Pre disappears from Sprint.com, leaves behind a hole in our hearts; Update: Verizon too 217
The original webOS handset, the one that started it all, appears to be headed the way of the dodo, or at least Amelia Earhart. The Sprint Palm Pre, on sale since June 6, 2009 (522 days ago) has vanished from Sprint’s website. While there are still plenty of references to the phone in various pages (it still shows up in a search for Palm), the phone itself cannot be selected for viewing, purchase, or reminiscing. With no new webOS handsets yet announced, or even rumored, for Sprint, any potential webOS conversion will have to pick up a Wi-Fi-less Palm Pixi if they want to be on Sprint. With how much focus Sprint has been putting on Android handsets and their growing 4G WiMax network, we can’t say we’re too surprised to see the original Pre fading quietly into the sunset. But it still makes us sad.
Non-Source: Sprint.com, Thanks to Dan for the tip!
Update: The Pre Plus is gone from Verizon Wireless as well, several readers tell us. That situation is less dire: we've seen the Pre Plus popping on and off Verizon's site for some time now and (more importantly) we know for sure that the Pre 2 is hitting Verizon soon.
217 Comments
Am I the only one that thinks that Sprint may have seen the light after looking at Facebook and the Sprint Poll, and may be quietly releasing the Pre 2 soon?
How much does it cost a for a Carrier to have a phone in the lineup if there isn't much advertising?
Wondering the same thing. Maybe they don't want to draw too much attention to it & would rather hold off on big promotion when the 2011 devices come out.
Sprint got a HUGE black eye for supporting the Pre launch when that phone was clearly not ready to be out of Beta. I fully support them dropping Palm for Android, my EVO has been running flawlessly for me for the last 4 months and I don't miss that piece of crap Pre I had for a minute.
Face it, the Andriod platform is a far better OS then Palm will ever produce. There are over 100,000 apps for the Android and they are far better then the junk apps that were produced for the Pre ( not to mention most of them had 5 to 10 duplicate apps ) and the ones I used were full of bugs.
Good riddance Palm Pre and all the grief you caused me for over a year ( thank God for the Sprint Premiere plan that got me out of it that quick ) I see a happy Android future for me....
Very happy for you, in the future you may direct all your post here: http://www.androidcentral.com/
still looks like u are curious to ses what the next webos phone is ;)
I find it funny that he says webOS apps are full of bugs. few of my buddies say the same thing for their android apps.
heh oh well.
This is mildly amusing to me personally, as after lurking here at Precentral and sucking up as much information as possible about WebOS and the Pre as I could, I've finally ditched my Sprint Touch Pro for a Palm Pre. The straw that broke the camel's back? Sync issues (partly not WinMo's fault, but I do fault the design for being too easy to mess up my settings) had doubled my contacts, and I got tired of fixing stuff.
The beautiful thing about switching to a Palm Pre (a.k.a. the Pre "minus" around here) from WinMo: It just works!
Sure, occasionally I get the Too Many Cards error, and there's something odd about the alarms that I haven't figured out yet, and there's an occasional delay... but that's all nothing, 'cause here's what I can do that I couldn't do easily with WinMo (and not for a lack of trying):
- 'Sync' with multiple accounts seamlessly (work and 'home')
- Run through a whole day on the stock battery - With the Touch Pro I was done by 6PM with light use... I can even play a game on the Pre and get to bedtime.
- I can multitask. Note... this is different from saying that the phone has multitasking support... what I mean is that the phone intuitively supports my own multitasking via the cards interface.
I was originally waiting for Sprint to sell a newer Pre, but then I realized that I should stop suffering and try the original Pre. Why not? I can replace it in a year if I want to, and HP's site offered it for free with a bunch of free accessories. Sold and sold... and aside from screwy activation instructions, I'm very happy.
I might even try homebrew for fun... unlike how it was with WinMo... where it was a necessity to try.
dude, install preware and govnah and your pre experience will b 10x better. u will never get a too many cards error again and the phone will be what seems like 3 times faster. do yourself a favor and do that... plz
Depending on your device, MS windows mobile 6.5 has been well developed on sony platforms as well as HTC. Each phone varies with Windows Mobile. I am glad you like it but 6.5 which is what I am assuming you are referring to but 6.5 is on 800-1000 dollar devices. I have used about every device on every platform and I would say even the most basic phones such as the HTC Dash, just works. Windows Mobile is that simplified, if your looking for something that just works at this point the Palm is not your answer quite yet.
