and getting txts from 2 people at the same time, with everything working smoothly. Switching between apps was a gesture away, the txts never interfered with my writing, the music was skip free, and I got unobtrusive dashboard notifications when each podcast was downloaded. And this is still Web OS 1.x. Given how refined the OS already is, I can't wait to see what the crew at Palm have up their sleeve next.