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Sprint and Palm admit that they don't expect wild lines for Pre
It's hard to say what changed between May 20th and today (any ideas, Verizon / AT&T?), but it seems that Sprint's tone on the impending Pre launch has shifted just a bit. In a new report over at Bits, we're told that both Sprint and Palm are informing the public to not expect lengthy lines on launch day. Naturally, both firms are spinning this like it's a good thing, with Palm's Lynn Fox proclaiming that "[Palm's] not like Apple." Mark Elliott, a spokesman for Sprint, even went so far as to say that it was actually attempting to "manage the exact opposite" of long lines, noting that Sprint wanted "each customer to get the experience" rather than being rushed in and out. Honestly, the spin factor was most obvious when he outed this line: "[Success] is not about having a line out the door; it's about being able to treat each customer and make sure they're happy with their decision." Alrighty then.[Image courtesy of IDR]
Palm Pre stock levels at Best Buy for entire US now leaked in full?
We'll be straight with you, we have no idea if the linked document (that builds on the original) is authentic or not. Then again, why would someone go to the trouble of faking a 31 page PDF file showing Palm Pre inventories for every Best Buy in the US and Puerto Rico -- the internet just can't be so sad. Anyway, given the positive reviews received, we expected demand to outstrip the meager inventories on-hand at launch. As we figure it, anything that might help you sort out the mess on Saturday will be appreciated. [Via Everything Pre, thanks John] Read -- PDF share 1 Read -- PDF share 2
Palm Pre review
Six months of lust, yearning, and white-hot desire for Palm's would-be savior have all led to this. Head over to Engadget for the full review.
Palm Pre filtering into Sprint stores, indocile employee sizes it up
With only days to go before at least four or five Sprint stores begin selling Palm's Pre, we're already seeing at least one employee with some time on his hands give the smartphone a go. Moral of the story? Right about now would be an awesome time to know somebody who can get behind a Sprint counter without using an unlawful amount of force.
Sprint affirms Palm Pre exclusivity "through 2009"
Ready for your daily dose of obvious? Good. After Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam proudly proclaimed that America's largest mobile operator would be painting the Palm Pre red "in about six months," Sprint has come forward to make sure we know that said statement is probably right on the money. According to Sprint spokesman James Fisher: "We have the Pre through 2009." Short, sweet and chock full of pent-up rage. 'Course, six months after the Pre's launch on Sprint lands us in December, giving VZW just enough time to cripple the phone's hottest features and push it out before Valentine's Day. Sounds pretty reasonable, no?
iTunes support confirmed for Palm Pre
We'd already heard through the gravevine that iTunes support would be baked into Palm's forthcoming Pre, but now it's official. During Palm's D7 keynote today in Carlsbad, Paul Cousino showed attendees that non-DRM music, photos and videos could be synced with the Pre via iTunes (on Mac and Windows, naturally). In his words: "It shows up in iTunes just like a regular device." Update: So, Palm has issued an official press release detailing the new webOS features shown today at All Things Digital. The so-called media sync feature is straight up designed to "synchronize seamlessly with iTunes," giving users the ability to use Apple's media management software for transferring all non-DRM media. Furthermore, the Pre is engineered to act as a "mass storage drive," letting users side-load content on the fly. The full release also details the App Catalog and Twitter in Universal Search.
Verizon Wireless to carry Palm Pre, Storm 2 "in about six months"
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?
