I remember The Register, early attempt at blogging, surprisingly still going - Charlie Hoult
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Palm is still looking for wireless partners
PALM SEEMS TO HAVE a few problems getting wireless carriers to commit to deals with it.
Its flagship Palm Pre is flogged exclusively through Sprint Nextel in the US, but it has said for a while that it wants to broaden the market a bit.
However it looks like its overtures to Verizon have not got past the first few bars.
The wireless telco scrapped plans to sell the Pre yesterday after it said in May that it planned to offer the Pre after Sprint's exclusive contract ends.
US reports claim that Verizon abandoned a plan to offer the Pre in January because the phone hasn't become the blockbuster seller it expected. The Pre is not doing as well as analysts and investors had anticipated.
Palm thinks it will make between $240 to $270 million in the current quarter. Analysts expected something more like around $305 million.
Palm said that it will continue to look for new partners. Maybe this next time it will not get left at the altar. µ
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Right.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out. The Pre appears to be the iPhone's only real competition. The iPhone definitely needs competition.
-- looking forward to our Pre-overlords..
I was looking at the Pre but Bell's data plan is crippled. 500 MB or "unlimited" both only web and personal email, everything else is banned.
I'm with Bell Mobility in Canada, which has been hyping the Pre for a couple of months now. I'd like one, but Bell doesn't want to make it easy for me. It tells current customers that they can only buy one by visiting a Bell store (as in, bricks and mortar) and when you try to find one on their BING powered map, you don't get any results.
Jesus... just sell me the phone and let me give you my money. With partners like this, who needs competition?
As usual Nick has got it wrong. The report Nick references is mere speculation (and perhaps stock manipulation by "The Street"). Verizon has NOT announced it is not carrying it and most reputable reports discount this rumour. Verizon will likely carry it, though whether they will put much marketing effort behind it is less clear.
Jennifer not sure why not intrested in sprint, according to the latest tests sprint is the most reliable network
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS189474+08-Jul-2009+BW20090708
verizon is hoping to be able to get the iphone, and for all we know that might be one of the deals they're making with apple.
the palm pre IMO is a much nicer phone than the iphone i had the original one and granted it was a nice little toy but doesnt offer the security as the blackberry, not to mention at&t's poor reliabilty.
Of course it isn't doing well yet. I think the phone looks wonderful, but I have no interest in Sprint. Why do phones need to be exclusive anyway!?