Palm Pre launch plans leaked

lol. i work for sprint. all you amateurs who have no idea what you are talking about please dont say nothing at all. accept that the pre is the news of the year in the cell phone game. john rubenstein left apple and designed the pre. enough said.

Hmm… I've had 3 Treo phones on Sprint. They all worked great, even e-mail integration. My Sprint Touch Pro with Win Mo 6.1 basically does everything, but I click extra to get it done. My Sprint 3G USB Wireless Modem works great nearly everywhere, even when the power is out and DSL and Cable Modems are dead. When I have a problem (dropped calls at new home) and asked "do you have a way to help me" I got Samsung femtocell from Sprint for free. I just ask if there's a way and they've always come through, even if I've had to ask a couple of Sprint folks. I think the tortoise beats the hare here. Maybe I try a Pre when I get my next EVERY 12 MONTHS Major New Phone Discount from Sprint. Their network is fast and voice dialing on Win Mo (built in, free but not in ads or manual) rocks. Yawn. No instant gratification, but the Sprint s*** does work. Cheaper 'n better than ATT, VZ or Tm! Yawn… Ditched the CrackBerry b4 my first Treo – why go that far back?

Spent the morning at the Sprint Store and then on the phone with Sprint's Customer Retention Dept. As an 11-year customer with Sprint, to get the Pre I would have to pay the full $549 price AND have to change my plan to Sprint Everything (double what I pay now). This is what they told me on the phone — If I were a new customer, I would be eligible for the $199 price (after rebate). Sprint is off-putting long-standing, loyal customers to get new ones over this Pre b.s.. That was the final straw — I'm switching to a diff. carrier.

I was laughing at the Nascar comments so I did a little research and apparently there are approx. 75 million Nascar fans out there?!?!?!

Quote "The 2004 Daytona 500 had 33.5 million viewers in the U.S. In addition to the national

broadcast here in the states, NASCAR also claims to broadcast in over 130

countries worldwide. Based upon that one race, the 75 million fans stat seems like a realistic representation."

So, eat your words because a third of those Nascar fans switching over because of a "phone" is possible…Remember how many switched to ATT and paid higher monthly charges because of an Iphone? Boogity Boogity Boogity…let's get a Palm Pre boys! (IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, THEN CONTINUE TO ENJOY YOUR NASCAR IGNORANCE)

Hey Michwake Detroit, MI,

I hope your Family Plan is an Everything Plan! If not your 9 year old will be telling you to get a new plan because Sprint Has Already Posted over and over again "NO Plans Other than Everything, SE or Biz plans will be accepted."

All Older Fair & Flexible, Family, Grandfathered, or Sero plans are Exempt from getting the New Palm Pre UNLESS they upgrade the the Everything Plans. NO Exceptions!

Just adding a Data plan has already been rejected.

Essentially Sprint is denying 30+ million of it's current subscribers from getting this phone without upgrading. Now that ATT and Verizon have already stated they will have the phone in 6 Months, even fewer people will switch to Sprint for this new wonder phone. Most will just wait till their carrier gets it in stock. Sprint is essentially betting the house on a 6 month fling praying that millions sign up for $100 plans and that just won't happen!

Why are people complaining about not being able to keep SERO? SERO was one of the dumbest mistakes Sprint ever made. Why have plans available that cause you to lose money? You invest all this money in your 3G/4G capabilities and lose cash on it to SERO customers.

I have SERO right now with my HTC Touch but you all knew it was too good to be true. Hang on with your old phone if you can but you can't expect them to partner up with Palm for a new Jesus phone just so they can lose money on it with SERO customers.

Even if you switch plans you still have the best value among the U.S carriers.

The truth is Apple believes that iPhones are worth a premium, as does RIM with their BlackBerry's. They are right sometimes, and wrong sometimes, depending on the user. I think this new product just means that Palm will also see a premium for their phone.

The real question is, can three similar technologies all be worth a premium?

I wish there were an iPhone app that allows you to input monthy costs, data plans, hardware cost, rebate info, etc. of two phone plans and see which one is lower. Don't hold your breath for it.

Anyone can get the phone silly people. You are reading an internal memo. That would be what they are going to push the sales people. Ever go to a store and they try to sell you the thing with all the bells and whistles and you only need the basic item? A day or two later you regret it and return it. Well, restocked phones lose their value once they are opened and used, even if only for a short time. So…they are saying only to recommend selling them to the people who would actually want or need to use one.

My family plan includes unlimited data and text, so my 9yr or anyone on our plan, could get a pre and use most of the features. He is a little tech nut, even so young. My Grandma on the other hand would not be using it, would not use data and it would be a waste to sell one to her. She is someone who would return it and probably be very upset they even sold such a thing to her. If they kenw her (or that type of customer) they would know it would not be a good fit. It is basically about customer service and knowing your customer. Why alienate customers trying to shove stuff they don't need or want down their throats just to make a good sale? It will bite them in the butt later. If you give the right phone/plan to the right person the first time, you have loyal customers. So, that is all that refers to. They won't deny customers a phone, but I'm sure they are going to make them get the data plan. They did it with my Instinct. I wasn't sure about the cost, but it isn't much more and I'm so glad I did it. I love all the features and I'm sure I have not come close to using it all.

