[RUMORS CONSOLIDATED] Sprint Is/n't Getting the Pre3

[mech1164]

At this point i'm still 1+ year away from getting a new phone (Gee THANKS SPRINT!) So if Sprint doesn't get the Pre3 i'll be mad but not surprised. Now if we get a Pre4 Slab that will be great. By the time I can upgrade WebOS on new hardware should be rock solid. I can hope.

[geewhiz]

Originally Posted by spudland

Didn't want to start yet another thread so thought I'd pick one and post this info. I have a very good relationship with my local Sprint rep and store owner. I stopped in today to get International service activated on 2 of our phones since we're on our way to Mexico Friday (yay!) and we spoke about the Pre 3 'cuz they know how much I like my launch day Pre and they have absolutely no info on the Pre 3 releasing on Sprint (or any other network) at this point. Their lineup is already set thru June and he said they hoped they'd get it by Christmas! BY CHRISTMAS!!

I stand by my previous comments which have been somewhat acknowledged by the comments above. I understand the pain that Sprint Pre summer launch owners have - I WAS ONE! But the Pre 3 is not on Sprint's radar screen since the webOS market is basically insignificant at this point. For those that don't understand the "pain" that Palm caused Sprint apparently are not aware of the hardware issues, the returns, the attempted returns, or the many repairs required. It was so bad that Sprint changed their longtime policy of swapping devices in the retail store and requiring you to go to Palm or use insurance! Basically, Spring alienated a lot of longtime Sprint customers over the Pre.

It's basically a business issue. Most, or certainly a lot, of Sprint Pre owners are gone - left Sprint and/or left the Pre in the dust. Sprint is not losing any business (that they care about) due to not having a webOS device since they don't have one! They rejected the Pre 2 which pretty much says everything, in my opinion, about how much they cared about "taking care" of their current Pre customers. I'm not going to say Sprint won't ever carry the Pre 3 but they will wait and see if any SIGNIFICANT demand develops for it. I doubt it because I don't see the Pre 3 launching without serious issues since HP could not do it for the Pre 2 and they had a lot of time to make sure everything works.

Sprint already has the Galaxy Tab and will have the RIM Playbook in days so they are set with competitive tablets. They don't need to carry the Pre 3 in order to get the TouchPad. There is nothing compelling in HP's future (early summer?) webOS devices that Sprint NEEDS! I assure you their focus is on getting the iPhone 5 once their system is converted to LTE. If you look at the smartphone projections (a guess, yes) it's clear no one thinks webOS will be a player, and even worst, probably will be just a business phone (ha, it's so far from that it's not even funny!) for HP to sell (or give away) to their corporate customers.

Personally, if they don't get my Pre 2 usable by June ("early summer") I will be selling it off contract on ebay and then will try out the HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon. If that does not work well for me, I will move to the iPhone 5 whenever it is available on Verizon. Whichever way I go, that "ecosystem" will be the one I use for a very LONG time. I can not go through another tumultuous transition that I went through when I moved from my Treo 7xx to the Pre. I still don't have the reliability, capability, or usefulness I had with that device! ... gww

[patchs]

Originally Posted by geewhiz

I stand by my previous comments which have been somewhat acknowledged by the comments above. I understand the pain that Sprint Pre summer launch owners have - I WAS ONE! But the Pre 3 is not on Sprint's radar screen since the webOS market is basically insignificant at this point. For those that don't understand the "pain" that Palm caused Sprint apparently are not aware of the hardware issues, the returns, the attempted returns, or the many repairs required. It was so bad that Sprint changed their longtime policy of swapping devices in the retail store and requiring you to go to Palm or use insurance! Basically, Spring alienated a lot of longtime Sprint customers over the Pre.

It's basically a business issue. Most, or certainly a lot, of Sprint Pre owners are gone - left Sprint and/or left the Pre in the dust. Sprint is not losing any business (that they care about) due to not having a webOS device since they don't have one! They rejected the Pre 2 which pretty much says everything, in my opinion, about how much they cared about "taking care" of their current Pre customers. I'm not going to say Sprint won't ever carry the Pre 3 but they will wait and see if any SIGNIFICANT demand develops for it. I doubt it because I don't see the Pre 3 launching without serious issues since HP could not do it for the Pre 2 and they had a lot of time to make sure everything works.

