Sprint Claims Exclusivity on the Pre Through 2009

Posted By: Ryan Kairer Thursday, February 19, 2009 11:41:44 AM

Palm Pre SprintRumor: Citing a "person familiar with the matter", CNBC has posted an article detailing that Sprint will have the exclusive rights to sell the Palm Pre in the United States through the end of 2009.

Sprint Nextel has exclusive U.S. rights to sell Palm's hotly anticipated Pre phone through the end of 2009, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Sprint, which also reported a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday, saw its shares rise leap more than 25 percent in early afternoon trade. [...]

Neither Sprint nor Palm have not announced how long the exclusivity period would last for the touchscreen phone, due to go on sale in the first half of the year.

Thanks to Gekko for the tip.

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Uh...out by endo of June...6 months...

SeldomVisitor @ 2/19/2009 12:00:19 PM # Q
...isn't that, you know, 201?

Why is this - any of this - a surprise?

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VZW

palmit @ 2/19/2009 12:53:11 PM # Q
Not a surprise, but it still sucks for VZW users.

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Talk about counting your eggs...

Tuckermaclain @ 2/19/2009 1:01:54 PM # Q
Exclusive through 2009? It's 2009 and there are no Pres yet. Maybe a better deal would have been to get an exclusive for the first year of it's life. Nobody knows for sure when it will be in the stores.

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Inverse Creeping Featurism?

SeldomVisitor @ 2/19/2009 1:12:56 PM # Q
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/19/palm-pre-no-longer-features-data-tethering-on-sprint-website/

RE: Inverse Creeping Featurism?
CFreymarc @ 2/19/2009 3:09:36 PM # Q
Final hour changes like this happen because of two things typically. One is the marketing execs want a feature taken out because it is threat to an existing revenue stream. The second is they could not get the feature working technically in time for the launch. With a new OS and new hardware going out at the same time, the latter could be the reason. Either way, this sucks. If there is no data tether to a laptop, several customers sitting on the fence just got off and away from Palm.
RE: Inverse Creeping Featurism?
LiveFaith @ 2/19/2009 5:37:17 PM # Q
Ditto! If it cannot be tethered then it cannot be my next phone. It's mission critical for me. I'll lean to the carrier problem. I cannot stand what these guys do. Sprint is usually better about this tho.

Pat Horne
RE: Inverse Creeping Featurism?
freakout @ 2/19/2009 8:35:43 PM # Q
^^ Guess we've found the first reason for us to want jailbroken Pres. ;)
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Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM

mikecane @ 2/19/2009 3:15:40 PM # Q
Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
http://prepoint.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/palm-the-pre-has-256mb-of-ram/

RE: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
SeldomVisitor @ 2/20/2009 3:29:35 AM # Q
Just means not only is Palm recommending using the cloud for everything, they're forcing it.

Also means "native apps" are pretty much forbidden by design as well, given the outrageous sizes of most native apps programmed today - HTML/Javascript is it.

RE: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
abosco @ 2/20/2009 10:18:37 AM # Q
I think you guys are confused about storage space vs RAM. This was more obvious back when the storage was a hard disk and RAM was easily seen as separate. The Pre has 8 GB of flash storage, plus 256 MB of RAM. The flash is a high-density memory, but it simply does not have the read/write speeds of RAM, which is still relatively low-density. It works the same as your computer. Applications are copied from the flash into the RAM to run. 256 MB RAM is larger than the current iPhone or Android devices. I know the G1 has been taking some heat because it has something like ~70 MB RAM. There are already a few dozen iPhone applications that wouldn't be able to fit on that!

In other words, this is good news for the Pre. However, this is really only an issue for native applications. First, Palm needs to release the Pre. Then they have to get off Sprint. Then they have to sell a lot to generate support. Then they have to release a full SDK and convince developers that it's a worthy platform. THEN the 256 MB RAM comes in handy.

That's quite a hurdle, if you ask me.

