Comments on: Pricing wars: Palm Pre vs. iPhone 3G

Crave compares the data plans for the Palm Pre on Sprint and the iPhone 3G on AT&T and see which one offers the better deal.

[mamyint]

8 year Sprint customer getting 450 anytime minutes, 500 text messages, and unlimited data for $40 a month. They are waiving the mail-in rebate and hooking me up with an instant rebate instead. I look forward to my June 6th upgrade!

That said, I think Sprint offers excellent value for their services. They might not be as flashy as ATT or Verizon, but their data network is VASTLY superior and their voice service is just as good in my opinion. I live in New Jersey and have had no problems with their service...EVER.

I sure would love an iPhone, but the $1000+ that I'd be saving over a period of two years for the same exact features is more than enough to keep me on Sprint.

[sweaty_taco]

How did you get that? I've had them for the same amount and my contract expired 4months ago. I talked to some gal online and my price is the same. $299 before rebate and my plan goes from 450 min @ $39.99 w/$10 data plan to the everything at $69.99

[joeshmoefromoregon]

The truth about the Apple and ATT is they have always played the game you can't with out us. Apple is back from the dead with some great products ATT is around because of brand name and coverage claims that I think are less true to day then they have been in the past. There are some keys for Sprint and Palm to be sucessful with this phone the pre. 1 how well can it work with the web for me facebook ,emails, navigation,weather and being able to watch youtube on my phone are what I desire to help me kill time at the doctors office or while waiting in line at costco for gas. 2 Can it handel excel spread sheets and other apps to let me use it in my business 3 Will it have a easy to use application store that I can down load music and softwear that make my life easier. Being able to have gps on my daughters and sons phone so I know when there at the libary or at practice or being able to share pics of the family. Sprint has always made the down loading of music and other apps less then fun. If you get a good app store with amazon I think it will add the shelf life palm needs to make the phone a winner . An hopefully expand on there sucess

[Hep Cat]

Pretty funny seeing how desperate Palm is to get anyone outside of the tech press to give them the time of day. Announcing two days before WWDC and the iPhone 3 release? Pathetic.

And, because it has an Apple angle, the C|Net folks lap it up like cream.

[cnetcomments123]

two years have passed, and someone is actually close to coming up with something to finally compare with the iphone. Well, we'll see.

Have two of 1st gen iphones at our house - still love it.
Every new app makes it even better.
Every new software upgrade makes it seem like a new phone, can't wait for 3.0 - developers are going to have a field day with the APIs that Apple has handed over. Can't wait to see what they come up with.

ATT has been fine, good coverage, no dropped calls in my experience, data plan is plenty for our family.

We left Sprint to get the iphone, couldn't be happier to get away from that train wreck of a company.
They were horrible. We went through two of those flimsy goofy phones, they seem like toys compared to the iphones now.
Maybe the imass exodus of the iphone migration woken them up to make them listen to customers now?

Enjoy the pre - I'm sticking with the iphone.

Wonder where apple take the industry with the next model of the iphone, hmmmm...

[frosty77]

Apple didn't "take the industry" anywhere. The iPhone did little to innovate. For the most part it simply took already-existing functionality and paired it in an attractive case with a particularly responsive touch screen (the latter of which was well done, but the Pre's touch-screen supposedly is as good if not better). First and foremost, however, they marketed the hell out of it.

Overall however, the iPhone brought very little innovation to the table. It simply did what it was supposed to do reasonably well and had an incomparable hype machine behind it.

I also want to add that people seem to fawn over the App Store. In reality Apple's iron-fist control over published app content is arguably the iPhone's worst aspect. As for the existance of a central app site, anyone can do that. In fact Palm is doing that. I just hope they don't promote such a closed system as Apple has.

[sanjayb]

@frosty77

Ah, dude. Apple changed the whole fricken cell phone industry. Look at all of the Apple's competitors coming out with touch phones. And look at RIM launching their version of the App store. And why is every phone that comes out is being asked -- "Is it the IPhone killer".

[never_going_back]

ATT not that bad I had Sprint/VZ before hand in the past. iPhone not a joke at all!! I laugh at Berries and all the other contenders out there. This Pre looks sharp though and I know it will do well especially if they get the 4G stuff rolling nationwide before T/VZ move forward. I will put my iPhone up against anything it simply is the game changer. I know when people try to make it sound like a POS its really because they have the latest and greatest POS imitator and that is what truly sucks. I got an iPhone 3G and am thankful AT&T saw the brilliance in the phone and agreed to subsidize the crap out of it so it only cost me $199. Obviously the Apple/T duo is a MAJOR potent force in the Domestic cell market ( kicking everyone's ass!!!!) Can't wait for the 3.0 update and to get a new phone this summer!!!!!!!!! I have used and played with all major smart phones and nothiong even comes close to the iPhone except maybe this little Pre! Too bad EVERYONE i knew with Treos found out that they broke in less than 1 year and never synched up right etc.... so hopefully they will make the Pre much more durable than past efforts.

[bri2e]

My only problem with trying a Pre is that I have had every treo since the 600 and I've never had any of them work completely. I've always had problems with email (I use gmail) and I've never found a blue tooth headset that worked with any of them. I also can't get my 755p to sync with my vista desktop. It will with my laptop with the exact same operating system. The Pre is tempting, but after my palm experience, I'm thinking blackberry.

[Coaliesquirrel]

You do understand that the Pre will be an entirely new operating system, right? You can make your old applications work if you need to, but the new OS will give the Pre new capabilities as well.

