June 6th, 2009
Palm Pre weekend: Sprint could steal Palm's moment
A funny thing happened when I walked into the Sprint store this afternoon to check out one of the new Palm Pre smartphones.
No, the fact that they pretty much sold out as soon as they opened the doors this morning didn’t really surprise me. I’m sure plenty of stores were allotted only a few phones. And, at least here in Silicon Valley, there was sure to be a few early adopter geeks outside, waiting for the doors to open. (Techmeme)
Also see: Palm reviewers: The Pre has a puncher’s chance
What surprised me was what I learned about Sprint while I was in the store asking about the Pre. Maybe I just had a really good salesman talking to me, but this guy talked up some things that I didn’t know about, like how Sprint’s “Everything Data” plan includes unlimited messaging, unlimited data and Blackberry service (if you go the Blackberry route.) 
Today, on my existing plan with Verizon Wireless, those are all extra monthly fees. I already pay extra for unlimited text for the whole family. But I have to admit that I’ve felt like I’ve been holding the family back from being mobile Web users just because I’m too cheap to cough up another $15 per month per phone ($30 if it’s a Blackberry).
Did I mention that I have five phones on my plan? Go ahead, do the math. It adds up fast.
I’m certainly not going to switch to Sprint today just for the Pre. I have contract obligations I need to fulfill with my existing family plan, though a couple of those phones come up for renewal this summer. And while I was more interested in playing with the Pre when I walked into the Sprint store today, I left more excited about the prospects of saving almost $100 per month and getting more in return - like unlimited data for my teen and pre-teen kids.
This may have been Palm’s big weekend with the Pre release, but with sales guys like the one I encountered talking up the service, not just the phone, Sprint may be the one that gains the most from this buzz around the Pre - customers who recognize that the phone is only as good as the service that powers it.
Gauging the Palm Pre’s success: It’ll take time
Palm Pre: Five reasons to expect a homerun
Speaking of phones that are only as good as the service that powers them, let’s not forget that an iPhone announcement is expected on Monday. Depending on what Apple announces around the iPhone on Monday, I could be singing a different tune next week. Still, unless Apple announces some sort of forthcoming partnership with Verizon, I’m less inclined to get all ga-ga over whatever Apple rolls out around the iPhone. Sure, I still have mad iPhone envy but you couldn’t pay me to be an AT&T Wireless customer - at least not with service in the area where I live and work
Previous coverage: iPhone vs. Storm: I finally made my tough decision
You see, this is where Apple blew it with that AT&T exclusivity crap. They probably could have achieved world domination by now if they’d opened that device to other carriers. Instead, by tying itself to AT&T and its so-called 3G network, the company actually gave a whole bunch of competitors an opportunity to come up with real-deal devices for the other service providers, products that could actually give the iPhone a run for its money.
Did I also mention that I’m really digging playing with the new Android phone that Google handed out at its developer’s conference a couple of weeks ago? There are so many choices these days. For me, the AT&T-powered iPhone just isn’t one of them.
I’m sure Apple has some crazy things up its sleeve to wow me. But maybe I’ll jump on the Sprint bandwagon this summer and ride out that contract until 2011. By then - assuming I still have iPhone envy - Verizon should have an iPhone or AT&T should have a network that at least lives up to its promise.
Related coverage: AT&T’s 3G upgrade: It’s about time but is it too late?
Sam Diaz is a senior editor at ZDNet. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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