We're still not totally clear on how exactly Verizon intends to enter (or rather, re-enter) the Palm stage in 2010; we know there's definitely a
WiFi-equipped CDMA Pixi out there that'll likely find its way into Big Red's clutches, but otherwise, we really need to wait for this
event at CES next month. Well, maybe -- we've got another little clue here in the form of some tips to
PhoneArena stating that a "Pre Plus" has found its way into the carrier's systems, which fits in nicely with info we'd previously received from one of our trusted sources that Verizon's Pre would be somehow "different" from Sprint's though we don't yet know how. As far as we can tell, this isn't the same as that WiFi Pixi (wouldn't it be confusing if it was?), so we should probably expect at least two webOS models on Verizon over the next few months. In other news, that Motorola
Calgary (pictured) appears to be shaping up as the "Devour" with a 3 megapixel cam and
Blur running on Android 2.1 -- yes, 2.1, not 1.5, which should give hope to
CLIQ owners that an update is probably in the works. Finally, there's talk of an LG VS750 in a mega-thin form factor running WinMo 6.5 with global roaming capability, but we don't have a picture of that one just yet. Anyhow, back to the Pre Plus, we're accepting all guesses as to what the "Plus" in the name might stand for -- 16GB of integrated storage or a microSD slot seem like obvious candidates, but feel free to get creative with us.
[Image via
BGR]
posted December 18th 2009 3:02AM
"pre plus, now with more of your favorite nutritional supplements"
@glenskey
by the way, the original calgary render looked way better
@glenskey agree.... that moto phone looks like a Leap Frog kid's laptop....
@glenskey Yeah, but the RAZR keyboard was a major turnoff.
Blur with 2.1? Thats interesting...
Like getting a fast new pc that's now slow from all the bloatware installed. I have played with the CLIQ and it's slow enough that in the time I used it, I was already frustrated with it.
Anyone else feel like regurgitating looking at the Devour?
It's almost like they figured out that people want cool phones to go with the great network...
...naw must be coincidence
@yulebellow
I know finally!
They should come out with some "ialso" adds to show off how many cool new smartphones they've got.
"ialso multitask"
"ialso have a real keyboard"
Palm needs to get on Verizon asap before any huge announcemnents at CES.
I'm glad verizon will now have a multitude of awesome phones to go with their great network
if this is rude forgive me, but this phone looks like a f***ing toy a 5 year old would play with, android is awesome, but google should be selective in what they put it on cause it will make them look bad when seen on phones like this
olus more htc passion/bravo/nexus one news palease
And people think the Droid is ugly... Wow. But my thoughts on the Pre Plus? Probably expanded internal storage, and maybe they change that portrait-sliding qwerty into a landscape? That seemed to be a pretty major complaint.
@Triscuit Really? I thought most people liked the portrait keyboard. In my opinion, replace the Pre keyboard with the Pixi one that everyone seems to love, add an expansion slot, improve the build quality a little and I'm sold.
Why does that phone just look a little...blocky? Maybe it's just because I'm used to my Droid, but the Calgary in the picture looks like.... the Fisher-Price plastic version of the Droid.
@Zachdamac I'm digging the keyboard though.
@barry99705 Agreed, keyboard looks like it has more tactical feedback than the Droid's. I don't own one, but I intend to buy a Droid eventually when my contract is up but I tried the keyboard at the Verizon store and I realized that the keys really are not that well defined. But I think it's something that eventually you would get used to with muscle memory.
I like Android, but I have to agree with oto60 that this looks like a toy... Maybe thats what they are planning? There are quite a bit of kids with cell phones now, so maybe Motorola is going for the kids with this phone, their dad's with the Droid, and mom with... well she'd probably rather have jewelry anyway.
I heard the palm pre plus fixes the Oreo screen with a 360 degree rotating screen which also comes with a new app for it "D.J. Hero"
"Devour" - really? REALLY?
This "thing" devours good design.
Sorry, but that design is just awful, it looks like the ugly version of a Droid. And by ugly I mean f*ing ugly.
I hope that's only a pre-pre-pre-design study of the Droid pictured there, because else that would be some severe FAIL of Motorola.
Motorola should give up on that Blur mess. I have a friend with a Cliq and it's a train wreck! Any good press they're enjoying could quickly go bye bye if the insist on continuing along that road.
