Palm Pre Gets an Earlier Release Date and Other Juicy Rumors

We'll readily admit we're just as susceptible to the excitement over the Palm Pre as you are. After seeing it in action at CES, how could we be anything but smitten? Fortunately, there have been several new developments with the Pre in the last few days, including news of an earlier-than-expected release date.



Release Date

Word on the street says that the Pre could come out as early as February 15. Keep in mind that this is unconfirmed, but all the more tantalizing because of it. We were already told that the Pre would be coming out early 2009, but knowing that it might be this close is really exciting. Other tidbits from this rumor include a mandatory data plan with the network carrier if you want to own the Pre. Less exciting, but not unexpected.

Android Pre

For those of you obsessed with the Android platform and lamenting the fact that the G1 is the only phone running it right now, there's good news. Some clever people are working on getting the Palm Pre to boot Android. In fact, it turns out they've been working on it since the middle of last year. There are a few drawbacks, like getting access to the bootloader and cramming two OSes into the phones memory without taking up too much space. But the results could be spectacular.

Lawsuit from Apple

The last bit of Pre news isn't nearly as exciting, unless you're a staunch Apple defender (in which case, why do you care about the Pre?). Apple's interim leader, Tim Cook, has hinted that Apple could sue because some of the Pre's abilities might infringe on Apple patents (the most obvious one being multitouch). We'll have to wait to find out if this is just posturing or an actual threat. Hopefully the Pre's release isn't marred by a legal battle.

For more information about smartphones or to size up the Pre's competition, take a look at the smartphone review site. Otherwise, there's plenty more tech news out there for you:

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