I am assuming again you don't use many of the features. If you were to need document viewing and editing you would instantly notice the drastic difference between the device as well as several of the other applications. Of course, Palm has more applications at this point, but with Windows mobile 7 there is a ton of development so Palm will need to do allot more which they need to do anyway.
It is reasonable to assume that Sprint isn't getting the Pre2 because they know something better will be discussed at CES. At least, that's what we all hope. Maybe HP had an iPaq device in the pipeline and just needed the right OS (WebOS) for it. We will see. A lot of Sprint users may not wait, if their contracts are up for renewal now. Whatever HPalm brings will have to beat the EVO and that remains to be seen.
I was wondering when they were gonna get rid of the pre /:
Its a shame to see it go i remember last summer how bad i wanted the pre. But i got treo 800w(broke) got the treo pro(replaced 4 times) and finally i was told if the next one failed i would get an exchange for a pre! I broke my 5th one... LOL so no pre. I did buy a Pixi from craigslist but i still wanted the Pre lol.
Announcement at CES - launch June 2011
That would be Perfect for me...
If it's gonna be 9-12 months before getting a "real" next-gen webOS phone, I'll probably grab the Pre2.
i was guessing april
I fully expect a 4G WebOS phone from Sprint in the coming months...
What is the deal with CES? CES is not a phone show.
HP/Palm is going to really have to come up with something special to gain any new users. Windows Phone 7 will continually have new phones announced and so will Android. June 2011 will most likely see the introduction of iPhone 5. There will be so much competition that it will be hard for HP/Palm to compete with just a single phone. They need to put out several phones with different form factors, etc...
Don't count out MS as a major player in mobile. WP7 has been reviewed well and so have the phones. Android is getting bigger and bigger. iPhone isn't going anywhere. HP/Palm and RIM are going to duke it out for 4th place (for consumers). This is how I see it:
1 and 2 could change spots if Apple releases an iPhone on more carriers.
1) Android
2) iPhone
3) Windows Phone 7
4) webOS or BB
5) webOS or BB
Pressure is so on for HP/Palm in terms of CES. You know - it almost seems like they are building another Do or Die/ Mission Impossible scenerio for themselves.
They are bleeding right now in almost every way. Hemmoraging with their slowness to reveal new phones, technology, etc., and their relationship with Sprint - seems to be No-Where. At this point - maybe a strong 'leak' would help keep people's interest until CES in January.
And speaking of CES: They had better produce and have ready - one heck of a revolutionary new phone which not only matches the Android and IOS - it exceeds them. Something that goes way beyond. They also need a HUGE investment in GREAT advertising starting before and continuing way poast CES - (they need to outspend the Android and IPhone by more then double) to grow mindshare and the overall brand - which is currently very far behind with consumers and carriers (not to mention app developers).
Can HP/Palm -with all of their $$ = pull a rabbit out of their hat at CES and pull all of this off? If no - I can honestly say I think they will see a mass exit.
I'll wait around and CES and see if they can live up to this Precentral hype....
Because I believe!!!!
My Pre is going on 18 months now and still works great, never babied it and it will defintely last till next June. My friend just got the new iphone 4 and she hates it, has the "disconnecting phone calls when holding wrong" issues, be careful what you wish for, lol. I am sure by next June a new superphone will be out from HP/Palm and if Sprint chooses not to carry it then oh well, nice knowing you Sprint.
