Palm Pre Plus 'dummy' units hit AT&T stores, launch May 10th? 25
Good news for those eagerly awaiting the actual launch of the AT&T Palm Pre Plus. Engadget reports that dummy units of the Palm Pre Plus have begun arriving at stores. Add that piece of evidence to the fact that AT&T's promotional video for webOS from over a week ago ends with "Now available on AT&T" and it's looking likely that those FCC filings that suggested a May 10th launch of the device are quite possibly accurate.
Hopefully AT&T employees are getting properly trained up, Project Jumpstart-style, on those practice Palm Pre Plus phones (we hear that there are some web-based 'classes' for them already). Hey AT&T, while you're at it, we recommend an update to this snarky little Pre vs. iPhone document you sent out over a year ago, the Palm Pre Plus and webOS have come a long way since April 2009.
25 Comments
with att as a carrier and hp acquiring palm, I can't wait till the next palm phone. Maybe it will hit all 3 us carriers at the end of the year or early 2011. Good times are coming for webos, can't wait.
What's even better than all that (which has *already* surpassed all my hopes & dreams for Palm)...
AT&T has already come out with the BEST COMMERCIAL YET!!!
http://www.precentral.net/upcoming-att-pre-plus-ad-take-novel-approach-a...
Just like I said, the commercials need to be more educational. They need to be just like the Palm intro ads that they were ALREADY publishing on their own site, with or without a voice-over. It almost looks like AT&T just took those "feature" videos straight from Palm and added in a bit more pan and zoom around the phone itself. Gee... who woulda thought that that might actually sell the phone?? Hmm... What genius at Palm got the memo that "trendy ads" are what sell phones. The INTERFACE sells the phone. The PHONE sells the phone.
Heck, maybe even flash in some subliminal messages like the "Original Dr. Strangelove Trailer", as seen on YouTube... and you'll see sales like you've never imagined.
WHOA!! People are about to actually SEE THE PHONE!!! I'm so stoked. People are gonna be like, "whoa... *That* phone is already available on Verizon *and* Sprint... and AT&T was the *last* to get it?? Holy Moley!!"
Just wowzers. YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!!
It would be great, if the next palm phone hits all the carriers at the same time.
I work at a multi-carrier store and we JUST got the palm pre plus dummy for AT&T... and then I log on to here and boom theres already an article about it... thats some up to date shit
Precentral don't play.
Weird... I still have a store in SW Fla. telling me I can get one this Sunday.
What, no mention of my name? No "Thanks Arthur for sending this in?"
Nah, I don't care about that. I just care that webOS is expanding to the top 3 carriers!
Thanks, Arthur, for sending this in!!!!!!!!!!
About freaking time! I've been impatiently holding out on renewing my contract for this. Sadly, if it is May 10th, it'll be a very long 10 days.
As John McClain says: "Welcome to party pal."
fake
dummy phones? Does that mean that customers won't have a live phone to play with?
Yup,
Customers won't have a live phone to play with at some locations.
just like best buy. Dummmy phones are worthless anyway, and double when you miss eye candy like webOS
can we appeal to HP yet?
A buddy of mine went in with the full intention of getting the Pre, but because of the way the dummy feels, he went with a Blackberry. It's a HORRIBLE thing to have a dummy phone as the only display for a smartphone.
Nah, it means WebOS phones are so easy to use, even a dummy can handle them!
This is a positive sign for us AT&T users!
thanks arthur, ur a real stand up guy.. And an aardvark
Screw dummies. To fully understand why the Pre is so awesome they need to put a fully functional unit in every effin store out there.
One thing I actually applaud Apple for. They always put a functional unit, never a dummy.
dummy phones? People need to know about webOS. Just another gut check to the Pre since all 3 carriers won't give the Pre the respect it deserves. The iphone is the only functional display phone at Best Buy. People buy phones the same way they buy cars. Looks alone won't cut it you have to test drive it.
Arthur,
I thanked you in the forums:
http://forums.precentral.net/gsm-pre/244448-front-page-may-10th-t-launch...
AT&T customers now get a taste of webOS. And its only going to get better.
Dummy phones suck. My frst hand on was with a dummy phone, and it felt very cheap compared to the real thing. Almost thought twce about getting the phone after that. Knew better, but many customers won't.
Perhaps someone here who has "connections" can emphasize back to Palm just how bad of idea these things are.
The dummy phones in most locations are there only for displays on tables and such. There will be live devices to sell from and for customer demo.
I hope AT&T does a better job than Verizon at training their employees in fully understanding the incomparable webOS so that customers can make truly informed decisions before opting for Palm's counterparts (Blackberry, iPhone), both of which are clearly miles ahead of Palm in terms of customer perception & employee favoritism, but trail Palm and webOS in terms functionality and meeting the needs of a diverse base of loyal customers. On a side note, I was at one of the only Verizon stores in Orange County NY that offers full sales/technical support, and BOTH Palm Pre + devices that weren't dummy devices DID NOT have the recent 1.4.1.1 updates downloaded. I had to download it myself so that customers who check out the devices have up-to-date experiences. Sure speaks volumes, doesn't it? Unfortunately Palm/HP has no control over incompetent and/or indifferent employees at any of these local stores...