Who’s Buying a Palm Pre?
OK, at this point I think we know just about all we’re going to know about the Palm Pre. Well, at least until we get them in our hot little hands starting on June 6, that is. While I was disappointed to see the apparent 3G tethering function pulled a few months ago, I’m pretty much set for a purchase. I’ll keep this one simple, with just a yes or no: Are you planning to buy a Palm Pre? I’m curious about this one since back in February, 39 percent of respondents weren’t likely to make the switch to Sprint for the new handset.
Drop a note in the comments, and tell us if this is replacing or complementing other handsets you have. It’s a complement for me as I’ll be keeping my iPhone for the moment.
I’ve got a Motorola q9c that I’m glad to be replacing with the Pre.
Before that I had a Treo 755p, 700p, and 600, but I got bored with their lack of functionality and multitasking.
The Pre fixes all of that, plus does things I never even considered before, but now seem like must-haves.
Sprint will have the Pre….but we already have rumors that the webOS will be available on other palm devices. So why make a switch?
For the cheaper plans and better 3G speeds?
(I fully understand that coverage is a regional thing, but through the northeast, people I’ve talked to say AT&T is over-saturated and gets dropped calls and slow data all the time. I’ve read plenty of similar things from people posting around the country too. And Verizon isn’t an option unless you want to wait another year or so after everywhere else gets the devices.
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Larry, those aren’t rumors but in fact were confirmed by Palm. Palm intends to make other phones at the end of this year that run WebOS, like a smaller/cheaper line that would be an evolution of the Centro Line codenamed pixie/eos. The centro line is being apparently discontinued however the treo line is being maintained for Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Mobile 7+. No other carrier will have the Pre this entire year, but rather a watered down entry-level WebOS device at the end of this year. Sprint’s prices for unlimited data, texting, and calling is something At&T cannot touch and many sites tout Sprint’s 3G as the most reliable and will be bringing the first 4G network to market
FYI I’m a Resident Physician and do not work for either company
Yes, well be buying one for my wife. Both she and I used to have WM phones, the HTC Apache (Sprint PPC-6700). They were large and had horrible battery life, so my wife went back to a non-smart phone (although one that could play MP3s). I went with a Sprint Touch (PPC-6800 / HTC Vogue). Now she misses having email and whatnot on her phone, so we’re going to get her a Pre.
I’d be very interested in one myself if I wasn’t already so invested in the Windows Mobile platform (hardware and software).
Unless I hear about any major showstopper issues with it, I probably will buy a Pre to replace my HTC Touch Pro, which I really haven’t been overly happy with. I’m a current Sprint customer, though, and probably won’t buy the Pre until this October, when I should hopefully be eligible for the subsidized pricing again. Hopefully, that will give a little time for some of the bugs to be worked out as well as to see if there is much application development for the Pre.
I just don’t like Sprint!
No vote for me here. While the Pre looks nice, I am not going to add a 3rd carrier for it and will wait to see if Palm can last long enough to get a GSM version out to AT&T or T-Mobile. With a possible new iPhone, HTC Touch Pro2 (with a fantastic keyboard), Nokia N97, Samsung Android device, and so many more devices coming out I can’t lock myself into a CDMA-variant phone.
I hope to get a chance to play with a review unit for a few weeks though so I can get some hands-on time, but don’t really see anything killer that can’t be done on most other phones I have or that is coming that justifies a third CDMA carrier.
Now, if I was a Sprint customer or didn’t mind adding a Sprint account I would probably pick one up and am looking forward to hear what Kevin has to say about it.
Completely understand. You do so much testing on GSM phones that it doesn’t make financial sense. As it is, I’m keeping my AT&T line for GSM purposes. The Pre on Sprint would lock me in on the CDMA side so this would be a second line for me. I may dump my $60 EVDO with VZ as a result, which will offset some of the cost.
Too many unknowns at the moment. I’ll wait to see if Apple’s refresh includes a change in their app approval process, and I’ll also wait to see what Android if eReader gets released on Android or WebOS.
Sprint’s pricing looks nice, but I have heard far less impressive things about their customer service. I wouldn’t mind leaving AT&T’s call dropping service, but Sprint is not my first choice at the moment.
For what its worth I had terrible luck with Sprint in the past (circa 2001 – 2005). I recently returned (May 2008). I have had fantastic coverage and fantastic customer service since. I joined onto my girlfriend’s (at the time… bad idea) plan and noticed she was being charged tax for a city she no longer lived in. I had them go back a year and a half and reverse the charges. Due to the complexity of the situation it took a couple weeks for the refund to appear, but I was never given the run around and was always treated with kindness and respect.
