For Verizon users, a conference call with Verizon execs brought some good news, confirming that the company will carry the Pre "early next year", reports Digital Daily. This backs up earlier rumors that Verizon was to get Palm's new device, although the length of Sprint's Pre exclusivity is still in the air.
As for the bad news, the conference call with Verizon CFO John Killan reported that "the current environment is challenging", and a total 16,000 jobs could be lost by the end of the year (8,000 jobs already lost in the past year). In response, they are looking at cutting costs in "all other areas". Profits were also down 21 percent. This is running akin to Sprint's huge losses in subscribers and revenue last quarter, prior to the release of the webOS Palm Pre.
For those not willing to wait, Verizon has been hacked on the Palm Pre with voice and text working, although data is still not functional.
Meanwhile, Bell Canada is expected to beat Verizon to the punch (which could land by early August) and be the first carrier outside of the US. According to MobileSyrup they are expected to book the Pre on a 6-month exclusive, which would out rival CDMA provider Telus. According to a leaked document called Bell Strategy:
Bell will be the second carrier worldwide (after Sprint) to sell the Palm Pre, with exclusivity for 6 months. Bell anticipates the Canadian market will strongly embrace this product with strong interest, which will boost overall smartphone sales.
What other carriers would you like to see the Pre come to next?
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