The Palm Pre was unveiled for purchasing on Thursday, August 27 in Canada. Under the exclusive service of Bell Mobility, Palm continues its success in its resurfacing as a PDA leader under its newest CEO Jon Rubinstein (former Apple iPod SVP). Since its release in the United States this past June under exclusive service to Sprint Nextel, the Palm Pre has sold nearly 300,000 units.
Taking advantage of a Linux-based operating system, “webOS”, the Palm Pre has wowed customers with its “Synergy” feature that is able to sync numerous calendars, emails, instant messengers, and contacts into one. Users can start applications through the “Quick-Launch” toolbar at the bottom of the screen, or through the “Launcher”, which is a scrollable grid that displays the application icons. The phone is also equipped with 8 GB of flash memory and a single USB port at the bottom of the phone for charging. The phone rivals its Apple and Blackberry competitors with a not only an elegant and dynamic touchscreen, but also a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from below. Of course, to be a phone of this caliber, it also includes Wi-Fi, 3G, and GPS. However, something that really sets the phone apart from the others is that it is the first to go wireless to charge the battery! Although sold separately, the phone is capable of using electromagnetic induction, with the purchase of a unique back cover and the “Touchstone Charger”.
Under a 3 year contract with Bell Mobility, the Palm Pre sells for $199.95. Both, Bell Mobility and Palm, claim that there will be enough phones in stock to meet the demand throughout its debut.