Palm Pre Profile setup caught on video

If the thought of all the Pre shortages is getting you anxious, take a few moments to calm down with some more leaked hands-on photos and video. Another pre has shown up in the wild, and Doc31 of the PreCentral forums had the chance for a quick play.




The Pre in question was locked to the set-up display, so Doc31 couldn’t play with the full OS, but he’s certainly come away impressed:

“This thing feels GREAT. SOLID but kind of organic, its kind of hard to explain but it feels GREAT … Very simple the best slider I have ever felt. When open its like a expensive knife when the handle is balanced with the blade, or maybe its just because it rest in my palm well … everything seemed responsive, but I wouldn’t say fast. iphone speed at least … the OS as a whole looks amazing. It just feels fresh and new and I promise a lot of people will be impressed with just the call screen alone. The speakerphone and earpiece are very very clear. Much better then my diamond or any treo in the past” Doc 31

As for the contents of the set-up screen, that prompts you to create a Palm Profile which requires a working email address. It’s the Palm Profile which allows access to services like automatic backup; think of it as the equivalent of having an iTunes profile on the iPhone, or a GMail account on Google Android devices. If it’s all too confusing for you, there’s a shortcut to call Sprint customer services right from the set-up pages.

[Originally posted at mypre.com]

Some Sprint Stores Selling the Pre a Day Early?

Derek told us about Sprint holding launch parties for Premier customers on June 5th, but they won't be happening in every city.

Well, looks like some Sprint stores that aren't having launch parties are still going to be staying open late on June 5th and will be selling the Pre. Forum member midmofan (and Fyremn76 too) let us know in this thread that he had spoken to someone at a local Sprint store and found out that the store wasn't near any of the cities that are having Pre launch parties, but the store was going to stay open until midnight on June 5th to unload their Pre Phones. The person in that particular store said that she knew of no restriction to only sell on the 5th to Premiere customers.

Forum member kmod called his local Sprint corporate store and was told:

[...] The associate said that they weren't having a party but would have extended hours the day before launch. She then said if you signed up on Sprint.com to be notified about the Pre, you will get an email from Sprint to come in and buy the Pre on June 5th, and you needed this email in hand to buy the phone on 6/5. I then asked if this was only a Premiere customer thing and she said no, it's open to everyone that signed up online. Hope this is true!

pogeypetey also started a thread about Sprint stores selling the Pre on the 5th. There seems to be some confusion about whether or not one has to be a Premiere customer in order to snag a Pre on the 5th though. Some people have heard that you do and some are hearing that it's first come, first served.

Have any of you gotten emails after signing up at Sprint to be notified about the Pre? Is your local Sprint store going to be open late on June 5th and selling Pre's even though they aren't having official launch parties? Let us know.

Also, there is a Poll in the threads where you can vote: Sprint Premier Customers- Received an invite for June 5th? So far, 92.73% have NOT gotten their invites, and 7.27% have.

Update: A tipster lets us know that the aforementioned Premier Customer launch parties are meant for Premier Customers only and apparently there will only be 10 of them nationwide.

[Originally posted at palmpretouchphone.com]

Best Buy Pre shortage until late July/August

The Palm Pre shortage news continues, with the latest update being that Best Buy are planning a two-phase launch in recognition of the handset’s low stock levels. Phase one will apparently run from June to July, and involve minimal marketing with only 300 of the stores having working demo units; Best Buy Mobile are already warning stores that “customer demand will outweigh inventory and stores may go weeks after launch with little or no replenishment.”

Unlike what we’ve heard has been offered in at least one Best Buy location, stores are being instructed not to make hold lists prior to June 6th. Instead a waiting list will be operated by each store once supplies run out, with a ticketing system in action. They’re also being cautioned not to sell the Pre early, nor allow more than one handset per customer; BBYM employees themselves are not permitted to buy the Pre until August.

From late July or early August, phase two is expected to kick in with greater stock levels. These are tentative dates, however, and subject to change. Inventory - which we heard would be on average four Pre handsets per Best Buy store - will be alloted according to which locations have experienced good Sprint sales and had successful launches of previous high-profile phones.

[Originally posted at palmpretouchphone.com]

35 fresh screenshots of Classic

The primary question surrounding the development of Classic - the Palm OS emulator for upcoming webOS devices - has always been, “But will it run X?”, X being your favorite must-have won’t-upgrade-without-it Palm OS application. While we’ve heard a lot about how well Classic runs, we haven’t heard a whole lot about what it will run. The makers of Classic, Motion Apps, have chimed in with an expanded screenshot gallery on their website that covers the following applications (a handful of which we’ve seen already):

4Cast, Agendus, AgExpert, Astraware Sodoku, Astraware Solitaire, Bejeweled 2, Date Wheel, DateBk, Diet, eReader, Facebook, Google Maps, GTS Racing, Handy Shopper, iSilo, Kinoma Player, OnTime RX, Oxford Dictionary, PalmaryClock Wireless, Pocket Quicken, Pocket Tunes, Resco Backup, Resco Explorer, Sales Trakker, Splash ID, Splash Money, Splash Photo, Splash Shopper, TB Tx, Tide Tool, TouchLauncher, Trip Boss, Warfare Inc, Weather, and Zuma

Also, a reminder: PreCentral is giving away ten copies of Classic - all you have to do to be entered is head over to this thread and tell us what your favorite Palm OS application!

[Originally posted at palmpretouchphone.com]

No SERO plan for Palm Pre say Sprint

Sprint have confirmed that SERO plan subscribers will have to choose between their coveted tariff and the Palm Pre. The decision means that existing users may have to pay twice as much for unlimited data, and in fact receive fewer inclusive minutes.

SERO - or Sprint Employee Referral Offer - was a scheme in which those customers referred by a Sprint employee could have access to 500 minutes, unlimited text messaging and unlimited data for just $30 per month. New sign-ups to the plans are no longer allowed, with the more expensive (and still referral-only) Everything Plus plan taking its place.

“The Pre requires an Everything Data plan - SERO plans will need upgrade to Everything Plus plan or other Everything Data (450/900/S.E.)” Sprint tweet

The hope had been that SERO subscribers would be able to upgrade to the Palm Pre without changing their tariff. That, unfortunately, is not the case; an Everything Data plan is required with the Pre, unless you have an Everything Plus subscription. Everything Data starts from $69.99 per month for the 450 plan.

[Originally posted at palmpretouchphone.com]

Four Palm Pre per Best Buy, few as two per RadioShack?

Talk of limited numbers of Pre handsets on launch day continues, with word from one Best Buy insider that the retailer will only get around four handsets per store on June 6th. According to the tipster, Best Buy will get roughly 4,250 devices to share between its stores. The retailer themselves have previous confirmed that around 1,000 locations are taking part in the Pre launch.

Meanwhile a source connected with RadioShack, another of Palm’s launch partners, has said that 721 of the company’s locations will be stocking the Pre. Specific figures are unknown, but that tipster estimated just two handsets in stock at each of these locations, which “are limited to high coastal areas like New York, New Jersey, California, Miami, Texas, etc.”

One My Pre forum member has been told that Best Buy will begin building a waiting list from this weekend, May 23rd. According to what chronofire was informed, once individual Best Buy stores find out how many Pre’s they’ve been allocated, they’ll contact people from the waiting list and reserve a handset for them.

[Originally posted at palmpretouchphone.com]