Rather than imitating a prize fighter guaranteeing a knock-out before the fight has started, both Sprint and Palm are posturing themselves in a far more conservative stance, stating publicly that they do not expect long lines of hungry Pre customers on launch day. Mark Elliott, speaking for Sprint, indicated that they hope to give each customer lots of one-on-one love and make sure it’s a positive experience for all.  He said, “[Success] is not about having a line out the door; it’s about being able to treat each customer and make sure they’re happy with their decision.” 

I don’t know about you, but all kinds of things come to mind concerning this attempt to manage expectations. Do both Sprint and Palm have concerns about limited inventory for launch? Are they worried that limited mass marketing will equate to a conservative turn-out at the stores? Or maybe they have enough extra boots on the ground to handle the deluge of Pre buyers so that a long line will never form? What about our first-in-line-guy who has camped outside a Sprint store all week – was it sane necessary? I guess we will all find out in less than two days.

Although still a couple days from being in the hands of the general public, Palm has already released a firmware update for the webOS-based Pre, bumping it from version 1.0.0 to 1.0.2. In addition to likely performance improvements, an alarm clock has been added to the Pre, including multiple alarms and a choice between analog and digital display. Many have cried out for an alarm app on the Pre, and it looks like Palm listened.

In spite of the blurriness of this picture, it appears that the digital clock bears resemblance to the retro 70’s-style digital mechanical flip-type alarm clock, each set of numbers flipping like a Rolodex. Hopefully this pre-launch (no pun intended) update is a good omen of things to come – frequent updates from Palm as they listen to their customers.

Source:  PreCentral

The Palm Pre may be the best of both worlds for the die-hard Palmists out there. Not only will you have the new sleek and sexy webOS, but thanks to MotionApps and their PalmOS simulator, you will be able to run many of the over 30,000 PalmOS apps on your Pre. This is clearly a case of having your cake and eating it, too.

MotionApps has created both a 2-minute video demonstrating some PalmOS apps running on a Pre via Classic and a screenshot gallery for your viewing pleasure. Check it out on their site here. According to MotionApps, some of your favorite PalmOS apps will run twice as fast on the Pre as they did on a Treo 700p. The Classic application will be available in the Palm App Catalog on launch day. What are some of your favorite PalmOS apps that you hope to run on your shiny new Pre?

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If you want to get a jump on your new life with the Palm Pre, you just may be able to pick up the Palm Touchstone now at some Sprint stores. The Touchstone is the dock for charging your imaginary, as-yet-to-be-purchased Pre. Forum member Artap99 over at everythingpre did just that and has the pictures to prove it. In the tech world, purchasing accessories prior to having the device they are meant for is just a small leap of faith, so what are you waiting for?

Source: everythingpre

A forum member over at everythingpre seems to have found and posted some inventory sheets for the Palm Pre launch at Best Buy stores. If these leaked inventory sheets are authentic, they reveal some interesting information about Pre inventory levels and should certainly be heeded if you want to head to a store that has 26 Pre phones instead of 2 or 3. A host of inventory sheets are on display and it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek at the Best Buy store near you so you can strategize your plan of attack on June 6th. How many of you are headed to Best Buy, or will you hit a Sprint store in your neighborhood?

Source:  everythingpre

Sprint has already hinted at shortages of the Palm Pre on the June 6 launch day and thereafter, but according to numerous tip sources at PreCentral.net, it’s rumored that Sprint is expecting daily shipments of Pre phones to their retail stores, excluding Sundays.  There is no further news as to the approximate numbers to ship to each store daily — one, two, four or more? — but it’s at least good marketing sense to have a little something every day for those that hunger to hold a Pre in their hands.  Maybe that’s both Sprint’s and Palm’s strategy with a limited offering at launch; rather than sell out completely on day 1, it’s best to ration them out on a daily basis to instill hope in those that can’t get it on launch day.  We’re hoping that each new day will bring numerous Pre phones to each Sprint store!

Source: PreCentral

This is hardly news of the spectacular, but it’s entertaining if not a little perplexing that we likely have the very first person in line for the much-coveted and drooled-over Palm Pre, courtesy of tinycomb and one of their forum members.  Although remaining anonymous, this die-hard said, “I’ve been so disappointed with Sprint since my parents got me a plan three years ago. I hear there is only going to be 4 phones at each spot, and I’m GETTING MINE!”.

Given that there’s an awful lot of time between now and Saturday (official Pre launch), perhaps it’s fair to say that this young man sums it up in his statement – his parents got him his Sprint plan and he seems to have the “occupational flexibility” to camp outside a Sprint store for the next 108 + hours.  Good luck to you, young friend.  I honestly and sincerely hope that the Pre is worth the wait!

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We reported just a couple days ago that BGR had posted a hands-on review of the Pre, and although the overall review was positive, they had concerns over things like build and keyboard quality.  Now there is another hands-on review, compliments of PedroTheGoat from the PreCentral forums.

After spending about an hour with the Pre, PedroTheGoat is more impressed with the build quality and keyboard of the Pre and pretty much raves about the display quality and responsiveness.  A couple things are for certain – it’s certainly nice to have another opinion about the Pre and the more reviews prior to the June 6 launch, the better.

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According to Forbes, the Pre launch on June 6 from Sprint is going to be their biggest launch of the year and they are preparing for the onslaught with extra staffing and a ‘war room.’  Not only will extra Sprint employees be on hand to handle the expected crowds, but they have also enlisted Palm’s help, who will provide additional personnel to help at Sprint stores in more than 100 locations across the country.

Sprint is ready to provide one-on-one service to customers and both Sprint and Palm will have ‘situation rooms’ to deal with the more difficult issues that may not be resolved at the stores.  If there is a particularly challenging technical issue, a store representative can reach the ‘war room’ via live chat.  Hopefully Sprint’s additional preparation will help them avoid the glitches that AT&T had to deal with during the iPhone 3G launch, where many people had to go home empty-handed due to in-store activation issues.  If you are getting a Pre on June 6, then hopefully it will be smooth sailing!

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