Palm pre forum

While the talk doesn’t examine the recently found specs of Palm’s newest handset, it does provide some interesting news about their long-term plans for their new flagship handset. Excerpts after the break.

According to Ed, there will be no more PalmOS devices coming from Palm other than releasing the Centro on other carriers. Palm is now focused on webOS and Windows Mobile.

Sure to be a big hit, Palm has said that the Pre and webOS in general will NOT be locked down to applications bought from their application store…though the store will be open with the launch of the device.

Palm will not comment on length of exclusivity with Sprint for the US release of the Pre. Outside of the US, they are partnering with carriers in North America (Canada, Latin America) and Europe. Palm is hoping that a strong launch with Sprint will attract other US carriers to offer the handset, specifically noting 2010 as a timeframe for launch. Notice that none of this eliminates the possibility of an ‘unlocked’ GSM Pre that could be used on T-Mobile or AT&T in the States.

Colligan did make mention of needing a select number of apps at launch, specifically naming Epocrates. This would obviously target the many number of hospitals that use Sprint system-wide, as medical professionals rely on drug and treatment information on-the-go.

Finally, the CEO touched on one of the biggest news topics surrounding the Pre and webOS yet: does it infringe on Apple’s IP with the iPhone? According to Colligan, patent face-offs can be likened to two porcupines meeting: You circle one another in a defensive stance, not wanting to get too close and get stung. He said Palm is very respectful of other companies’ intellectual property, but has an impressive patent portfolio of their own…and will defend the Pre wherever necessary. Right now, no legal action has been taken by either side, and Palm is solely focused on getting the Pre out the door.