When it comes to HP and it’s now Palm-less webOS smartphones, we’ve made our feelings quite clear — we couldn’t be more excited about HP’s upcoming Pre 3, and we couldn’t be less excited about the Pre 2. Don’t get us wrong… the Pre 2 is a fine device in its own right. It’s still way too small and the keypad is still way too unusable for us to even consider owning the device, however. The Pre 3, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. In our hands-on with the HP Pre 3, we called it the webOS smartphone we’ve been waiting for and we meant it — the Pre 3 maintains the Pre’s great form factor but enlarges it; tosses in a bigger, better display; and expands the keyboard just enough to make it usable. But unfortunately, we still have a bit of waiting to do before the Pre 3 reaches the market and for the time being, the Pre 2 is the best webOS fans can do. As announced during HP’s “Think Beyond” event last week, Verizon Wireless made the HP Pre 2 available for pre-order on February 10th. On February 17th, the Pre 2 will be available to all for the somewhat reasonable price of $149.99 on contract. Hit the break for Verizon Wireless’ full press release, and hit yourself in the head repeatedly if you’re a webOS fan who is even remotely considering a two-year contract with the Pre 2 when the Pre 3 looming on the horizon.
VERIZON WIRELESS’ NETWORK TO INCLUDE NEXT GENERATION OF INTUITIVE MULTITASKING PLATFORM WITH PRE 2 FROM HP
Verizon Wireless Customers Have Fast, Fun Access to Work and Play on HP webOS 2.0
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless, the company with the largest and most reliable wireless voice and 3G data network, announced today that the Pre 2 smartphone by HP will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at http://www.verizonwireless.com on Feb. 17. Pre 2 is the first device to run on HP webOS 2.0, allowing quick and easy multitasking of e-mail, games, music and more.
Key features:
- 3.1-inch glass multi-touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color, 320 x 480 resolution HVGA display
- Slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard
- Support for Microsoft Exchange e-mail, as well as personal e-mail support (Google Gmail push, Yahoo!, POP3, IMAP)
- Integrated IM, SMS and MMS
- VZ Navigator capable – Receive audible turn-by-turn directions to millions of points of interest and share the directions with others
- TI OMAP 1GHz processor with 512 RAM
- 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, extended depth of field, geo-tagging and video capture
- Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11 b/g/)
- Bluetooth wireless technology 2.1+ EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
- 3G Mobile Hotspot capability
- Dimensions: 2.34 inches (w) x 0.66 inches (d) x 3.96 inches (h)
- Weight: 5.1 ounces
Lifestyle features:
- Contact Integration via HP Synergy – Customers can keep contacts and calendars up to date automatically with built-in integration for Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo! and Microsoft Exchange.
- Customized Inbox – Customers can view all of their accounts together or separately to access work e-mail alone or combined in a favorites folder with personal e-mail from places like Gmail or Yahoo! Mail.
- Full HTML Browsing – Customers have access to full websites just like on their Macs or PCs. They can play video, upload photos, access online banking and much more. webOS also now integrates a beta of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 in the browser, which provides access to rich, Flash-based Web content.
- With Just Type in webOS, customers can start an e-mail, create a message, update their status and search their favorite websites – all before they even open an app.
- Mobile Music Store – Customers can buy and download music right from their webOS smartphones using the Amazon MP3 app when on a Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Skype mobile – webOS 2.0 supports Skype-to-Skype calls and messaging while in the United States to anywhere in the world, and low-rate calls to international landlines and cell phones.
Pricing and availability:
- Pre 2 will be available from Verizon Wireless for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in Verizon Wireless rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Pre 2 customers will need to subscribe to a data plan. Unlimited data plans are available to customers starting at $29.99 monthly access. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
- For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to http://www.verizonwireless.com.
