Apple have yanked Pre compatibility from iTunes 8.2.1, in an update to the media management software described as “an issue with verification of Apple devices.” The move is not exactly unexpected; the two companies traded feints in mid-June, with Apple suggesting that future versions of iTunes “may no longer provide syncing functionality” with anything other than iPods and iPhones, while Palm accused them of threatening “a direct blow” to users seeking a seamless experience.
One enterprising Palm Pre owner has hacked his smartphone to run on Verizon’s network, rather than Sprint’s. “cleanser” of the PreCentral forums has managed to get both voice and text messaging to work as expected, but so far data access is presenting a problem.
The hack involved attempting to persuade a Verizon Wireless customer services’ rep to add the MEID – the electronic serial number and unique identifier of the handset – to cleanser’s account with them. Once that had been done, the network accepted the Pre as just another CDMA phone.
Video demo after the cut
Palm’s big news for today was it’s announcement of the GSM Palm Pre and the exclusivity deals the company has carved out with O2 in the UK, Ireland and Germany, and Movistar in Spain. We had the opportunity to sit down with Palm and O2 today, and talk about what changes they’ve made to the smartphone, how they see it sitting in a range dominated by the iPhone 3GS, and why European customers will have to wait until the Christmas holidays before they can pick one up.
Seidio’s first extended battery for the Palm Pre may have had the charge – it promised almost double the capacity of the standard 1,150mAh pack the smartphone is shipped with – but it also had the bulk to go with it. Now Seidio are back with an alternative; you only get around 20-percent more capacity, but there’s no change in your Pre’s profile.
Hot on the heels of Palm’s Movistar GSM Pre sighting comes confirmation from carrier O2 that they’ll be offering the smartphone “in time for the Christmas holidays”. The handset will go on sale in the UK, Ireland and Germany on O2, with Spanish buyers getting the GSM Pre on Movistar. As expected, the only hardware change has been switching to support HSDPA/UMTS.
The GSM Palm Pre has made its first official appearance, on the company’s Spanish site. Unveiled as an exclusive to carrier Movistar, the Spanish network owned by Telefonica, the announcement lends further weight to the rumors that O2 – also a Telefonica carrier – will make some GSM Pre announcement this week.
Itchy trigger-finger or wishful thinking: either way, it’s interesting to see that the Palm Pre has shown up on Dutch carrier Hi’s website. A new support page isn’t necessarily big news, but given that Hi is a VMNO brand of KPN and they, in turn, are strongly associated with Telefonica, it makes sense given that O2 (owned by Telefonica – are you confused yet?) is a strong frontrunner for Pre exclusivity.
We’re due to sit down with Palm UK next week and – hopefully – find out all the details about the GSM Pre’s launch, but according to The Guardian news of the smartphone’s official UK carrier is already ready for prime-time. The paper has reported that carrier O2 have clinched Pre exclusivity, adding the new smartphone to a line-up that already includes the Apple iPhone 3GS.
Palm will announce the UK carrier with exclusivity for their GSM Pre next week, according to the latest news from the company. The launch will also included a release date and pricing details for the handset, making the UK the first region to see the Pre outside of the US.
A GSM Palm Pre has been spotted in the wilds of Vietnam, presumably because that’s where the company has outsourced manufacture of the device. The handset shows the same SIM layout as the pre-production model we caught sight of back in February.
Video after the cut
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