Palm Announces the Palm Pre Smartphone
Palm has just announced their latest and greatest smartphone, the Palm Pre. Breaking away completely from the past, Palm's new WebOS and Synergy data integration are set to provide the foundation for Palm's future devices for the next decade, according to Ed Colligan at Palm's event earlier today at CES.
Sprint is going to be the exclusive carrier partner for the Palm Pre, and retail availability is expected "as soon as possible" within the first half of 2009. No mention has been made of pricing or additional carrier partners, but according to the spec listed below, a UMTS/HSDPA radio version is listed, so a GSM version will presumably be available once Sprint's period of exclusivity has lapsed.
Direct from Palm, the full spec list of the Palm Pre is available below.
Palm Pre Specifications
- High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A or UMTS HSDPA)
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
- Integrated GPS
- Large 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320x480 resolution HVGA display
- Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
- Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
- Email, including Outlook EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers), as well as personal email support (POP3, IMAP)
- Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)
- High-performance, desktop-class web browser
- Great multimedia experience and performance (pictures, video playback, music), featuring a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
- 8GB of internal user storage (~7.4GB user available)
- USB mass storage mode
- MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
- Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
- Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
- Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
- Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
- Removable, rechargeable battery
- Dimensions: 59.57mm (W) x 100.53mm (L, closed) x 16.95mm (D) [2.35 inches (W) x 3.96 inches (L, closed) x 0.67 inches (D)]
- Weight: ~135 grams [4.76 ounces]
- [Pre Product Page at Palm]
More Palm Pre Coverage
- Hands On Palm Pre Hardware Overview and Impressions
- Palm Pre Hands On Video - Part 1
- Palm Pre Hands on Videos Part 2
- Palm Touchstone and Pre Accessories Announced
- Palm Pre CES Event Photo Gallery
- Sprint Posts a Palm Pre Teaser Page
- Palm webOS Announced
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RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
Pat Horne
RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
I'm so excited. This could have gone extremely well or extremely poorly. It is an absolute win!!!!!
RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
Slider will make one handedness more difficult I presume, but we shall see. 2003 may finally pass after all!
Pat Horne
RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
Palm's back on the map. I never thought I'd see the day. Finally an iPhone competitor for the business market. I'm blown away!
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!
Palm Pilot 5000->Palm Pilot Professional->Handspring Visor->Handspring Visor Prism->Handspring Visor Neo->Handspring Treo 180->Handspring Treo 270->Palm Treo 600->Tapwave Zodiac 2->Palm Treo 650->Palm Treo 680->...
Samsung i780!
Goodbye Palm
RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
Addicted to Palm
RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
What a surprise, what a great surprise. :-)
RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
I don't know... I was really counting on that feature.
RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
RE: Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
Power? how much?
RE: Power? how much?
RE: Power? how much?
Can this thing last for 3~4 days like my Treo? By the way, let's hope it's under $500 (unlocked).
I think there's almost no chance that you'll see it below $500 unlocked. At least, not initially. Even the Centro sold for $200 witha plan at first. If it can really do everything they say it can do, I'd say $300 with a plan would be the initial price. Somewhere around there.
RE: Power? how much?
But a big subsidy is the upside of the exclusive carrier agreement, no?
EVDO vs AT&T 3G
And how much would this be per month vs the iPhone 3G?
Gekko, here's your cue!
RE: EVDO vs AT&T 3G
Sprint is your fastest, most cost effective option. i love it.
their pricing, speed, technology, phone selection blows everyone else away.
i love the $99/month "simply everything" plan. unlimited everything is a beautiful thing.
RE: EVDO vs AT&T 3G
Size vs Treo & Centro?
It makes me wonder if it's actually Centro sized.
Has anyone seen pics of it next to a Treo or Centro yet?
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->?
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
== "...The biggest unknown is price, which went unmentioned during
== the demo. My assumption is that Palm (PALM) would try to take market
== share by coming in significantly lower than the $200 or so Apple wants
== for its iPhone. But when I ran that theory by Palm CEO Ed Colligan,
== he looked at me liked I'd peed on his rug. "Why would we do that when
== we have a significantly better product," he asked, then walked away..."
- http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090108/live-from-ces-palm-unveils-nova/
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
that's my guess ($299).
Let's hope not - too high. They need to hit $199 or less or they're screwed.
----
Web Designer,
Tech writer for weblogs inc. @ http://www.tuaw.com
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
remember, iphone is subsidized by the higher at&t service fees. sprint's "simply everything" unlimited voice/data/text/gps is $99/month. at&t is $149/month. you'd make up the difference in 4 months.
also, colligan thinks he has the superior premium phone and that it should command the superior premium price.
iphone
8GB = $199 + higher monthly fees
16GB = $299 + higher monthly fees
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
error - i meant to say at $299 vs $199 phone cost youd make up the difference in two months of $99 vs $149 service charges.
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
stop being fooled by clever marketing. it's pay me now or pay me A LOT later with monthly fees. iphone is subsidized by at&t customers monthly fees.
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
all carriers subsidize their phones, it's just a matter of degrees. compare total voice + data pricing and you'll get your answer.
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
do the math -
Sprint Pre = $399 + $99/month for 24 Months =
AT&T iPhone = $199 + $150/month for 24 Months =
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
you must not have an iphone then. iphone at&t plans are more -
Package: iPhone 3G - 8 GB $199.00
Phone: Apple iPhone 3G - 8 GB - Black Included
Plan: Nation 900 w/Rollover® Minutes $59.99
Services: Data Plan for iPhone 3G $30.00
iPhone Text Messaging Unlimited $20.00
$110/month total.
my pre vs. iphone comparison works on any apples to apples plan.
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
Sprint Everything Data-900 Anytime Minutes Included2
$89.99/month
RE: Pricing Guess: $299 w/2 Year Service and Data Plan
We are comparing apples to apples with power users. For the Pre to achieve the scale of sales that the iphone has (close to 10 million units?) it has to appeal to the ave. joe. Average Joe walks into Best Buy and compares $199 to $399 (plus the added glitz/glamor of the iphone) and you can see which way it goes.
My point is that Sprint/Palm already have their work cut out for them if they want to become a mass consumer hit. Pricing at $399 is going to make the work that much more difficult.
Mind you I'm not an apple honk. I have an iphone, bberry and treo, and I'd love to see this succeed (in US GSM version, please, Palm), but for it to succeed they have to expand the market past the BB-HTC-Treo power users market.
DM.
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Bring GSM & I'll Show the Money
Pat Horne