Well, well, who would have thought that we will actually get to write about a truly earth-shaking phone these days? Palm has done pretty well keeping its marvel, the Pre, out of reach for unwelcome guests, but as the actual launch of the phone draws nearer it seems that we will have to get used to seeing it more and more. Two Pre phones have been spotted  at some annual “Bring Your Own Wheel race” and got snapped on the spot. Of course, there is a good fighting chance the images are actually fake, but if they aren’t… how those guys managed to obtain the phones in the first place we wonder? Still, they could have been employees field-testing the units, but either way, this may be a sign that the Pre is finally breaking loose.

It is not a secret that the device will be on offer with Sprint only. What is, however, is its exact launch date. We´ve got a quite interesting leaked document here, saying the Pre should hit the market no earlier than May 16 . We cannot be completely sure as to whether or not it´s truly authentic, but what´s on it does coincide to an extent with what is expected. So, take a good look at the images and cast about if the Pre is your kind of handset or not, because we might be writing our review soon enough!

source: Engadget, more

Yesterday we told you that Sprint employees are scheduled to begin training on the Palm Pre, the device that has created more buzz than a bee hive full of the stinging insects. In another sign that gives us better visibility on when the Pre might be released, Sprint has put an embargo on vacations during May for retail employees. Ma Bell did the same thing to her retail people before each iPhone launch, so obviously this is a rather important clue. In the past two weeks, we have heard a range of guesses, many of which have already come and gone with the device nowhere to be seen besides in the hands of Palm executives at trade shows. Now we have the 1-2 punch of Sprint training reps on the device and the vacation embargo for May. We also have started to see the Pre show up in some Sprint television and print ads. You don’t have to be Dick Tracy to see that the most anticipated launch of the year is coming soon.

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There certainly has been plenty of talk online about when the Palm Pre will be released. Many of the dates picked by so-called experts have already passed with no sign of the “iPhone killer”. A thread on the Sprint Users forum suggests that the Pre will be available on the Sunday that Survivors’ two hour final episode will play, which is May 17th. According to the post, the device will actually appear in the Thursday episode (May 14th) before the finale and be heavily promoted in the three days leading up to the release of the Pre. If this is true, the phone’s premiere on Survivor would be very appropriate because for Palm to continue to survive as an independent company, the device must live up to the incredible buzz it has created since being introduced at the CES earlier this year.

We don’t really believe in this one, do you?