Americans have been enjoying the smartphone delights (whilst being creeped out by the ads) of the Palm Pre for the best part of three months now, but UK fans have been left in the dark regarding a release date for O2’s exclusive handset.
According to PalmWebOSBlog, the infamous ‘anonymous tipster’ has word that O2 store managers have been given a street date of October 30th.
An October 30th release is not outside of the realms of possibility, Fridays are often big launch days for both phones and video games, and it’s also payday…yay!
Also, a recent slip of the ‘Publish Page’ button on the O2 Germany website showed that it would indeed be a Palm Pre Oktoberfest for them…which was swiftly changed to a slightly vague ‘Fall’ release.
This news also puts paid to many rumours that the eagerly anticipated, celeb-friendly device would end up on British shores the wrong side of Xmas 2009, a move we deemed would have spelt the end for the petite slider before it was even released.
With the iPhone 3GS proving to be an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary update, the Palm Pre still has huge potential to prove a popular choice for those looking for something genuinely different.
With Palm Pre owners solemnly mourning the loss of their perfect media syncing solution after Apple’s latest update, alternative ways of getting content onto the pebble-shaped device are getting a lot more attention all of a sudden.
MediaSyncfrom Sailing is the most…familiar solution for former iTunes addicts, allowing the syncrosation of playlists, music and podcasts and even photos onto a wide selection of mobiles, be they BlackBerry, Nokia, or Palm flavoured, to a Mac or PC.
Those looking to incur the wrath of the RIAA will find no solace here however, as Media Sync does not copy DRM-protected media, but does allow for the transfer of music ripped straight from a CD. Clever!
Better yet, the software is entirely free, with a $22/€15 version offering even faster syncing.
Good news, but is it too little too late for the plucky contender? With Palm seeing a slight fall in share prices following Apple breaking off the illicit relationship and a chance the Pre won’t see the light of day until space year 2010 in the UK, it will have to come with a pretty enticing hook to attract entrenched smart phone fans…
With the Palm Pre due on this side of the Atlantic in the next few days for a baying press to lust over, the latest news is that O2 will be the exclusive carrier of the smartphone in the UK and many territories in Europe.
Wait, what? The same O2 that already holds the rights to selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS in the UK? It seems like they want to hold all of the cards in the premium mobile deck, beating Orange at the 11th hour to become sole vendor.
Pricing has not been finalised, but expect to see the Pre as a slightly cheaper alternative for those not wanting to follow the flock…
Palm will also benefit hugely with the weight of the largest UK operator behind them, as they are in need of getting the name out to a casual market largely oblivious to their existence.
It turned HTC’s fortunes around completely in the last eighteen months, and Palm could certainly do with the positive PR. The Palm Pre has been a modest success in the US, selling over 300,000 units, but already seeing a decline in interest.
Securing European popularity will be a real shot in the arm for the beleaguered manufacturer, and what many see as their ‘last chance’ in the market with the Pre.
Two questions – what does Apple think of a move that could only stand to take sales away from themselves, and when going into an O2 store and asking staff the perennial “Pre or iPhone?” question, what will their answer be?
Good news for the Palm Pre (remember, the dead cert iPhone killer?), their App Store Catalog has managed to reach 1 million downloads, only 18 days after the handset was launched in the US.
The App Catalog has been a success for Palm since the Pre launched, with 50,000 handsets sold and 100,000 programs downloaded on the first day alone.
Midway into the third week of sale, the Pre is still selling, with a userbase of 150,000 and 1 million apps downloaded.
Great numbers, but it took the App Store a mere 24 hours to reach the 1 million apps downloaded mark, with 26 times as many iPhone owners and hundreds of apps available, as opposed to the 30 currently on the App Catalog.
Still…it is early days, and we hope to see their success continue as the Pre is launched in more territories.
Well, it was good while it lasted… The Palm Pre and its stealthy iTunes-syncing ways might come to a premature end if Apple’s thinly veiled advisory warning on Tuesday was anything to go by, calling out ‘non-Apple digital media players’ in particular….
“Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players.”
Ouch. Having said that, the gall to piggy-back on the platform of your direct competitor for media support was always a gutsy one, and Apple severing the ties eventually must have been in Palm’s mind from the outset.
Palm spokesperson Lynn Fox opted for the obvious ‘consumer loses out’ angle when asked by All Things Digital for their take on things:
“If Apple chooses to disable media sync in a future version of iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we could consider.”
So what you’re saying is…don’t update when Apple asks, right? The fact that the Pre has managed to go against the iPhone in such an overt manner is a breath of fresh air. Whether the sleek touchscreen device can make waves on this side of the Atlantic later this year remains to be seen, however.
What many believe to be the first legitimate competition for the iPhone launched in the US over the weekend, yet the response outside of the tech geek community for the new Palm Pre was somewhat muted.
Network spokesman Mark Elliott told The New York Times that neither Sprint nor Palm not only didn’t expect long lines for the Pre at its 1,100 stores, neither did they want them. Well, mission accomplished.
With reports that some stores had stocks in the single figures and even less of the impressive inductive ‘Touchstone’ wireless charger, Palm’s new smartphone was bound to be a sell-out, despite low turn-outs. The flagship New York store for Sprint – the exclusive provider of the device upon launch – was reported to have 100, whilst stock numbers varied wildly in shops across the country.
