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Palm has dropped a new ad that you’re likely be seeing in heavy rotation on the major networks. In short, it’s good and really showcases the multi-tasking functionality of the Pre. It’s more about the webOS and in fact, no phones are to be seen at all in the ad.
Love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments.
via PreCentral
You can question Verizon’s lackluster launch and marketing campaign, but you cannot fault them when it comes to pricing. They have offered BOGO (buy one, get one free) and now they’ve removed the pesky mail-in rebate. As many of you know, you can always bypass the mail-in rebate by shopping phones at Best Buy. Starting today, you visit any Verizon Wireless retail location or online and purchase the Palm Pre Plus for $149.99 or the Palm Pixi for $79.99. Additionally, these are still eligible for BOGO.
If you are looking for just one, Amazon has got the Palm Pre Plus for $69.99. UPDATE: The Palm Pre Plus is now an incredibly low $39.99. No mail-in rebate required. The Palm Pixi Plus will run you a penny. Yes, the Palm Pixi Plus on Verizon Wireless is available for a shiny penny.
In case you haven’t heard, there is no lack of buzz regarding webOS 1.4. Palm has now released the update to our friends up north on Bell in Canada. Good news eh! So hit up the Update box if you haven’t already and celebrate webOS 1.4 along with that gold medal for men’s hockey.
Good news for those of you on Verizon Wireless. Palm continued it’s midnight madness event with the release of webOS 1.4 for webOS devices on the Verizon Wireless network. It’s good, you want it, so go hit that updates box this morning if webOS 1.4 isn’t waiting for you.
Thanks Dora!
Last night (and we’re serious when we say night), Palm released webOS 1.4, available as an OTA (over the air) update. Palm expects the update will be available soon on other networks. Palm has provided details on what you can expect from webOS 1.4.
Wake up to webOS 1.4? Let us know how it’s working for you?
via Palm’s Blog
Last week, there were rumors abound that T-Mobile would get their first Palm device since the Palm Treo 600. No doubt Palm could benefit from adding carriers and AT&T is almost certain to join the fray in the coming months. According to Forbes, Palm is not getting ready to launch a webOS device on T-Mobile.
According to Macquarie Research analyst Phil Cusick,
“Our checks indicate that Sprint hasn’t seen any pickup since the Verizon launch. We expect AT&T to launch Pre and Pixi in April or May, but with even less marketing support than Verizon, and checks indicate that recent chatter of an impending launch at T-Mobile is not correct.”
At some point, expansion of carriers will only do so much. Palm needs the buzz it had this time last year and a new device might be the only way to get that back.
Our friends at PreCentral get the goods on what we can expect in webOS 1.4. According to their sources (and they have good ones), the update will start hitting phones today. Updates have normally hit later in the day, early evening, so be on the lookout. If you get the update, be sure to hit us up on Twitter with a screenshot. You can find and follow us @everythingpre.
Fixes
- Time Zone bug Fix
- Network time sync bug fix to reflect accuratenetwork time
- BT car-kit transition to device corrected
- No EV-Icon bug fixed (random)
- Random browser formatting bug fixed
- Fixed bug that incorrectly displayed Sprint when actually was Digital Roaming
Enhancements
- Phonebook Transfer
- Supports Video Capture Capability
- Performance enhancement within phone and calendar
Apps
Calendar
- Dial phone # from within a meeting event
- Allow custom Alerts sounds for Calendar event and reminders
- Added AM – PM detail within Calendar events
- Embedded phone $ or email address (embedded inemail) can be easily added to Contacts app
- New email sort options (date, Sender, Subject)
- Return to inbox view after send – email
Messaging
- Ability to forward SMS to email
- Ability to dial phone # from SMS chat session (No need to open contact any longer
- Press and hold on a phone # to get more options( Call, SMS)
Universal Search now includes EAS (outlook Exchange) GAL corporate address look up.
Application Launcher – Easier user interface providing usermore feedback during an application launch
Pre Button in gesture area blinks when notification pending
Added Adobe Flash 10 Beta – Palm Pre only
Supports Flash 10 Beta – download available in Palm AppCatalog
Palm today revised their guidance for revenues for the quarter and year stating they will be “well below its previously forecasted range of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion”. Palm expects that revenues for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 will be in the range of $285 million to $310 million on a GAAP basis.
In a press release Palm states,
“Palm webOS is recognized as a groundbreaking platform that enables one of the best smartphone experiences available today, and our work to evolve the platform and bring industry-leading technology to market continues. However, driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated,” said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our carrier partners remain committed, and we are working closely with them to increase awareness and drive sales of our differentiated Palm products.”
This comes on the heels of a report from the WSJ that Verizon was considering dropping the Palm phones due to disappointing sales. This news was sourced by an analyst who cites conversations with Verizon officials. To us, this doesn’t seem plausible. Both the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus have been out for roughly a month. It does raise concern that perhaps Verizon will not provide the marketing commitment necessary to help boost sales.
Our friend Dieter at PreCentral points us to a survey that shows some disturbing numbers regarding keyboard issues plaguing Palm Pre Plus owners. A myriad of issues including letters being entered twice, some letters not being entered and input lag. Not good, not good at all. The issue is isolated to the Verizon Palm Pre Plus.
As with any forum poll, the numbers are usually not reflective of the greater userbase, but this is still alarming. At last check, only 23% of respondents indicated “No typing problems”, while a whopping 42% are experiencing all three issues. Roughly 20% experience double letter, missed letters, but no input lag.
Have a Verizon Palm Pre Plus? Are you experiencing any of these issues?
Verizon has been very aggressive with their BOGO plans, but that’s not so great for those looking for just one phone (and one 2-year contract). It appears we’ve got our first price drop on the Verizon Palm Pre Plus, available now through Best Buy for $99.99. The Palm Pixi Plus has also seen a major price drop and is available for the price of free.
As with all Best Buy deals, you won’t have to deal with any pesky mail-in rebates. Sound good? We thought so.