smartphone

Palm Pre's big day

NEW YORK--The much-anticipated Palm Pre may have gotten almost as much hype as the Apple iPhone over the past six months, but its opening day fell short of the attention iPhones grabbed on their first days.

Unlike the huge crowds of people that formed long lines and camped out in front of Apple and AT&T stores days in advance of the iPhone's launch, crowds for the Palm Pre were much smaller and tended to arrive in the morning just before stores opened.

Neither Sprint nor Palm have released official figures about how many devices they hoped to sell on the Pre's first day. But Sprint representatives had been trying to downplay expectations for iPhone-like crowds ahead of the launch. Sprint spokesman Mark Elliott told The New York Times earlier this week that the company not only didn't expect long lines for the Pre at its 1,100 stores, but that it didn't want them.

And it looks like the company got its wish. Salespeople at Sprint stores in New York City said a handful of people gathered outside their locations early Saturday morning. But most lines didn't even come close to the madness experienced on iPhone launch days.

Crowds tended to be bigger at Best Buy stores, which were offering the device for the $199 price without the $100 mail-in rebate. Customers buying a Pre from Sprint, the exclusive carrier of the device, pay $299 at the time of purchase and can get $100 back with a mail-in rebate. According to Rich Pesce, a Sprint spokesman, most new phones offered through the carrier have the mail-in rebate offer.

Many Best Buy locations sold out of the Pre almost immediately.… Read more

Welcome back, Palm

This weekend will be a big one for Palm and Sprint. The Palm Pre goes on sale Saturday and while it may be a while until we see specific numbers in terms of units sold, I think one thing's apparent: Palm is back.

The story's been told many times before. Palm, who enjoyed much success early on with its Treo series, fell from grace after it failed to deliver new, exciting products. In August 2007, Engadget wrote an open letter to Palm, calling for an intervention after the company turned from "respected underdog and innovator to repeat … Read more

Palm Pre: The smartphone addict's latest fix

Let me quickly walk you through my obsession with smartphones. Dating back to 2006, I've used a Palm Treo, two iPhones (a first-gen and the 3G), a BlackBerry Storm, and a BlackBerry Bold.

I first owned the Palm Treo. But when the first-generation iPhone was released, I had to have it, so I decided to enter into an AT&T contract and carry two phones. After a few months, I ditched the Treo and stuck with the iPhone. Then Apple released the iPhone 3G. I bought it the day it was released.

When Research In Motion announced the BlackBerry Storm, the company sent it to me to try out. I had it for about a month. It was a poor experience, so I happily sent it back and stuck with my iPhone 3G.

A couple of months ago, I announced on these pages that I decided to ditch my iPhone in favor of the BlackBerry Bold. I reasoned that the Bold was better for what I needed. And as great as Apple's App Store is, it wasn't enough for me to want to keep the iPhone.

So since April, I've been the proud owner of a BlackBerry Bold. It's a well-designed device that has enhanced my ability to communicate, and I like it more than the iPhone 3G (and every other smartphone I've used).

I thought it was over. I believed that for the next year I'd be able to stop myself from buying another smartphone.

And then I started to feel the Palm Pre itch. I researched it. I wrote about it. I did everything I could to see whether it was something I would want. CNET posted its review of the Palm Pre this week and, well, that ended the debate: I'm buying a Palm Pre. I'll be carrying two smartphones around once again.… Read more

T-Mobile HTC Magic to be called MyTouch 3G?

On Tuesday, T-Mobile USA announced its plan to release a new Google Android smartphone in early summer. Though the carrier didn't go into much detail about the device, it did say that the product would be a follow-up to the T-Mobile G1, so our money's on the HTC Magic/Google Ion, which is currently available through Vodafone in Europe and Rogers Wireless in Canada.

To add fuel to the fire, Engadget Mobile has what appears to be the artwork for the product's sales packaging, and sure enough, the HTC Magic is pictured on the front. But more … Read more

Sprint CEO says Pre deal is longer than six months

Update 7:55 a.m. PDT: Comments from Dan Hesse's presentation at the press event here have been added to this story.

NEW YORK--Verizon Wireless's claims that it will be offering the Palm Pre within six months are not accurate, says Sprint Nextel's CEO Dan Hesse.

"They need to check their facts," Hesse said in an interview at a press event here to launch the Palm Pre. "That just is not the case. Both Palm and Sprint have agreed not to discuss the length of the exclusivity deal. But I can tell you it'… Read more

Poll: Will you buy the Palm Pre?

