Looking at the reactions on Twitter, Palm Pre has certainly hit the sweet spot with the smartphone users and people how are simply against iPhone for its popularity and market dominance.

Anyway, here are a few 140c Palm Pre reviews from Twitter!

Few others…

• @MFlaven: Messing around with my new palm pre
• @YesItsDot: I got my Palm Pre and LOVIN’ it!!!!
• @PhillyStandUP09: Got my new palm pre! I’m loving this phone…
• @JusBri: I just got my palm pre and I love it
• @ Jerfrederick: First twit from tweed. Palm pre app.
• @ amandarahn: Tweeting from my new Palm Pre!

Pre is Palm’s last chance to make it big and turn the company around. So far the expectations are high and the phone is expected to sell in high numbers and I seriously doubt that. I spoke to few of my friends including my sister who are fairly tech savvy but they did not know much about Palm Pre. This goes to show that Palm’s marketing efforts did not do enough to publicize the product in the local market.

Another factor that can influence the sales of the phone is its network compatibility. The current version of the phone is compatible with CDMA network only, GSM compatible phone is yet to be announced.

Pre is priced at $199 after $100 mail-in rebate, which means you actually pay $299 initially and then claim your $100 later. It takes about 3-4 weeks to get the $100 in rebate back, however, if you buy Pre at Radio Shack or Best Buy then the rebate is applied at the cash counter itself. Now you know where to get your phone!

Interestingly Best Buy added Palm Pre (coming soon) to its product line on bestbuy.com and priced it at $849.99. This is the price for an unlocked version of the phone.

Palm plans to launch Pre in Canada in the second half of the year which I hope does not mean December and the price of the phone will remain the same.

Talking about India, I don’t think it’s on Palm’s list at the moment. I say that because the Canadian site of Palm has a “notify me” badge for the users to sign up to know when the phone is launched and Indian site has no such option.

While we (Indians) are only left to “learn more” about Palm Pre, I spoke to one of the largest suppliers of unlocked iPhone’s here in Hyderabad and Chennai and they very clearly mentioned that they will only deal with the GSM versions of the phone and not the CDMA.

It’s still a long way to go for people on the other side of the world to get a Palm Pre not just because its deal with Sprint but also because of lack of GSM version of the phone.

Overall, I think is a good phone priced decently with contract but the price of the unlocked phone as shown on Best Buy is just too high.

You do not necessarily have to be a Palm addict or a fanboy, you can very well be a skeptic and still get selected as a “Real Reviewers”, just be yourself!

The reviewers are expected to write about Palm products and spread the word in their own capacity on the internet or otherwise.

Following quote from the announcement tells you what exactly Palm is looking for in a “Real Reviewers”

We’re looking for a few "Real Reviewers" to share their opinions about Palm phones across the blogosphere, social networks and beyond. If you’re selected as a Real Reviewer, we’ll provide you with a current-model phone and data-plan service for six months. We’ll expect you to regularly share your thoughts about your experiences with your phone on whatever blogs and social networks you frequent (but you’re already doing that, right?). We might even invite you to guest blog about your experiences right here on Palm’s blog or host a discussion board on our Facebook page.

I certainly think it’s a good opportunity for tech enthusiasts to get their hands on products that are not out in the market yet and provide some meaningful feedback to the company.

This initiative is a win-win for the company and the users both, the company gets the much required publicity and the reviewers can get a hands-on experience before anyone else does.

The only condition for applying to be a “Real Reviewer” is to be 18-Year-Old and a U.S resident. The other unspoken “condition” could be that the “Real Reviewer” should have a strong understanding of how the social web works and should be a blogger or someone who can influence others by expressing their own opinion.

For people who want to take advantage of this opportunity click here to apply. Names of the selected “Real Reviewers” will be announced on 8th of May.

Click here to Apply! Good Luck!

In the meanwhile Palm is trying to keep the buzz running by releasing demo videos on regular intervals. The latest ones show two new apps 1) for booking movie tickets and 2) for booking flights which also tracks flight schedule once booked. [Watch the video here]

One thing which is very common and strongly visible in all the videos we have see so far is how Pre is flaunting its ability to run background applications. This is what is missing on iPhone and is one of the most requested features from the iPhone user base.Pre hitting under the belt? Looks like it!