Hmmm I have a theory: ...what if the Pre 2 is going to launch on both Verizon and Sprint at the same time...or maybe even all 3 major carriers simultaneously?!? There isn't a law that says phone carriers and/or phone manufacturers must INFORM the public before releasing a product, true?!? Maybe Sprint just doesn't want to waste money to promote the Pre 2 fearing it may have the same fate as the previous model. Whatever the reasons may or may not be for Sprint being Pre 2 (less), one thing is for certain: Sprint has a rocky relationship with Palm due to it's lackluster sales (according to Sprint)...however, next gen webOS will be HP's deal and I know for certain that Sprint won't pass up anything coming from the IT powerhouse >=]
...oh and to add to the point about Sprint not needing to promote the Pre 2 or at least not right away: It seems that the most wanted smartphone is the Pre 2 or any new webOS device. It seems like the most talked about platform whether good/bad is webOS. So if Sprint released the Pre 2 this Friday, word would spread like wildfire and people would be leaving work early. No, not just because of the Pre Upgrade (lol) but because of webOS 2.0!!!
"...an amazing OS w/ cheap hardware (Pre) will have to fight hard; an amazing OS w/ good hardware (Pre 2) will take some down; an amazing OS w/ truly next gen hardware (c'mon HP) will - well...GAME OVER."
I find it truly hilarious that 'ol Dan states "We were disappointed in the sales of the Palm Pre" when the Pre had the launch record for Sprint eclipsed only by the EVO when it was released...
Did anyone ever consider that sprint might release the palm pre 2 without much fan fare? The release the webos super phone after CES?
+1
Did anyone ever consider that sprint might release the palm pre 2 without much fan fare? The release the webos super phone after CES?
56 days and we should see something. I just hope it is not another 6 months to see the products hit the market.
Very simple equation Sprint, either you pony up on some new webOS hardware or you lose a customer of 10yrs.
same here, 8 years
Sprint, i still have faith in you. Faith that you are diligently working out deals with HP/Palm on bringing in some awesome-S hardware with webOs. Many of us are hanging by a thread. I have many people waiting to upgrade to the NEW PALM PRE phone(s). Bring it...soon.
This might be a silly question, but why is everyone who already has a Pre annoyed about having to wait for a new model to be released? Aren't most people stuck with the phone they've got until their contract is up anyway, or does everyone actually pay the ETF or buy the phone outright without any contract discounts? Or did you all buy your phones used so you could get the next model with your contract renewal?
in my case I have been able to upgrade for 6 months & it's getting old waiting for any news...
I think that its the nature of early adopters to change frequently and when push comes t shove most carriers will upgrade you after 12 months or so.
In Sprint's case, they allow you to trade up after 12 months as a matter of policy. So all original Pre owners could upgrade now for the same cost as a new customer.
Sprint will have a new Palm phone mid February,2011
...right with you there... Not interested in pre2 if I have to pay for Hotspot!
there is a way to hack the pre minus to have mobile hotspot. its complicated though. i think im going to go home today and try to figure it out
I think hp|palm is waiting for CES because they not only want to reintroduce webOS and it's "scale across multiple platforms" They're in it to win it, I think.
sprint is not picking it up because they know something better is coming. 4G plays a big role.
Europe is getting first crack at it because they would seem to be a good test market, and going international is only a good thing. Plus, they were kinda left out during the original pre saga. The way I see it, handle the internatioanl side first to keep them in the loop early.
Verizon has it, just to keep it in our hearts and minds during the holidays. Plus they are the bigger company and can release another phone on the heels of another and not suffer too much. Sprint can't do that.
just my thoughts.
Yeah, Sprint wants all their top phones to be 4G, so that they can charge that ridiculous $10 mandatory charge on everybody. If their next WebOS phone has a 4G radio in it, watch what happens... Lol...
when i go into sprint to get my hpalm phone im going to demand they turn 4g off to it and that i dont get charge that $10... its not even available in my area and i hear its no faster than 3g at this point cuz its under developed... its just a big marketing rip-off campaign if u ask me. 4g, what a joke.
this is my situation. I have the original pre on sprint sice day 1, but now time has come that my battery is about to be useless (I can`t suvirve half of one day without having to recharge it) and don`t know what sould I do! spend about US70.00 in a new battery for a device that probably is going to last only a few more months (considering something new could be on its way to sprint), or should I hang on somehow to my existing and dying battery in my phone until sprint get the next webOS device?
