 | Palm Pre: Free with Two-Year Contract |
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 | Palm Pre 2: $100 with Two-Year Contract |
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| Launched in 2009 to challenge Apple's iPhone, the original Palm Pre met with limited success. It was the first to use webOS, Palm's Linux-based mobile operating system. The Palm Pre 2 was launched in late 2010 and is available unlocked and on Verizon. Like the original Palm Pre, it includes a slide-out keyboard and touch screen. It has 16GB of memory. A Palm Pre 3 is expected to be released in summer 2011, but carriers haven't been announced. | | |
| Typical costs: | - The Palm Pre 2, sold unlocked for about $450, is available through HP, which acquired Palm. It is also available from Verizon for about $100 with a two-year contract.
- Amazon sells unlocked several Palm Pre models for $90 -$180. For example, a new original Palm Pre costs $150 and a used Palm Pre Plus starts at $95.
- AT&T gives the Palm Pre Plus to customers for free with a two-year contract. Without the contract, the phone costs $400.
- Palm is expected to release the Palm Pre 3 in mid-July 2011. The launch will be preceded by the release of HP's new tablet, the TouchPad.
What should be included: | - The Pre comes with Wi-Fi accessibility, a web browser, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 8-16GB of memory, and a monitor that switches between portrait and landscape. The Palm Pre 2 includes built-in GPS geotagging and video capture.
- While the Palm Pre and Pre 2 do not have video camera capabilities, the Pre 3 is expected to be able to capture video.
- Applications and programs appear on the home screen like a deck of cards, with users flicking between them to select. The Pre can simultaneously run multiple applications.
Additional costs: | - The Palm Shop has accessories ranging from a leather slip case ($40), a vehicle charger ($30), a charging dock ($50) or a stereo headset ($25).
- An AT&T data plan begins at $15; an unlimited Verizon data plan starts at $30. Insurance coverage on smartphones is typically $5 -$10 per month and generally covers lost, stolen or damages phones. Payment of a deductible may be required to replace a phone, but it's usually less expensive than paying retail for a phone.
Shopping for a palm pre: | - To buy an unlocked Palm phone, visit HP.
- AT&T and Verizon both have store locators on their websites.
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Article updated July 2011 |
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