Palm Pre said to sync up nicely with Apple's iTunes
There's been no direct confirmation just yet, but Fortune has it that Palm's hotly anticipated Pre actually syncs with iTunes. Yeah, iTunes. According to the report, the Pre works "seamlessly" with iTunes on a Mac, with the only notable limitation being that it can't handle older DRM-laced files from the sad, sad days of our past. Even wilder, we're told that the iTunes Store "treats the Pre just as it would an iPod or an iPhone" save for the aforesaid exception, which leads us to wonder how Apple will react. There's little doubt that this factoid sweetens the Pre value proposition for diligent Mac users, but is this functionality kosher with the software's creator? We already saw Tim Cook glance sternly at Palm while uttering that if anyone else "ripped off its intellectual property, it would go after them," and we highly doubt he plans on backing down if push comes to shove. If true, this could definitely trigger an interesting chain of events -- we'll know soon enough, now won't we?[Via TUAW]
More Palm Pre emulator videos emerge: universal search, calendar, and email (oh my)
Oh look, another set of Palm Pre / webOS emulator videos care of TheInvisibleMan of PalmPreForum.org. This time we get a new two-part Q&A session and a glance at the calendar, PDF viewer, phone, e-mail, and universal search, which as the name suggests not only searches locally on the phone but also lets you run that query through Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia, and Twitter -- something iPhone OS 3.0's local-only spotlight frustratingly lacks. That said, we can see ourselves being bothered by the apparent inability to open PDFs directly from the browser, and it looks like the email client might not group threads together. A major bummer if that's the case, but this is an early emulator, so we're holding onto the tiniest bit of hope that changes somewhere down the line. Like before, we've gone ahead and grouped all the new videos in a playlist after the break.
Leaked Palm Pre Gesture Guide lets you get some finger-flicking practice in early
Warm up that last aftermarket inkjet cartridge you've been milking for the past two years: we've got a leaked copy of the Palm Pre Gesture Guide, a handy little brochure that's sure to make you a professional app-switcher in minutes. Not many surprises, but it's a nice little refresher to run through while you wait for your sleeping bag to get back from the cleaners.
Sprint doc implores reps not to sell Pre to the wrong people
Are you a druggie? A hipster? A white-collar suburbanite? Good news: the Pre might be for you. If you're an "IT Centric business user," though, steer clear -- the Treo Pro might be a better fit. That's the takeaway (sort of, we've admittedly taken some liberties) of one of the pages out of Sprint's business playbook for the phone that reminds sales reps in big magenta text that they "can't afford to sell the Pre to the wrong customers." There aren't any big surprises in here, but the takeaway seems to be that Windows Mobile is more manageable as a fleet device (as is BlackBerry, coincidentally) than webOS -- a complaint frequently leveled against another buzzworthy, up-and-coming mobile platform, Android. That said, if we walked into a Sprint store expecting to buy a Pre and somehow ended up getting talked into a Treo Pro instead, we'd be feeling more than a little short-changed.
Palm Eos on track for AT&T release second half of 2009
The Palm news just keeps coming today. Looks like Centro successor Eos might be coming sooner than expected, with this purported AT&T slide listing a second half 2009 ship date, along with a "new Palm OS experience" tagline that we're gonna take to mean webOS for now (still no 100% confirmation, unfortunately), all the specs listed were the same as we heard before: 2.63-inch, 320 x 400 capacitive touchscreen, 4GB storage, POP3, IMAP, and EAS support, integrated IM client, Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, and a sexy thin and light form factor. Keep an eye out for this one, we think it might go places.
Sprint's Pre business launch guide leaked in its entirety
Sprint has published a real page turner here -- some 22 pages of the most telling Pre details we've seen to date. It's a very business-centric document, but a lot of the stuff revealed in here applies to each and every user that's buying a Pre since much of the functionality is managed through Palm's owned-and-operated cloud. Follow the break for some of the major takeaways we're seeing. [Thanks, Mason]
Hello, O2: Pre's GSM flavor finally gets a launch carrier in the UK?
Since its sneaky, silent unveiling at February's Mobile World Congress, the GSM version of the Pre has been a total no-show -- good for Sprint publicity-wise, probably, but bad for virtually every other carrier and potential customer in the world. If we had to guess, the silence can be attributed to heated negotiations between Palm and dozens of potential networks; the company knows it has a probable winner on its hands, and it has every reason to play hardball to get the best exclusivity deal that it possibly can. The Guardian is now reporting that O2 has fended off competing offers from Vodafone and Orange to nab the Pre in the UK, meaning that the carrier -- Britain's largest by subscriber count -- would be launching the device alongside the iPhone 3G, though rumors only have it pegged for pre-Christmas availability meaning it'd actually be doing with whatever new device Apple intends to bring to the table this summer. Whether it can hold its own against a renewed Cupertino onslaught in the holiday season remains to be seen, but in the spirit of competition and awesome smartphones, we certainly hope so.
