We’re all quite excited here to find out that O2 and Movistar will get the Palm Pre in GSM form, opening the phone up to unlocking, hacking, and all sorts of molestation. UK, Ireland and Germany will get the phone on O2 and Spain will get it from Movistar. When, you ask?
Christmas.
That’s right: by the time Palm pinches off the GSM Pre Apple will have probably released iPod Touches with cameras and the HTC Hero, an Android phone that I wouldn’t kick out of bed for eating crackers, will be dancing on the Sprint Pre’s grave. It’s like Palm wants to fail.
Palm webOS Phone to Arrive in UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain on Local Telefónica Networks
WINDSOR, England, Jul 07, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced that the Palm(R) Pre(TM) phone is scheduled to be available initially in the UK, Ireland and Germany exclusively on the O2 network, and in Spain exclusively on the Movistar network, in time for the holidays. Palm Pre, the first phone based on the new Palm webOS(TM) mobile platform, brings your information from the many places it resides – on your phone, at work or on the web – into one simple, integrated view.(1)
“Europe continues to be an important region for Palm, and we’re proud to work with O2 and Movistar to spread the excitement Palm Pre has already ignited in North America,” said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. “Since we showed Palm Pre at Mobile World Congress in February, there’s been a great deal of anticipation for an announcement about European availability, and that day is here.”
“We are fast becoming the home of the smartphone with the addition of the hotly-anticipated Palm Pre to our already extensive portfolio,” said Matthew Key, chairman and chief executive officer, Telefónica Europe. “Our customers will be the first outside of North America to experience one of the most successful mobile devices of the year.”
In its first weekend of availability in the United States, Palm Pre broke Sprint’s previous first-weekend sales records. Palm Pre also is scheduled to debut in Canada with Bell Mobility in the second half of 2009.
Palm Pre introduces a breakthrough user interface and hardware design that makes it one of the most integrated and user-friendly mobile phones on the market. Featuring a smooth, elegantly rounded ergonomic design and a physical keyboard that slides out only when needed, Palm Pre is engineered to feel natural in your hand and comfortably small in your pocket. When closed, Palm Pre is ideal for phone calls, web browsing, music, photos and videos; when open, Palm Pre is optimized for email and text messaging. It provides an exceptional experience for phone calls, whether held to your ear, over speakerphone or via Bluetooth.
With its curved slider and gesture-controlled touch interface, Palm Pre fuses exquisite design with the revolutionary webOS software for fast access to content on the device or web. Invented exclusively for mobile use, webOS offers an instinctive user experience that seems to anticipate your needs.
I totally agree with Mr. Biggs, it seems like the Pre has a very dark future.
Hey cheer up, they’ll have a 6 month headstart on the 2010 iPhone… oh boy…
“What are you waiting for, Christmas?”
How does an Ipod Touch with a camera affect the Pre?
Dev cycles move so fast that a Christmas launch will place the Pre into an entirely new ecosystem. Things will be so different come christmas that this will look like a log.
Cycles? Like all the new iPhones that come out with a different name but look exactly like the previous one? What really changes? the Firmware.. ah ha, something that could easily be enhanced between now and Christmas?
I disagree. By then the Pre will likely have a populated app store, more units available, and still be an attractive alternative to the iPhone.
The Pre isn’t competing with the iPod Touch, so the “Camera Touches” would be irrelevant, and it’s entirely possible that a firmware update (or app) could easily add video to the Pre by then.
I’m not saying the Pre is going to be the number one smart phone, but you really seem eager to start a funeral dirge for it already.
Yay! stunning commentary Mr. Biggs, really stunning. You’ve earned your pay with this story. I love any “news” story that relates delivering a phone to taking a dump. Do I smell a Pulitzer coming?
I care less about either/any phone in this story, I just feel sorry for the sake of journalism.
How artificial Mr. Briggs. Looking for the journalism in this “story.”. No. Can’t find it. Your logic is faulty. Your opinion is hollow, and your conclusion is baseless. You give a 14-year-old’s argument. Obviously an iPhone fanboy just eager to kill the Pre and Palm because they attempt something new and challenge the annointed one. Palm won’t need a funeral any time soon. Much to your disappointment it would seem. Do try again.
