Following a promise made to the always impatient Interwebs, Mark/Space has stayed true to its word and issued a public beta version of Missing Sync for the Palm Pre. The web-famous sync utility that always comes to the rescue for Mac users is now at version 1.0b but it’s (nearly) fully functional and of course free to try. So what can you sync? Contacts, Music, photos, ringtones, files, calendar items, videos and podcasts are all covered in this release. Soon to be added to this generous list is Safari bookmarks, though the forthcoming MyBookmarks app is a prerequisite so we’re not quite there yet. As has become expected, Missing Sync for the Pre does include proximity sync, which will sync up your Pre when it is detected on the same network as your Mac. Sweet. Requirements include Pre OS 1.0.2+, OS X 10.5.6+, iTunes 7.4+ and a few other notes depending on what you want to sync. Want to buy it after you try it? $40 gets you in the door and gets you the release version as soon as it comes out.
Yesterday many people across the country eagerly waited in line to get their hands on the most anticipated handset of the year, the Palm Pre. While the overwhelming majority of people who took a Pre home with them are counting on it to be their reliable companion for the foreseeable future, the people at Rapid Repair were merely interested in taking it back to their offices and ripping it apart. So what did we learn other than the fact that disassembling a Pre is best done by people who really, really know what they’re doing? Pre components are worth about $170 — a massive leap above the iSuppli estimate of $138. In other words, it’s probably best to actually have a unit on hand before estimating its production cost. Just a thought.
Remember what we told you a few weeks ago about getting some free Pre? Starting today, May 31st and running through June 6th, Reward Zone members can enter to win one of ten Palm Pre handsets with six months of free Sprint service from Best Buy Mobile. Get out your lucky horseshoe, clutch your rabbit’s foot or pick a four leaf clover before logging into your reward zone membership page. Good luck!
Following some comments yesterday from Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam, the Internet exploded. The highlight of course was the un-revalation that Verizon would be adding the Palm Pre to it’s portfolio once Sprint’s exclusivity expires. The part that grabbed everyone’s attention was the time frame however: “six months or so.” Could Sprint’s Pre exclusivity really be expiring later this year? According to a Sprint spokesman, no:
Yes — you’re looking at the first site in the world to have a Palm Pre (or at least be able to post it up). There’s so much to say but that’s going to have to wait for our full review. In the meantime, here’s a couple first impressions of the phone and a few more photos after the break:
The Pre feels really good in your hand in terms of size and shape, but there’s a real plasticky aura about it. Additionally, things aren’t looking good for that QWERTY either. And hey, you know we take them keyboards seriously! When you try and type on the top row of keys, your finger hits the bottom part of the front piece and on top of that, you often hit multiple keys at the same time while typing. It’s actually really frustrating and doesn’t bode well for such a fantastic social communication/personal/business tool.
We just got a tip that those “events” on June 5th, the night before the Palm Pre release date, might not actually allow you to walk home with an early Pre. Sort of. According to our tipster, Sprint and Palm are worried about the allocation of units for launch day (where have we heard this before?) and don’t want to deplete the stock the night before.
As the Palm Pre fiiiiiiiiinally nears launch, there has been plenty of talk with regards to supply and demand lately. Is the Pre going to be as popular as everyone thinks? Did production issues prevent Palm from having enough units ready for launch? Are Palm and Sprint shorting deliveries to help ensure a sellout? Here at BGR we’ve gotten some pretty firm intel regarding Best Buy’s stock of Pre handsets at launch, but what about Sprint’s stock? Can we expect similar shortages? The following is an official statement from Sprint:
Well what do we have here? Apparently Best Buy Reward Zone members will be getting a little extra treat courtesy of Best Buy Mobile. Between May 31st and June 6th, Reward Zone members can go to myrewardzone.com and sign up for an exclusive Palm Pre giveaway. Best Buy Mobile will be giving away not one, not two, but 10 Palm Pres with six months of free service on Sprint’s Simply Everything plan. Sweet! Reward Zone membership is free of course, so there is nothing to stop you from joining the club and registering for this giveaway. Handing over all your personal information to Best Buy is worth a shot at one of ten Palm Pres, no?
If being an early adopter means anything to you, we hope you pre-registered for a Pre. We’re hearing that, along with the Palm Pre launch party, those who pre-registered for the new device will be able to buy one on June 5 at 6:00PM. We know that major cities will be having a party for Sprint Premier customers, but not every location will host one. We’re also told that things could change, but this is the official word for now: If you pre-registered for the device, you will be able to buy one the evening before its official launch. So, that leaves us wondering – did any of our readers sign up for this?