Pick up a Mugen Power 1400mAh battery for less than half that...
use the app called Dr. battery to refresh your battery. it helped my battery life. Mugen would be a good choice too...only downside is that its a little expensive, being that fact that it only is 1400mah.
i got a 1350 mah in my phone that i got off of ebay for 10 bucks. it was used in a older palm phone, a treo i believe, but fits in the pre just fine and def holds a more juice then the stock one iv noticed... not sure if they are still there but take a look. i searched under "pre battery". even though its not really a pre battery it still came up. it was worth every penny since mine is overclocked. my phone actually lasts longer overclocked with that battery then it did not over cocked with the stock battery.
I walked into a Sprint store three weeks ago, told them I was having problems when my battery got too hot and they just gave me a new battery.
original pre... just picked up a spare original pre battery for 9 bucks off amazon.com pretty nice how with texting phone calls and minor facebook using i made it saturday from 10am - 7pm (4% left) with one battery... and than just flip in the new one... fresh 100 % at 7pm til.
ok, so now if my pre hits the skids (w/ my ins plan) - will they give me a comparable phone or will they still give me a refurb'd pre??
If the pre is no longer avail does this not imply that a good portion of sales is going to dry up?. From a business view I would rather have something out there vs nothing at all.
According to some of the other posts we should wait until CES for some type of product announcement. This is all the way until feb 2011. On top of that the actual product takes a few months to hit the public once announced.
My speculation is either a new phone is going to arrive very soon (within a few weeks) or HP pulled a fast one on us and does NOT have a smartphone in the works.
time will tell.....
@TigerNamedftony07. thanks!! I just did as you said and order a new battery from amazon.com, now I only hope that I won`t have to wait too long for a new hp/palm device on sprint!!
Ditto.. 11 years x 2 phones...
pleaseeeeee...
SPRINT.....read my lips(or type)....I will be finding new service provider if you do not carry a WebOS phone in your inventory!!!!!!! 7 year Sprint customer.....sorry...Just the way it will be!!!!!
im stating to believe these large companies (especially sprint) dont give a rats azzz about loyal costumers.
Sprint is really pissing me off! How many of us ported our numbers over from other carriers on day one? Maybe they don't care but it makes me scratch my head and realize why they are the little guys out there. They could at least let Pre users have an idea that they are going to bring in the new, new Palm phone so we have something to hang on to.
I emailed them directly and got a prompt reply telling me that they have no plans to carry a Palm phone in the future. When I replied that I was going to probably port out all six of my lines to another carrier who offers Palm they were unphased... Even after I told them that I came to them for the Pre on day one!!!
I'm self employed and one thing I know is this: If you've stolen a customer away from a competitor you work as hard as it takes to keep that customer.
As cruel as it may sound, that's the difference between you being self employed (granted, I don't know what you do, or how big your company is), and Sprint as a huge corporation. They realistically not care about the fact that you'll port all six of your lines to another carrier. The amount of people leaving Sprint versus those that are keeping what they have or, jumping on the Android bandwagon, more than compensate for their losses I'm sure.
I can honestly say that I'm not surprised by the snooty response that you got from them. At least you got your point across though. :)
Did they tell you to go Android? Lol...
I talked to a Sprint Tech Rep (not a sales rep) on the phone this week. I know, I know! But anyway, he was handling a tech issue with another phone for me. Afterward, I said I had a Palm Pre with an upgrade available and when would Sprint have a new Palm phone out. He asked me to wait, and after a minute came back and said he had a bulletin that said Sprint would have a new Palm phone mid February, 2011.
That timing after CES makes sense.
that sounds legit! only becuase he didnt know off hand and went and found that info... i dont think he was suppose to tell you that haha
HP Palm is signing their own death warrant. I've been waiting for the Pre 2 for a while. I like WebOS, but I need a new phone pronto. Many people like me are postponing their upgrades on Verizon for the new phones. If HP Palm continues this dumb ass charade for the Palm Pre 2, they're going to fall flat. If the I-Phone does come out near the release of the Pre 2, the Pre 2 will be demolished. The price better be right too, b/c I can upgrade to the Incredible right now for $50. They are leaving me no choice and time is running out. My $50 smartphone deal expires in December. Hurry Up HP Palm!!!! Didn't you learn anything pre-Merger?????!!!!!!!!
the incredible is a nice phone. i have a handful of friends with it. u wont b disappointed if you got it... i like your dedication though!! im stickin it out too. the edic and evo have almost swayed me, but im standing strong till feb when i get one of the hpalm phones that come out... i really think the one thing holding me over is my balller 64 gig 3rd gen itouch. damn do the games on ios crap all over webos haha. the ui, obviously, way better on webos. stand strong my friend!!
