Palm Pre Release Date & Details: Runs WebOs
Palm and their hand-held organisers used to be up there at the top of the mobile device chain, but over the years Palm has slipped slowly down the chain due to lack of effort being put into their software, but now Palm may well be climbing back up.
Palm has taken steps to take on the mobile phone big boys such as the Apple iPhone, the T-Mobile G1, and the BlackBerry Storm with the introduction of a new smartphone and operating system.
The new smartphone is the Palm Pre which is of similar size and shape to that of the iPhone but with an added slide out QWERTY keyboard that sits beneath its 3.1 inch touchscreen and should become available sometime in the 1st half of 09 on Sprint, but as yet no price has been attached.
The Palm Pre will run a new OS known as Web OS which operates with simple one and two finger gestures much like the iPhone, but the difference with Web OS is it allows the running of multiple apps simultaneously.
Can the Palm Pre bring Palm back and take on the likes of the iPhone, G1 and Storm?
Source — Washington Post
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86 thoughts on “Palm Pre Release Date & Details: Runs WebOs”
Ok.. I need to know a date. Anyone have any insiders that can give us anything? I hear at the end of this month, but I feel that is false hope. Throw me a freaking bone please!
I asked a guy at Radio Shack yesterday and he said maybe in a few weeks. I don’t have a lot of confidence in his guess though. I asked him about a price and he went on-line (said something like a “back door”) to check but did not find any news.
I know someone that works at a sprint warehouse and they say that they will be getting them in sometime next month. Thats just what they told me.
But I know that the day they come out, I’ll be the 1st in line with money in hand.
This phone is truly the best phone of all time.
I just hope Sprint will do as they did with the Instinct, give current and select customers the chance to get the phone one day before the official release date.
Just like the Instinct was supposed to be the best phone of all time? What a piece.. Here’s for high hopes, but let’s at least see a couple in circulation before we start to hail it.
Do you know if/when it will be offered to other carriers besides Sprint?
Now that the Pre’s registration page is up on Sprint.com it won’t be long. The Instinct’s page was up about 2 months before it came out. I’ve never been this excited about a device; it truly is revolutionary. I’m sure there will be a premium for first adopters, but so be it. I’ll be one of the first in line to get one.
Meechy… I agree with you that it could be the best phone of all time.. but one thing.. I will be infront of you my friend in line.
Whenever it comes out, I just hope Palm and Sprint works out any and all bugs before releasing it. I’ll wait till June if they need the time to do that. Of course, they better come out with the Pre by then. If not, that will show a very bad sign to customers on the reliability on Palm coming out with a product. Now, Blackberry and Apple has brought out their products too soon and got severely backlashed for bringing out sub-par equipments. However, Blackberry and Apple have a well established customer base so their sales didn’t suffer too much. Palm is betting on the Pre, so they better get it right.
sprint get exclusive rights for six months to sell 1 million copys only in the united states but it will have a gsm version in europe that will work on gsm phones so there will the phone that could be unlocked.. so dont get your hopes up sprint already has 374 thousand calls in the month of jan. to find out wha or when it will come out. stop by your sprint store salesman say it will be around $700 with out a contract but there is no official word on that but that is the sum of what they have said remember this isnt a exclusive deal like blackberry storm or iphone. sprint only gets six months. Iphone only sold 1 million phones in 3 weeks when it came out. Know that apple employies have moved to palm to make the PRE. lets see how it does since the main techs that built the iphone are know with palm
jan 25 249.99 after 100 mail in rebate
John Doe wrote that Sprint will only have a six months exclusivity on the Pre, which I kind of doubt, unless Mr. Doe has an inside source in either Sprint or Palm. I would say six months would be unfair and too short for Sprint. Blackberry and Apple has given Verizon and AT&T, respectively, several years exclusivity on the Storm and iPhone. I’m thinking Palm would at least give Sprint one year exclusivity. Plus, I have a feeling the next US carrier would be Verizon. AT&T has the iPhone and I’m pretty sure Apple would not be too happy with AT&T if it would brought on the Pre to compete with the iPhone for sales. Plus, Verizon and Sprint uses the same digital technology, just a different frequency (something that can be easily changed).