The Palm Pre goes on sale nationwide this Saturday, with some lucky Sprint Premier customers getting theirs on Friday. However, a majority of tech journalists have had the Pre since late last week and posted their reviews on Wednesday night.

The response to the Pre has been largely favorable. Some have said I was too hard on the device; I do have my issues with it, the battery life in particular (even with its user-replaceable battery), and felt it was only fair to point them out.

However, my overall impression of the Pre is a good one, and at the … Read more

Pre vs. iPhone: Which offers the better value?

The Palm Pre's slick new software and cool design may make it the first true iPhone challenger on the market, but the competitively priced service plans from Sprint Nextel make the device an even more compelling alternative for frugal cellphone subscribers.

In terms of features, the Pre matches the iPhone on most bells and whistles . And it even has a few new capabilities not seen on the iPhone, such as an actual QWERTY keypad and the ability to have multiple applications open at once.

But for financially savvy shoppers, the Pre on Sprint's 3G network offers a value proposition that may just be enough to tip the scale when deciding between smartphones.

In terms of the upfront cost of the devices, the iPhone and the Pre are the same. The 8GB iPhone 3G costs $200, and so does the Pre with a $100 mail-in rebate. But it's really the service contract from Sprint that sets the Pre apart from the iPhone from a cost perspective.

"Feature for feature these phones are very comparable," said Peter Pham, CEO of Billshrink.com, a Web site that helps consumers cut waste out of their monthly bills. "But when you look at the total cost of ownership, the Pre on Sprint's network offers better value for many consumers."

Here's a breakdown comparing the two service plans:… Read more

Pharos Traveler 137 now available

Pharos announced on Thursday the immediate availability of its latest GPS-enabled smartphone, the Pharos Traveler 137. The Traveler 137 will be sold unlocked through various online retailers, including Amazon, Dell, eXpansys, and Newegg, for $599.95, though you can receive a $250 discount if you sign up for a two-year T-Mobile contract through Pharos.

First introduced at CES 2009, the Traveler 137 is a bit unlike other GPS-enabled smartphones in that you can use its navigation software without a cellular connection. The smartphone ships with Pharos' Smart Navigator software with the vector map and routing calculations, so you'll be … Read more

The 404 356: Where Bonnie Cha gives it to us straight about the Palm Pre

After a ton of hype and much deliberation, we finally get the official Palm Pre review from CNET Editor Bonnie Cha. She lays out all the pros and cons of the device, including the keyboard, app switching, battery life, and much, much more. Also, Jeff finally decides whether or not to buy one; tune in to hear the verdict!

We've been talking about the Palm Pre smartphone for a few weeks now, building up hype and getting excited about the release like everyone else, so we're especially excited to have Bonnie Cha come on today's show to give us her final review. If you have the time, be sure to check out her written review as well. So it turns out that she really likes the software. The multitouch is responsive (albeit with a slight lag), app-switching and push e-mail worked flawlessly, and the contact integration with Facebook, Outlook, etc. all impressed Bonnie, but don't rush out to buy it without hearing the negatives.

She also has a few complaints: as expected, the keyboard is pretty tiny and requires a rather long learning curve depending on the size of your fingers. In fact, Bonnie's got pretty small hands and even she had problems typing on it, so be sure to check one out before you buy. Next, the battery life pooped out after only one day of usage, which can be attributed partly to a faulty AIM client, but it's still something to keep in mind.

Overall, Bonnie fully recommends the phone to Sprint customers, including Jeff, who's been calling her at home to get insider's secrets since the phone was first announced. In the end, Jeff finally decides to at least go check it out on opening day, Saturday, but with no guarantees that he'll buy. No matter what phone he gets, we'll still have a great time with a live smashing of his old HTC Mogul on next week's show, so make sure to look out for that as well. Leave a comment below, though, and let us know what you think about the Palm Pre. Are you going to buy it? Is it worth the money to upgrade? Do you hate the phrase "iPhone killer" as much as the Bonch? Let's hear it.

Verizon to get BlackBerry Pearl Flip June 19

On Thursday, Verizon Wireless announced the upcoming availability of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230. Joining T-Mobile and Alltel, Verizon will offer the smartphone starting June 19 for $129.99 with a two-year contract and after a $70 mail-in rebate.

The Pearl Flip is RIM's first clamshell BlackBerry and features a 2-megapixel camera, a SureType keyboard, external and internal displays, and a microSD expansion slot (up to 16GB). The 3G-enabled Pearl 8230 also works with Verizon's various services, including VZ Navigator and Visual Voice Mail, though these enhancements do come with an added cost.

Other highlights include support … Read more