14 DAY TRIAL // Palm's first webOS-powered mobile phone, the Pre, has been around for only about four months now, yet its price tag has already seen significant drops. Originally launched at $199 on a two-year contract agreement with wireless carrier Sprint, the device is now available for $99 on Amazon and, even lower, for only $79.99 at Walmart's online store.
The offer from Walmart shows that the price goes to $79.99 after a $120 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate, and that the offer will only last until today. However, the Palm Pre won't come along at this price, as users will also receive a free Palm Pre accessory bundle, which includes a car charger, screen protector, Bluetooth headset, and clear case shipping.
The signing of a two-year contract agreement is also needed so as to benefit from the offer, yet one should agree that for the time being it is the best of all. Sprint itself has lowered the price tag for the Palm Pre to $149.99 with a service agreement, and it can be purchased from Best Buy and Amazon with special offers too, yet none matching the current one at Walmart.
In related news, we also learn that the webOS-powered smartphone tops the charts over at Best Buy and Amazon when it comes to the best-selling handsets. The device was introduced in Amazon's offering only about two months ago, yet it seems that it is doing quite well already. For what it's worth, Pre's performance should make Palm rejoice, since it will help it regain some of the market share it has been losing lately.
However, it is rather interesting that the Pre features price tags lowered so much, especially since its performance is good. Palm announced moving around 800k handsets in its last quarter, most of which were Pres, which is not a bad figure for the troubled phone maker. The company is getting ready to launch another webOS device, the Palm Pixi, and the Pre should reach more carriers after Sprint's exclusivity is over, which might suggest that Sprint is working on having as many Pres on its airwaves as it can and as soon as possible.