Tag: sprint (Page 3 of 3)

It’s Palm Pre Launch Day!

June 6, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Happy Palm Pre launch day – no seriously, I know I’ve been a little bit harsh on the phone, and critical of Palm’s strategy going forward here, but everyone should be happy when they get a sweet new gadget. And early impressions do suggest the phone is sweet.

So for you early adopters, palm enthusiasts, technoporn addicts, what have you, Rapid Repair’s got the first look inside your new Pre. From the looks of things, taking apart the Pre is not for the faint of heart, so I hope you have steady hands. With a little persistence, though, you can get down to the pretty internals.

According to the guys at RR, the Pre’s components come in just over $170 – pretty shocking when you consider the out-of-contract prices we’ve seen. Could this mean early price cuts when Verizon and AT&T pick up the phone early next year? Component costs can only go down, right?

For now, a contracted $200 seems much more in line, since you are paying to be on the cutting edge, and those designers and former Apple engineers deserve a decent meal from time to time.

Mobile

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Sprint’s Too Good For Long Lines

June 4, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

According to Mark Elliot, a spokesperson for Sprint, the company doesn’t want long lines come launch day for the Palm Pre this Saturday. “We’re actually trying to manage the exact opposite,” Mr. Elliott said.

It’s just like any company to spin the low hype generated by what must be terrible exclusivity negotiations into a boon for customer service. Part of Sprint’s new plan for the Pre rollout includes in-store tutorials for every Pre customer. “What we’re trying to do is not have people backed up waiting so customers feel rushed,” Mr. Elliott said. “We want each customer to get the experience.”

I don’t know about you, but I have plenty of fond memories of waiting in long lines to get the newest gadget, game, what have you. The air reeks with anticipation, everyone’s excited to be there knowing they’ll walk out with a new toy in hand. Well, early Pre adopters, you’ll get none of that.

Source: NY Times

General Gadgets

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AT&T Plans HSPA and 4G Rollout

May 29, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

4G speeds. This late-May/early-June continues to be the focal point of activity for wireless carriers and phone manufacturers alike. On the heels of big news for Sprint, big news for Verizon (with some bad news for Sprint), and potential big news from Apple and AT&T, the iPhone’s carrier announced to plans to begin network upgrades in anticipation of future high-speed technologies.

AT&T has officially announced both 3G upgrades and 4G rollouts over the course of the next two years. The company’s 3G improvements include adopting the HSPA 7.2 standard, which would effectively double current 3G speeds. As for 4G, AT&T plans to begin testing of their LTE network in 2010 with a consumer-level rollout in 2011.

The announcement comes as no surprise, particularly with Verizon introducing similar upgrade plans. AT&T no doubt wants to hold onto iPhone exclusivity as long as possible. Showing some initiative for higher speed access might keep the dogs at bay for now, but certainly not for long.

Apple, iPhone, Mobile

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Sprint: Not Enough Pres For Launch Demand

May 20, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

According to Sprint CEO Dan Heese, there just won’t be enough Palm Pre’s to meet demand at the device’s launch. Obviously he’s chosen his words carefully, suggesting there’s going to be massive demand for the Pre, or maybe Palm just hasn’t made very many of them. Either way, the company is throwing all of their chips in on this phone, and rightly so. Without it, Palm’s doomed.

I’d like to think the Pre will be successful, but it’s going to be a tough sell. Sure, it looks like a great phone, and a lot of people are excited about it, but who will buy it? Sprint customers are a great place to start, but that means no growth for the wireless provider. The loyal Palm users are another likely demographic, but that doesn’t get a great device in the hands of new users. Your final hope is first-time smartphone users, assuming they can be lured from the iPhone or a Blackberry, both of which are potentially cheaper than the Pre.

Source: Reuters

Computers, Mobile

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Palm Pre Could Cost $150

April 28, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

The Palm Pre is supposed to be many things to many people. The iPhone Killer. Palm’s Only Hope. The Best Smartphone Out There. The Crushing Response to Capacitive Keyboards. Whatever the Pre means to you, you might be lucky enough to get it cheap.

Analysts at Credit Suisse believe Sprint network’s smartphone could retail for as low as $150. Sprint and Palm have both stated that the Pre would be priced competitively, and $150 just might be low enough to steal the would-be iPhone converts looking for any network but AT&T. The phone will need to be more than cheap, though. Plenty of people a predicting Palm’s demise by 2010, in which case that $150 sounds like 150 reasons not to buy.