Verizon Wireless is running a sale on Palm smartphones right now that makes a Palm Pre Plus the ultimate iPad companion. Palm Pre Plus phones are selling for $49 for two (and Palm Pixi Pluses are $29 for two), with a Wi-Fi router option coming free with your smartphone service plan. In our tests of the Pre’s Wi-Fi mode, we got about 1.2 megabits down, the speed of a basic home DSL connection. We’re not sure how long this deal will last; the router option used to cost an extra $40 per month. The plan has a 5GB usage cap, and remember you’ll run the phone’s battery down in a few hours in router mode.

Source: PC Mag

Handhelds · IPad · Palm OS · palm pixi · Palm Pre · Smartphone · Verizon Wireless · Wi-Fi

Verizon slashed the cost of its 3G Mobile Hotspot feature for the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus all the way down to $0, effectively giving you a broadband modem for your laptop, iPod touch, and up to three other devices for $60 less per month than you’d pay with a MiFi that accomplishes exactly the same function (and $50 less than any other tether-capable Verizon handset). Here’s Verizon’s official statement on the matter:
“Customers who purchase or upgrade to a Palm Pre and Palm Pixi will get the Mobile Hotspot for free. Existing customers who already have the service will find charges on their next bill will be $0.00.”
Add that in to the fact that the Pre Plus is now $49.99 and the Pixi Plus is now $29.99, both with buy-one-get-one-free deals tacked on.

Source: Engadget

3G Mobile Hotspot · MiFi · palm pixi · Palm Pre · PixiPlus · Pre Plus · Verizon · WebOS

Can Palm turn itself around by raising more cash and tweaking its strategy? The only promise for Palm’s future is a buyout. And the only buyer that makes sense is BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.

Many attribute Palm’s failure to bad decisions. There was the WebOS operating system that was open to only a limited number of developers initially. There was the wrong choice of first carrier in Sprint. And there was the bad launch timing of the Palm Pre Plus with Verizon Wireless right after the launch of the Google-powered Droid as well as some manufacturing and design issues.

Whatever the reasons for its failure, it’s chances of catching up again without an acquisition are slim.

Read the full story on NY TImes

Droid · Google · Handhelds · Palm · PalmPre · Research in Motion · Sprint Nextel · Verizon Wireless

AT&T announced this week that it is going to be offering the Palm Pre Plus in the coming months. This model was on display at the CTIA tradeshow this week, and Bright Hand has a preview for the phone. Here are some of the highlights:
AT&T’s version of this device isn’t going to be dramatically different from the one Verizon released in January. What makes it significant is that it will bring the webOS to a third wireless carrier in the U.S. The Pre Plus offers a 3.1-inch, HVGA, capacitive touchscreen, HSPA 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a sliding keyboard. It is a decent device, but would be better if it had a larger keyboard.

at&t · CTIA · Model · Palm Pre · Palm Pre Plus · United States · Verizon · WebOS

Palm could be asking a fan of its Pre mobile and webOS platform for advice after he made a professional-looking ad for the phone that many believe to be superior to the official campaign. His labour of love has already gained plenty of attention on social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter and has been attracting thousands of hits on YouTube.

Facebook · Online Communities · PalmPre · Social network service · Social Networking · Twitter · WebOS · YouTube

It may have taken a little while for those in Europe to be able to get a Palm Pre, however that does not seem like it will be the case with the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus. The timing of this also follows up nicely on those earlier rumors suggesting that the Pre Plus was going to soon be available with O2.

Read: Palm Pre Plus & Pixi Plus Are Heading To Europe [GCF (Global Certification Forum) Approval Arrives For The Palm Pre Plus & Palm Pixi Plus] » TFTS – Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities

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• Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus coming to O2 this April (ubergizmo.com)

Global Certification Forum · Handhelds · Palm · Palm OS · palm pixi · Palm Pre · PixiPlus · Pre Plus

the Palm Pre Plus is now up against the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 in Laptop Magazine’s March Smart Phone Madness contest. Let’s help give Palm some good news to write about and push them into the Final Four.

Source: ZD Net

Blackberry · BlackberryBold · Handhelds · Palm OS · PalmPre · Research in Motion · RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 · Smartphone

“I coulda been a contender,” said Brando’s character, Terry, a washed-up boxer, lamenting his fate.

Compare that to what Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein said Thursday during his company’s third-quarter results call with analysts:

“If we could have launched at Verizon prior to the Droid, I think we would have gotten the attention the Droid got. And since I believe we have a better product, I think we could have even done better,” Rubinstein said.

Yes, except for that Verizon problem, Palm’s CEO thinks his company “coulda been a contender.”

Of course, customers have decided that Palm doesn’t make a better product, and they made that decision well before the Droid burst onto the market last October. By then, the Pre had been on the market for four months.

CNNMoney.com took note of the company’s plight in a headline that sums up my opinion, too: “Palm’s new price target: $0.”

“Palm’s future already looked bleak,” the financial news site commented. “But after reporting worse than expected results for the third quarter Thursday, some analysts think the company’s stock is now essentially worthless.”

Read the full story on ARN

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• Palm: We coulda been a contender (mobilecrunch.com)

Droid · Handhelds · Jon Rubinstein · Palm · Palm OS · Palm Pre · Verizon · Verizon Communications

To attract more customers, VZW even floated the BOGO offer where the Pre Plus could be taken for free on the Pixi Plus purchase. The current listed price for the VZW Palm Pre Plus is a shocking $30 which tells you the entire story.

The BOGO offer also couldn’t do much good for VZW and hence the prices had to be dropped severely. The Pre Plus was available for $70 a couple of weeks ago at Walmart and at that time, no one expected an ‘amusing’ $40 further price drop. Even Amazon has listed the Pre Plus for $39.99 on a two-year contract.

Source: Device Mag

Amazon.com · Handhelds · Palm · Palm OS · PalmPre · pixi · Pre Plus · Wal-Mart

Check out this great price for the Palm Pre Plus.

Amazon.com · Palm Pre Plus