Phantom—Says who?? Come on, give us some credibility.
just wait til sunday what do you have to lose and what do i have to gain
I went into a local sprint store today, and he told me May, maybe June. He said around the same time as the Instinct was released last year. I sincerely hope he is wrong. I DO NOT want to wait anymore.
Palm Pre Cheap After All: Prices from $149 to $499
Under: News, Other Mobile Phones Date: January 13th, 2009
Will the Palm Pre be cheap or expensive? Well we will tell you how much this new smartphone will cost you. Everyone is talking about the all new Palm Pre about its release date but more so the price, we now know that the Palm Pre will be cheap after all with prices from $149 to $499.
The latest news has it that this all new Palm Pre will cost between $149 and $199 with a contract and $399 to $499 if unlocked, which is a lot less that many of us anticipated. Palm will only produce 200,000 of Pres initially.
Whatever the cost is going to be, I think everyone on this forum and every other forum out there will come up with the money to get the Pre whenever it comes. Hopefully SOON. I know it was published that Palm is initially making only 200K units of the Pre, but I think they need to rethink that double of triple that figure. Again, the people in this forum and others will not too happy when it comes out and we can’t get our hands on it.
I want to apologize my source mistakenly took the pro as the pre when giving me the release date and price.What i wrote pertained to the pro not the pre but as soon as i hear anything ill let you know.
the pre will likely sell way more then 200k units… theres not really any other appealing PDAs in sprints catalogue…my contract is up early feb. and depending on what news i hear on this, i may switch to another carrier. this phone looks to be what i want, unfortunately, it looks like everyone else with sprint is looking at the pre. lol
I also heard the same 200k number to start. I’m a Sprint customer so maybe they’ll give us first shot like they did with the Instinct. As for release date, I’ve heard anywhere from mid-Feb to June, no one knows. Hopefully it will be out sometime in the spring. We’re all anxiously waiting.
just got off the phone with sprint tech help (had probs with 700p…). he read from a release that he received today that it will be 549.00 and 249 for upgrades (2 year comm.). he also said that it was being released in all channels (i have no idea what that means) on 2/15.
take it for what its worth….
The Palm Pre will be released for Sprint on February 15th (Subject to change). No official price on it, more then likely it will be $199 and after $100 mail in rebate.
You are all forgetting that apples pattent just went through for multi touch gestures. This could mean a major software design change. I’m guessing at least a 3 month delay.
A CHANCE TO REDEEM MYSELF!!!!!!!!!
Sorry folks but meyer and frankie are mistaken as i was initially.That info is for teh pro not the pre.The pro will be released on 2/15 and as of right now teh only time frame being offered for releasing the pre’ is the beginning of the year.
Well i have the insider scoop on the Palm Pre and as of now, The Palm Pre will be released on February 15th, but as i previously stated that date is subject to change, The palm Treo Pro is already out for sprint but there is no official date (to my knowledge) of a verizon release date
So where can you buy the PRO?
the palm treo pro is not out for sprint i believe the unlocked version of the treo pro is out at best buy but if you go to sprints website you see that they arnt selling the treo pro yet. i can bet that the treo pro is coming out february 15th not the palm pre it doesnt make sense to have the pre and pro to come out at the same time. dont quote me on this but i think everyone is getting the pro and pre mixed up and you know how the customer service reps are (retarded)
you can buy the treo pro at best buy for over 500 something dollars just go to their website
The Palm Pro is Not out yet. There is actually a delay on the release for the pro. As of now there also is no info on the release of the pre. Just speculation. The price will probably be the same as the touch pro unless they match iPhone price.
You can actually purchase the Palm Treo Pro from any Sprint Corporate store. Even Some authorized dealers are starting to pick them up. I was actually looking more into Apples recently acquired Patent on the new Multi Touch Technology, and if Apple does in fact release a license agreement to Palm, it would most definitly push the release date on Pre back a few months, which sucks, but it would be well worth it. It is still up in the air though because we all know the cold war that has been going on between Palm and Apple, I can honestly say it will be a nuclear holocaust the day Apple releases a touch Screen phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard, HaHa it would be game over for everybody.