[andaryas]

Hello all!
I moved to the US October 1999 and soon I realized I must have a cellphone in this county and OK asked few people and was recommended Sprint. I have used multiple devices with them including the last one Treo 700wx. I loved Treo 700wx and used it for until July 2008 while I still had 3 months of my contract left with Sprint. I went and checked at A&TT store the iPhone 3G and man my whole idea changed about phones. I really, really, really did not like the costumer service of AT&T so I went to Apple Store and bought one and activated right there instead of going to AT&T. I had two time problem with the phone and contacted AT&T and both times had very bad experience and I complained this with Apple and they personally helped me while on the phone they contacted AT&T and fixed my problem. I have never had any more problem.
Want to have iPhone, just don't contact AT&T CS because they are bad, very bad and rude. If Verizon or Sprint launches iPhone I will switch at once. I hope Apple decides to expand carriers.
Sprint CS is very good. They are polite and nice but unfortunately they don't have iPhone. I will stick with iPhone even as AT&T is bad. But I will hope and pray that Verizon launches iPhone as we were the rumors.

Just thought of writing my words in the form of a story:)
Blessings to you.

[Constable Odo]

Offering a Pre for $149 is only going to make the company go bankrupt faster. Besides, people aren't going to want to move to Sprint just to get a handset with a keyboard. Granted, the Pre seems nicely designed and has a flashy interface, but any number of handsets fit that description.

[frosty77]

It also has a touch screen keyboard.

[VisortoPre]

I left Sprint because of poor customer service 3 years ago and went to Verizon. I have been in a Sprint store 3 times recently and all three times indicated extreme improvement. I'm going back to Sprint with no reservations. Believe me, Verizon's phones are crippled, selection is poor, and Verizon is overpriced. I currently have a Blackberry. Looking forward to the Pre.

[winston04]

Out of curiosity....if I switch from AT&T due to this phone will I be able to use it when I travel overseas?

[darkpoet25]

No you won't as it uses CDMA technology, while most countries overseas use GSM. Since CDMA devices don't use a SIM card, you wouldn't be able to use the Pre overseas.

[baisa]

Would it have been possible to make a more cliche-filled and middle-school-level writing post? What about copy editing for the numerous mistakes? Are you actually the daughter of a real journalist? Is it "bring your daughter to work and let her play" day???

[ofmyony]

Palm I like the Pre but I will never go back to Sprint. Watch out for mail in rebates. There are often conditions tied to rebates. Example, you need to have a data plan or a certain type of plan to receive the rebate. Don't be a victim read the contract. You may be able to get the Pre without a data plan, if you choose this option check the details.

Remember Sprint has terrible customer service. I would think twice before buying the Pre for now. Apple is probably going to have some decent new products and pricing models a few days later.

[JimPratt3]

Screw these damn contracts! People are sick of being stuck on some fish hook like a worm. Do I need to sign a contract for my cable TV or cable broadband? No. To get a land line? No. Boycott this crap.

[Coaliesquirrel]

So don't sign a contract - no one's forcing you to! But, if you're not willing to do your part (commit to subscribe for a minimum period), don't expect Sprint to do theirs by giving you a hefty discount on the phone. It's very simple - sign and pay a reduced price or don't and pay list. No boycotting necessary.

[jaxstephens]

I predict Palm's WebOS will be a non-starter until it's available on a phone outside of the Sprint network. Realistically, who wants to switch to Sprint? It could be the best smartphone ever, and I wouldn't make that switch due to the carrier.

[stockyjoe]

I agree. The winner can be the guy who is available across mulitple providers.

[stockyjoe]

I really hate that these phones are tied to a specific provider. That really sucks.

[JCPayne]

Reminds me of an oversized Tamogatchi....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamogatchi

[dajedikidd]

Pre looks nice to me, but we just can't switch from Verizon. 90%+ of the people we talk to are now on Verizon, so, we don't even use all of our measly 500 shared minutes each month. We don't have a home phone, so it's cell phone for everything. Verizon simply has better coverage in the places we go, and coverage is king. Got another year before discounted upgrades, maybe Verizon will finially have a top end "hybrid" (iPhone fun + Blackberry functionality) phone by then.

[Tansho]

This battle between Apple vs. everyone else will go on for ever. There will be those who will only purchase Apple products, and those who will steer clear of the them. I will get the Pre when it becomes available, Its a sleek looking phone, and being able to multitask was enough for me to wait. I looked at the iPhone, but something just told me not to get it. Sure its got a cool interface, and there a thousands of apps, but something kept me from buying it

As for Sprint I've been with them for more than 10 years. They've bent over backwards when I've had issues with their billing, when they've made mistakes with our phones, and other issues. And the everything plan is far superior to what AT&T provides. AT&T, from my past experiences with them are ruthless, late by a day or two paying your bill, the will crucify you, and you end up on their bad boy list.

[Brent212]

Another big advantage of Sprint is that their nights start at 7pm. That was a huge selling point for me when I switched to them a year ago. 450 minutes was cutting it close, but with unlimited calling starting at 7, I'm easily able to keep it under.

Also, my $30/month SERO plan destroys all other plans ever. Just felt like gloating.

[ktbatth]

I had AT&T phone before I used to pay $149.00 for unlimited talk. text, web. but now I get everyting for $99.00 from. $49.00 saving everymonth. Plans are much expensive with AT&T.

[Fil0403]

That's why they struck a deal with Apple, the only company with a fan base willing to pay any amount of money for anything with the logo of their favourite company.