14 DAY TRIAL // Verizon Wireless has not left aside its plans to offer its users the possibility to taste the latest Palm device on the market, the webOS-based Pre. Previous rumors suggested that the carrier might have moved over the Pre, being interested in other high-end handsets, yet it seems that, starting with January 2010, the smartphone will become available for purchase on its airwaves.
According to a recent piece on E-Commerce Times, Big Red and Palm are currently negotiating the introduction of the Pre in Verizon's offering, and it seems that they cannot agree on how much the carrier will subsidize the handset. However, Jim Gerace, executive director of media relations at Verizon, has reportedly stated that the phone will be launched in January 2010.
At the same time, an issue might also be the presence on the market of both a Verizon app portal and a Palm storefront. Allen Nogee, a principal analyst at In-Stat, E-Commerce Times notes, stated the following: “Verizon has been talking about its VCast Store, and Palm is setting up its own app store, so that could be the problem. It's possible that Verizon wants to keep the number of app stores available to subscribers to a minimum.”
Whatever issues the negotiations between the two companies might face at the moment, the one thing that shapes up pretty well is that more handset users in the United States will have the chance to purchase a Palm Pre. Verizon is the largest carrier in the country, and the availability of the device on its airwaves should help Palm a lot in its attempt to regain its foothold.
On the other hand, we should wait to see what understanding the two will reach, especially since both are tough negotiators. Verizon already turned down Apple's iPhone a while ago as it didn't like the terms of the deal the Cupertino company imposed, and Palm is already known for its stubbornness against the same party when it comes to the iTunes connectivity on the Pre.