I often wonder if sites like this thrive with all traffic and not just negative traffic.. In other words, do they care if their “blogger boys” are pissing people off as long as traffic is being driven to the site? I mean, I wouldn’t put it past a TechCrunch staffer to push the limits to bolster their click-through numbers. Like we haven’t seen that before, MA?
What I can’t figure out is that even despite the lack of any level of journalistic integrity on the *Crunch network, this is a bit much. Non-stop articles bashing the Palm? Have you run out of good things around the iPhone? What — the recent battery issues with the iPhone aren’t enough? Steve jobs liver?
wow what a stupid article. it’s one thing to speak of an announcement, it’s another to to downright write off something that’s a worthy alternative to the phone with an half bitten apple and forces you to use shiTunes.
I am very excited by this aspect of GSM phones..
I love palm tops and love to use them..
Cheers!
In Germany the pre will be released in October according to the O2 website. That’s way before Christmas and not so long down the road…so much for the critisicm in the article.
And by the way, what should I do with an iPod with integrated camera if I want to phone someone?!
104 words and a copy/paste.
This is pure genius.
I suppose you could produce about 20 of them a day. Perhaps just write, “The iPhone is the best thing ever created and Apple is blessed by god” a few times and spare us the effort of reading the subpar narrative delivering your unashamedly biased and unfounded opinion?
Cool “news” story. Read a few more by Mr. Biggs posted at this site. He should apply for a job at The Onion.
/sigh
It’s like crunchgear is *trying* to fail.
Worst analysis ever. The Pre competes with the iPhone, not the iPod touch. A new iPhone won’t be out until next June, probably just in time for the second version of the Pre. In addition, Palm has other WebOS handsets in the pipeline.
Not only that, but WebOS is the most promising mobile operating system on the market period.
crunchgear has sucked since forever, I just wish there was a way to disable it from appearing in the main TC list of new articles.
Are you serious? This is the worst piece of journalism I’ve seen in a while. How much is apple paying you per post? – written from a pre.
Biggs, your posts are becoming more and more stupid over time. Every consider taking a vacation and coming back with a fresh mind? I could help – and use a Palm Pre during that vacation – you can listen to pandora while browsing (one of the beauties of multitasking :-)
WOW, this is one is way out there, if I wanted to read a fanboys point of view, i’d go to an iphone blog. This should not be a story, and in fact I’m so dumbfounded with it. I can’t let my self waste anymore time one your site.
Yes, You have just lost a reader.
Good Day!
Once again another Fanboy post by John Biggs. His best piece of work is still “In Soviet Union, you get Palm Pre”. I think he has a thing for Mikey Mouse and Coca Cola, or a combo of the two. There are people out there that would like something besides an IPhone. Where is John Briggs review of the Palm Pre? That’s right because John Briggs is too stupid to write one. He is on the Trendy Train. Hey boys and Girls I have an IPhone!!!! Can I be part of the “Kool Crowd” Now!!! PLEEEEZE!!!! He would rather just copy\paste from someone else’s article then add some filler gibberish. What the hell does an IPod Touch have to do with a Palm Pre? Oh wait!!! That’s right I am going to buy and IPod Touch to make a phone call… If I was looking to buy a phone, guess I should look at the IPod Touch. Last time I checked the Palm Pre is a PHONE and the IPod Touch isn’t!!!! Then again I look back to see who wrote it, then consider the source. It will always amaze me that people can just bash a product that they have never used. I am looking forward to John’s next post.
Speaking of the IPod Touch. Why didn’t Apple release the IPod Touch w\camera since it is based off the IPhone? So a couple of years later the Trendy Train can flock to buy IPod Touch’s with camera, since its predecessor didn’t have one. Another Apple ploy, for the sheep to kneel before Steve Jobs. Get in line John, Steve is waiting!!!
its funny that no other manufacturers dares to label their product as an iphone killer, but yet, the columnists are busy writing obituaries, as soon as a smartphone is released. wake up and smell the beans already!
apple is a unique monopoly and ecosystem, with apple fans accepting and biting whatever bullet that’s sent in their direction. more are joining their legion, but more importantly, there are 10 times more users who use ordinary plain vanilla smartphones or regular phones who do not like an iphone or simply dont want and expensive phone+service.
palm pre is a alternative, and if they are dubbed the iphone killer, they’d be happy to be treated as a competitor! no other manufacturer has a loyal fanbase like apple. so, anyone pitching them as an iphone killer would probably be gleeful at sending whatever traffic at them!