Hot Phones, Hot Hotspot

Today’s the day. Go to www.verizonwireless.com or your local Verizon Wireless Communications Store to get a Palm Pre Plus for $149.99 or Palm Pixi Plus for just $99.99. Or better yet, get both. Through Feb. 14, buy a Palm Pre Plus or a Palm Pixi Plus and get a Palm Pixi Plus free (after a mail-in rebate).

 

There’s already some great buzz about the phones -- NYT’s David Pogue says “The polish and panache of both phones are phenomenal” -- but there’s one new feature that Pogue calls “a breakthrough”: the Palm mobile hotspot. It’s super-simple to use -- just one tap turns Palm Pre Plus or Palm Pixi Plus into your own personal Wi-Fi cloud. No need to look for a hotspot when you’re out and about, and no need for a USB connection. For $40 a month (on top of your Verizon Wireless voice and data plans) you can get up to five Wi-Fi-capable devices online at the same time.

 

Take Palm Pre Plus or Palm Pixi Plus for a test drive at your local Verizon Wireless store and see for yourself why Engadget’s Joshua Topolsky calls Palm webOS “a brilliant platform with huge potential to change the way you work and live with your phone...”

 

Paul Araquistain, Palm PR

 

Comments

[Jamie D]

I am really disappointed that Verizon is requiring the purchase of the data plan to upgrade to the Pre Plus. I was really looking forward to upgrading my 700p. My wife was looking forward to getting the Palm Pixi too. She has been without a Palm device since the battery in her Zire died. Verizon's mandatory data plan is a deal breaker. My 700p is a great workhorse for me. But I never spend over $30/month on data downloads. After waiting for a couple years for a new Palm device at Verizon, I am really disappointed about Verizon strong-arming their customers into a data plan...

[myDrpC]

Hi Palm. First, I'm an owner of 2 Palm PREs and got my PRE when it was first released. The phone is great, however the OS is one of the best there is. There's a new sheriff in town and it's called the tablet/slate.

I would like to make a suggestion if I could.

If you combine your webOS with the Intel’s Moorestown chip OR any other mobile CPU that can do TRUE multi-tasking (meaning you can minimize a video and it continues to play the video) in a TABLET/SLATE device of some sort, you truly would blow away the competition including Apple's iPad which doesn't appear to do multi-tasking.

Also, adding Wi-Max/LTE as a choice of access would be optimal with 3g cellular, 1ghz cpu, external memory slot, OLED screen if possible (course if cost is a factor, we understand but a TRUE resolution screen is needed to compete) with 1024 by 768 or higher @ 8 to 10 inches, (2) cameras for true video conferencing (could be for Wi-Fi if needed) and a onscreen keyboard.

The next generation of Smartphone will branch into tablets/slates and now (2010) is the time.

You have an awesome OS; you just need the right device to make it supreme and crowned king!

Btw, please - only one thing we need finished in webOS: ( Please added encryption to EAS " Exchange Emails ". Your OS must be complete and corp. exchange is requiring this for most businesses which without is we can't use your devices which will cause us to choose something else. ) This may be a hardware issue and if it is, please let us know what the issues are and with the suggestion above it would be a good opportunity to correct this in a table/slate /future PRE releases to keep moving forward with the next generation device.

Thank you for your time and support! Keep the upgrades to webOS coming; it's the future device of choice!

[Jorgen]

That's all cool, but when are the Pre and Pixi Plus available in Europe? I'm talking all EU, not just Spain, England and Germany, but all of the countries. Anyone can download the SDK and Ares is available to a global audience. But there are no devices for a global audience and users. Shame on you!

Palm have made a remarkable comeback with WebOS and the with Pre and Pixi phones. Amazing software and hardware, but ridiculous launch and distribution. If you don't manage to release the Pre and Pixi Plus world wide, Apple, Samsung and HTC will own you big time. It would be very sad to see.

Now ship WebOS and the Plus devices to a global audience without the ridiculous operator exclusivity you have in the US. It is not needed in EU and HTC Hero is a great example of that. Please!

