History and Availability
Palm debuted the Pre at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, as the first mobile phone to use the Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 processor, as well as its initial US exclusive carrier agreement with Sprint, which operates a CDMA network. Prior to the device launch, it was known internally by the codename Castle (after White Castle 'Slider' hamburgers, since this was Palm's first slider phone).
The Pre's incorporation of features similar to Apple's iPhone, specifically elements of the user interface, led to speculation of possible patent infringement litigation, with Apple COO Tim Cook stating that "we will not stand for people ripping off our IP" and Palm responding that they "have the tools necessary to defend ", hinting at Palm's large portfolio of patents.
On May 19, 2009, Sprint and Palm announced the Pre would be available beginning June 6, 2009 in the United States.
On May 28, 2009, Verizon Wireless announced that it would also carry the Palm Pre in "about six months." A later comment from a Sprint spokesperson indicated that the launch carrier would have US exclusivity rights to the Pre "through 2009." Sprint's CEO, Dan Hesse, commented that his company and Palm had agreed not to discuss the length of the exclusivity deal, but remarked that "it's not six months."
On July 7, 2009, Telefónica announced that they would exclusively carry the Palm Pre in the UK, Spain, Ireland and Germany on their O2 and Movistar networks, with availability "before the winter holidays". The Palm Pre was available on O2 but is no longer available in the UK.
On July 27, 2009, during the company's second quarter conference call, Verizon chief operating officer Denny Strigl announced that Verizon Wireless would begin selling the Palm Pre in early 2010.
News coverage of the launch noted that the sales quantity was a record for any Sprint phone launch, and estimated sales of approximately 50,000 units for the day, and up to 100,000 for the week. However, reports stated that sales of the Pre in July and beginning of August were much lower than expected.
On August 27, 2009, Bell Canada made the Palm Pre available, with Bell supporting the data services on the EVDO Network.
On November 11, 2009, Palm announced that the Pre would be available in Mexico being the exclusive carrier Telcel. It started being sold on November 27.
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