Palm Pre will be released in May.
As far as the release date hopefully its Feb. 15th like yall say as far as apples patent….well palm has a list of patents which I Phone uses so they wont have a problem there if that happens I believe palm would win though I do believe apple is a great company they shouldnt battle palm over this…….on other thing this phone is amazing
Yea, You know what, I do think I am in fact confusing the Pre with the Pro. The GSM Treo Pro has been out since august and I think I was confusing the 800W with the Pro as well, But still I want the Pre to hurry up and get an OFFICIAL Release date. So we can buy it. And as far as price on it I almost guarantee there not going to price it up there with any HTC products, Palm needs this phone to save theirs as well as Sprints ass, and I believe the Pre will be the life support of the company as well as increase there revenue. Like I previously mentioned I’m betting on $199 after $100 mail in rebate, but i guess we will just have to wait and see.
Some Sprint reps are claiming that the Pre (not Treo Pro) may be delayed until July, which would suck immensely. Palm has a lot of hype on their side right now and there are a ton of hesitant Sprint customers who are willing to buy back into this company’s reputation if Palm and Sprint can deliver. But announcing the phone now and telling the public it’s “coming soon” was a bad idea if the phone is going to wait until July. Incidentally, Apple is apparently working on the next gen iPhone to release right about that time which would kill Pre’s sales. Another CS rep (don’t flame me, I know CS reps don’t know anything for certain) informed me that Palm and Sprint are keeping mum on details regarding the Pre but that it is still expected to release before or no later than March. The pending legal issue with Apple may not come to fruition because according to reports, Apple has infringed on numerous Palm patents with a few of the iPhone’s features. Suing Palm would prompt Palm’s legal team (who have stated openly that they aren’t backing down from Apple) to dig up every patent they own that Apple has violated with the iPhone (there are AT LEAST four Palm patents that Apple has violated). Apple needs to understand that a legal battle with Palm would be lengthy and costly, both financially and in terms of PR – Apple will certainly come off as the bad guy in this deal and that could kill their momentum with investing.
All in all, as a customer of Sprint who has been frustrated year after year with lousy products and poor PR, I’m kind of excited for the Pre. Sprint needs the phone to come out now to ride this wave of hype successfully. It’ll piss me off if I have to wait until the summer (I have a piss poor phone with Sprint and have been waiting for the right upgrade to come along) to get the Pre just because Palm can’t make good promises or Apple has to be the douche.
I just got of the phone with my friend who works at the sprint store and she told me that the phones would be avalible for sale in stores for direct shipment feb 12 but not in the actual stores till end of feb. From the video on line this looks to be one bad ass phone. I want one but am very happy with my mougle.Still if the price is right I would move up . My contract is over in sept. and was actualy thinking about moving to a diffrent company then sprint No I think it might have me locked up yet again for 2 years heheheheheheheh
Hey mike meyer, what store are you talking about that is currently selling the treo pro? If you look on phonenews.com you will see that the pro has been delayed and is currently not being sold anywhere except for the unlocked gsm version of the treo pro. If you have an address or phone number so that I can order my treo pro I would surely like to know. Thanks.
Look everyone patience is a virtue. Both Palm and Sprint have options on their websites to notify us when the phone is released. I’m sure the price will be fair. Palms products have proven themselves worthy of the cost over the years.
So maybe we all should start looking at what aspect of our life is making us impatient in the first place rather then a release date of a phone that’s gonna come out when it comes out. OK I’m off the soapbox thanks for reading. Much love and Live well….
Yea my mistake i was defintly wrong. i had the treo 800w confused with the pro.
Well if anyone has a definite release date for the pro or the pre don’t keep the news to yourself and help a brother out.
Haha, I’m sorry, I’m laughing because I just don’t understand how a person can come on phonesreview website and get on everyones case about anticipation of the Pre. I think if we are going to comment on a review of the palm pre, seeing as how its a revolutionary device and its not out yet, the only thing to chatter about is release dates and how awesome it looks in pictures. Sorry buddy take your virtue speeches to Dr. Phil’s blog or something.
