Want A Palm Pre? Get One Free (With A Catch)
In a blog post this week, Jon Zilber, Palm's online communications director, said Palm is looking for "a few 'Real Reviewers' to share their opinions about Palm phones across the blogosphere, social networks and beyond."
Zilber wrote that selected reviewers will receive a current Palm device, which includes the long-awaited touch-screen Palm Pre, and data-plan service for six months.
"If you can tweet your opinions about Palm phones in 140 characters or less, we want to hear from you," Zilber wrote to users of the popular micro-blogging site Twitter.
Palm said all the company asks is that selected reviewers regularly share their thoughts about their experience with the phone on whatever blogs and social networks they use. Reviewers might also be invited to guest-blog on Palm's own blog or host discussions on its Facebook page.
"What's the catch?" Zilber asked. "There's really just one: be yourself. Whether you're a fanboy or a skeptic, we want to hear from you."
Prospective "Real Reviewers" can apply by filling out a quick survey. The company is casting a wide net, looking for a mix of Palm veterans and newbies from all walks of life. Reviewers must be U.S. residents and at least 18 years old. Selected reviewers will be notified on May 8, Palm said.
It was unclear on Thursday whether May 8 holds any significance regarding the release date of the Pre, which Palm has promised to release in the first half of this year, and rumors indicate it could come as soon as May 17. Other rumors suggest the Pre won't hit stores until at least June, and the official release date may coincide with Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.
Despite the lack of a release date, the Palm Pre's official launch is sure to spark a smartphone showdown, as major device makers prep hot new smartphones for spring and summer launches, including the long-awaited BlackBerry Niagara and a possible new Apple iPhone model.
Palm unveiled the Pre, a Sprint-exclusive smartphone, at CES in January. It is likely the "Real Reviewer" program is a way to capitalize on the hype surrounding the devices, which is the first to carry Palm's new operating system, webOS.
The Pre is Palm's answer to the Apple iPhone 3G and other touch-screen titans like the BlackBerry Storm. Palm has also turned to the Pre for salvation, hoping the new smartphone will help pull it out of slumping revenue and dramatic quarterly losses as it tries to regain its footing in the smartphone market that it years ago helped establish.
The 3G Pre offers a large 3.1-inch touch-screen with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It also uses a new technology dubbed Palm Synergy, which converges contacts into a single address book from various sources such as Gmail, Outlook and Facebook. In addition, the Pre can run several applications at once without requiring users to log out of one to work in another.
Other features of the Palm Pre include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 8 GB of memory and a 3.0-megapixel camera with an LED flash.
While neither Sprint nor Palm have offered insight into the cost of the Pre, the pair did highlight data and voice plans, and a recent study by research firm iSuppli revealed that each Pre costs roughly $170 to manufacture.