Sprint already has the Galaxy Tab and will have the RIM Playbook in days so they are set with competitive tablets. They don't need to carry the Pre 3 in order to get the TouchPad. There is nothing compelling in HP's future (early summer?) webOS devices that Sprint NEEDS! I assure you their focus is on getting the iPhone 5 once their system is converted to LTE. If you look at the smartphone projections (a guess, yes) it's clear no one thinks webOS will be a player, and even worst, probably will be just a business phone (ha, it's so far from that it's not even funny!) for HP to sell (or give away) to their corporate customers.

Personally, if they don't get my Pre 2 usable by June ("early summer") I will be selling it off contract on ebay and then will try out the HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon. If that does not work well for me, I will move to the iPhone 5 whenever it is available on Verizon. Whichever way I go, that "ecosystem" will be the one I use for a very LONG time. I can not go through another tumultuous transition that I went through when I moved from my Treo 7xx to the Pre. I still don't have the reliability, capability, or usefulness I had with that device! ... gww

Sad but true, Evo 3D, here I come.

[kill_Dano]

Originally Posted by patchs

Sad but true, Evo 3D, here I come.

Sad, but true? If you think webOS is not going to be a mayor player, I regret to inform you of your lack of vision. Your personal problems with palm aside, HP is the biggest computer seller in the world. I think they can make a dent.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums

[spudland]

Originally Posted by kill_Dano

Sad, but true? If you think webOS is not going to be a mayor player, I regret to inform you of your lack of vision. Your personal problems with palm aside, HP is the biggest computer seller in the world. I think they can make a dent.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums

I think this is possible if they can flood the market like they do with PC's. I'm just disappointed it's going to be winter again before I can upgrade my Pre-.

[GodShapedHole]

A question from an uninvolved, euro-centric bystander:

Is Sprint really THAT much cheaper than the competition, especially GSM-rocking companies? Because I keep hearing that Sprint reception is below par... I've actually heard it likened to E-Plus, if that means anything to anyone. I also understand that Sprint doesn't even let you tether devices using the bandwidth you're paying for with your hard-earned dollars. And because it's CDMA, you can't even buy an unlocked phone and use any device you want on their network... which is exactly what's working a lot of you guys up because if Sprint decides not to carry the Pre3, there's no way to get a Pre3 to work on Sprint. That's a whole lot of cons in my book, but a lot of you guys are very loyal to Sprint, so there should also be a whole lot of pros to balance them out. What are they?

(this is not meant to provoke anyone, I'm sincerely curious.)

[LateNiteWithJme]

Originally Posted by GodShapedHole

A question from an uninvolved, euro-centric bystander:

Is Sprint really THAT much cheaper than the competition, especially GSM-rocking companies? Because I keep hearing that Sprint reception is below par... I've actually heard it likened to E-Plus, if that means anything to anyone. I also understand that Sprint doesn't even let you tether devices using the bandwidth you're paying for with your hard-earned dollars. And because it's CDMA, you can't even buy an unlocked phone and use any device you want on their network... which is exactly what's working a lot of you guys up because if Sprint decides not to carry the Pre3, there's no way to get a Pre3 to work on Sprint. That's a whole lot of cons in my book, but a lot of you guys are very loyal to Sprint, so there should also be a whole lot of pros to balance them out. What are they?

(this is not meant to provoke anyone, I'm sincerely curious.)

My wife and I have 2 lines with unlimited everything (Except tethering) and are getting a 27% discount. We pay about 110 bucks USD after taxes/fees a month. That's pretty good in the states where providers nickel and dime us for every feature. Sprint is one of the few remaining providers here that don't have data caps or throttling.

Just wish there was more phone selections...

[wellwellwell11]

seriously again to all the non believers for whatever reason sprint will be getting the Pre 3, and touchpad wimax variant period. There is no reason why sprint would not, and they have a strong relationship with Palm now HP (which has been confermed a thousand times). If you think the Pre hurt them like they did, with looking into comments even made by sprint exects (who didnt bash palm, or say the relationship was tarnished in any words) your blind. So stop listening to sprint sales reps, who know as much as we do, and sit and wait for it to be announced and released.