THE RELEASE DATE FOR THE PALM PRE WILL BE MARCH 15TH according to websites one would be phonedog and was leaked by boygenius who ever that is but they are saying march15th guys the other website i have is at my work so i dont know what it is but go to http://www.phonedog.com and it shows all the sprint phones that are going to come out.
March 15th looks like our answer…. we can only hope
http://www.icellphonedeals.com/when-is-palm-pre-release-date-sprint-official-launch/
i have the instinct n it gets annoying sometimes but its a great phone! i hope this one wil be just as good;does anyone know how much it costs??
The way this is going, we might as well wait until the apple att exclusivity contract ends in 2010 and get the iphone for another carrier. A summer release is ridiculous at this point. The Iphone will have even more cool features and the initial pre’ release will still have kinks to work out.
I really like Sprints coverage but a I am about at my wits end waiting for a phone that can compete with the iphone.
I work for an indirect Sprint dealer, and called my regional rep the other day. He said the pre is more than likely delayed until July. But, as they say, patience is a virtue and from the videos I’ve watched of the demo Palm Pre, this thing will kick the crap out of the iPhone. So just be patient!! I personally will be switching over to Sprint (from VZW) once this phone comes out!!
I just spoke with a Sprint CS rep and she said pre would be released sometime in March. Thats the 3rd Rep that tells me that. I hope their right.
The registration page for the Instinct was up 2 months before it was released. Based on that timeline, that would put the Pre\’s release at mid- to late- March. Also, the Touchstone charger is already available for pre-order at MSGdigital.com for $49.99, so it can\’t be that far away.
Apple’s exclusivity contract ends in 2012, not 2010 buddy. I guess you can wait that long if you want and we can all enjoy the Palm Pre…
Does anyone know if the Pre will be compatible with the new 4G networks that are coming out?..
I hope its 4g compatible. If not then maybe with a future upgrade. All I know is that with the little info we have this phone could compete with iphone head to head. Especially with it being on the faster evdo network which kills att’s so called high speed equivalent.
I spoke with a Sprint rep today and a few weeks ago and they both said they have no info on a release date yet but to keep checking the site. I been with Sprint for a while now and the thought of them finally having a phone worthy of all this discussion is great but at the same time, I am also getting a little impatient.
Yes, you may be getting impatient (I am too), but patience is a virtue!! Haha, I think all the waiting is really going to pay off in the end…this thing is generating a lot of buzz, and that never hurts. I really believe that once Sprint comes out with this phone, this is hands-down going to be the best multimedia/communication device on the market. And Sprint users can fnally throw the iPhone users’ shitty AT&T service and “cool shiny apps” in their faces!!! Whats that?? Your phone has 16 gigs worth of media storage but you can’t hold a signal OR type emails and texts like a powerhouse?? Aww, so sorry. And Blackberry is going to have to do SOMETHING to update their OS after this puppy comes out…and Windows Mobile users?? Well I just feel sorry for them.
I work for Sprint.
And for all those Impatient people… Good news. Palm Pre will be Available March 15 at 12pm. Thats when we OPEN.
Your Welcome.
Shouldn’t we be getting e-mails from Sprint/Palm? I signed up for both notification lists and I haven’t heard anything.
Thanks for the hot tip Imran, but I would rather wait for the Palm Pre to be released than settle for the Treo Pro on the 15th.
Well Imran what will the price be?.. And just like this other individual I also signed up for e-mail notification via sprint and palm. To this date I haven’t received anything from either of them… Please get back to us with some more information then just a date. I am, and I’m sure others are as well, looking for some more creditable information! Your co-operation is appreciated.
Imran, you don’t know what you are talking about. It’s the Pro to be released 3-15, not the PRE.
Report to my office right away; after you clean out your desk.
Again, Im trying to help you guys out here..
We received an internal document/email from sprint corporate that required us to pull back all the remaining Palm 755p before March 15 to make availability for Palm Pre.
Dont’t believe me… Don’t Come.
And believe me, I have no desire to prove my credibility…
Good Luck.
imran – you work for sprint? in the us?