Also, I know that the companies subsidize the price of the phones. The phone will cost people $200 with a new contract, but trust me, they cost a lot more. The company expects to make up the difference in price by selling the data services with it. If you had a voice only plan and were not bringing much money in to Sprint, why would they want to subsidize the cost of the phone, like the Pre when you won't even be using most of the features? Why give that phone to Granny and knock all the money off the price when she is on a $40 plan? On the other hand you get these techy people who pay $100/mo for everything, then it is worth giving them a really good deal on the phone.

I used to work for a cell phone company. That is how I know the way it works. Maybe things changed a little since I left, but I don't think that much has changed. I hope it helps explain things a little.

I have been with Sprint since 2000 and never had any issues. I love the service a lot. No, I do not work for them. I do get a good discount through the company I work for. I have very few dropped calls. I have an awesome family plan with 5 phones on it. We hardly get to use all of our minutes since we talk mostly Sprint to Sprint. Their customer service has ALWAYS taken care of my issues without me having to try and prove my case. I have the Instinct phone which I really like, but I am seriously considering the Pre. By the way, the person who said you can't get the deals that new customers can get doesn't have the right information. If your contract is up, or you are a Premier customer, you can get the same deals the new customers get. I've never had any issues or paid more.

I won't bash the competition. It was so long ago I had ATT/Ameritech service. It wasn't the best, but that was in the late 90's. I have a friend with an iPhone and it seems pretty cool, but not cool enough for me to leave Sprint and everything I have. I don't think ATT can offer a better plan, service, coverage or network that Sprint does. Sprint always seems on top of things. Sprint and Verizon were the first to get to 3G networks. Now I think they are going to 4G.

Anyway, for those who are not sure about Sprint and see a lot of the hateful people, there are usually reasons why they are not happy (they didn't get their own way). A lot of times there issues would have been handled the same way at ANY of the companies. So, there are a lot of us that love our Sprint phones and service. I've gone over on minutes and they worked a deal with me. If you are a good long standing customer they will go out of their way to help with reasonable requests.

I hope this helps some.

The "right" users that Sprint is speaking of, or to be more exact, the "wrong" users Sprint is saying not to sell the Pre to, are people who don't use, need, or really want a smart phone. The elderly woman/man who just wants to make calls, and doesn't ever use web or texting, the 11 year old kid who just HAS to have the hottest new phone, but whose parents don't want to pay for insurance if they lose or damage the phone, etc.

Sprint isn't trying to deny anyone the RIGHT to buy the Pre, but the fact is that PDA phones are among the most returned, simply because alot of people don't need them, and have no idea how to use them! Why push a PDA onto someone who really doesn't want it? Great customer service means not only selling someone what they want, but steering them away from something they really don't need!

Exclusive NASCAR content is a selling point?

I have worked for several wireless companies over the years and usually training and other documents, like this one, are plastered with logos. This one has a decidedly large lack of sprint logos… interesting.

I would like to ask everyone arguing on these posts one thing: What is in it for you? What do you get from arguing about how great/terrible the pre/iphone is? Besides a raise in your blood pressure, that is.

So, how many paid Sprint marketing folks are posting on threads like these? I can count at least two on this one.

If you know the specific lines of script to look for, it's pretty funny to watch the lengths some companies will go to to promote and defend their services.

Why all the bickering among the folks who won't buy the pre??? Maybe you just wish that the pre will be available on your network. I know that I was an iphone basher for that purpose. I do however see the iphone as more of a toy, like the ngage, anyone remember that phone. Let's face it, everyone likes their network for some reason or another. I have been with sprint for 11 years. I have no complaints!! I know friends who are on other networks who couldn't wait to switch because of poor service/coverage. I have also learned that your coverage/service is more linked to the phone you have as much as the network that it is attached to. A while back I got one of the free flip phones from sprint and had wondered if sprint took down half of their towers because the service sucked. Needless to say those phones when back immediately!!! I than paid $150 for a phone and never had another dropped call again.(sad that it takes spending more money to get better quality, but what industry isn't that the case?) Now about the iphone. I do not understand why in this day and age someone would want to replace their ipod and their phone with an iphone. How often do these people get new phones??? I like to keep my devices as seperate as possible(with exception with a pda/cell.). The real success of the iphone has been because of hype, but mainly the apps. Without the apps people wouldn't have flocked to the iphone and it would be just another smartphone. If the Pre wants to successfully compete with the iphone it needs to have killer apps and the numbers that the iphone has using the apps to make them successful! As far as other features. Music player, I could care less I already have an ipod nana and when I replace my phone in a year or two I won't need to buy a new ipod. Camera, don't need that either, Who cares that it has a flash?? It is a cheap camera. Would you expect anyone to buy a 3 or 4 megapixel camera as a stand alone item?? I would be not. Live tv?? Nascar content, who gives a rats axx? This is first and foremost a cell phone!!

