The original webOS handset, the one that started it all, appears to be headed the way of the dodo, or at least Amelia Earhart. The Sprint Palm Pre, on sale since June 6, 2009 (522 days ago) has vanished from Sprint’s website. While there are still plenty of references to the phone in various pages (it still shows up in a search for Palm), the phone itself cannot be selected for viewing, purchase, or reminiscing. With no new webOS handsets yet announced, or even rumored, for Sprint, any potential webOS conversion will have to pick up a Wi-Fi-less Palm Pixi if they want to be on Sprint. With how much focus Sprint has been putting on Android handsets and their growing 4G WiMax network, we can’t say we’re too surprised to see the original Pre fading quietly into the sunset. But it still makes us sad.

Non-Source: Sprint.com, Thanks to Dan for the tip!

Update: The Pre Plus is gone from Verizon Wireless as well, several readers tell us. That situation is less dire: we’ve seen the Pre Plus popping on and off Verizon’s site for some time now and (more importantly) we know for sure that the Pre 2 is hitting Verizon soon.

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Remember the huge ruckus about SERO back when the Pre first launched on Sprint? For the uninitiated, SERO stands for Sprint Employee Referral Offer, and was a supremely good deal for Sprint customers that knew how to work the system (it wasn’t really that difficult, to be honest). SERO was discontinued a few years back, though subscribers on the plan at the time were grandfathered thanks to the magic that is a legally-binding contract between the cellular provider (Sprint) and the subscriber (a lot of you).

The ruckus was over the fact that Sprint would not allow SERO users to get a Palm Pre on their plans – Sprint required at the bare minimum the $70-a-month Everything Data package, even though the SERO plans generally equaled the data, minute, and text allotments for significantly less coin. Not wanting to pay hundreds more dollars over the course of a two year contract, many SERO owners loudly and stubbornly refused to upgrade to the Pre, only to find themselves locked out of pretty much every other new Sprint smartphone, which carried a similar Everything Data minimum requirement.

Sprint’s heard you, SERO subscribers, and they’ve listened. In a bid to get you to upgrade and stay with Sprint, they’re offering you a compromise: SERO Premium. The new SERO Premium plans, kicking in on October 1st, match current SERO plans on features and add in Any Mobile Anytime and unlimited Sprint Nav GPS navigation. The two options, available only to current SERO subscribers, clock in at 500 minutes plus unlimited data, texting, etc for $40 a month, or 1250 minutes plus extras for $59.99 a month.

Oh, and here’s the important part: you’ll finally be able to grab new smartphones while staying on SERO (at least in spirit). Yes, you’ll be able to get a Palm Pre or Palm Pixi, as well as a number of other Sprint smartphones (including the HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Epic 4G, for the requisite $10 more a month for that 4G suffix). It’s a compromise: Sprint keeps you as a customer, you get the phone you want, everybody goes home happy. Of course, you could just stick with your old SERO plan and your Treo 755p… we won’t judge.

Source: Sprint

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It’s taken a lot of poking and prodding, but Sprint has finally seen right to drop the pricing of their webOS offerings. According to the latest edition of The Playbook, Sprint’s internal employee newsletter, effective September 12 Sprint will be dropping the new-contract price of the Palm Pre to $49.99 and the Palm Pixi to flat-out free. Right now a Pre will cost you $149.99, while a Pixi costs $49.99 – both prices sadly still include the $100 mail-in rebate.

In addition to the new contract pricing, Sprint is also dropping the pricing for off contract purchases, with $200 slashed from the Pre (dropping it to $349.99 off contract) and the Pixi cut by $50 to $299.99. After a cursory glance at Sprint’s smartphone offerings, that’ll make the Pre and Pixi the cheapest way to get into the smartphone game on America’s #3 network. Unless, you know, you want a Centro ($80 off contract, free with a new subscription).

Thanks anonymous tipster!