I don't know how or why I was chosen, but I have had an Ebony Grey Stingray HP Sprint webOS 2 phone to test for ten days. I had to sign a confidetially agreement, but just received an email that allows me to reveal the existance of the Stingray. It is an amazing phone and all I can say for all of you waiting, it will be officially presented at CES for a Jan. 22nd release to the public. The wait will be worth it and more. Sorry I can't tell anymore.
Really dude? No jokes at this point.
Well, you know what? I'm tired of waiting.
If the public sees another slate phone or slider phone, they are gonna yawn. At this point the public wants something DIFFERENT.
So to impress at CES a phone company must do one or more of the following:
*Show some style. I don't think color change is gonna cut it this time. We need to see some curves, some angles, anything.
*Show some speed. Some people think they are only allowed to buy the fastest processor.
*Add a new feature. Something never before seen on a phone. Game controls, a print button, heart monitor.
*Use brand new technology. 3D, memristor, body heat charging.
*Find another use for the smartphone. I can't imagine buying a GPS now. What is my phone going to replace next?
Palm Pre 2 would have been a yawn and whatever slate device will be a yawn as well. I'm pretty sure a slate is coming out before CES.
The Palm Pre 2 is a great device, but obviously with the quiet release it's not what HP is going to throw their advertising dollars into. HP is waiting to make a big splash and it has to be something huge. They just need to hurry. If they are manufacturing 6 devices and they've released one, save your 2 best for CES and give us the others now.
I'm about to jump ship on Palm. I won't jump ship on Sprint because I really like my service. The customer service has been outstanding for me both on the phone and in person. The plan I'm on is fabulous. Unlimited data for $69 a month. You can't beat that. I just don't use the talk time so theres no need to go to unlimited everything.
But the Pre has become more a passing fad. I really love the WebOS and the user interface. But I want a smartphone that will be with me for at least a couple of years and not go the way of the do-do bird as far as access to accessories and support. The only place I can find accessories is at the PreCentral store, once I find the "correct" accessories that work with the Pre, then I can shop for the best price. I should not have make 10 steps left to go one step forward.
I'm just tired of waiting. Anyone have any good news from HP that would cause me to not jump the Pre ship for an Android?
Some real dissapointment here. I'm not even sure Verizon released the Pre 2. I stopped in the store Monday no one had heard of a release for the phone. The Pre 2 while an update has some less than desireable attributes for the upgrade and considering most Palm users are loyal customers several are still when within their contracts.
The overall lack of development to this point of the phone makes it hard for carriers to carry. I suggest creating a more expensive model of the pre. This is why I believe they should have numbered the Pre as a series of phones such as the 1500,1800, with continual new models as Blackberry has established the curve. I would really like to see an $800-1000 pre. This will allow for high quality standards through the phone. The WebOS is a great Idea and the untapped resources are closer %90. This cost money and luckily most of the phones costs are covered by the carrier. Palm needs to find a niche carrier as Apple has with at&t as they lightly have with Sprint and mark this as a full featured flagship phone. I really believe this would happen if the company could get out of struggle. It is often the problem throughout business and typically caused by the lack of support to achieve high standard results. Who knows maybe they thought Sprint might look too cool.
This is really disappointing to see and I tried to fight as best as I could through several forums. I even applied for a job. It really bothers me to see good potential go down the drain. I'm sure it will progress lightly like the other Palm platform, but ultimately this will likely become the same things as the last platform people they don't really care and by their husbands(the PDAGuy moderator/3rd party developers phone with little dinky applications saying good job honey as she dunks his donuts for him.
Verizons getting ready for the Palm Pre Plus
I've owned several older Palm smart phones (Treo 600, 650, 750) over the years and they were all great phones back then. However, I was in Palm Centro/Sprint SERO ($30/mo. 500 minutes, unlimited web and text) "limbo" for what seemed like years because I refused to pay $69.99 for Sprint