Hasta La Gadget!

We already knew that the Sprint-branded Treo Pro was making guest appearances at the occasional Best Buy, but thanks to a hard working web admin, you’re one step closer to owning one without having to step foot in the aforesaid store… if you’re willing to wait, that is. Palm’s CDMA Treo Pro has found itself a holding page on Best Buy’s website, and while we’re desperately hoping the $699.99 off-contract price is still subject to change (read: drop), those anxious to get in early can pre-order one as we speak. Loose estimates have it shipping in a week or two, but we noticed that the handset was go for in-store pickup in most B&M locations near us. Oh, and don’t forget the “Great Financing Offer” as you checkout — with a sticker pushing seven bills, you’ll probably need it.

[Thanks, Brian]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint Treo Pro now on sale at Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following comments in Apple’s recent earnings call, gadget bloggers and reporters are speculating that Apple could be preparing to sue Palm for copying the iPhone’s touchscreen.

"Don’t want to talk about any specific company, just making a general statement," Apple chief operating officer (and acting CEO) Tim Cook said in response to a reporter’s question about the Palm Pre, Palm’s yet-to-be-released handset. "We are ready to suit up and go against anyone. However, we will not stand for having our [intellectual property] ripped off and will use whatever weapons we have at our disposal."

Palm announced the Pre during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The handset features a multi-touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard. Given the multi-touch interface, it’s possible that the Pre has similarities to Apple’s patented, multi-touch iPhone interface.

Also, Palm hired former Apple engineer Jon Rubinstein as CEO prior to the Pre’s launch. Rubinstein was instrumental to the launch of the iPod—which could explain why the Pre evokes Apple’s design ethos.

Together, those facts are leading some bloggers to believe Cook’s statement suggests Palm will be the target of a lawsuit filed by Apple to protect the intellectual property of the iPhone.

And it’s not just bloggers who think that: Palm took the suggestion seriously enough to respond to it publicly.

Palm said it has a "robust product portfolio" to back its long history of innovation.

“If faced with legal action, we are confident that we have the tools necessary to defend ourselves," a Palm spokeswoman told All Things Digital.

That said, several other companies — including HTC, Hewlett-Packard, RIM, and others — have released multi-touch-enabled devices in the past year, and none so far have run afoul of Apple’s patent lawyers.

Whether the Pre becomes fodder for Apple’s notoriously aggressive IP legal team will be hard to answer until later this year, when Palm lets people actually get their hands on the phone. Until then, all we have is speculation.

See Also:

• Can Apple Patent the Pinch? Experts Say It’s Possible
• 6 Reasons Why the Palm Pre Is Special
• Palm Unveils Its Long-Awaited Smartphone, the Pre
• Palm Pre Could Have Centro-Like Battery
• Up Close and Personal With the Palm Pre
• Video: Hands On Off With the Palm Pre

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

We’ve been waiting for this. Ever since Tim Cook made his non-specific, veiled threats in response to a direct question about how the Palm Pre “almost directly emulates the kind of touch interface” found on the iPhone, the entire tech community has waited for the next move. Now Lynn Fox, a Palm spokesperson has stepped into the fray. In a response given to Digital Daily and presumably crafted by a team of lawyers over the 2 days since the Apple analyst call, Lynn says the following:

Palm has a long history of innovation that is reflected in our products and robust patent portfolio, and we have long been recognized for our fundamental patents in the mobile space. If faced with legal action, we are confident that we have the tools necessary to defend ourselves.

The gauntlet is thrown. Now, will Apple risk the ire of a million new and middle-aged fanboys and crush Palm’s Cinderella comeback by forcing the Pre into some state of unreleased legal limbo? Or will Rubinstein and Jobs quietly sort it out over a yoghurt parfait in some strip mall in The Valley? Oh boy, this is going to be good.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm responds to Apple’s veiled threat: “we have the tools necessary to defend ourselves” originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We begged and pleaded for an official announcement back when we saw this beauty all boxed up, and comically enough, we’re still waiting for that release. Nevertheless, Sprint has quietly hosted up the long awaited CDMA Treo Pro on its webstore, giving those with an unquenchable thirst for more Windows Mobile something to lust over. For whatever reason, this thing is being priced at $249.99 with a two-year contract ($549.99 free and clear), though we get the feeling that figure will be dropping mighty quickly. Let’s just go ahead and call it the Pre effect.

Update: Looks like Sprint’s pulled the Treo Pro page from its site already, so they’re either not quite ready to hawk it yet or we’re looking at the quickest discontinuation in consumer electronics history.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm’s Treo Pro now on sale at Sprint for $249.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For those of you who weren’t listening in to Apple’s earnings call today, you missed a prime moment of defensiveness when Tim Cook fielded a question about how the company plans to stay competitive amidst new entries from the likes of Google and, more recently, Palm. What seemed like an answer due to end with a “we’ve got some great new stuff on the way” slant, Cook dovetailed into how the company views its new smartphone competition. In his words:

Q: “There are other iPhone competitors coming to the market: Android, Palm Pre. How do you think about sustaining leadership in the face of these competitors?”

A: “It’s difficult to compare to products that are not yet in the market. iPhone has seen terrific rating from customers. Software is the key ingredient, and we believe that we are years ahead of our competitors. Having different screen sizes, different input methods, and different hardware makes things difficult for developers. We view iPhone as primarily a software platform, which is different from our competitors. We don’t mind competition, but if others rip off our intellectual property, we will go after them.”

And then the follow-up:

Q: “The Palm device seems to directly emulate the iPhone’s innovative interface. Is that what you’re referring to?”

A: “We don’t want to refer to any specific companies, so that was a general statement. We like competition because it makes us better, but we will not stand for companies infringing on our IP.”

Now, we’ve heard Apple sound off on its intellectual property before, but the way a somewhat innocuous question about new challengers in the mobile arena got turned into a not-so vague threat of legal action is a bit stunning. Could it be that the Pre is Apple’s first real multitouch, capacitive-screen competition, and the device just happened to be co-developed by Jon Rubinstein… formerly of Apple? We’re not taking any flying leaps here, but the preempted initial answer seems to suggest that the folks in Cupertino may not take every new threat so coolly.

Apple on smartphone competition: “if others rip off our intellectual property, we will go after them.” originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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