Palm Pre to arrive June 6 for US$200

Bonnie Cha | May 20, 2009

Sprint Nextel and Palm announced on Tuesday an official release date and pricing for the Palm Pre.

The Pre will be available nationwide on June 6 for US$199.99 after a US$100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract on Sprint's Everything Data plan or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plan. In addition to Sprint stores, the Pre will be sold online and at Best Buy, RadioShack, and some Wal-Mart Stores.

Accessories for Palm's webOS-based smartphone will also be available June 6, including the Touchstone Charging Kit (Touchstone dock and Touchstone back cover), which will retail for US$69.99. Alternatively, you can buy the dock and back cover separately for US$49.99 and US$19.99, respectively. (A regular charger will be included in the sales package.) The Pre will provide access to such Sprint content as Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile Live.

Interestingly, the release date is a Saturday, which in some ways is a good move since it allows for weekend sales. Making the Pre available at other retailers is also a nice move. However, June 6 is two days before the start of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, where we'll most likely see a new iPhone announcement. Currently, the 8GB iPhone 3G goes for US$199 with a two-year contract and AT&T offers a range of voice and text messaging plans on top of the required US$30 a month data plan.

That said, I'm curious: Will you wait to hear about the new iPhone before making a purchase? What do you think about the Pre's pricing? Are you like me and just happy to finally know the price and release date? Please share your thoughts.

Editors' note:

The Palm Pre is a CDMA-only device and will be sold exclusively by mobile operator Sprint in the US. According to earlier reports, a GSM/HSDPA-version is forthcoming but the company has not revealed details.

Via CNET Crave

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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