After a quick and painless 40 minutes sign-up process, the lucky few – many of whom had begun queueing as early as 5am – walked out of the store with the smartphone, seen as somewhat of a saviour for the beleaguered manufacturer.
The Palm Pre is a touchscreen device complete with a slide out keyboard and a nice line in applications as well as slick functionality. The below video gives a nice idea of why Apple will be paying very close attention to the US manufacturer in the coming weeks…
Many of those who queued up went away empty-handed, as the demand for the handset far outstripped the limited supplies. Short-stocking is pretty common practise for gadget launches, in order to create that early adopter buzz and get people looking forward to the re-up, which Sprint claims will be next Monday.
Analysts claim that anything between 50,000 and 150,000 Palm Pres were sold over the weekend, with the response of early converts to the device seeming largely positive. Check out this cool Palm Pre review matrix to see what the major tech reviewers are saying…
Misha Vladimirskiy, a 30-year-old photographer from San Francisco, was unlucky enough to miss out on the initial shipment of handset, but was still very optimistic about his Pre. “I don’t mind waiting,” said Vladimirskiy, a Palm loyalist for his past three phones. “This is 1,000-times better than the Treo.”
The Pre’s debut could be overshadowed, however, with the latest iPhone, which is all-but-confirmed for announcement at Apple’s annual developers’ conference. With the promise of a new operating system upgrade for the multi-million selling device, as well as the fact that the previous versions have been revealed at this conference twice before, Palm will not have to wait long for the opening salvo in retaliation to the Pre’s release.
At least they had a good weekend, hopefully gaining the initial traction so desperately needed in a fiercely competitive market. Over to you, Apple…
Just as it was all looking so good for plucky underdog Palm… They came out with the big news that with some MacGuyer style ingenuity, they were able to rig the Palm Pre so that it could Media Sync up to the iTunes music management platform provided by competitor Apple.
Brave, or just plain foolish?
Regardless, Apple rolled out the latest iTunes update (8.2) earlier today, in which there were few advancements of note beyond ‘many accessibility improvements and bug fixes’. Whilst the eternal optimist in all of us thinks that this is the groundwork for an iPhone 3.0 firmware update (which it is), could the reality be that they’ve also closed Pre’s iPod-spoofing loophole before it has even launched?
Apple’s mentality is one of aggressive competition, but kicking the crutch from under Palm ahead of release is a bit of a shame. With early hands-on comments less than glowing (“It’s like buying a brand new Ferrari, but getting an Accord steering wheel,” regarding the keyboard from the Boy Genius review), it’ll take a lot of good favour to propel this little handset against the behemoth of Apple and the iPhone.
Where does this leave the Pre with regards to music connectivity for that matter? Whatever they might provide is nice, but iTunes would have been a killer app for smartphone converts.
iPhone converts fear not, your massive collection of Bulgarian folk music can come with you when you defect to the Palm Pre! Yes, the heavily hyped handset had one last trick up it’s sleeve to announce before the June 6th US launch, as it has recently been announced that the Palm Pre will be able to effortlessly connect to Apple’s platform.
Interestingly, any songs with DRM protection won’t be able to make the leap onto your device, meaning all of those songs that you spent your hard earned iTunes vouchers on will have to stay put, whilst music from ‘other’ sources should work fine…
Apple wasn’t happy with the Pre’s potentially patent-infringing ways already, and this move is sure to have their lawyer-senses tingling!
Another move to show the Palm Pre is on the networking pulse is the announcement of Twitter integration. The Pre Univeral Search function allows users to look through the entire handset as well as the web, browsing through mail, contacts and now tweets to find what you’re looking for.
Judging by most of the random spoutings people tweet about, this new change might actually make finding things harder…
The Palm Pre will be available nationwide on June 6 in Sprint stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, select Wal-Mart stores and online at Sprint.com for $199.99 with a two-year contract tie-in and after a $100 post sign-up rebate. Cheaper than expected…
Other wares on sale include the Touchstone wireless charger we saw at CES and Mobile World Congress for $69.99. Pricey, but it is the $49.99 dock and then another 20 bucks for the magnetic back cover.
The press release is suitably gushing about the launch, with Sprint’s CEO claiming that with Pre, “compromises of the past are history.” Palm’s integration of contacts across Outlook, Gmail and Facebook as well as phone details is being branded Palm Synergy, whilst the Sprint network will offer TV and GPS services on the device.
Palm’s CEO Ed Colligan is suitably understated about the handset: “Pre is truly a new phone for a new web-centric age…we’re changing the perception of what a wireless phone can be.”
Hmm, June 6th. That’s 4 days after the alleged Nokia N97 US launch, and 2 days before Apple announces their plans for world domination/iPhone 3.0 at the Worldwide Developer’s Conference. This is going to be a fun summer!
As for UK release info, it’s as thin on the ground as ever. Networks will certainly be clamouring for this handset as an exclusive, but 24 month contracts mean that people are far less willing and able to defect on the back of a single handset. Perhaps the best strategy for the Pre is allowing it to get into as many hands as possible, and generate a buzz from those that enjoy using it.
Either way, some details should be forthcoming soon, we’ll let you know!
Just as it was all looking so good for plucky underdog Palm… They came out with the big news that with some MacGuyer style ingenuity, they were able to rig the 
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