Most of the exciting technology and features we have seen in Pre demo videos are made possible by the ability of running background apps. This not only lets you keep on top of several things at once but it creates a seamless environment for using and sharing data between several applications for richer user experience.

This is exactly why users are looking forward to owning a Pre.. I picked up a quote from a forum where a users is ready to buy a Pre for each member of the family.

I have been trading PALM stock for the last couple of days and well I have made more than enough to pay for a new Palm Pre. Thank you PALM! Now if I can just get you to release the phone. I have my money and I’m more than ready to spend it. Made enough to buy the whole family Palm Pre’s as well. Looking for an really early christmas present. [link]

Following videos will give you more insights in terms of new applications and Pre’s funcationality.

We say late April or early May because Palm is currently in the process of raising money for Pre’s launch and it is doing so by offering 18.5 million shares by 31st March. Since Pre’s announcement, Palm’s stock rose from around $1.5 per share to around $7.7 currently.

At the current stock price Palm will be able to raise about $142 million which is enough money to launch its latest Pre Smartphone.

Sprint’s roadmap leak also confirms that Pre’s launch is still on target, first half of 2009. During a recent Webcast conference sprint announced Pre’s voice/data plans.

Individuals can choose from 450 minute ($69.99), 900 minute ($89.99) or unlimited plans ($99.99). Families can choose from 1500 minutes ($129.99), 3000 minutes ($169.99) or unlimited plans ($189.99). [link]

We hope to see Pre out in the market soon and also hope it lives upto its expectations.

Palm showed the new GSM version of Pre at Mobile World Congress with a Vodaphone SIM in it which fuels the rumor’s of Vodafone being the official carrier of Pre in Europe. Well there is not much to speculate now is it?

Anyway, that’s not it. Palm also released a new video showing of few new features like multiple calendar integration with weather information, GTalk on-screen popup, Browser functionality to share and add to launcher capabilities, Autofill/Contact search, etc..

Palm’s webOS is the most refreshing piece of mobile software which is amazingly intuitive, fast and FUN!

The best part is that Palm has joined the Open Screen Project at Adobe Systems to bring flash capabilities to Palm (Take that APPLE!) which enables Pre users to access loads of already available Flash content on the web.

Alright without further ado take a look at the latest video “Meet Pre”

A lot of things have changed since the Palm’s Pre was announced, both for the company and the users. Company gained its image back of being a strong contender in the Smartphone market which is quite evident in the rising share prices which were trading around $3 on Jan-7th and currently trading at around $8 (Jan-18th)

As expected there is a lot of information/rumor flying around about the launch, price, functionality, carrier’s, etc…

Here you go…

What are Palm Pre Official Sites?
Palm Pre on Palm (http://www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pre/index.html)
Palm Pre on Sprint (http://now.sprint.com/pre/?id9=vanity:pre)

What is Palm Pre’s Launch Date?
The Smartphone is expected to launch during the second half of 2009 in US first and then in UK and other countries.

Who are the Palm Pre official carriers?
Sprint is the official carrier in United States
Vodafone is most likely to be the official carrier in UK (Source)

Where can I buy Palm Pre from?
As the official carrier Sprint will be making the phones available also BestBuy is most likely to be the official sellers of this phone when it is launched.

What is Palm Pre O/S based on?
The new built from the scratch O/S Palm Pre is based on is called WebOS which follows HTML5, CSS and JavaScript standards.
Palm also released the Palm Mojo SDK in private prerelease for now. The SDK will be made available to the developers later this year. (Source)

How much will Palm Pre cost? (Source)
Palm Pre is most likely to cost around $399 with a 2 year contract and between $500-550 for an unlocked version of the phone

What networks will Palm Pre support?
In the US Palm Pre will run on Sprit CDMA network and a most likely GSM 3G HSPA version for other countries like UK (for now)

Palm Pre resources (Official/Un-Official):

• http://precommunity.com
• http://www.facebook.com/palm
• http://www.boxxet.com/Palm_Pre/
• http://developer.palm.com/
• http://blog.palm.com
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Pre