Hasta La Gadget!

Just in time for your weekend perusal, Palm Goon (which we half suspect might be a viral site from Palm itself) has uploaded three tours and a FAQ chock-full of new Pre / webOS screens and details, chief among them being confirmation that the Pre does daily automatic backup. We’ve also got some pretty thorough glimpses of the web browser, Tasks, and Memo applications. Visually, it’s quite a beaut — a very elegant and classy UI that rivals anything we’ve seen from a certain Cupertino-based company. Of course, functionality remains to be seen, but if Palm and Sprint deliver half as good of a game as they talk, looks like we’re in for a real treat.

Update: Looks like the site’s experiencing intermittent server errors. Hang tight, we’ll keep you updated.

Read – Meet the Web Browser
Read – Meet the “Memos” app
Read – Meet the “Tasks” app
Read – Things You Might Not Know…

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pre tasks, memos, browser on display, automatic backup confirmed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 May 2009 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

How much would you pay for the hottest new smartphone of the season? $200? $500? How about $850? That’s the current asking price on Best Buy Mobile’s site, a bit of a hike up from the $199 with contract and the $549 contract-free versions we’ve seen thus far.

So, why the hike? Likely its just some sort of placeholder on the Best Buy site, so the company can get ready for the device’s June 6th release date. Either that or the thing comes in one of those snazzy diamond encrusted cases.

The big box retailers have found a way to compete with telecom carriers when it comes to the latest cellphones. Palm Pre buyers, getting a Pre at Best Buy or RadioShack, will find that it costs them less at the register than getting the device at one of Sprint’s stores.

Instead of making customers mail in the  $100 rebate on the Pre’s $300 price tag, Best Buy and RadioShack will instantly deduct the rebate price at the register. Effectively, that means out of pocket, the Palm Pre will be available for $200 at Best Buy and RadioShack stores.

Palm and Sprint went official with their pricing for the much-awaited Palm Pre phone Monday but they also delivered a zinger in the form of a rebate. As most of us know, rebates are a huge pain and Sprint is counting on the fact that not all Pre buyers will take the effort to mail their coupons.

We are glad to see electronics retailers do away with the rebate scam and offer the Pre at what should have been the final price for customers.

Meanwhile, if you would like to take a look at the innards of the Pre, check out the FCC filings for the device here and here.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Best Buy may not be launching the Pre exclusively, but it’s probably the place to go if you’re scouting one come June 6th. Why? Pretty simple, really — you’ll leave the joint with an extra Benjamin in your purse. You see, those who waltz into a Sprint store will be forced to pay $299.99 up front (with a two-year contract) and wait eons for a $100 mail-in rebate to return. Over at Best Buy Mobile, you’ll pay $199.99 free and clear, sign your contract and proceed to send us loads of personal hands-on shots. Be honest — which scenario sounds superior to you?

[Via Brighthand]

Filed under: Cellphones

Best Buy Mobile to skip rebate, sell Palm Pre for $199.99 outright originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

While Wal-Mart will always be our hot spot of choice for picking up a mixed assortment box of granola bars and meeting other thrifty, outdoors-loving singles, the retailer is on a course to upping its electronics game, in light of the void left by Circuit City’s closure — about $11.1 billion in annual revenue just there for the taking. The store is rolling out new boutique sections for Apple and Nintendo products to some of its electronics departments this week, is adding to its selection higher-end Sony and Samsung televisions, will be expanding its Blu-ray equipment and selection, is nabbing some Studio One 19 all-in-ones from Dell next month, and obviously is getting the Palm Pre next month as well. Apple has been traditionally slow to offer up its higher-end products to Wal-Mart shelves, so hopefully this means that not only will Wal-Mart be doing Macs “right,” but perhaps Apple will give a little in return and offer some more sub-$1000 macs beyond the Mac mini and low-end MacBook — some Laptop Hunters fare, if you will.

[Via AppleInsider]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Wal-Mart making move for Circuit City’s old slice of the pie, prepping for Apple sections, Pre sales and higher-end electronics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments