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It looks like Verizon may not be selling Palm’s Pre, the bells-and-whistles handset that has been a Sprint exclusive since June.
Lack of blockbuster Pre sales as well as conflicts with Palm’s app store and Verizon’s VCast service have prompted Verizon to can its plan to support the Pre, reports Web news outlet The Street, which cited “people close to the discussions.”
Sprint and Samsung raised the curtain today on a new iteration of the wildly popular Instinct handset -- the Instinct HD.
The Instinct HD’s most notable feature is its beefed-up, 5-megapixel camera and high-definition camcorder. For comparison, Apple’s iPhone 3GS features a 3-megapixel camera.
BlackBerry Tour users have no problem getting the ball rolling – it’s getting the rolling ball to do anything that’s problematic.
BlackBerry Tours are being returned at a rate of about 50 percent because of trackball problems, analyst David Eller at TownHall Investment Research says.
Apparently users complain of having to roll the trackball multiple times to get it to move slightly on-screen, according to this IDG News Service article posted on Macworld.
Ever wonder if the cell phones we all slap up next to our brains at least a few times a day could eventually do damage?
It’s an unsettled debate -- some studies have linked cell-phone radiation to medical problems, but there’s also no conclusive evidence that cell phones actually do have a negative effect on our health. The general public doesn’t seem too worried about it, since the vast majority of us haven’t been willing to hold the phone (usage).
Looks like the tech world is abuzz with news of the announcement of Pre’s little brother, the Pixi. The new Sprint-exclusive smartphone will be available in time for the holidays, and Palm hasn’t given a price point yet (although consensus speculation is that it’ll run you near or under $100).
You can check out the specifications on the Palm Web site -- but here’s a quick rundown of the specs:
- 2.63-inch touch screen with a resolution of 320x400
- runs webOS
- 2-megapixel camera with an LED flash
- Integrated GPS and Bluetooth 2.1
- 8GB of flash memory
- Weighs in at about 3.5 ounces
- 2.17 inches wide, 4.37 inches tall, and 0.43 inches thick
I did some digging around the Internet to see what people think about it. The general consensus seems to be that the Pixi will be the new Centro -- which wouldn’t be a bad thing for Palm or Sprint considering the Centro’s popularity in its heyday.
John Mahoney at popsi.com points out three things the Pre does better than the iPhone 3GS.
Take your WiFi hotspot on the road, or at the beach...
That gets my attention -- even though I'm not yet a WiFi devotee.
But a couple product announcements this week by Sprint and Verizon might bring me around.
Sprint today announced plans to launch its version of the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200. The mobile broadband device will be available starting in June. It will allow users to connect to the Internet while on the go, without needing to find a WiFi hotspot. Leave the plug-and-unplug ritual of cellular modems behind.
Aunty Entity may not have needed another hero, but the wireless industry sure seems to.
The iPhone was AT&T's hero for its wireless business in the first quarter.
The company enjoying exclusive U.S. rights to sell the Apple phone activated more than 1.6 million iPhone 3G devices in the first quarter.
They also helped AT&T boost its sales of wireless data, a portion of the business that jumped nearly 39 percent.
It hasn't even gone on sale yet and they already are talking about possible sell outs and shortages.
Our friends over at Fierce Wireless have a new take on how Palm will handle the debut of its Pre, which will run on Sprint's network.
Citing the views of analysts who were surveyed by Bloomberg News, Fierce noted expectations that Palm is limiting initial supplies of the new phone to about 400,000. The hope, Fierce said, is that the phones will sell out quickly and create more buzz around the device. It's a situation that has worked for Steve Jobs, Apple and AT&T, Fierce said.
Is Dan Hesse pulling a Steve Jobs?
Sprint's CEO seems to be relying on a classic plan from the playbook of Apple.
Let anticipation for a hot new device build, build and build. By offering limited details, others can spread the buzz. That certainly seems to be what's happening with the imminent arrival of Sprint's new phone, the Palm Pre.
Sprint has said it's coming in the first half of the year, but otherwise has been sparing in the details it provides.
T-Mobile USA rolled out the first Google phone last year, but it looks like that device soon will have some company.
Sprint Nextel reportedly will be among those offering the new phones utilizing the Google Android operating system.
Phil Goldstein of Fierce Wireless reports that Won-Pyo Hong, Samsung's executive vice president of global product strategy for mobile phones, said his company will have new Android phones that would arrive in the United States in the second half of the year.
The Palm Pre continues to receive near adoration from writers who cover the wireless industry. Well...sometimes.
Sprint and Palm held the first in a series of "webinars" Thursday to show off the Pre a bit more. The event was short on news, but it did spark some comment on the Web.
First off, PalmAddicts blogged live from the event, with screenshots. Editor Sammy McLoughlin's take: "As I am watching this I cannot help but think what a great device this is going to be."
Sprint made it official today, saying the company has an exclusive on the LG Rumor 2, the follow-on to the popular Rumor offered by Sprint since October 2007.
Sprint said it will begin selling the Rumor 2 on Sunday - officially the Ides of March, but we haven't heard anything about a military parade.
Last week, a key Palm investor predicted that the Pre would be even bigger than the Apple iPhone.
“You know the beautiful thing: June 29, 2009, is the two- year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone,” Roger McNamee told Bloomberg News. "Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later.”
It's starting to look like an all-Palm spring for Sprint.
The much delayed Palm Treo Pro will be on Sprint store shelves on March 15, the company said today.
The smartphone will sell for $199.99 after rebates, and require either a Simply Everything plan or a traditional phone plan with a $30 or more add-on data package.