Oh Canada! Oh Canada! There’s something to be excited about on August 27 – the day the Palm Pre debuts on Bell Mobility. For those not inclined to marry their wireless provider, the Pre can be had for a measly $600. If you’re comfortable with a three year commitment, Bell Mobility will gladly let you have the Pre for only $200. Also, a minimum data plan of 500MB is required in either case.

The 27th isn’t far off – just over two weeks from today. Drop us a line if you plan on picking up the Pre in Canada. It’s nice to see the Pre go international.

Source: mypre via DigitalHome

Of 305 viewers surveyed, a majority report feeling “inspiration” and “happiness” as their dominant emotions when watching one of Sprint’s Palm Pre ads. This study was conducted by HCD Research using their MediaCurves.com site and the full study can be found here. At WebOS Arena, we have felt that the commercials, although somewhat different, carry an effective, memorable message. The question really is whether or not feeling “inspired” and “happy” equates to thriving Sprint/Pre sales. What do you think?

Source: mediacurves.com

For a while there, Sprint discontinued online sales of the Palm Pre and customers needed to hit their local Sprint stores to buy it. Now, the convenience of online shopping has returned with the Pre being sold through Amazon.com for $199 with contract. Surf on over to Amazon and pick up a new Pre on Sprint’s network and enjoy some free shipping too. If you don’t want to wait on a few days for shipping, you can always buy it the old-fashioned way at a Sprint store.

Source: PreThinking

Canadians have cause to rejoice and may soon be Synergizing with a shiny new Palm Pre in their hands on the Bell network. Get ready to flick some cards on the webOS interface! In-store advertising reads that the Palm Pre is “coming soon” and Bell customers can “order yours today”, which sounds like pre-orders will be accepted. Although there is no date certain by which the Pre will be stocked on the shelves and rolling out the door, the increase in advertising by Bell points to an imminent launch on their network. When Canada gets the Pre, we will be sure to shout it from the … uh… blogosphere.

Source: IntoMobile

While we wait and wait for more apps to become available in the App Catalog for the Palm Pre, we can at least whet our appetite with news of new apps that will eventually be available to us for download. Later this year, VOXOFON will have a VoIP app available to Pre users. This app will facilitate placing low-cost international calls from the Pre, even without a Wi-Fi connection. Also, there are no contracts, subscriptions or recurring fees to worry about. Now we just need the App Catalog to deliver.

Source: everythingpre

We reported a few weeks ago that more apps were coming soon to the App Catalog, and finally this is coming to pass – two new apps are now available, OpenTable and Fliq Bookmarks. OpenTable helps you find a restaurant nearest you, with functionality like adding to your Calendar and getting directions. Fliq Bookmarks is an expansion of the Missing Sync app and allows you to sync Safari bookmarks from your Mac computer.

Yes, the addition of two apps is nothing to write home about, but it’s like waiting in a really long line that hasn’t moved much, then suddenly lurches forward several steps and inspires hope that someday you’ll get to the front. Keep an eye on the App Catalog – Palm promises that this is just the beginning.

Source: PreThinking

A new Palm Pre commercial has hit the airwaves, yet another installment in the campaign featuring actress Tamara Hope. The new commercial, “My Phone Can Read My Mind”, is a brief spot emphasizing the Pre’s Synergy capabilities – aggregating calendar and contacts in a way that it’s like the phone can read minds. Although a little strange – especially when Ms. Hope seems to be talking to herself and says at first the Pre “kinda freaked me out” and knows that she’s “crazy” – the ad campaign is effective due to it’s memorability. Take a look and decide for yourself.

Source: everythingpre

Even in the midst of troubling economic times and thousands of layoffs already conducted with thousands more on the way, Verizon Wireless is reporting a silver lining – CFO John Killian is sticking to his guns in telling analysts that Verizon will carry the Pre “early next year.” How early is “early next year?” Hard to say, but early next year would seem to indicate sometime in the first quarter. Another silver lining? Perhaps by the time Verizon has the Pre, all the wrinkles will be ironed out. Hey Palm, what about a webOS phone for AT&T please?

Source: All Things Digital

There were numerous reports on the Intertubes that Best Buy listed the Pre at a mere $99, and allegedly there are some lucky folks that picked up a Pre at that price before Best Buy corrected their mistake. Best Buy marketing manager John Bernier quickly issued a statement via Twitter to correct the blunder and that the mistake would be corrected shortly, but the $100 dollar question is whether or not there are still some lucky souls that can get a $99 Pre before the correction is made? Let us know if you are one of the lucky few!

Source: engadget

Options – they are nice to have. Up until now, the only ways to charge your Pre was either with the supplied USB cable or the rather expensive Touchstone charging station. Over at the Palm Infocenter store, you can pick up an inexpensive charging cradle ($24.95), from Mobi Products, that charges via your computer’s USB port or A/C power adapter and even has space to charge an extra battery. If you decide to pick one up, let us know what you think, either in comments or in the forum.

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