I know this is all anecdotal and some probably still have problems with Sprint… but compared to my AT&T/iPhone friends I get better coverage (in Omaha), better service, and better pricing. Plus, I found out I could use unlimited data tethering with my blackberry without actually paying for tethering on my plan
That alone is making me hesitant to give up the blackberry if the Pre doesn’t have tethering.
As long as it’s a Sprint exclusive? Nope. I’ve had too many problems with Sprint, including one exercise that ended with them cancelling my account on another carrier to port my phone number to them without permission, then saying that there was no way to return the number to me. I never want anything to do with them again.
If the Pre were GSM I might have considered of, but no CDMA for me, particularly not on Sprint.
I will be upgrading my (seriously old) Sprint Treo 650 to a Palm Pre. Definitely looking forward to it!
I won’t be changing carriers for the Pre.
If Verizon gets it, so will I. I just know I’d regret it if I left.
I agree unless something bad comes out about this phone I will likely buy one. I am already with sprint and get good corporate discount through my company.
Im sure its wrong, but on the bluefish sprint site i have access to through my company it has a list of Pre features and still has bluetooth tethering.
I think it’s time to ETF the Storm and see how green the grass is on the Pre.
I get what you mean but I’m not sure what “ETF” stands for
Early Termination Fee. The cost of breaking a contract.
I’ve been a Palm user since the first PDA appeared (briefly switching to HandSpring since it was a better PDA).
I jumped on the Treo when it came out and after it broke (my fault, really) I tried a couple Smartphones (SX66, MPX200, others) before giving up on the windows issues (speed, stability) and going back to a simple flip phone.
The the iphone came out and I got one of those and it’s nice. It’s not perfect but it’s light years ahead of what the market had at the time.
My contract (2yrs) is up next month and I’ll look at the Pre but it will have to be amazing to make me give up the iphone. I’m just too addicted to the apps (I don’t talk much) and the quick fix they return.
I wish them luck since we need all the competition we can get. I won’t do anything till after the apple show.
I’ll be replacing my HTC Touch Pro (nice interface, terrible hardware) with a Palm Pre ASAP.
“I’ll be replacing my HTC Touch Pro (nice interface, terrible [operating system]) with a Palm Pre ASAP.” … there, fixed that for ya
i waned the HTC touch pro too but the pre is coming out.
Today in Canada you have only iPhone and RIM. No Android and no certain plan for Pre.
I don’t own a smartphone yet mainly since Android is my pick, and even if Pre will be sold here I will wait for some Android handset. If that will not happen I will go with an even more appealing option is presented in Canada and that is the Archos-Android based MID coming in 3 months.
It absolutely KILLS me to have to say no, but I can’t change my current Sprint plan. I have a dealer plan w/unlimited everything for $25/month, and they won’t let me get a pre using that plan! I can’t afford to pay 5x that just for the device.
HEY SPRINT, STOP BEING BAD TO YOUR DEALERS!!!
I’m sort of in the same boat; I’ll only upgrade if I can keep SERO. Jumping from around $70 per month to around $200 per month for my wife and I just isn’t a good deal for a phone.
On the other hand, if I can keep SERO, I’ll absolutely huck my craptacular orginal Q in favor of the Pre.
same. i’ll rock my centro til the end of time for $30 a month with unlimited text/data and app for tethering. it checks email and google maps fine, does light browsing, and works decent enough as a modem for a laptop and my viliv s5 that should be here any day now…
Been an AT&T customer since the PacBell Wireless days, but now considering the switch to Sprint for the Pre… over the past year or so, I have been so frustrated with dropped calls, worse reception in areas where I had good reception before, etc., that I am willing to make the switch…
But will probably keep both networks for the first few months just to see which works out better… Thank God for Google Voice, so I won’t need to inform people about a new number… no one will have to know that I switched networks even!
I would love to buy the Pre BUT Canadian access to it and having a GSM version are my blocks right now.
I am waitingf for the new IPHONE and will probably buy it.
I currently use a TREO 750, prior I had a TREO 650. I wish Palm would just come out with the GSM version quickly.
Chris
As for the device I’m fairly impressed with the functionality that we have heard about but I would definitely need some hands on time before I left Windows Mobile as my main phone.
