The long-awaited Palm Pre smartphone, known as the latest competitor to Apple’s iPhone, will be released June 6 and cost $200 US, DigitalJournal.com has learned. The launch will be two days before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
Remember Palm? The PDA maker that won acclaim before Research in Motion’s BlackBerry came along? The California company wants to make a comeback with its own entry into the smartphone market with the Palm Pre. Dubbed an iPhone killer by many tech analysts, the Pre will be available to the U.S. on June 6 for $200 after a mail-in rebate offer.
Similar to the iPhone deal, Palm Pre customers must sign a two-year service plan with Sprint at the time of purchase. The $200 cost comes after a mail-in rebate, so the total at-time purchase is $300.
In Canada, the phone will be available in the second half of 2009 via Bell Mobility. There’s no word yet on Canadian pricing.
Phone fans got a taste of Palm Pre when the company revealed the handheld during CES in January. It runs on a new webOS mobile platform that can wirelessly synchronize data with online services such as Google and Facebook. Following in iPhone’s footsteps, the Pre also features 8GB of onboard storage, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, a 3.1-inch touchscreen, GPS, and a 3-megapixel camera. In addition, the Pre sports a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
Interestingly, Palm is going toe-to-toe with Apple by choosing the June 6 launch date. Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference begins on June 8, so Palm is trying to get a headstart by releasing the smartphone two days earlier.
The Pre will also be sold online, and through Best Buy, Radio Shack and some Wal-Mart stores.
Palm’s spring launch could be firing up a battle with Apple. Earlier this year, Apple COO Tim Cook responded to questions about the Palm Pre by saying, “We think competition is good. It makes us all better. And we are ready to suit up and go against anyone.”
He added: “However, we will not stand for having our IP [intellectual property] ripped off, and we’ll use whatever weapons that we have at our disposal.”
A Palm spokesperson responded with a jab: “If faced with legal action, we are confident that we have the tools necessary to defend ourselves.”
