Palm Pre

The Palm Pre is the next generation from Palm which was famous for the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices. The Pre utilizes and synchronizes over-the-air with information stored on the online services such as GMail , Yahoo Mail and Microsoft Office Outlook. The underlying technology is called Synergy. It also integrates with social networking services such as Facebook and LinkedIn by having the contacts on the aforementioned services available in the Palm Pre. [1]

The Palm Pre uses Palm webOS as its operating system. It is a brand new platform designed specifically for mobile use with information access everywhere. Announced during the CES 2009 on January 8, 2009, the Palm Pre was available initially only from the Sprint from the first half of 2009.

The suggested retail price at the release date is $199 after rebates and a two year service contract with Sprint. The phone is also available without contract for $599. [2]

Current price of the Palm Pre from Sprint and Amazon is $79.99 with the service plan. [3]

At the initial release, the Palm Pre works with the EVDO wireless network. The Pre features extensive wireless connectivity including Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with Bluetooth stereo support (A2DP). The 3.1 inch touch screen displays 320 x 480 resolution with advanced features like light sensor (automatically dims display), proximity sensor (automatically disables the touch screen when the phone is near the ear) and accelerometer (automatically orients display to the preferred perspective).

For screen navigation and access, Palm Pre utilizes gesture area (for intuitive gestures navigation) and slide-out QWERTY keyboard for entering information. Email access is available via Microsoft Outlook EAS (for corporate Microsoft Exchange servers) as well as PO3 and IMAP.

The Palm Pre has 8GB of storage with 7.4GB user accessible. It can be connected to the PC via the MicroUSB connector (USB 2.0) in USB mass storage mode.

The Pre also features optional inductive charging solution. To charge, simply place the Pre on top of the Palm Touchstone charging dock without worrying about cable and adapter.

Other features include integrated GPS, 3MP camera with LED flash, removable and rechargeable battery and hardware ringer switch.

• June 6, 2009: Palm Pre release date. Able to sync with iTunes out of the box.Engadget: iTunes support confirmed for Palm Pre

• July 15, 2009: iTunes 8.2.1 breaks Palm Pre Media sync functionality PalmInfocenter.com: iTunes 8.2.1 Blocks Palm Pre Media Sync

• July 23, 2009: Palm webOS 1.1 update re-enables Palm media sync with iTunes 8.2.1 AllThingsD: You Can Almost Hear the Shrieks of Outrage in Cupertino, Can’t You?

• August 3, 2009: Palm filed a complaint with USB Implementer Forum NY Times: Rivalry Between Apple and Palm Intensifies

• September 9, 2009: iTunes 9 breaks webOS Media Sync again. PalmInfocenter.com: Confirmed: iTunes 9 Breaks webOS Media Sync Again

• October 2, 2009: webOS 1.2.1 release "resolves" an issue that cause media sync from working with iTunes. Palm.com: webOS 1.2.1 Release Note

• October 29, 2009: iTunes 9.0.2 kills Pre sync. [1]

• November 13, 2009: Palm releases WebOS 1.3.1 without iTunes Sync[October 29, 2009: iTunes 9.0.2 kills Pre sync. <ref>[1]

• June 6, 2009: USA - Sprint Sprint: Sprint to Offer Palm Pre Nationwide on June 6

• August 27, 2009: Canada - Bell Mobility BELL: Palm Pre now available from Bell Mobility

• October 13, 2009: Germany - O2 Palm.com: Europe says “Willkommen, failte, and welcome!” to Palm Pre

• October 14, 2009: Spain - Telefonica http://blog.palm.com/palm/2009/10/palm-pre-says-hola-to-spain-on-14-october.html Palm Pre says "Hola" to Spain on 14 October]

• October 16, 2009: UK - O2 O2: O2 to launch Palm Pre in the UK on 16 October

• October 16, 2009: Ireland - O2 O2: [1]

• November 27, 2009: Mexico - Telcel [1]

From the crowds at CES to the stock market, the public reaction to the debut of the Palm Pre was a positive one. Many analysts said this actually gave Palm a fighting chance for a comeback and stocks for both Sprint Nextel and Palm soared on the news.Bloomberg.com: Palm Pre Takes On BlackBerry, IPhone... (January 8, 2009)