The webOS-based Palm Pre didn’t sell a million phones in a weekend like the iPhone 3GS, but since it’s launch, the Pre has sold over 300,000 handsets, according to Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder. A third of a million handsets is nothing to scoff at, and now that production is cranking out 15,000 units per day, sales should continue mounting as shortages are alleviated.

Even better news is that other webOS devices not bound by Sprint’s exclusivity agreement will ultimately be available from other carriers in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere. Add to healthy Pre sales the fact that the App Catalog has seen over 1 million webOS downloads and it’s fair to say that Palm and webOS has a promising future. Sincere there are only a few dozen apps in the App Catalog at present, just imagine the downloading frenzy that will occur once the webOS SDK is officially in the hands of developers and webOS apps start appearing in droves? It’s an exciting time indeed for Palm to welcome home the prodigal sons and daughters. Are you excited about the future of Palm and webOS?

Source: Barron’s via PalmwebOS

The one big bugaboo about Palm’s new webOS-based Pre is that it only launched as a CDMA phone on Sprint, leaving the rest of the world (GSM) salivating and begging for a Pre that we can slap a SIM card into and enjoy the coolness that is Synergy. As reported at our sister site, PhoneArena.com, a GSM Pre has been spotted in two different locations, Vietnam and the UK, and to add credence to this report, some accommodating Vietnamese lads even provided video. Check out the video below and then jump over to PhoneArena for more of the story!

Source: tinhte via engadget mobile and PalmwebOSBlog

Palm is now sending the webOS 1.0.4 firmware to its Pre users. Apparently, the new update fixes a number of security issues, which seems to have been discovered thanks to Townsend Ladd Harris (a Pre homebrewer). Palm has thanked him publicly, and the company is now inviting everyone who would want to help make the platform better and safer. Unfortunately for application homebrewers, Palm has made installing apps via e-mail impossible (for now). This is also an important security measure, since who knows what malevolent content might be sent to you someday. Still, apps that you have already installed this way will continue to work.

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Another over-the-air (OTA) update is ready to go from Palm for your web-OS Pre. Just click on the update “present” on your Pre and follow the instructions. According to Palm’s Knowledge Base, this update addresses “several security issues with Palm webOS software.”

Although 1.0.4 seems to address behind-the-scenes issues with the Pre, it’s nice to see another update hot on the heels of the previous 1.0.3 update. Nice job, Palm, on keeping updates and improvements coming fast and furious! If there is anything you notice after you download 1.0.4, let us know in comments and the forum please.

If you haven’t taken the Pre/Sprint plunge yet, maybe a handy cost comparison (compliments of Wired) is a good place to start? Looking at the figures, the Pre and Sprint figure to be the best value on the block compared to the other heavy-hitters. It’s easy to get caught up in just looking at the monthly cost for your wireless service, but to really know how much you are going to shell out for your service, it’s wise to consider what you will pay for your full 2-year contract. After two years of paying your wireless bill month after month, Sprint is the clear winner in overall cost for your voice and data plan. Combine the most cost-effective plan with the whiz-bang Palm Pre and you have a winning combination.

Source: PreCentral via Wired

Even though the jury is still out on the overall success of the Pre (hey, it’s early in the game here), and even though Palm has announced a loss of another $100 million (chump change when “trillion” is thrown around so casually), Wall Street likes what they see and Palm stock jumped up more than 16% yesterday and today. Perhaps there will be even more positive stock performance when the Eos is released? Good job, Palm. Let’s keep that blue line moving up and up so that we can all plan on great Palm products for years to come.

Source: Palm Infocenter

Competition: it’s what the free marketplace thrives on and usually results in a big win for the consumer. Sprint and Palm appear to be more than willing to take up the mantle of David and sling some well-aimed stones at the Goliath of AT&T and the iPhone.

In an ad posted on Sprint’s Facebook page, Sprint pulls no punches in pointing out a few advantages with joining their carrier and taking home a Palm Pre: 1) running multiple apps at the same time, 2) real-time updates, 3) save $1200 over two years with their aggressive calling/data plans, and 4) the first 4G network in the wings. Note also the timeliness of this advertising – going after the original iPhone customers now that their 2-year contract is up.

Keep swinging, Sprint and Palm. After all, you won’t land every punch, but you only land a punch if you are swinging away.

Yes, AT&T has the iPhone exclusively in the U.S. However, there are many AT&T subscribers far and wide that are salivating over the Pre but are not making the jump to Sprint to get it. The ever-present and non-stop rumor mill has already churned out the Palm Eos, code-named “Pixie”, a super-thin webOS device with full QWERTY physical keyboard and suggested to cost a paltry $99 (subsidized). Given the 8GB iPhone has been slashed to $99 as well, the Eos may just be the thing to cause AT&T subscribers and possibly a slew of new customers to open their wallets and purses to enjoy Palm’s new Synergy experience instead.

When will (or could) this happen? According to RBC Capital markets analyst Mike Abrahmsky, sometime later this year. Although Sprint has exclusivity on the Pre, that doesn’t necessarily mean they corner the market on webOS if Palm launches a non-Pre webOS handset on a different carrier. At $99, does the Palm Eos entice you?

Source: everythingpre

It is estimated that about 150,000 Palm Pre units have been sold to date, as we said yesterday. However, it looks like these guys just can’t help but install new applications on their webOS-powered smartphones. According to New York-based mobile analytics company Medialets, the users have already downloaded a total of one million apps from Palm’s App Catalog. That figure really sounds like a lot, especially having in mind there are only 30 apps currently available on the storefront (all of which are free). That said, we certainly hope to see more and more mobile programs surface on App Catalog soon enough.

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Sprint has thumped their chest and announced that there will continue to be shortages of the Pre as consumers seek this smartphone out. Even though weekly shipments are increasing, there is still a backlog of subscribers that want their Pre smartphone.

Sprint CFO Bob Brust indicated that Sprint is catching up with the Pre order backlog and added that the new iPhone 3G S launch the week after the Pre’s launch has had no significant effect on Pre sales. Perhaps this is due in part to Pre sales to current Sprint customers looking to upgrade rather than a flow of new Sprint subscribers, but Mr. Brust claims that there have been plenty of new Sprint customers as a result of the Pre.

Source: Reuters