Palm offering discounted contract-free phones to developers — too bad they’re carrier locked
Usually when we hear the phrase “contract-free developer phone” the words “unlocked” and “GSM” follow shortly thereafter, but apparently Palm didn’t get the memo — it just announced discounted hardware prices for its devices, but they’re carrier-locked to Verizon and Sprint. Yeah, that’s a big sad face out of us — it’s not like Verizon’s going to give you a cheaper plan if you show up with a contract-free device. In fact, you might be better off picking up a $79 Pre on a Sprint contract from Amazon and just canceling after a year or so — the ETF will have been prorated to $120 by then, putting you way ahead of Palm’s $439 price tag. So much for that dream — at least we still have our fantasy of driving to Mexico for an illicit Telcel Pre smuggling run.
Palm offering discounted contract-free phones to developers — too bad they’re carrier locked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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How would you change Palm’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus?
We aren’t trying to lump these two together or anything, but we figured we’d give those of you who opted for Palm’s second set of webOS handsets an opportunity to pool your thoughts in order to make the smartphone landscape an even better place to survey. We personally didn’t find too much new to laud on Verizon’s Palm-branded twofer compared to the original Pre and Pixi, and those of you who were hoping for all new hardware from the company at CES were undoubtedly let down. Still, there’s something to be said about a webOS product on America’s “largest 3G network,” and frankly, we’re interested in hearing how you’d change things. Would you have overhauled things more drastically? Expanded the screen size? Bumped the resolution? Enlarged the keys? Go on and tell Jon exactly what you think in comments below — who knows, the Pre Plus Plus might just carry your calling card.
How would you change Palm’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Palm Pixi now $50 on Sprint
Likely a direct counterstrike to Verizon’s $79.99 Pixi Plus, Sprint has dropped the retail price of its original WiFi-less Pixi all the way down to $49.99 after $100 mail-in rebate on a new two-year contract. As you might recall, the Pixi debuted at $100, but now that the Pre’s leaving it in the dust with both high-quality gaming and Flash support, a little more price separation between the two makes a lot of sense. Alright, Sprint, strong work — now you’ve just got to drop the Pre a few bucks to distance it from Verizon’s Pre Plus and you’ll be good to go.
Palm Pixi now $50 on Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Palm webOS 1.4 Update Comes Today, Brings Video Capture, Flash 10 Support
The folks at Engadget have managed to dig up a full changelog of the upcoming Palm Pre and Pixi webOS update, version 1.4, and it’s definitely an interesting one.
Besides bringing a couple of bug fixes, it’s also quite loaded with new features, some of which long-awaited, such as video capturing and editing, sending videos over MMS, and Adobe Flash 10 support for the Pre. Here’s the list of major features Pre and Pixi owners will see today:
- Phonebook Transfer (import & export)
- Adds Video Capture capability & edit
- Calendar Enhancements
- Messaging Enhancements
- Improved Performance (Phone & CAL)
- E-mail Enhancements
- Notification Enhancements
- Adds Adobe Flash 10.0 (Pre Only)
Also, here are the most important fixes from the update:
- Time Zone bug fixed
- Network time sync bug fixed to reflect accurate Network time
- Bluetooth car-kit transition to device corrected
- No EV icon bug fixed (random)
- Fixed bug that incorrectly displayed Sprint when actually was Digital Roaming
- Missing Contact issue specifically with swap down to 1.2.9.1 or less
Reviews: Bluetooth
Sprint confirms Pre and Pixi webOS 1.4 update coming tomorrow (update: full changelog!)
Just hours after we wrapped our mitts around what looked to be Palm’s official webOS 1.4 changelog, along comes this: confirmation from none other than Sprint itself. According to a post on the carrier’s official forums by Sprint Admin ‘izzyks,’ both the Pre and Pixi will see the long-awaited webOS 1.4 update hit sometime tomorrow evening. As always, users will see an OTA alert when the new files are ready for consumption, and you can find a full list of the fixes and changes just beyond the break.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: Seems the post was yanked! The message, in its entirety, is after the break.
Update 2: We just snagged the full changelog from an internal Sprint document, which is also tucked below. For the spec hounds, the webOS version will be 1.4.0, while the Sprint Configuration will sit at 2.3 and the Build at 195.
Sprint confirms Pre and Pixi webOS 1.4 update coming tomorrow (update: full changelog!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Analysts turn sour on Palm stock, cite weak sales on Verizon
It’s unclear how the data’s being collected, but a handful of analysts have started backing away from Palm this week on some information that the phone’s webOS debut on Verizon has proven something less than bombastic at the sales counter. Of course, it’s no secret that Verizon has poured less money, time, and energy into its marketing of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus than Sprint has with the original versions, but Palm and the market analysts following its progress may have been banking on the unspoken “if only this were on Verizon” factor to counteract that a bit. The biggest concern seems to be that Palm’s on the cusp of being washed into irrelevancy by a massive Android push, with a couple stock downgrades and price target cuts making their way into the hearts and minds of the market makers. Again, it’s not clear exactly where the Verizon sales figures are coming from — and we’d be remiss in thinking that analysts always (or even usually) know what they’re talking about — but this could be an early sign that the tide is turning. Come on, Palm: more carriers, more hardware, more features.
Analysts turn sour on Palm stock, cite weak sales on Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Debunk: Palm not halting Pre / Pixi production, just on hold for Chinese New Year
Oh boy. Research firm OTR Global is making some waves today with a report claiming that Palm ordered all Pre and Pixi manufacturing to be halted, but apparently they didn’t look at a calendar — or, you know, call Palm. We just talked to Palm and here’s the real deal: Pre and Pixi orders were halted for the Chinese New Year on the 14th, and production will go back online at the end of the month. That’s the whole story — Palm also told us that production for Verizon was ramped up early in the year to cover the downtime, so there shouldn’t be any effect on availability. We’ll be getting an official statement soon, we’ll update as soon as we get it.
Update: Here’s the official word from Derick Mains, Palm’s director of corporate communications:
Palm regularly adjusts its product manufacturing levels to manage inventory. In anticipation of the Verizon Wireless launch and Chinese New Year, we increased production levels prior to February, and anticipate ramping production back up after the Chinese New Year ends.
Move along, nothing else to see here.
Debunk: Palm not halting Pre / Pixi production, just on hold for Chinese New Year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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