I don't understand all this nerdy trash-talking.

So everyone relax.

If you like your iPhone, keep your iPhone.

If you like your Blackberry, keep your Blackberry.

Competition is a GOOD thing, and will only push companies to make better products. Who wins? All of us.

Personally, I've had nothing but good experiences with Sprint since I switched 2 years ago. Great signal coverage, exceptional customer service.

Assuming Palm can sort out their manufacturing issues, the Pre should be a huge hit. Remember people, this is a GOOD thing for EVERYBODY.

"I’m pretty sure that there are quite a few things the iPhone has that the pre doesn’t have"

Can't wait for your list, Rattyuk. Easy to say, hard to back up, huh?

I've been with Sprint since 2001 and have had no service issues issues and very few complaints. Sprit has been very loyal to me when I have requested a credit or discount for minute overages. I don't see how other carries will be able to compete with Sprint's $99.99 everything plan.

Figures sprint would screw us SERO customers by making us switch plans…didn't see that coming!

I am a pain in the ass customer, always complaining, but sprint treats me well. Last time when I thought my plan was too high, they lowered it to a legacy plan that they no longer offer to keep me.

I've been with Sprint since 1999 and never had a problem. I once switch to AT&T for their cool phones, but their coverage was bad, so moved to Verizon and found them poor as well, three months later I was back to Sprint.

Keep in mind, people with bad experiences complain, which is why you see a lot of sprint bashing. People who don't have issues, don't spend time comment boards like me, apparently. I just got tired of all the bashing. Sprint is great.

It's a shame that Sprint seems more interested in trying to capture the 'right customer,' but that doesn't seem to include existing Sprint customers. If they were concerned about keeping current customers, they wouldn't charge them $299.99 for the Pre and then offer $199.99 to new customers with a two-year contract. The Pre should have been viewed as the ticket to keep Sprint customers from continuing to walk while AT&T keeps the stranglehold on the iPhone.

Terry,

You need to post that Petition on SprintUsers.com. That will give you the best results.

For all those Sprint SERO Users out there, please consider joining this Yahoo Group to petition Sprint to allow us to keep our SERO plan and purchase the Pre – http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SERO-MEMBERS-WPP/

R Brown,

Hello from from Road America.

Ever try to drive a cup car or anything similar? I used to feel the exact same way as you.

I'm looking forward to this phone. To date, I've not gone with the iPhone because of AT&T; I'd simply have too much baggage to carry–some related to prior cellluar customer-service and billing nightmares, but primarily due to years of bad experiences with their carrier data business units. It's unfortunate, because I love my trusty, dented-but-still-running Powerbook G4 as much as my home-built Vista DVR/MCE and XP desktop machines.

On the subject of Sprint, I was an early PCS customer in the days of the one phone they had (the Sony with the slide-up earpiece). Customer service got bad, and I did time with all the other big carriers (T-Mobile, Verizon, Cingular and then again with AT&T). 2 years ago, I decided to give the home-town boys another shot, and I've been totally content. Customer service has been great, and I never have network trouble (my 2yo phone has problems, but it's been dropped a few dozen too many times). I had signal all the way driving from Seattle to the base of Mt. Rainier in the middle of nowhere.

The Pre is a new type of UI, just like the iPhone was. Whether it "kills" the iPhone is completely irrelevant to me as a user. It has the features (including a real keyboard) that I'm looking for, and the card layout of WebOS makes quite a bit of sense to me, and follows how I tend to think (somewhat non-linear) at times.

Lot of arguing going on here for nothing. Right now the iPhone is a great phone. Is it right for everybody? Of course not. If the Pre is a "better" phone that the iPhone, great! Good job Palm! It won't make me want to run out and buy one. Same for Blackberry. I hate them. That's just me. I like WM smart phones and, recently, my iPhone. Bottom line is WHO CARES and why is everybody getting so worked up about this? No one single phone is going to be "perfect" for everybody…that's why so many phones exist in the first place! So quit the freakin attacks already and go with what works for YOU.

It's a shame they chose Sprint as the service provider. As a former Sprint customer for 8 years, Sprint SUCKS! I will never go back because of all the dropped calls.

In the end, does it matter which is better? Everyone has different needs and wants. Why not argue about more important things in life, like global warming, politics, the death penalty, etc etc. In the end, its just a phone. Buy the one that fits you.

I agree with the comment Kyle Cox made. I was a very loyal customer to Sprint for years. When I tried to leave them for another company they treated me like the scum of the Earth.

