Is Sprint holding 1.2 hosting?  Did someone mess up and say it was supposed to come out when it wasn’t ready?

I can’t say I know or care.  The thing about when Apple releases an update to the iPhone is that almost no one knows when it’s coming.  People have rumors but that’s about it.  People are going out of their way to say when updates are coming for the Pre and when the dates is missed it just puts a bad taste in my mouth.  It isn’t Palm’s fault directly but if they can’t prevent leaks they have a lot more problems than an updated OS to worry about.

1.2 Could be coming out today [Everything Pre]
WebOS 1.2 release notes [Prethinking]
WebOS 1.2 “Delayed” [PreCentral]

I’ve started seeing a lot of information about homebrew apps.  First let me take a step back.  Developers who have access to Palm’s Mojo SDK has been writing programs waiting for them to be allowed into the App Catalog.

Some of the developers have decided to sneak their way in by allowing people to add their apps by “sideloading” them.  This doesn’t require the phone to be completely hacked (like people do to their iPhones).  Instead it involves some trickery to allow the phone to receive these files and know that they are games.

Over the next few days I plan on digging in and finding out if homebrew apps are everything people are making them out to be.

Stay tuned.

First it was Letstalk, then Amazon, now Wirefly.com is taking their turn promoting the new Pre.  They’ve managed to outdo them both by giving people the opportunity to get the Pre for $169.

This only applies new customers signing up for a Simply Everything plan.

You can read more at Wirefly.com.

Many people have been making a comparison of the Palm Pre to the iPhone and the comparisons just don’t hold.  The iPhone has been around for years and has the advantage of hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars in marketing whether it be through ads or word of mouth.  The Pre is the new kid on the block and many people feel that it has a tremendous amount of potential.

The Pre doesn’t need to outsell the iPhone in order to be a success.  Right now it’s only available on Sprint, but it’s going to be on Bell on August 27th, as well as hitting several other carriers in the next 6 – 12 months.

While the Pre hasn’t driven a bunch of people to Sprint, I’d put my money on it helping people ditch their regular plans and paying more to get a Simply Everything plan.  Many of the customers Sprint is losing may be defecting to their Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile services to avoid the pressure of a monthly bill and contract.  Both AT&T and Verizon added millions of subscribers by buying companies (Cingular and Alltel respectively) and both have areas in the US where they have a virtual monopoly when it comes to wireless service.  If Sprint can keep afloat until more phones come aboard the Pre will have done it’s job.

You can read more at Businessweek.com.

If you go to Sprint’s website, you’re going to find that not only can you now order the Pre online but they’ve also added ratings.  The Pre isn’t doing too bad with a 3.7 out of 5 score.  As you’d imagine it takes a big hit in the scoring for the battery life which is to be expected.  This is a really cool innovation to help people learn about phones before they buy them as well as giving them the ability to rate them after the fact.

[Sprint]

There are tens (if not hundreds) of Palm Pre accessories out there on the web but there’s no real way to see a wide selection all at once and if you do find accessories you have no idea if it works, how it works and if you’ll like it.

For that reason, over the next few weeks I’m going to be adding this kind of information to the site.  You want a case, you’ll be able to see pictures or video of how the case fits on the phone and if it causes any problems….like being unable to allow the phone to charge.  This is really big to me because I belive in giving back and this is the best way I can think of.

It’s true that other sites may try to copy my approach but deep down, no one cares about this stuff like I do which is why I’m sharing this idea.  I don’t care if someone steals it, I just know that I’d love it if someone did something like this for me so I’m going to go ahead and do it for everyone else.

Stay tuned.

LetsTalk.com isn’t the only company to start selling the Palm Pre online.  Amazon.com has also started selling the new phone from Palm through their website.  They’re going the $199 without a rebate route but it seems like you won’t have to wait to get your hands on any since there are already reviews of people who’ve gone through the process with Amazon.  It’s all pretty standard but it’s exciting to see distribution for this phone growing after having to fight so hard to get my hands on one the day it came out.

[Amazon.com]

After the whole Best Buy dedacle, I can imagine that many of you wouldn’t believe me that you actually can get a hold of a Palm Pre for $99.  This time, it’s comes courtesy of LetsTalk.com, one of the largest online stores for cell phones in the world.  The phone may take an extra day or two to get to you as LetsTalk ramps up their supply but if you’ve been waiting on getting your new Pre you patience has been rewarded.

[LetsTalk.com]

They’ve change the price back to the $199 price and since they can’t make you pay more money anyone who got away with the lower price can enjoy the error in their favor.

Did anyone manage to get in on a $99 Pre?  If so where did you pick it up from?

Do I wish I waited? 

Not at all.  I never get anything the day it comes out and I decided that would all change with the Pre.  This will probably be the first and last time I do that.  I realize that there are too many bugs and kinks which need to get worked out and combining that with the hope of a lower price, patience is an amazing virtue.

For everyone who has been sitting on the sidelines wondering if it’s worth it – go ahead and take the plunge.  WebOS 1.1 is great and allows you to use it for work or play.  The price is the same as the 8GB 3G iPhone with a rate plan guaranteed to save you money.