pre

Survey: iPhone owners most loyal to their brand

Despite the surge in Android phones, iPhone owners are still by far the ones most loyal to their devices, according to a study out this week by mobile analytics provider Zokem.

Based on results from Zokem's U.S. Mobile Life panel in 2010, the iPhone took home a loyalty score of 73, far surpassing the score of 40 given to its closest competitor Android.

Gauging the loyalty that smartphone owners have for their current devices, the score looks at whether people will stick with the same brand for their next purchase as well as other factors. Even among non-iPhone … Read more

Unlocked GSM Palm Pre 2 launches

Hewlett-Packard is now offering an unlocked GSM version of the Palm Pre 2 on its site.

For $449.99, customers can buy the smartphone, which features a 3.1-inch multitouch display, HP's WebOS 2.0, multitasking, and QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite. It also comes with a 5-megapixel camera and a 1GHz processor. According to HP, the device is currently in stock and will ship within 24 hours.

The Palm Pre 2 was officially unveiled by HP last month. It was initially revealed by French carrier SFR, prompting HP to confirm its existence. At the time, the company said that … Read more

Dev: Used game sales are 'destructive' to industry

Whenever you buy a pre-owned game, at least one developer cringes.

In a GamesIndustry.biz interview published this week, Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens said that the sale of pre-owned games in retail outlets around the world is hurting the video game industry and that a solution is needed sooner rather than later.

"Pre-owned isn't actually new--in 1981 there was Buy and Try, and that type of stuff," Cousens told the gaming publication. "The difference was that it wasn't a significant percentage of the market, and it was never promoted as aggressively through the retail community … Read more

Palm Pre 2 commercials get it right

Though they aren't gracing our televisions just yet, the first commercial for the Palm Pre 2 is on YouTube. The 34-second spot is a simple affair that wisely centers on what the phone can do. Punchy music stands in for any droning voice narration while captions highlight features like the multitasking, the contacts and calendar, and the available apps. Also getting its due time is the WebOS user interface, which remains one of the Pre family's best attributes. Seriously, folks, this is what a smartphone commercial should be.

The commercial is a huge improvement over the glossy, quasi-spiritual spots … Read more

Dialed In 147: Palm is back... sort of

There's a new Palm handset! It's the Palm Pre 2, and it's... very similar to the old Palm Pre. Oh well. However, we do get excited about the RIM BlackBerry Style, cheaper prepaid plans, 4G in the Big Apple, and yes, even the Verizon iPhone. Also: A special report on the new FaceTime for Mac.

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News Palm Pre 2 makes official debut, Verizon bound RIM officially introduces BlackBerry Style Verizon to roll out BlackBerry updates Boost Mobile plan rewards on-time payments … Read more

Digital Dead Sea Scrolls

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

HP announces the Palm Pre 2 and a new operating system WebOS 2.0

Xbox.com gets a makeover with some new features

Microsoft launches Office 365

Target lets you print your Facebook photos at the store

Barnes and Noble may be getting a new Nook ready to launch

Pandigital launches a new eReader called the Novel

Google is tasked with digitizing the Dead Sea Scrolls

And don't miss CNET's live blogging of the Apple conference today where we believe new MacBooks are on the way! If you do miss it, … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1332: Steve Jobs pitches a fit (podcast)

In earnings call news, only Steve Jobs can give an earnings call this much drama: a five-minute rant on how Android isn't open, but even if it was open, it would still fail, like that oh-so-open Microsoft Plays For Sure. (What?) Plus, the executive shakeups continue at Microsoft. --Molly

Palm Pre 2 makes official debut, Verizon bound

After an early slip-up by French carrier SFR, HP made it official and introduced the Palm Pre 2 on Tuesday.

The next-gen WebOS smartphone will indeed be available from SFR starting this Friday, but HP also revealed that the smartphone will be headed to Verizon Wireless in the coming months, as well as Canada.

The Pre 2 will be the first handset to ship running WebOS 2.0 and offers new features and enhancements, such as Stacks for grouping together related cards or open apps, an Exhibition view, which provides access to more information and views when a device is … Read more

preGame 31: Super Scribblenauts, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Today, for the first time on preGame, we're demoing a Nintendo DS game! Super Scribblenauts is the sequel to last year's breakout hit and we're taking a first look at the game by running through a few of the early levels.

Next, we'll jump into Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, a title that takes the franchise in a radical new direction. Loyal fans will notice the game does pay homage to classic Castlevania titles, but Lords of Shadow is a completely new endeavor.

Before the demos, Mark and Jeff recap last week's exciting first hands-on with … Read more