Sprint Nextel and Palm announced on Tuesday an official release date and pricing for the Palm Pre.
The Pre will be available nationwide on June 6 for
$199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract on Sprint's Everything Data plan or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plan. In addition to Sprint stores, the Pre will be sold online and at Best Buy, RadioShack, and some Wal-mart stores.
Accessories for Palm's Web OS-based smartphone will also be available on June 6, including the Touchstone Charging Kit (Touchstone dock and Touchstone back cover), which will retail for $69.99. Alternatively, you can buy the dock and back cover separately for $49.99 and $19.99, respectively. The Pre will provide access to such Sprint content as Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile Live.
Interestingly, the release date is a Saturday, which in some ways is a good move since it allows for weekend sales. Making the Pre available at other retailers is also a nice move. However, June 6 is two days before the start of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, where we'll most likely see a new iPhone announcement.
That said, I'm curious: will you wait to hear about the new iPhone before making a purchase? What do you think about the Pre's pricing? Are you like me and just happy to finally know the price and release date? Please share your thoughts.
