Need Input With A Decision

My wife and I have been cell phone luddites for the past few years using pre-paid cards. However, we're currently in the market for a comprehensive plan and phones. I've done quite a bit of research and Sprint is the carrier that makes the most sense for our needs.

After looking at several phone/os options I'm sold on WebOS, especially since the HP acquisition. The phones (Pre/Pixi) are OK but I'm not that fond of the keyboards. I've used Blackberries' in the past and I'm used to a bigger form factor than the Pre or Pixi.

Would people on this forum recommend pulling the trigger now on a Pre or waiting a couple months to see if Palm comes out with a better device this summer. The catch is, I don't want to wait until the holidays to purchase and I haven't heard anything definitive from Palm in terms of timelines.

If I could sign up now, get the Pre and then extend my contact in a few months to avoid paying full price for the new device I'd do it. However, I understand that if I go the Pre now I'll be "stuck" with it for at least a year.

The upshot... Do you guys expect a new Palm device soon?

Thanks

This is purely speculation but from my experience in how companies handle new device releases I'm afraid there isn't much good news.

I would expect Palm to announce a new device in June/July and I'd expect a release date of around late August/September. Like I said I have no evidence for this - but I can't believe that Palm will be ready to push the new device out in July, it's way too soon.

I came from a BlackBerry too, but I've managed to adapt to the Pre's keyboard pretty well - I think (hope) you'll be very happy with the Pre. Either way I expect we'll know in June/July where we stand - can you wait til then to make your decision?

I would say alot of what you are asking really depends on how much, and the type of keyboarding you do on a cell phone. Are you heavy texters? Do you intend to write long detailed emails? Im not sure how far you have delved into this forum, but with some of the homegrown additions, there IS also an option for an onscreen keyboard. Some love it some dont. I came from a Centro, and before that a Treo, and while those keyboards were a bit bigger, I really have not really had an issue adapting to the Pre keyboard. I use a combination of the slide out real kb and the virtual onscreen one, and have been able to fairly easily text, surf, search, email, without much issue.

I was in a Sprint store the other day, getting my power button replaced, when I played around with the Pixi for a bit. I will say the keyboard on that was slightly easier than the Pre, and I did kinds like the one piece aspect to it, but the no WiFi is a deal breaker for me.

Whatever you decide, good luck in moving up in the cellphone world ;)

I also have had many types of phones and must say Palm is my favorite, easiest to use, large buttons (meaning I don't have to get my glasses out to use like I did Windows), easy to customize with many free apps to get it to do things I want it to do.

I love my Pre, don't thnk I will even upgrade to new phone this summer if one comes out, because I don't need more memory, card slot holder, etc. It does everything I want. And using these forums, have tweaked to make even more useful, so that depends upon your comfort level and trust. And these people will help you if you read and ask nicely.
You could always look on local Craigs List or Ebay, there are good sellers on there who just want something new and that doesn't affect your contract.
P.S. Just used the Iphone from friend, and really like my keyboard so much better.

Its all speculation for now so the question becomes:

-Would you rather not have use of the Pre for any X number of months with the hope that holding out pays off dividends with a "Pre2" announcement in the interim?

-Would you rather have use of the Pre now, with the probability that the next Pre release is skewed towards the end of your contract than the beginning?

Even if they announce a new phone in the next 3-6 months it'll likely be that long before it gets released. So would you mind using the Pre for an extra month or two before being able to upgrade if you jumped into a contract now? If it were me, I wouldn't mind waiting for the Pre's successor since I quite enjoy the benefits of owning a Pre as it is.

treo or centro pro?

Thanks for all the input from everyone. I think what I'm going to do is get the Pre for my wife and I. That will be more than enough for my wife for some time. And if a new "must have" device comes out in the fall I'll wait and pick one up on the secondary market like ebay for a discounted price.

Thanks again for the input.