They tried to make it impossible for me to leave, their customer service was indignant, rude, apathetic and arrogant and they "found" hidden fees to try and prevent me from leaving. The only reason I had stayed with Sprint for so many years is that the coverage was good.

But be warned, Sprint will stab you in the back if you actually need service. They are abhorrent and despicable as a company and I feel sorry for Palm partnering with a company like Sprint. I have never felt so much rage about a company in my life. Sprint is just that kind of a company. Seeing the smirk on the commercials with the new CEO's face just makes me want to puke.

Don't care, I will never do business with Sprint again. It was the worst two years of my phone useage life, horrible coverage and even worse customer service. They could give me this phone for free and it still wouldn't change my mind. I am done ranting against Sprint

@Sam.

"For example over 80% of the users have an iphone because they want to combine their ipods with a phone."

Citation please? Where did you get this 80% figure. OR did you just make that up?

"The rest just want to look cool."

Strange that – nobody using it because it actually works as advertised then? Interesting take.

"In reality WINDOWS MOBILE (yes i said windows mobile) has many more functions and tools than an iphone."

Maybe but only the Geeks know how to use them.

" iphone really is.. A TOY!"

Shame they've only sold like 20 odd million units then.

"(by th way microsoft sold 18 million wm licenses in 1 year and apple hasnt sold that many iphone in 2 years combined)"

Yeah right. If you were actually interested in Apple's share price and just not a winmo blowtard you would know that at the last quarter Apple had sold 20 Million phones and 17 million iPod touches so far. So you are wrong. Also how much is Microsoft making per unit shipped? Not a lot – while Apple is clearing around 500 bucks a unit NOT counting any income from the App store / iTunes. As a shareholder I know which I prefer.

"seriously how can you take a device seriously when it has not had the function of copy and paste for 2 years now or even take videos."

Copy and Paste thereby I rest my case. You know why? Because it doesn't matter. If it did matter Apple would not have sold any. And all the other companies appear to be wanting to fail as badly as Apple as they all seem to be doing "me too phones".

Grow up and look at what is happening.

I for one will be happy when the Pre comes out. If for no other reason then to put an end to the hype. The pre will run its course, much like every other would be "iPhone killer".

At best, the Pre will provide some life support for Palm, but those expecting the Pre to be an iPhone killer are setting themselves up for a massive disappointment. We'll all watch the sales figures of the Pre, along side those of the third generation iPhone hardware and software which Palm will truly be competing against. Then, we'll listen to the excuses from the Palm enthusiasts.

Had the Pre come two years earlier, things may have been different. For now, the Pre doesn't compete directly with Blackberry. It wants to be an iPhone, but will only appeal to those already on the Sprint network. In reality, Pre will be competing most against the Android platform. Still, I agree with those who suggest competition is a good thing.

I really hate to remind you iphone freaks but the iphone mainly popular among non-business people. For example over 80% of the users have an iphone because they want to combine their ipods with a phone. The rest just want to look cool.

In reality WINDOWS MOBILE (yes i said windows mobile) has many more functions and tools than an iphone. the fact that the iphone has not even come close in sales is a good indication as to what the iphone really is.. A TOY! (by th way microsoft sold 18 million wm licenses in 1 year and apple hasnt sold that many iphone in 2 years combined)

As for ease of use, the iphoneis very simple to use as is a free flip phone or an lg dare for example. A robust OS has directories and depth to each app with the iphone does not have. seriously how can you take a device seriously when it has not had the function of copy and paste for 2 years now or even take videos.

Palm has always been leaders in devices and will be leaders again with the PRE and the kiddies that own these little toys will always argue about their little toys that a monkey can use by pressing button all day.

Ok fool. The G1 does have a calanderm it does have layered contacts. And seriously who cares about some stupid NASCAR crap?? I hate Nascar. Its so redneck. I also HATE SPRINT. Talk about network failure?? LMAO. what are you talking about Sprint?? Your network sucks.

@ ANONYMOUS TRUTH, OKLAHOMA CITY OK.

"I like to play my music while i am browsing the web, you cannot do that with the iphone 3.0 Or prior iphones."

Hmmm I'l Bite. You've never used an iPhone have you? Because if you have then you would know that that is exactly what you could do with it from day one. The issue with background apps is that Apple is not ALLOWING third party apps to run in the background. The machine itself is perfectly capable of doing it.

It doesn't "shut the program down" it saves its state and closes it – after the call is finished you can relaunch the app and be in exactly the same state as you left it.

I am not even going to attempt to touch your Mac is better than Linux drivel save to say at least on a Mac we know where the caps lock key is.

I traded my iphone in for the storm and i must say I enjoyed my iphone more. However, I do not consider the iphone a true smartphone,it seemed to be more for games and music. The only reason I switched is because the AT&T network was awfull in my area. If the iphone ever goes to Verizon I will get another. As for the Pre being an iphone killer, we'll have to wait and see. I doubt it though, the iphone is just too easy to use.