[Belal]

I love Palm products and wish them all success possible for their WebOS (c) products. But when is a GSM WebOS smartphone heading for Australia? Ive been a loyal Palm supporter from the Treo 650 ->680 ->750 ->Centro ->Treo Pro. But why stop there, please dont forget your customers Down Under :(

[SFHandyman]

@Totally and Completely Depressed and missing my TX

I also have poor reading vision. I looked at all the smart phones and the Pre is the -Easiest- to read for me.

The other phones do not allow easy text resizing in most of their apps. The screen is the sharpest and font is the cleanest I've found.

I had to trade in my old phone because I could no longer read it. I can read the Pre notifications without my glasses. Glasses help me for extended use. The web and email are simple to increase text size with a reverse pinch. Web page text automatically resizes larger when you turn the phone to landscape orientation.

I spent over an hour in a Best Buy walking back and forth between smartphones comparing every feature I could access and the Palm Pre was the only one I could read consistently.

The number keys are an irritation, but there is a nub on the "5" that lets you find it by touch. The arrangement is the same as a telephone pad so you will probably remember where the numbers are in relation to the "5" very quickly. Since the "5" is on the "F" it is the same location where there is a nub on all computer keyboards. "F" is where your left index finger belongs for touch typing, not that you can touch type, but the arrangement is Qwerty so you should be able to find the Alpha keys by location if you know how to touch type.

My worst complaint is finding the punctuation on the alpha keys. They are to hard to see without glasses, but I'm learning where they all are. A few have easy to remember locations like: "AmpersAnd" is on the "A"; the "-" or "Subtraction" is on the "S"; the last thing you enter on an arithmetic problem is the "=" which is on the last key (far right "P"); the "Comma/Underscore" are on the last key on the lower right. "Period" and "@" each have their own keys. They are on either side of the "Space bar".

The "shift" for the numbers and punctuation is a very big orange key on the Sprint phone (different on the Verizon I think). Easy to see it with low vision and the "alpha shift" is next the orange key and a bit larger making it easy to find by touch.

I sympathize with you. It is a difficult problem with us.

I replaced my TX with the Pre and my Pre is much easier to read.

Good Luck.

[SFHandyman]

@Totally and Completely Depressed and missing my TX

Re: low vision

Also most of the features on the phone can be accessed without menus. You can access programs, web, wikipedia, and your address book by simply typing the first few letters. Finish the word and hit return and unless it is in your address book, the default is google.

What are often menu commands on other phones, and the TX, are gestures on the Pre.

[Palm, Inc.]

Jorgen and Belal,

Thanks for taking the time to comment, we really appreciate it. Palm is continually expanding into new markets, as we recently announced a partnership with SFR to provide webOS products for their customers in France.

We don't have any further announcements to make at this time, but we are listening and please stay tuned.

Justin Ried

[Rob C]

so, seriously... when will the palm pre plus be available on Sprint? several ppl have asked this question but i don't see any response from a Palm person. both Palm and Sprint risk losing my business when my Centro contract expires in april, but if Sprint had the palm pre plus, i'd sign up for 2 more yrs right now...

[C.E. Iyo]

I just got a Palm pre from Sprint and wasn't given any BOGO offer. What's up with that? I just signed on for 2 yrs. Why isn't this offer being given to Srint customers? I'd switch to Verizon if I knew that.

[dan]

when will it be out in the uk

[Palm, Inc.]

Rob and C.E.,

We can't comment on Sprint's product line-up, or what offers they may roll out. As much as we'd love to have the latest and greatest Palm phones in everyone's hands, our carrier partners ultimately decided what to offer their customers.

Justin Ried

[Rae]

I really wanted the palm pre plus, but it's not available in the UK :-(

[Stephanie Willliams]

I like most things about my new Palm Pre Plus. I upgraded from Treo 650 that I loved. My issue is the battey dies by lunchtime. Is there a heavier duty battery available? A setting to conserve the battery? Help. Also would love to move info from Treo to pre plus but Treo's screen is broken - any suggestions?