[lupos]

HP doens't care about exclusives. They aren't compelling enough right now for any carrier to be fighting over them and they would probably rather just launch on every carrier. The pre3 is cdma+gsm. There is no detriment to sprint or any other carrier to have the pre3.

[jkeitz]

Originally Posted by LateNiteWithJme

My wife and I have 2 lines with unlimited everything (Except tethering) and are getting a 27% discount. We pay about 110 bucks USD after taxes/fees a month. That's pretty good in the states where providers nickel and dime us for every feature. Sprint is one of the few remaining providers here that don't have data caps or throttling.

Just wish there was more phone selections...

Same here, but with three phones so little higher. Much less than Verizon. There isn't reliable GSM where I live (reasonably common in western US). Also, Sprint, in my experience, has far better service. I work in a Verizon territory, so I'm roaming there, and it is such a pain to deal with all the interference, dropped calls, and sloooooow data. I look forward to getting home, where even with one or two bars calls are never dropped. When driving home, Verizon drops the call whenever I pass from one cell to another. It almost never handles the hand-off. Most of all, I see my Verizon using friends saying they don't use text because it is too expensive, or that they turn off features on their phone so as not to use too much data, or they can't use GPS since Verizon charges them for Navigation (Sprint doesn't), or that they see Sprint TV and think its cool, but don't want to pay the premium for VCast (Sprint TV is included). I like unlimited everything!

[jkeitz]

Originally Posted by wellwellwell11

seriously again to all the non believers for whatever reason sprint will be getting the Pre 3, and touchpad wimax variant period. There is no reason why sprint would not, and they have a strong relationship with Palm now HP (which has been confermed a thousand times). If you think the Pre hurt them like they did, with looking into comments even made by sprint exects (who didnt bash palm, or say the relationship was tarnished in any words) your blind. So stop listening to sprint sales reps, who know as much as we do, and sit and wait for it to be announced and released.

As much as I can understand worrying about all the returns on faulty hardware (mine is still original, but apparently EVERYONE else has returned his Pre six or seven times), Sprint has had a long relationship with Palm, as you mentioned, and I am not aware of any unusual hardware issues with any other Palm phones. My Treo was rock solid for years too (actually, it still is, currently being used as my house phone). I haven't heard of many returns with the Pixi either, so why would Sprint ban an entire company over one fail, assuming it even was a fail?

[kataran]

compete against the Iphone...i feel my pre Minus is doing a decent job of it already...take away iphones apps and what do they have left???

[mu7efcer]

What follows is my opinion. Others are free to disagree. I'm not trying to start a flame war. Just stating my perspective. If a comment seems like a flame, I didn't intend it that way. Apologies in advance.

Originally Posted by GodShapedHole

A question from an uninvolved, euro-centric bystander:

Is Sprint really THAT much cheaper than the competition, especially GSM-rocking companies?

Well, yes, IMHO. T-Mobile is almost as cheap, but I'm not a fan of GSM, which T-Mob uses. I've looked a little bit at the protocols and rather prefer CDMA over GSM. That said, with Sprint's additional $10/line "enhanced data" charge Verizon is looking better.

As far as sprint reception being below par, I'd agree with that when you compare it to Verizon. But when you compare it to AT&T (on GSM), I think sprint's coverage/reception is about the same. The difference, IMHO is that CDMA uses spectrum better than GSM. Additionally, sprint probably has about the same towers as t-mob, but again, using CDMA they get more efficient use of the spectrum so have effectively better coverage.

(this is not meant to provoke anyone, I'm sincerely curious.)

IMHO, the SIM cards associated with GSM are really convenient. I wish CDMA had that technology. There's nothing particular about CDMA that prevents it other than no one's done it. That said, that's the only thing I like about GSM over CDMA. And having been on GSM before, it's not like there are really a ton of competitors around.

Long story short: unlike Europe, the US cell phone market is dominated by carrier subsidies for phones. Don't see that changing any time soon.

[patchs]

Originally Posted by kill_Dano

Sad, but true? If you think webOS is not going to be a mayor player, I regret to inform you of your lack of vision. Your personal problems with palm aside, HP is the biggest computer seller in the world. I think they can make a dent.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums

Take it easy, I don't have any problems with my vision, Palm or anyone else, I have a long history with Palm, dating back to my first Handspring Visor.
Lighten up Francis.