-Bosco
m105 -> NX70v -> NX80v -> iPhone -> iPhone 3G

iphone 3G only has ~128MB of RAM?
Gekko @ 2/20/2009 11:05:00 AM # Q

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2007/08/speculating-on-the-iphone-memory-footprint-and-cpu-speed.ars

RE: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
mikecane @ 2/20/2009 11:07:16 AM # Q
I'm not confused. The 256 is for program running space. It was never mentioned explicitly by Palm before this. The ~8GB is the storage area.

The G1 takes a lot of heat because apps can't be stored on the external card. Which is very strange. I can't believe they did that.

RE: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
hkklife @ 2/20/2009 2:17:11 PM # Q
256mb was hesitantly (and rather quietly) mumbled at CES by a Palm person but they didn't want that reported as an accurate amount of RAM. I certainly see no reason to gripe about the 256mb, as multitasking really seemed effortless, as did all app launching & browser zooming etc. It's the lack of a microSD slot + the rather feeble 8gb internally which still really irks me to no end.



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: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
freakout @ 2/20/2009 4:33:20 PM # Q
Then they have to release a full SDK and convince developers that it's a worthy platform.

http://twitter.com/steveweiss/statuses/1231936510

They may not be convinced, but they certainly seem interested... as a matter of fact, the registration page appears to have been knocked completely offline by the traffic, 'cause it's currently inaccessible.

RE: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
SeldomVisitor @ 2/21/2009 4:05:10 AM # Q
Only 1000?

No kidding.

What percent of those are just fanboys trying to get more information?

90%?

95%?

I would have expected much greater interest by developers.

[e.g., =I= signed up...ya think I'm going to be developing for the Pre?]

RE: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
freakout @ 2/21/2009 7:59:37 AM # Q
^^ Well, SV, Steve Weiss is the executive editor @ O'Reilly who actually knows the usual amount of traffic these kind of things might attract in such a short amount of time, and he thinks they're pretty impressive numbers.

Yeah, a good number of 'em might be fanboys. Developers can be fanboys too, y'know.

[e.g., =I= signed up...ya think I'm going to be developing for the Pre?]

No. Of course not. You're not even going to buy one. Or any Palm device. Why are you so interested in the company, anyway...?

RE: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
twrock @ 2/22/2009 1:41:31 AM # Q
Why are you so interested in the company, anyway...?

http://tinyurl.com/bvecdb


"twrock is infamous around these parts" (from my profile over at Brighthand due to my negative 62 rep points rating)
RE: Palm: The Pre Has 256MB Of RAM
mikecane @ 2/22/2009 12:18:55 PM # Q
ROTFLMAO!!! twrock FTW!

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What About Vodafone?

LiveFaith @ 2/19/2009 5:39:43 PM # Q
If Vodafone releases, can we buy one from them for a premium, unlock it and use it on AT&T? I'll pay if it can be done.

Pat Horne
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tethering

jptx @ 2/20/2009 8:44:18 AM # Q
No tethering would be a deal breaker for me!
SYcning with my work outlook is a deal-breaker- looks like phone to google to outlook prob will work???
Palm OS emulator is almost a deal breaker, but may slide
No card slot is almost a deal breaker-

Still cautiously excited...

RE: tethering
mikecane @ 2/20/2009 4:53:14 PM # Q
Tethering: Is this where you stick a USB cable into your notebook/netbook and one into the phone and the phone acts as a purely data device (ie, modem)? (I think it can also be done with Bluetooth, but since BT is so much slower than the dataflow into the phone, why bother?)

Yes, I am stuck in like 1857 when it comes to these phone things.

RE: tethering
freakout @ 2/20/2009 4:59:01 PM # Q
SYcning with my work outlook is a deal-breaker

webOS syncs with Exchange/Outlook just fine, reportedly.

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PRE-empting abosco

mikecane @ 2/20/2009 12:26:30 PM # Q
Now, abosco, remember that when people get their Pre and start raving about it, you are NOT to EVER type the words "My iPhone has been doing that for X years/months."

That would put you in the same company as the WinMob boors who said that about your iPhone gushing.

If we had wanted an iPhone, we would have bought one.

RE: PRE-empting abosco
abosco @ 2/20/2009 12:51:17 PM # Q
That's fine, because my iPhone has never been stuck to Sprint for 6 months.