The truth of the matter is that the Pre is exactly what the cognoscenti purport it to be, a better smartphone than the current iPhone. To date no one who has seen the hardware or used the WebOS has claimed otherwise. Contrary to everyones' claims the launch date actually is a manifestation of confidence on the part of Palm and Sprint. They know their phone is far superior to the current iPhone and that it would be impossible for Apple to make any major changes to the current iPhone in such short notice. So don't expect much regarding improvements at WWDC. Palm is going to do well regardless of what ATT and Apple fans wish.

Dear iphonerulez,

You seem to know quite a lot about a device you most certainly haven't ever used.

Your statements are baseless and only go to show the true reasoning for your post: You're afraid that the Pre _COULD_ be as good as the hype surrounding it, and you would no longer have the bestest phone evar.

The Pre appears to match the iPhone in nearly every way, and pushes the envelope further. You should be happy another company is raising the bar in the smartphone market, as it will cause Apple to make your beloved iPhone better.

Keep the hate to yourself, kthxbye

I have been a Sprint customer for over 12 months and I am shocked to see how much better their service and coverage is over ATT and T-Mobile, both companies I have used in the past. The data download speeds from Sprint are much faster than those of ATT, all you need to do is make a comparison or go to Gizmodo and use their comparisons. According to Gizmodo Sprint outdid ATT in 12 cities in the US. It is true that ATT has more bars in more Podunks than Sprint but when it comes to urban areas Sprint is far better. Sprint will without a doubt have 10 cities covered with 4G within seven months, at which time neither ATT or VZ will have a single city covered. If Sprint had an achilles heal it was its lack of a Smart phones. Well we have all heard that will no longer be the case, since they are getting the exclusivity on the Palm PRE and a slew of other Smart phones which will also include phones with an Android OS. Sprint also has $4.5 billion in cash plus a $1.4 billion credit line. The company also has $3 billion in cashflow. Now tell me how a vanguard such as Sprint won't be around next year, when they have three Aces at their disposal; an exclusive with the Pre, 4G and Boost Mobile, which is by far the best Pre-paid wireless provider in the country. Did you know last quarter they beat earnings estimates by 8 cents? Did you know that last quarter they paid down their debt by $600 million? Did you know that last quarter they added $800 million to their cash balance? Did you know that the Pre is 4G compatible and that Sprint will be the only carrier in the nation to off 4G and that ATT and VZ will not have 4G available until the latter part of 2011? Did you know that Sprint's "simply everything" plan is $50/month cheaper than that of ATT's? Facts speak louder than words and no matter how much spin the ATT/iPhone lovers wish to promulgate they will never be able to silence the truth. On Jan 5th, 2009 at 6pm Sprint will begin selling the Pre to the public and the truth will finally put an end to the iPhone's stature as the undisputed world champion. The torch will be handed over to the Pre until their is a worthy new contender or a rematch comes from Apple. Based on research it appears that the iPhone 3 is an improvement on the current iPhone but still lacking enough to regain its stature as the undisputed king of Smartphones. If Palm can continue evolving its DNA with its current strand of engineers they may well continue to stay one step ahead of the iPhone and the remaining competition. Darwin's "Theory of Selection" stipulates that it is the ability to acclimate to the changing environment that dictates the survival of a species, Palm with its Pre clearly has made that acclimation. Step two will require continually evolving to higher standards and acclimating to meet consumer needs.

Hey iPhonerulez… way to take that analogies to the nauseating extreme, professor.

Look the iPhone's a fine phone. Everyone knows that. And now it's finally faced with a REAL competitor. No need to get all upset. Just accept it and stay away from attempting similes and metaphors.

It's good to see the Verizon, AT&T and Apple employees out in full force with their questionable business ethics, trying to trash something they know nothing about while trying mightily to act like it's their God-given right to dominate the wireless world. Maybe someday soon the American public will wise up to your incredibly high prices and smug customer service and sales reps.

Sprint is the only carrier that offers 4G and the Pre is the only phone that is 4G compatible. I can't wait to pit the iPhone against the Pre, only to silence the idiots that have no idea of how much better the Pre is over the iPhone. The good thing is that in America we have choice and those of us who are open minded enough to explore will choose the better product. In this case the Pre is better and much faster. So long as the iPhone is tethered to ATT it will never get to work on a 4G platform until 2012.

The only thing that is apparent is that the Palm Pre must have something on the iPhone that it is causing the iPhone lovers to panic. Owing to this I have been compelled to look into this new phone and what I have seen is very, very impressive. I'm pursuaded, I just hope I won't have to wait in line to get one.

The Pre is definate competition for the iPhone and Blackberry Storm. My entire milieu of frineds, family and business community are in line to make the switch to the Pre not because we love Palm but because the Sprint/Pre combination makes more sense. First you have a phone that at this moment, truly runs rings around the iPhone and its costs are cheaper to maintain. At $99/month Sprint/Pre is $600 cheaper annually than ATT/iPhone and $480 cheaper than Verizon/Storm. If this doesn't make sense then nothing will.