[Martin Blank]

Originally Posted by geewhiz

But the Pre 3 is not on Sprint's radar screen since the webOS market is basically insignificant at this point.

This can be used to justify the refusal to acquire by any of the big four. However, it's clear that Verizon is willing to keep things alive even though its share of the tiny WebOS market-share is itself below the majority. Yes, the hardware was an issue for Sprint, but while I don't think Hesse would have come out and bashed Palm outright, he would have come off far more neutral than he has.

Originally Posted by GodShapedHole

A question from an uninvolved, euro-centric bystander:

Is Sprint really THAT much cheaper than the competition, especially GSM-rocking companies? Because I keep hearing that Sprint reception is below par... <snip> I also understand that Sprint doesn't even let you tether devices using the bandwidth you're paying for with your hard-earned dollars. And because it's CDMA, you can't even buy an unlocked phone and use any device you want on their network...

Sprint's coverage is not quite as good as Verizon, but it's good enough, and it's a fair bit cheaper than Verizon. Besides, roaming is available on Verizon's network for no charge as long as use is not excessive (and Sprint has a generous definition of "excessive" for roaming purposes). For those that have difficulty beyond that, the company is relatively quick to provide a free femtocell for home use (I am one such user).

Most of the carriers have historically prevented tethering, though they have tolerated it in relatively small amounts, and only Verizon has been open about accepting phones on their network that they don't actually sell, and even that is now only quietly supported. In all cases, if you call up and say that you have a phone that they don't support, you're largely on your own fixing the problem unless the tech happens to be familiar with that specific phone for some odd reason.

Because there is relatively little international travel here and most of it is to countries that have CDMA networks (Canada and Mexico), most people don't worry so much about the difference between CDMA and GSM. That's going away over the long term with LTE anyway. The marketplace here is far less diverse than in Europe and consumer protections are far weaker.

I give the phone companies the benefit of the doubt on some things, as they have to cover an area roughly the size of Europe but with vast swaths of land that are virtually unpopulated. Even limiting coverage to roads gets expensive, and some of those towers never pay for themselves other than in customer perception: dropping a call 60 miles (100km) from the nearest town can be a reminder of just how far one might be from help.

[puzzlegal]

What do you think the odds are of an unlocked Pre3? That ought to work on Sprint. (and internationally)

[jkeitz]

Originally Posted by Martin Blank

Sprint's coverage is not quite as good as Verizon, but it's good enough, and it's a fair bit cheaper than Verizon. Besides, roaming is available on Verizon's network for no charge as long as use is not excessive (and Sprint has a generous definition of "excessive" for roaming purposes). For those that have difficulty beyond that, the company is relatively quick to provide a free femtocell for home use (I am one such user).

Gotta ask, because I've heard this many times before, but exactly how do you get a free Airrave? I live in an area Sprint terms "marginal" and I get between 0-1 bars at home. I often find my Pre switching to roaming (as did my Treo before that) in my home. I have asked about this (particularly the roaming issue) and they have told me that I could buy an Airrave (and then pay the monthly service for it) to solve my problem. Since I don't really have a dropped call problem, and other than my battery getting really hot and draining quickly, I can live with it, but I keep hearing people saying they solved their problems with a "free femtocel." Are there magic words?

[GodShapedHole]

Thanks for your replies, everyone

But here's a technical question: I just saw that the Pre3 is actually a worldphone with CDMA and GSM (don't know how I missed that during the original presentation and until now).

So wouldn't it be possible to buy an unlocked Pre3 directly from HP and make it work on Sprint after all?

[puzzlegal]

If they sell an unlocked version, yes, I think so. Of course, it wouldn't be subsidized, so it would be pricy.

[the2ndflood]

Originally Posted by puzzlegal

If they sell an unlocked version, yes, I think so. Of course, it wouldn't be subsidized, so it would be pricy.

Agreed. The price for unkocked devices is really, really high. I remember when I bought the Treo 650. I paid $300 through Sprint, but if I would have purchased an unlocked GSM 650 model, it would have been $600+. Palm didn't offer an unlocked CDMA phone at that time. I'm not even sure if they sell them now. Whether they do or not, unlocked would cost a lot more then getting the phone directly from Sprint. Me personally, I would buy the phone off of Ebay if I had to buy it unlocked.