I didn’t mean any disrespect Imran. I was just looking for more information then a simple date. We’ve heard so many already. Do you have any information on the lack of emails? Or, even better, a selling price? Thanks again!!
No offense taken…
And the price… said $199, which sounds realistic because it is going to be competing with the iphone but not sure if its after a $100 mail-in-rebate or not.
Sprint usually does a mail-in-rebate so not quite 100% sure on the price.
TK, regarding the email notification, you won’t receive an email until just before the Pre is out. When the Instint came out they emailed us the day before and gave current Sprint customers the ability to pick it up a day early. I was on a flight and by the time I landed and got to the Sprint store they had 2 left. Think about how popular the Pre will be and you’d better be there early.
I think Imran is right on the date. They aren’t selling any old Palm phones anyway, everyone is waiting for the Pre. They’d better hurry, too, a friend of mine bought an iPhone because he felt they took too long. If this waiting game goes on much longer more and more people will switch.
I am forced to agree I have been to no less then 10 sprint stores and even talk to a friend that is a palm rep he says best case may and 7 out 10 sprint store reps say june 2 have said may and only one said march and I think he ment another phone
as much as I would love to believe what Imran said, I can tell that he doesn’t know what the hell he is talking about.
What sprint store opens up at 12PM???? this discussion is for people who all share a common interest in this phone and we all want to converse n share info about it. But nobody wants to read stupid comments from fools like you.
How n the hell would you be the 1st to know? why doesn’t tech at sprint stores know anything about a release date? huh? I mean you would think that they would know before most people because they have to get trained on how to repair the phone.
o but I guess you are the know it all huh? shut the hell up.
i must agree with meech, and kudos to you for calling imran out. he is simply telling you guys what you want to hear and you guys are eating it up because you want the PRE so badly. don\’t believe him, guys. you will just be disappointed in the end. they are not releasing their biggest phone in years on a sunday….
at noon, no less.
lol Very true David. Very true.
But on another note; I would like to take the time to redirect the focus of this discussion. Who out there is tired of their current phone??? I know I am. I have always been a pocket pc guy because of all of its capabilities, but I really hate the random freeze ups and os issue it haves. Not really reliable.
But I’m sticking it out with my MOGUL, anxiously awaiting the PRE to hit stores.
i actually still have the treo 700p. i have been using it for THREE YEARS with NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER. crazy, huh? it has rebooted a cpl of times (because i was doing like 5 things at once on it), but that’s it. i love it. does anyone know if the browser will be considerably faster on the webOS than the blazer?
Yea, I have had a treo 700w and and 700p, I like both of then, but the palm os was much much more reliable. I hate to say it but windows mobile sucks.
But anyway, about the PRE’s webOS, I have seen some of the video (i’m sure you all have seen them too) of its ever so beautiful OS. From my opinion, it pulls up real pages faster then some phone pull up mobile versions of web sites. I haven’t seen a phone surf as fast as the palm pre. All this talk make me more and more anxious of its release! Lol
I was going to get a BB Storm, but I’ll just keep waiting on my PRE
I just read that the Pre will require an everything plan. Also that Sero plans will not work with it.
wow thats crazy. o well. I was looking for a reason to cancel my house phone.
I really hope sprint doesnt force an everything plan down our throats. This will really hurt them more then they are right now. I hope its just a rumor.
Hey IMRAM is the pre coming ou today or were you just blowing smoke out your butt? I haven’t seen or heard anything, although the palm pro has been released.
I am a mogul user and while I love my phone it frezzes terrible and I am telling you with god as my witness that if sprint forces us into more exspensive plans to have the pre I will drop them and go to att and get a iphone. They aught to reward us for our loyalty
Ohhhhhh imran……what time is it?
I went and bought the g1 and returned it the next day, so that i could wait on the pre. Had my number ported and everything, then ported it back to sprint, I am waiting on that pre thing… Sprint will be the only company with it.
You guys know what??…. The pre will HAVE to come out within the next 2 1/2 months. This is middle of March. And when the 1st introduced it, they said it will be the 1st half. So I guess we can all keep counting down. I was just about to switch n get a Storm but I guess it would be pointless since we are talking WITHIN about the next 2
Im waiting also. Im seeing if i can use the pre on my sero plan. If not then ill just get the htc pro or wait for htc pro 2.