SlingPlayer coming to Pre "at or near launch"?
webOS' web technology-based app architecture seems to become less and less of an issue by the day; most of our fears were allayed the moment we saw Classic break cover, and this is another strong sign that the Pre's going to be able to handle just about any multimedia-rich stuff we throw at it. A Sprint-sourced page out of a Pre slide deck entitled "The Pre Application Story" lists a series of "showcase apps" that the carrier thinks (or, at the very least, optimistically hopes) will be available around the time of the phone's launch, and the most interesting thing on here has to be a listing for Sling Media -- you know, those cats making Slingboxes and SlingPlayer builds. Beyond that, we don't have anything -- it could be 3G or WiFi-only (though the fact that this is on a Sprint slide gives us hope that they'll leave EV-DO enabled), it could launch next month or next year, and for all we know, it only works with boxes that aren't even out yet. It'll be kind of cool to see this app running as a card on the Pre's interface, won't it?[Thanks, sdafdsfasdf]
Another Palm Pre in the wild, this time with video
Because most Pres caught outside Palm's near-clinical demo environments have been doing next to nothing so far, even the faintest hint of actual user interaction on video or in pictures is still interesting at this point. On that note, we present a mister "Doc31" from PreCentral's forums, whose fame, fortune, clout, or pure happenstance appears to have landed him some hands-on time with the most buzzworthy device of the moment. On video, the dude's managed to capture a fleeting moment with the Palm Profile screen new users see, where you'll enter all the requisite information necessary to get the phone syncing with the cloud. Even better, there's not a hint of Mr. Blurrycam in any of the accompanying photos, which is always a win in our book. You know what would be an even bigger win, though? Our own Pre. Follow the break for video![Via PreCentral]
Ad impression report proves the Palm Pre is out there, somewhere
With just over a fortnight to go before Sprint starts selling Palm's Pre, it stands to reason that a few of the units have made their way out into the wild. According to Millennial Media, that's absolutely what has happened, with this month marking the first in which it recorded "initial Palm Pre [ad] impressions." In other words, those lucky few Pre owners (or "testers," if you will) are really just goofing off online rather than testing tactility and radiation output. Good to know.[Via mocoNews]
Best Buy Mobile to skip rebate, sell Palm Pre for $199.99 outright
Best Buy may not be launching the Pre exclusively, but it's probably the place to go if you're scouting one come June 6th. Why? Pretty simple, really -- you'll leave the joint with an extra Benjamin in your purse. You see, those who waltz into a Sprint store will be forced to pay $299.99 up front (with a two-year contract) and wait eons for a $100 mail-in rebate to return. Over at Best Buy Mobile, you'll pay $199.99 free and clear, sign your contract and proceed to send us loads of personal hands-on shots. Be honest -- which scenario sounds superior to you?[Via Brighthand]
Sprint CEO expects Palm Pre shortages, sleeping bag sales skyrocket
Know the best way to guarantee long lines outside of Sprint stores on June 6th? Have your CEO announce that he expects a shortage of Palm Pre handsets at launch. According to a Reuters transcript of Dan Hesse speaking to investors, "We don't intend to advertise it heavily early on because we think we are going to have shortages for a while. We won't be able to keep up with demand for the device in the early period of time." If true, if troubled Palm can't meet demand then this is certainly bad news for investors in a white-hot smartphone market with plenty to entice rejected Palm hopefuls this summer. Then again, Nintendo drove gamers nuts (and some would argue, artificially inflate demand) for almost two years with its chronic Wii shortages. Problem is, Palm isn't as fiscally solvent as Nintendo was in 2006... by a long shot. [Via everythingpre]
Palm Pre on June 6th for $200: It's official!
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/hardware/Palm_Pre_release_date_confirmed'; The day you've been waiting for is here. Sprint just announced that the Pre will cost $199.99 after $100 mail-rebate and 2-year contract and will launch on June 6th as rumored this morning. The phone will go on sale nationwide (US-only at the moment) at Sprint stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and select Wal-Mart stores. The Pre will be available under Sprint's Everything Data or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plans. Accessories include the optional $69.99 Touchstone charging dock kit that includes the $49.99 dock and $19.99 Pre back cover. June 6th, that's two days before the WWDC keynote. Poor Apple.