I have been with Sprint for years. Great customer service now. Problems are handled expeditiously. I have the unlimited plan so I can surf, text and call with no worries about going over. If I am on the internet and someone calls my phone rings and I have the option to take the call. I love Sprint and I will have a Pre. I really like the muti tasking ablility. The Iphone is too big (my wife has one) and the smaller Nano supposedly wont have internet capabilities. So I'll stick with Sprint.

THE IPHONE CAN ONLY RUN ONE MAJOR APP AT A TIME, LOL. IF YOU GET A PHONE CALL OR MESSAGE, SHUTS THE CURRENT PROGRAM DOWN. IPHONE DOES NOT USE SYNERGY, THUS IF SOMEONE UPDATES THEIR CONTACT INFO IN FACEBOOK, AUTO-UPDATES IN YOUR PRE'. EVERYONE MULTI-TASKS, NOT 1-DIMENSIONAL. I LIKE TO PLAY MY MUSIC WHILE I AM BROWSING THE WEB, YOU CANNOT DO THAT WITH THE IPHONE 3.0 OR PRIOR IPHONES. THE PRE IS MULTI-APP DRIVEN AND RUNS OFF LINUX O/S, ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO SAY MAC OS IS BETTER THAN LINUX? GET REAL!

NASCAR content?

Reason enough to pass this over.

What are they after, the Bubba market segment?

(Sent from Watkins Glen, NY – where NASCAR comes to learn to make right turns.)

"Leaked" my Ass !

This was done on purpose.

The Pre is competition for the iPhone? Totally absurd.

It's not even David against Goliath. It's more like David Pre against Godzilla iPhone and David can't find a single rock to put in his slingshot.

Palm has not hit a home run. It's more like a bunt with the bases empty and the score is 20 to 0 in favor of Apple.

So let me get this straight…It's half of a Blackberry and half of an iPhone. I'll stick with my Blackberry bold thank you. If I wanted a cute fashion statement, then I would buy an iPhone. For serious users, the Blackberry can't be beat. Period.

What Sprint means by don't sell to the wrong customers is that this phoen is not for enterprise or business professionals integrating into demanding corporate system.

The operating system of Pre, OSWeb is missing key elements for use in corporate systems, and more powerful tested operating systems such as windows mobile are more appropriate.

If you work for a Fortune 500 (or 5000) and buy the Pro your IT department is going to say "take it back" and make yo purchase one of th e more powerful smartphone/PDAs that can handle corporate requirements, for example security.

Business users will also be disappointed by Pre's lack of certain key programs and features.

This happened with iPhone for the first year. Sprint and Palm can't afford mass returns by professional users since those returns are no questions asked and then Sprint has a used handset now worth 1/4 of what it was a few days before.

The Pre is for average Joe (Palm uses for the Pre market the term "fat middle") getting their first smartphone and the Palm Pro is more powerful in half dozen respects than Pre, as are competing WM models like the HTC Touch Pro and Pro2.

In response to PalmBlows…if you think Palm is that bad, why did you keep buying Palm phones? Never mind that saying the OS blows is irrelevant because the Pre has a whole new OS. I'll never understand the anger people feel toward certain devices. If you don't like, don't buy it.

Wow you iPhone croanies are out in force, aren't you? OF COURSE the iPhone is better than the Treo! The Treo is so 2002! Only a moron would say "the iPhone is way better than the Treo, therefore the Pre will suck too"… pathetic.

The Palm Pre is an entirely different animal… and the iPhone faithful would be blind not to acknowledge at least that.

I have a palm. Been a customer for years with the treo and now the centro. And, frankly, palm sucks. Os sucks. Interfaces suck. Customer service sucks. When my contract is up I am switching. Anything but palm, seriously.

I had Palm handhelds and Treo phones for years. My first PDA was a Palm in 1996. I gave it up when I switched to the iPhone 3G in August last year. Even without Copy/Paste and without VideoCamera — the iPhone blows away the Treo. Simpler, more intuitive GUI, much cheaper apps, better selection of apps, a real web-browser, more RAM, integrated applications. All around better user experience. I wouldn't trade my iPhone for anything — except the new iPhone coming out this summer:-)

CDMA networks don't allow Voice and Data at the same time.

It's not just Sprint Network. The same issue exists with Verizon.

Jose, if you don't understand the statement "We can't afford to sell this to the wrong customers" then you probably haven't worked for anyone who makes anything. The most powerful thing a company can do is fire customers who actually COST money. They exist and are prevalent. Companies who control the customer (and by that I mean understand them, deliver what they want, and avoid what they don't want) are often the most successful.

And for those of you offended by Sprint's memo saying "we can't afford to sell the Pre to wrong customers," check out the details for yourselves:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadgetmobile.com/media/2009/05/pre-right-customer-sm.jpg

All they are trying to do is avoid the flak that the Android (a more "web-OS type phone) is receiving as a fleet device. In Sprint's opinion, the Treo Pro running Windows Mobile is more manageable as a fleet device.