Why with the extra space on the sides? Why not expand the keyboard maybe with more keys or make the keys bigger, making it easier to use? Unlike the Droid.
Best smartphones of 2010 are gonna be:
http://ibuymobile.co.uk/reviews/2009/12/17/best-smartphones-of-2010/
I gotta have more plastic bezel.... devour screen plz.
I love verizon's coverage but sprint is just so much cheaper. It's more or less a CDMA version of AT&T.
That doesn't make any sense. AT&T is more expensive, is GSM, has worse coverage than both CDMA providers, and has the iPhone.
@Elranzer 450 minutes + unlimited data + unlimited text is roughly $99/month. That's how much it cost on AT&T. So it's a CDM version of AT&T. That's how I was making the comparison. I know verizon has a better network but their customer trapping and pricing sounds just like AT&T's.
That a WiFi-equipped Pixi is likely to end up on Verizon's network seems like an acknowledgement that the Pixi has been an utter failure so far, without it. It's good to see Palm capitulate to the market's demands, finally.
I wonder if this could be the CDMA version of the second-gen Pre they are talking about for Asia:
http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/9965/asiapacific-pre-will-be-secondgeneration-midtolate-2010/
Why is Motorola coming out with all these ugly ass looking phones?
I mean seriously all the specs in the world mean nothing if someone can't bring the thing out in public out of embarassment...
This thing looks like a fake phone I would buy my 11 month old. That or the plastic models they have at a Best Buy mobile. If this is really the phone then Motorola $hit the bed on this one.
That phone looks like pure crap. It looks like a DROID wannabe.
i am looking forward to the pre plus..and the devour's kind of a crap..i mean the design
All this talk of webOS and Android is leaving little room for Windows Mobile 6.5 phones. I'd love to see a good bar form-factor phone like the Motorola Q9C but updated with WinMo 6.5.
@Elranzer - Nobodies fault but MS's
if they give verizon pixi a processor boost...
Why exactly would VZW add this phone to the lineup while they already have the Droid? Is this a "wal-mart" version?
And the Pixi is so damn small, it is useless to me. But then again, I thought the Centro was a useless POS and it practically kept Palm alive to see another year.
I would guess that the Pre Plus (which would probably be the Pre+ in ads) probably has a microSDHC slot like the GSM Pre for Telcel and Claro, and a combo CDMA/LTE radio, which would make it one of Verizon's first 4G LTE handsets to coincide with the initial LTE rollout in Q1 2010.
I can imagine the ads:
Sprint: "We have the Pre, and 4G"
VZW: "We have an actual 4G Pre"
@MFfan310 No GSM Pre has a microSDHC slot. Besides that, chances are slim to none that it'll have LTE. Palm isn't a big enough company to waste engineering resources on something that will only be in a small handful of cities for a few more years.
Maybe in 2011 or 2012 you'll see a 4G Pre, whether it's WiMax or LTE, but I'd say it's highly unlikely that it'll be out on Verizon in 2010.
They're naming their next Android phone DEVOUR?? As in DROID DEVOUR??
They're really committed to this "the phone is actually a scary robot that will kill you" imagery, I suppose.
I'm guessing a palm pre with updated specs including wifi and gsm for it to be a world phone? and vzw 3G of course lol
That is the ugliest piece of shit I have ever seen... How are they going to sell that next to the droid and droid eris?
If they can shrink the fucking size of the Devour/Calgary I'd definitely buy it when my contract is up. The bezel is so unnecessarily huge and there's like an extra half inch on the ends of the keyboard. WHY?
Looks like it's as bad at utilizing space as a Sidekick, which isn't surprising because the design was worked on by somebody from Danger. GET ON THAT SHIT MOTO!
As a sprint customer, I just hope all the phones that verizion's getting can be hacked so I can use a sprint esn on it. It will take a lot to get me to leave my $30 SERO plan
I think at least we can expect that pixi-ish light bar
I'd definitely check out a 3G Pre if it had a global GSM chip in it and expandable memory for my 'tunes. Not being able to take the current Sprint Pre and Verizon DROID internationally seems pretty silly to me. Maybe I'm just in a small minority.
Pre+ = better camera (auto-focus, video recording).