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Most people celebrate their birthdays with gifts from people the people they know and love, but psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw of his self-titled Dr. Phil talk show wants to celebrate his 60th birthday by giving stuff to the people he loves. Specifically, the audiences that attend tapings of his show. And during the week of September 13th, Dr. Phil is planning to give away Palm Pixi phones to the tune of 300 units to his live studio audiences. No word on which carrier those Pixi phones will be on, but if we had to guess it’s probably the original Pixi from Sprint and not the Pixi Plus available on Verizon and AT&T. Of course, we’d love to be wrong (nothing against you Sprint Pixi, but we likes us some Wi-Fi).

Source: HP on Twitter

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If you’re the contract signing type, HP has the deal for you. Through their newly-launched HP Wireless Central store you can snag a Palm Pixi Plus or Pre Plus on AT&T or Verizon for the upfront sum of free, with free shipping via FedEx. Of course, you are still locking yourself into a two-year contract to save those bucks, but saved bucks are saved bucks, right? And if you spring for the Pre Plus (it’s just as free as the Pixi Plus, so why wouldn’t you?), HP will also throw in a free Renegade Bluetooth headset (valued at $49.99), an Axiom leather case ($29.99), and a car charger ($19.99).

Strangely, Sprint is still stubborn as usual on their pricing, with the more-than-a-year-old Pre still retailing for $99.99 and the Wi-Fi-less Pixi at $19.99. With all this cash you’re saving, we’re going to point you towards the PreCentral accessory store where you can pick up some more sweet gear, like a Touchstone charger or a better Bluetooth headset.

Source: HP Wireless Central, thanks to sepherous for the tip!

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There are two variants of the Palm Pixi Plus available on AT&T, and the only difference up to today was the color of their backs. Today you can add price to the mix, as the bright blue-backed AT&T Pixi Plus has dropped to free, while its black-backed counterpart remains at $49.99. Both prices are, of course, for new contract customers. AT&T joins Verizon in offering the Pixi Plus for free with a new contract, leaving Sprint holding their older Wi-Fi-less plain ‘ole Pixi and still asking a cent under a Ulysses S. Grant for one.

Via: Engadget
Source: AT&T

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In a move surprising precisely no one, Sprint has made the Palm Pixi free after a 2 year contract and ‘instant savings,’ which is to say there is no mail-in rebate. This was inevitable after Verizon did the same for the Wi-Fi-enabled Pixi Plus.

Sprint is still selling the original Palm Pre for $149.99, however, while Verizon has it back ‘up’ to $49.99 after briefly selling it for only $29.99. While Sprint’s overall plan prices are definitely cheaper than Verizon’s, Verizon still arguably offers the better deal as they are also still including Mobile Hotspot for free.

Sprint website, thank to jhoove09 for the tip!

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It was only a matter of time before the WiFi-less, Sprint bound Pixi dropped to "free with a 2-year contract" pricing on the America’s 3rd largest network, and you can now hit Sprint’s online portal to get the diminutive smartphone for the sweet sweet price of zero dollars with a new contract.  As is generally the case with Sprint, brick and mortar corporate stores can’t match the web pricing on these kinds of deals, so if you want your free Pixi through Sprint proper you’ll have to wait a few days after ordering, or wait until in-store pricing inevitably follows suit.

Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

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We heard a couple of weeks ago from an anonymous tipster that RadioShack might End of Lifed (EOL) both the Sprint Pre and Pixi – but, you know, we weren’t sure how we felt about the rumor. Today, however, All Things D saw the writing on the wall, er, web page today, noting that the PRe and Pixi are gone from RadioShack’s site and nearly gone from physical stores. 

We’d like to think that this portends that the Sprint Pre and Pixi will get plussed, not that The Shack is no longer interested in webOS. That’s probably just blind optimism in these dark times, right?

Update: Several readers pointed us to this WSJ story confirming the rumor – looks like Radio Shack is dropping webOS devices in favor of other devices:

"I understand that the Pre will be replaced by a BlackBerry product and Pixi will be replaced by a messaging-centric device," said Sprint spokeswoman. "These are very logical changes to newer models from Sprint."

Thanks to anonymous tipsters!

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