In other words, Sprint is NOT saying "don't sell the Pre to the riff-raff!"

Sheesh…….

Why would you invest in Sprint. It is known that the company is hurting. Even if the plan is cheaper than the iPhone, at least we know AT & T will be around in a year. It is poor advertising on Palms part. A three year old could come up with a better one. Once the new iPhone comes out that marketing tool will be useless. Oh, thats right, the new iPhone will most likely be announced three days after the Pre launches. Go Apple iPhone!!!!!!

To the people that said 'chart of lies' – it's pretty much the same as the AT&T lie chart. What do you expect them to do, play to their weaknesses? Marketing people do not live in reality. It's nothign new.

As far as Sprint Customer Service & coverage – anyone bashing them at this point hasn't been at Sprint in a quite a while. Companies do turn themselves around sometimes.

Yes yes, they have lost a huge number of customers. So what? That's a reason NOT to buy a phone? It's irrelevant. Same dead horse as the customer service issue. It would only be a problem if sprint was in danger of going bankrupt and I'm not sure it would be an issue then – someone would buy them.

On the integrated calendar – they are talking about the ability to mix in multiple calendars into one. Perhaps they aren't the ones that are uninformed?

And finally – as has been pointed – competition is a good thing. The iphone fanbois should be applauding the pre – it's the reason they finally got cut & paste and a host of other things in the last update. There is little doubt the pre lit a fire under apple's butt. AT&T is also feeling the heat – I can't wait to see if Apple is stupid enough to re-up the deal with them.

The reality is that there is no perfect cell phone company. To me, Verizon may have great customer service, but you don't get any added value (early night minutes, rollover); you do, however, get the Verizon name. T-Mobile is great, but I know of some areas where T-Mobile customers have no coverage (T-Mobile or roaming). Sprint has its issues, but I'm not experiencing them. You just have to find the company that offers what you want, because none of them have it all.

You iPhone fans are so amusing… Palm just might have hit a home run with the Pre and you guys don't know how to handle it. Lighten up. Competition is a good thing.

I have a Palm currently, and it is absolutely horrible.

Palm has become like some of the american automakers– it made a poor product in the past, so what it does now is unlikely to change the perception that its products stink.

Good luck Palm, you're going to need it.

The Pre May look great at this point until you factor in Sprint as the 6 Month Only Exclusive Carrier.

As stated in the manual – Current customers:

• Must swap plans to one of the bundled voice/message/data plans

• NOTE: If customers choose to return the Palm Pre they may not be able to get their old rate plan back.

• No other rate plans can be provisioned on the Palm Pre.

Employees, Friends & Family:

Employee Plans:

• Employees are our best advocates; however, due to anticipated high demand, employee availability will be

delayed to first meet the needs of our customer base.

• Employee Wireless Discounts and Wireless Advantage Club accounts are not eligible to purchase the Palm

Pre at launch.

• An internal communication will be provided with more details.

Everything Plus Referral Program for friends and family (sprint.com/everythingplus):

• There are (2) Individual and (2) Family Plans available.

• Everything Plus 500

• Everything Plus 1000

• Everything Plus Family 1600

• Everything Plus Family 3200

• The program is available to new Sprint customers or existing customers adding a new line (no migration from

existing lines of service).

Existing SERO Customers:

• SERO customers will not be eligible to purchase the Palm Pre using their existing SERO plans. They will need

to upgrade from the current SERO Plans to one of the Everything Plus plans.

• The current SERO Plans have expired and once customers upgrade, they will not be able to go back to the

previous SERO Plan.

• SERO customers should be directed to Telesales for upgrades and plan swaps.

So for the few (less than 2 million) are on EVP / SE plans out of what Wall Street Journal quoted as only 35 Million Subscribers (Sprint Claims 49 Million).

So depending on who you believe on the subscription numbers – that leaves between 33-47 million Subscribers Being Neglected and walked all over.

Sprint is already bleeding cash and customers yet feels that this is a great idea on how to keep what it has and attract new subscribers. Frankly it is a very poor business decision. Sprint is already stating that until August they will be lucky to have 150,000 Pre Units with which to sell. 150,000 possible new subscribers won't make up for the millions they are making angry by limiting the ability for their most loyal users to get the latest technology. So again it looks to be a real winner as a Phone just not so much when it comes to the cellular service provider!

I think what is meant by "We can't afford to sell to the wrong customers" is that to ensure the person really needs the phone and can use the phone features plus handle the complexity of a PDA/Phone. Of course if someone wants it they will be sold the phone but some people really shouldn't have a PDA/phone. They are more complex than a regular phone and some people not used to them will be irate at things you have to do (like reset the phone on occasion because of freezes and running slow) with all PDA's.

the comment "sprint does not do data and voice at same time is incorrect", i have a centro and when surfing, call comes in and phone rings.

