We’ve Moved! Update Your Bookmarks!
We’ve finally moved! Pre Insiders now resides at http://PreInsiders.com
Please update your bookmarks and check out our new look! We also have set up our own forum at http://PreInsiders.com/forum/ So go ahead, sign up, and start posting! See you there
Last Palm Pre Feauture Reviewed – The Mirror
All you vanity obsessed people at there can now relax, Joanna Stern from the LaptopMag blog has posted her review of the Palm Pre’s infamus mirror. The mirror is placed on the back of the sliding base. It is hidden when the phone is closed and exposed a few inches when opened. Up until now, we had only seen glimpses of it (such as the time when certain celebrities were given demo units for an ad campaign). Now, we can see that it actually works pretty well as an on-the-go mirror. The question still remains as to why Palm would include it on the device. Is it to target female techies? To make it flashy and cool-looking? We don’t really know, but it is a nice touch and goes to show that Palm has taken their time with the device, adding little bells and whistles wherever they can.
Sprint Plans To Create “Situation Rooms” At Palm Pre Launch
We aren’t sure if this is a good or bad thing. Forbes reports that Sprint is planning to set up “situation rooms” at the Pre launch. They would basically be customer help desks for any troubles concerning the Palm Pre or WebOS. While it seems like a great idea, considering that WebOS is an entirely new firmware on entirely new hardware, is it indicative of instability? We never saw anything like this for any iPhone or Blackberry launch, but maybe this is Sprint attempting to change the view of customer service which, so far, hasn’t exactly been top notch. This could be a great opportunity to gain customer loyalty by being right on hand to help with any problems that may arise. Due to lack of information regarding the App Catalog and many WebOS features, we are sure that there will naturally be questions. Looks like this may be a smoother launch than many had expected.
Palm Pre Ad To Hit Facebook Before The TV
Looks like Palm is playing up the social networking ad campaign here. Taken from the official Palm facebook page, this open event will allow users to see the first Palm Pre ad on facebook before it goes on live TV. The event description reads:
“Here’s your chance to see the exclusive premiere of a new Palm Pre commercial before anyone else.
The ad was inspired by the way the Pre phone lets you effortlessly flow among all your life’s diverse passions and dimensions. All those connections (friends, coworkers, family, etc.) are represented by characters in a picturesque landscape. As our main character touches the screen, types, and interacts with Palm Pre, her world adjusts. A beautiful dance of invisible organization.
Keep your eyes peeled for the national campaign launching in the near future. We thought we’d give our friends on Facebook a sneak preview first.
Please RSVP for the online debut of this new ad. We’ll also be offering some exclusive behind-the-scenes videos about how the ad was made over the next few days right here on http://www.facebook.com/palm.”
You can now join and RSVP to the ad campaign on Palm’s facebook page.
BGR Posts First Hands-On Review Of Palm Pre
Boy Genius Report has finally come through with their promise of a hands on review of the Pre before launch. They have now finally published their full review of the Palm Pre, and it’s pretty damn thorough. Although they weren’t able to fully explore the phone (certain applications led to a dead-end as well as the App Catalog being completely omitted), it is still a great read.
Be sure to check back to PreInsiders, as we will be posting our own in-depth stress test and review of the Pre on launch day via our live blog!
Pre Allegedly Able To Sync Flawlessly With iTunes
Rumors popped up yesterday about the Palm Pre being able to sync seamlessly with iTunes. It looks like this suspicion has now been confirmed Jon Johansen of Nanocr.eu blog that the Pre can indeed sync with iTunes, although there is a catch. He said,
“So how is Palm doing this? It’s pretty simple, really. We’ll start with the most basic question that doesn’t even involve the Pre: To a PC, what’s the difference between an iPod and a Kingston memory stick? The iPod has a specific USB Vendor Id that identifies it as being an Apple product and a USB Product Id that identifies it as being a specific iPod model. In addition, the iPod’s filesystem has a specific folder and file structure. Modern iPods also respond to a custom USB command that returns an XML file with information about the device.”
It looks like while this will work for now, there cannot be any assurance that it will still work at launch, as Apple could easily update iTunes to reject any Vendor ID that a Pre uses.
Palm Pre Default Ringtone Available For Download
Looks like the Pre’s default ringtone can now be downloaded. So if you just can’t wait to hear this little jingle on June 6th, you can either listen or download it here.
Verizon Could Receive Palm Pre (Eventually)
Looks like Sprint might not have as much exclusivity concerning the Pre as we all might have thought. Verizon spokesman Jim Gerace wrote that the Palm Pre could go on sale for Verizon “early next year”. Looks like 2010 might be a year for sharing – for Palm, at least. We’ll keep you updated, Verizon users.
Sprint Stores Rumored To Be Offering $100 Rebate On Pre As Instant
Looks like competition for retail of the Palm Pre is heating up. It’s now rumored that in order to compete with BestBuy, Sprint stores will now also be offering the formerly $100 mail in rebate as instant. This could be good news, as BestBuy won’t be flocked by herds of people looking to get their hands on a Pre at the cheapest price possible. This could be bad news for Radioshack and Walmart, though, as so far it seems that they are still planning on selling the Pre with the $100 rebate as a mail in offer only.
Screenshot Shows Pre-Loaded Wallpapers On The Pre
Looks like the infamous user TheInvisibleMan has posted even more juicy Palm Pre tidbits. Actually, user Abarrera from the PreCentral forums linked to this screenshot of what many think is TheInvisibleMan running his WebOS emulator and showing the preloaded wallpapers that the Pre will come stocked with. Looks like your run-of-the-mill nature and serene wallpapers to us.
