Palm's much-hyped Pre smartphone will cost $200 after rebates when it arrives on June 6.
Sprint, the exclusive service provider for the multitouch handset, announced today that the phone will be available at Radio Shack, Best Buy, select Wal-Mart locations and at Sprint.com. The $200 price tag includes a $100 rebate and is offered only with a two-year service agreement.
Customers can subscribe to Sprint's "Everything Data" or "Business Essentials with Messaging and Data" plans. The former plan costs $70 per month for 450 minutes and $90 per month for 900 minutes -- the same as AT&T offers for the iPhone. The business plan has a wider range of packages, scaling all the way up to $230 for 4,000 minutes.
Palm is also promoting a Touchstone Charging Kit, which includes an inductive charging dock and back cover for the Pre and sells for $70. The inductive dock allows you to charge the phone without plugging in any cables. Simply setting the device on the dock provides charging. A standard plug-in charger will be included with the phone.
The most notable differences between the Pre and Apple's iPhone is the Pre's smaller form factor and sliding top layer that reveals a full, physical keyboard. It looks like the Pre will also be marketed as a better hybrid of business and entertainment uses, with Palm's Synergy feature for linking contacts, layering calendars and syncing up messaging in chat-style windows. The companies also say the Pre's WebOS platform will make multitasking easy.
Will the Pre live up to the hype? Maybe, though I'm wondering if prices that precisely mimic the iPhone wasn't the best idea. If it's a hit anyway, hopefully those forecasts of a supply shortage won't come true.