[Totally and Completely Depressed and missing my TX]

@ SFHandyman

I have trouble reading phne numbers in my contact list on my Env3 which has large fonts. I can read the Tx's keyboard because it is a virtual keyboard and it has one for numbers and one for letters. Much larger than having the numbers and letters share spaces. I am not a touch typist. I have demoed a ton of smart phones. I cannot read most of the keyboards. I cannot operate a touchscreen without a stylus (captive like the Ipod). I have to use a special sylus to get it to work.

Why did they have to kill the Palm TX? It is big enough to read withou carrying an IPad.

I don't need or want a smartphone because they come with a data plan so Palm's decision to kill the PDA is just plain evil as all it does is line the pockets of the cell phone companies with money from these manadatory data plans.

Palm really is not spending much money on these designs as it clearly used exactly the same keyboard as the centro. I challenge anyone to take apart a centro and the pixi and prove otherwise.

And why no comment from Palm about its lack of accessibility for folks with vision, hearing and mobility problems???

Why would you support a company and buy a product that makes you work so hard to use it as half as well as people with perfect vision???

I am still deciding whether I want to spend money to have my TX repaired, or buy an the dreaded Touch or wait and see what Dell has to offer with its new device. Maybe one of the them can be converted into a TX replacement since Palm seems unwilling to replace the TX. I just don't know what to do and it is frustrating and depressing not be able to use my trusty palm TX anymore. Everyday, I look for it on my desk, but it is not there anymore. Palm just does not seem to care about its old PDA users at all. It is a really hard decision - am I wasting more money on a company that does not care about its loyal long time customers or its disabled customers? They really just don't seem to listen to what we have to say. Everything I say just falls on unlistening and uncaring ears so to speak.

[Eric]

Can someone from Palm enlighten me why Palm doesn't sell the Palm Pre (Plus) en Palm Pixi (Plus) in the Netherlands, where People are anxious to buy one. It's for, I think, more then a year the message "Coming soon" is on the dutch website. If you don't want to sell phones, an other reason I can't imagine, remove that page.
Can't Palm the expression "Where a demand is, deliver!"?.

[Posted by: Totally and Completely Depressed and missing my TX]

More than a week later and still no response from Palm re to my Feb 16th post or my first one - not surprisng really. As I have said, disabilities are not something Palm cares about.

I hear the economic and earnings repotts this week aren't so good for Palm right now - maybe putting all the eggs in one basket (eg only having two cell phone designs and no other devices - like PDAs or tablets) is not a good idea!! But nobody at Palm listens to OR responds to its long time customers - unless those customers agree with them. It is like watching NASA of 10 or 15 years ago. If you can't listen to us - listen to Wall Street. They don't like your current plan and dont' think your limited product line will get enough new customers or keep current customers or bring back those who have left because you killed all of your product lines.

[Marcel]

Dear Palm

I love your new phones. I had a Palm Centro and my wife and I just got 2 Palm Pixi. We just switched to Sprint after being with Verizon for 13 years. Sprint is great and they fully support Palm. I cant say the same for Verizon. All they care about is thei stupid and useless Blackberrys and the overpriced Droids. I thing Palm should sue Verizon. It seems like customers come in and are interested in Palm products and the "arrogant " Verizon reps try to push another product!!!

[Palm, Inc.]

Hi Totally and Completely Depressed and missing my TX,

We're always listening, and appreciate the feedback provided by long-time customers like you. Usability is a hallmark of the Palm experience, and accessibility is very important to us.

We'll pass your feedback on to the right folks for consideration.

Justin Ried

[Keven Thibeault]

SPRINT customers rise up!!! We need the hotspot too!

[Gabe]

Can i get the hotspot on my Palm Pixi...i purchased from sprint. It seems on verizon the exact same phone can act as a hotspot...

[Palm, Inc.]

Hi Gabe,

The Palm Pixi on Sprint is not quite the same phone as the Palm Pre Plus on Verizon. The Palm Pre Plus also has Wi-Fi, and when combined with the Mobile Hotspot service the Palm Pre Plus acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Unfortunately, the Palm Pixi on Sprint lacks Wi-Fi, and Sprint does not offer the Mobile Hotspot service.

Justin Ried