1. The Pre will not work on just a basic voice plan like SERO. Sprint and Palm’s websites have put in the fine print regarding the Pre that the device will require SOME FORM of unlimited data – not necessarily the Simply Everything Plan. The phone operates on WEBOS – WEB, as in the Internet – and Synergy is designed to constantly pull information from the internet, a feature that will run up internet usage charges for people without a data plan. It only makes sense to require a data plan. People get bent out of shape thinking Sprint is screwing them with expensive plans, but in reality they’re trying to spare you from driving your bill up with unexpected monthly internet charges. Some kind of unlimited data plan add on or Everything Data plan will be required.
2. For people thinking they’ll ditch Sprint and hit up AT&T for an iPhone, please. Sprint/Palm has a) said FIRST HALF 2009, which it is still the first half of this year, so the phone is NOT delayed yet. And b) you’ll pay tons more per month for an iPhone plan for similar minutes/texts/data than you will at Sprint. Really – look up pricing for an iPhone and then compare similar plans on Sprint. You’re not saving money avoiding an Everything Plan on Sprint by going over to AT&T.
3. If you don’t want to pay the price for a Pre, then don’t buy it. Sprint is providing a phone that is designed to use the internet to function as efficiently as possible – don’t get bent when Sprint won’t offer it to you on a basic voice plan. It defeats the ENTIRE purpose of the device. Everyone wants a flashy, nice touchscreen phone but doesn’t want to pay for it to work like it’s supposed to. It’s like demanding Lexus offer you their newest car for the price of a Toyota.
Hey scott, thd sero plan is not a basic voice plan. The Sero plan has UNLIMITED DATA, TEXT AND EMAIL. You can even add the unlimited blackberry package to it. You should do a little research before going all out on a subject and stating incorrect information.
JJ –
I found that out literally about a minute after posting that comment. In that case, Sprint just needs to make an official announcement on SERO, which they’ve been avoiding. I think they’re avoiding it because they’re trying to make some kind of deal available to SERO users that will feel a lot more like a concrete Everything plan to them. Who knows.
As for everyone else who thinks they’re getting a Pre without a data plan, my comment still stands.
-JJ
What do you know about this touch pro2? I saw some pics of it in google. But when will it drop? And will it be with sprint???? I might have to get both the pre and the touch pro2 also. The screen look huge!
Meech-
I saw the pics too. It looks pretty good. The screen does look huge. I hope its got the accelerometer and internet explorer 6 w/ flash. On phonenews.com they have a leak of the sprint roadmap and it looks like the touch pro 2 is going to be released in the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year. Hey if i cant get the pre i might wait for the touch pro 2.
Scott-
No problem. Honest mistake. I do agree with you about those who just have a voice plan, their definitely not getting the pre unless they change plans. You might be also be right about sprint holding on referring to the sero plan because they are going to have a special deal for Sero customers. I really hope thats the case.
I just googled some touch hd’s and some touch pro2’s. The cheapest I’m finding is around 400 for ah brand new unlocked ones. I wonder how it will work with sprint if I go buy of those unlocked GSM Touch HD or Touch Pro2’s. If anybody knows anything about that, PLEASE let me know. Thanks!
Gsm version of htc will NOT work with sprint. You will have to wait for the cdma version. Plus cdma evdo is faster than the gsm counterpart. So if you wait you will get the best of both worlds.
Ok thanks JJ.
But hey this message is to everyone. I found some site, http://reviews.infosyncworld.com/cell-phones/compare/?name1=HTC+Touch+Pro+2&name2=Palm+Pre&name3=Nokia+N97&name4=Nokia+E75
They say that the pre and the pro 2 will be out this May. I don\’t know how true that is, but I kno that I might have to go with the bigger screen size, if I will have a choice of the two phones. But they are both very beautiful phones.
But nevertheless, check it out
RELEASE DATE WEEKEND!!
Jun.5-7 yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah baby baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!