The Pre has multi-tasking and a lot of fresh user interface ideas. I would consider those things big advantages over iPhone.

I'm an iPhone developer but I'd love to play with the Pre just to see what the competition is doing. That rather lame comparison doesn't seem to focus on the real advantages the Pre has over iPhone.

By the way, iPhone has an integrated calendar too.

D

Sprint has terrible customer service and has been a terrible company ever since the merger with Nextel. CDMA and iDen not a good idea to merge. They have already lost over 40% of their subscribers; I don't care what phone they get. I wouldn't touch Sprint. AT&T is not doing any better; they have changed their name from Cingular over 5 Times now. The easy answer "we got bought out", doesnt work that way. Every time they get a lawsuit from unsatisfied customers; seems as though they change the company name. T-Mobile and Verizon on the other hand are both doing very well. Go with a solid company that gives you value and great coverage.

The one thing that seems to slips out of these leaks and gushing tech/bloggers is this.

"Sprint doesn't do data and voice at the same time"

Check out the Q&A from this link. If your using data, your calls will go straight to voice mail. If your expecting an important call, better not use the data portion.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PalmPreForumDotOrg&view=videos

That chart is actually an insult to the very people Palm says they "should" be selling to. Those buying this thing to replace their Blackberry couldn't care less about how easy it is to watch NASCAR or live tv. They want productivity and simplicity. I'm not saying the Pre won't have that, but man, what marketing dufus came up with that chart?

“We Can’t Afford to Sell the Pre to the Wrong Customers”

Really?? What kind of sales strategy is that??

With everything Sprint and Palm are putting on the table with this product shouldn't it be more like "we can't afford to NOT sell the Pre to ANYONE"??

Home CNET CES 2009 CES 2009

January 10, 2009 5:26 PM PST

Palm Pre wins Best of CES 2009 and People's Voice Award

by Bonnie Cha Font size Print E-mail

Best in Show: Palm Pre

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)On Saturday, CNET, in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association, handed out its Best of CES 2009 Awards, including Best in Show and the People's Voice Award. And this year's big winner? The Palm Pre.

The Palm Pre smartphone took home both honors and became the first cell phone/smartphone to win the Best in Show since CNET started presenting the Best of CES awards in 2006. The Palm Pre went up against some stiff competition, including the Sony DSC-G3 and the Sony P-series Lifestyle PC. So why the Pre?

Well, it was a combination of things. First, and most important in our opinion, the Palm Pre along with the new Palm Web OS, brings an innovative way to how you interact with your device and how it organizes information. The Deck of Cards feature truly makes multitasking on your smartphone a breeze, and the Synergy functionality pulls in all your personal management information (e-mail, contacts, and calendar) from various sources into one place. Sure, other devices and operating systems have made similar attempts, but from what we've seen, the Palm Pre is the first smartphone to truly deliver on this in a seamless way.

We also liked the best-of-breed design, as the Pre offers a multitouch screen that rivals the iPhone and even one-ups Apple's smartphone with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. The list of features is long and impressive, including a full HTML Web browser, a full range of wireless options, and multimedia capabilities. Palm will also offer an App Store, and since the Palm Web OS was built with developers in mind, we expect the smartphone's capabilities and uses will only expand.

Yes, the iPhone until the Pre became available had no competition but why can't we allow competition? It is just un-American to see how unfair so many threadsters have been toward the Pre. Why can't you allow Palm, that won the Best of CES 2009 award its day to shine. If Apple is compelled to improve its iPhone because of Palm and ATT is forced to lower its charges because of Sprint, then so be it. The ultimate winner is the consumer. I own an iPhone and will be a Pre owner when it is launched. Both these phones will co-exist and there is nothing ATT can do about it. I am currently paying $150/month using ATT, $99 for unlimited voice, $30 for unlimited data and $20 for unlimited texting. With Sprint I can get the whole gamut for $99/month using the Palm Pre, which I am told is 4G compatible. What is also funny is how everyone is complaining about the cost of owning a Pre, $200. This is cheap when you compare it with what is available. iPhone users have to pay $600 a year more than Pre users if they choose unlimited Voice/Data/Text. There is no question that the PRE/SPRINT offer is a bargain compared to the iPHONE/ATT offer.

I don't think NASCAR content is a big selling point. That chart makes them look desperate to find advantages. I think the WebOS could be it's biggest advantage. I will be getting myself one on June 6th!

does this mean that if you are a non business person you can't get the phone?

I guess if you talk about competitors you should at least inform yourself.

No integrated calendar for the G1?

At least mine got one.

Hmmm, charts and lies. Interesting that they picked all the things the iPhone doesn't have to promote in the chart. I'm pretty sure that there are quite a few things the iPhone has that the pre doesn't have but marketeers would not want people to see that.

Still waiting for a real world review of the thing.