I’m in the UK also which means all you lucky Americans will have it months before us, which could be to my advantage. At least then we will have more user reviews to make a better informed decision.
For the past 5+ months, I’ve been nursing my spontaneously rebooting Earthlink Treo 650 along. Yes, I am a Palm fan (Visor, Visor Prism, Treo 180, Treo 650). I flirted with the 755p but Sprint store reps didn’t follow through. Then I briefly considered taking the WinMo plunge with the Treo Pro but decided to wait for the Pre once I heard about the legacy app compatibility.
I am a patient potential Pre customer (but I’d seriously consider a variation on the gPhone if it was offered on Sprint). My existing plan meets my needs except for my temperamental end-of-lifed Treo 650. The Pre better be awesome on the Sprint network because it’s going to cost me more per month for less of what I want (no tethering?). As a low-impact data and phone user, I don’t really like the buffet pricing as it costs $40 per month more than what I am paying now.
I will be replacing my Blackberry Curve 8330 with the Pre. Already on Sprint and eligible for an upgrade, so its a nice fit. Looking forward to diving into the SDK once I get the phone in my hands.
I voted “yes” even though I am not going to get myself one (for now). Why? Because I showed my wife the recent Sprint flyer with the Pre in it, and she now wants one. So I’ll upgrade her and stick for now with my iPhone 3G.
Will those two people in the back of the crowded room that have their hands up indicating that they’re going to buy a Pre, please leave and get your heads examined.
The Palm Pre might be a nice handset, but it’s going to be running on the Sprint network and it’s hard to know which of the two is going to go bankrupt first. Palm or Sprint. How about a tie?
I’ll wait till I see what Apple has up its sleeve.
Sprint just doesn’t have the coverage I need. From the specs, images, and reports, it looks fantastic, but that’s meaningless if I can’t use it everywhere I need to go. I’m going to upgrade to the new iPhone in June or July because AT&T has the coverage I want.
I had Sprint for 8 years, and dumped it for a Bold with AT&T. I liked Sprint’s network much better, and will be paying to get out of my Bold contract, and back to my first love – Palm.
Hm. No. I’m ultimately cheap, which is good when I have no steady income, and the Pre is just too expensive.
I’m sure there’s no better deal for unlimited texts and unlimited data, with a whole lot of minutes. However, I don’t use a phone that much, and I go to a lot of areas with WiFi. For the type of work I do, I’d rather be interacting with the people around me than checking the latest messages.
I would be more tempted if there were a limited plan at a limited price. There are times when I would like to be able to download maps or look up web pages. But I can’t pay for or use an unlimited plan.
Sorry to say no. Just can’t get by on 8GB of space in this day and age…. Praying I can upgrade my 16G iPhone to a 32GB one this summer….
that is vary cool!
i am passing on the pre.
i’m locked into T-Mobile w/the $5.99 unlimited data plan that works just fine on the jailbroken iPhone
sure i only have a 2G iPhone but unlimited EDGE is hard to say no to. unlimited data (and tethering) for under $7 a month; unless they release a cdma version?
if they get me a gsm version and keep it under $400, then we’ll talk
however i do plan on getting one for work to mess with.
if it can do what it says and others have said, it will give WM devices a run for their money and even scare apple.
I was planning to buy one but when Sprint pulled tethering and Apple/AT&T announced the Iphone will have tethering in the near future, I will be buying a new Iphone to replace my 2G Iphone.
No maybe option? I’m waitimg for you to tell me if it’s any good before I make a purchases.
I read it’ll (eventually) be some $549 without contract – and that’s simply too pricey for me.
Besides, I long ago chucked out Palm’s efforts at smartphones – not because of their original OS (which I still use occasionally on an old TX), but because of Palm’s dodgy build and Support quality. Toss a completely new OS into the mix and I’ll avoid it like it was a first generation Apple product….
im with sprint so i cant go to AT&T to git the iphone 3g so im stuk with my somewhat old rant. but its ok becase the now Palm Pre is coming out
forgot to add but i have famly plan free calls to sprint castmers and unlimed texting
Yes, the Palm Pre looks great and I’m sure the user experience will be great. But it has all become about content and once again Apple is leading the way with a fantastic user experience from its App Store. The sheer number of Apps already available is something that’s hard to dismiss and a huge selling factor.
Any other vendor will have to compete on the application front, not just a cool, sleek design and front-end.
But I do hope that we’re not headed towards yet another monopoly, so good go Palm and good luck!