-Bosco
m105 -> NX70v -> NX80v -> iPhone -> iPhone 3G
RE: PRE-empting abosco
Gekko @ 2/20/2009 1:22:34 PM # Q

sprint is by far the best deal out there. only a sucker would pay ~50% more to go with att or vzw.

RE: PRE-empting abosco
freakout @ 2/20/2009 1:54:51 PM # Q
You U.S. folks are all suckers. Why let yourself get locked into a contract with any one telco, when you can shell out hundreds of dollars more for an unlocked model? :P
RE: PRE-empting abosco
hkklife @ 2/20/2009 2:13:50 PM # Q
You both try being out in the middle of the sticks somewhere in rural Georgia, South Carolina or Tennessee. Or most anywhere in the midwest that's off the beaten path.

Heck, even in some smaller metro areas VZW has the best/only 3G data coverage. You'd be thankful to be paying for Verizon's service. Tim, GSM coverage in the USA is *VERY* spotty and far from ubiquitous.

Sprint is also still hemmoraging money & subscribers and may not be around in a year or two in their current form. Palm & Sprint in bed together is analogous to Wal-Mart & "Made in China"....they're synonymous with each other and perfectly supporting the old adage of "you get what you pay for".



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: PRE-empting abosco
Gekko @ 2/20/2009 2:36:46 PM # Q

check the latest coverage map, hillbillies -

http://coverage.sprintpcs.com/

sprint has spent huge dollars building 3G+ towers everywhere.

take them for a 30 day test spin and i'd bet you'd be pleasantly surprised. i've had at&t, vzw, and sprint - and i've traveled the country - and sprint has been the best.

RE: PRE-empting abosco
Gekko @ 2/20/2009 2:38:04 PM # Q

The Definitive Coast-to-Coast 3G Data Test
By Wilson Rothman, 1:00 PM on Wed Dec 17 2008, 105,321 views

http://gizmodo.com/5111989/the-definitive-coast+to+coast-3g-data-test



RE: PRE-empting abosco
mikecane @ 2/20/2009 4:50:50 PM # Q
>>>and i've traveled the country

The Serial Killers Investigation Project is glad to hear you admit that. You've been bumped to the top of their list now.

They'd been wondering who the Centro Killer was.

abosco: Since my experience has only been Tracfone, I have nothing else to compare to. And since I live in a *real* city, I expect the coverage will be good. We don't, after all, have hogs bumping into the cell towers and disrupting things.

RE: PRE-empting abosco
G M Fude @ 2/20/2009 5:09:02 PM # Q
Now that was damn funny! Serial killers... Hogs... You haven't lost the acerbic wit, Mike.

- Steve Smith

"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Stephen Hawking

RE: PRE-empting abosco
freakout @ 2/20/2009 5:15:07 PM # Q
I heard that in the midwest, automobiles are feared and hunted for the delicious meat under their hoods...
RE: PRE-empting abosco
mikecane @ 2/20/2009 6:11:36 PM # Q
They also believe that skateboards are avatars of the serpent!

RE: PRE-empting abosco
Gekko @ 2/21/2009 7:32:40 AM # Q

go try to find a better deal than $99/month for unlimited everything - voice, data, text, GPS, TV, radio, etc. nobody else even comes close.

"Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." - Benjamin Franklin



RE: PRE-empting abosco
LiveFaith @ 2/21/2009 11:20:09 PM # Q
New Jersey is NOT the whole country!

Pat Horne
RE: PRE-empting abosco
Gekko @ 2/22/2009 5:17:25 AM # Q

thanks hillbilly.

RE: PRE-empting abosco
AdamaDBrown @ 2/23/2009 10:42:11 PM # Q
Gekko, some of us HAVE test-driven Sprint and found its coverage to be severely lacking.

Reply to this comment

Gekko: Put some webOS lipstick on!

mikecane @ 2/21/2009 11:14:15 AM # Q
webOS As Lipstick
http://prepoint.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/webos-as-lipstick/

Now Gekko can have the Worst of Both Worlds: his Playskool Centro phone plus a fake version of webOS.

Wow, Gekko, your life will never get better than this. Better live in and savor the moment!

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