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Looks like Sprint may not be the only ones getting ready for the Pre. Electronista reports that Bell Canada may be one of the next providers of Palm's sleek new handset. This comes from a Bell roadmap leaked to Mobile Syrup, showing the Pre listed as "Late Q2 / early Q3", just a short while after Sprint is expected to have it. Sprint's release date was listed for May, according to a leaked EOL list earlier this month. The report also lists Bell as having the Treo Pro by Feb 26, possibly even coming before the Sprint version because of further delays, as well as upcoming Blackberry Niagara and Pearl Flip phones for the Canadian CDMA provider.

Possible Software differences between Sprint and Bell's Pre handsets are not yet known. Prices for the Bell model are still under wraps, and Sprint's version has been rumored to be priced at $150 after rebate on a 3 year plan, although it's still too early for anything concrete.

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Update: Mobile Syrup has further proof that new Palms are coming to Bell, albeit only for the Treo Pro and Pearl Flip. Being that the Pre is listed for slightly later, it shouldn't be too long before we see materials confirming a launch date as well.

Update (02/27): BusinessWire reports that the Treo Pro has been officially released on Bell Canada for $99.95 on a 3 year voice and data plan, beating Sprint to the punch. The Pearl Flip has been released at $29.95 on the same plan. At this rate, will Bell be the next North American carrier for the Pre?

Looks like we may have one less handset to get in the way of the Pre. Electronista reports that Sprint's Treo Pro, scheduled for Feb 15 (previously moved from Jan 25), has now been "delayed indefinitely". This comes unexpectedly but hardly a surprise, as anticipation for the Palm Pre has far overshadowed the Treo since it's announcement. The article also notes that some of the marketing materials for the Pro have already been delivered; but with a "TBD" release date, it's unclear as to when the CDMA handset will make it's way onto store shelves, if ever.

Earlier, Sprint's leaked EOL (End of Life) list stated that the Pro was to replace the 800W sometime between February 15 and April, at the time when the 800W would have been discontinued. In the document, the Pre is listed as replacing the 755P by May.

If true, Sprint can focus it's marketing might in making sure the Pre gets the attention it deserves.

What should Sprint's next move be? Sites like IklanGadget have already started a poll as to whether Sprint should still release the new device or not. Can the Pro, with Windows Mobile, stand a chance against the Pre and webOS? And for that matter, how many people do you know who are planning to upgrade to the Treo Pro?

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Update: BoyGeniusReport has written a follow-up on the Treo Pro; apparently there is new target launch for the device - March 15. While this is still speculation, the reason may be that it "didn't pass Sprint's standard testing process". If this is true, then it would move the release date of the Pro much closer to that of the Pre.

Update #2: Palm Infocenter reports that the Treo Pro will be officially available on Sprint March 15. The device will be $199.99 with a two-year subscription (after a $100 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate, with an Everything plan with data or a $30 per month or higher data add-on). Full retail price comes in at $549.99 with no contract. Reasons for the initial delay were still unknown.

Engadget has written another informative article, this time expanding on the popular issue of the Pre and webOS advantages over the iPhone. The list includes features such as:

• Push notifications
• Developer freedom
• Multitasking
• Synergy contacts
• Ease of development
• Speed
• Keyboard + Removable Battery
• Copy and Paste

There's still some love for the iPhone though, and there's a few areas Apple still is winning the race:

• Native development
• Learning curve
• Ecosystem (i.e. iTunes)
• NOT tied to AT&T and Sprint

They don't neglect the other contenders either, and go on to highlight the big draws of Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile. Worth a read.

Head on over to the full article:

Palm may be captain of the Pre, but to do well against your competitors you need a strong team behind you. The folks at Palm Infocenter are taking it on themselves to size up the strong third-party team that Palm is assembling for the launch of their new device.

Looks like Palm is continuing to bolster it's staff lineup, this time poaching from overseas smartphone manufacturer HTC. UK magazine Mobile reports that Paul Ghent, executive director of HTC Europe, has left the company to become sales vice president of Palm's Europe, Middle East and Africa division. This comes at the heels of the launch of the Pre, which simultaneously takes on smartphone giants Apple, HTC, BlackBerry, and Nokia with it's sleek new handset. Ghent has been instrumental in bringing devices such as the Touch and Touch Diamond to market in Europe, with HTC shares in the global market more than doubling in 2008.

While still with HTC, Ghent attributed their success in no small part from moving away from labels associated with Windows Mobile, while building up their own brand identity. And how is HTC Europe handling the switch? Mobile reports that no replacement for Ghent has been announced, rather HTC’s Dave Catt takes on Ghent’s duties in the short term. 

Things are really shaking up. Just recently former Palm CEO Donna Dubinsky had her spot filled by Rajiv Dutta, former executive vice president of eBay. And around the same time, Chuq Von Respach left Apple to work as Developer Community Manager for Palm. Which leads us to the question - with such high anticipation of the Pre, who is next to come over to the ranks of Palm? And if the new device can live up to the hype, competitors may all be trying to get a piece of Palm's talent in return.

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Looks like the newspapers are also seeing the Pre as the next big thing. Last month, New York Times' columnist David Pogue took a visit to the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and was generally unimpressed with Apple's latest offerings, which included iPhoto '09 and iMovie '09; he was expecting something bigger from a company "whose track record includes the iPod and the iPhone". But what good did he take away from the event this year?

"There was one smash hit of C.E.S., and it came from a company most people had left for dead: Palm."

Apparently, the tech writers in attendance were buzzing all around the stylish handheld, and people couldn't get enough of it at the convention. He also had good things to say about the synergy feature, that combines all your contacts from Outlook, Gmail, Facebook into "one unified little black book for all".

Unfortunately, wishing for it won't make the Pre come any sooner, nor do we recommend trying to sneak into Palm headquarters to take a peek at the new smartphone. But recently, Sprint announced a way to be the first in line for the new high-tech handset. In the release, Sprint announced they wanted to "thank customers with launch of exclusive program that provides unique perks and instant rewards to loyal customers". Through the Sprint Premier program, customers will receive benefits such as anniversary rewards, accessory discounts, and most importantly:

First to Know/First to Buy: Longstanding customers get an exclusive first peek at new products and services such as the upcoming Palm Pre™, and then are among the first with opportunities to purchase when they become available.

Clearly, this is where you want to be if you've got Pre on your mind. 

On a lighter note, that's the question that Jon Zilber of the official Palm blog, wants to know. Because as tech geeks, we all want to know what our devices can do for us besides just playing games and checking our e-mails (plus it doesn't hurt to have a good reason for the wife when the Pre rolls around: "but honey, Steve's Palm saved his life just last week!")

Zilber seems to have heard it all, from a Centro surviving a 400 foot fall, to emotional stories like Major Matt White of the US Air Force, who was part of the rescue operation in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike last year:

I feel quite certain that the Treo helped to save not only my life, but the lives of three children, their father, and two other men."

So what interesting / useful / crazy stories do you have about YOUR Palm (or other handheld, for that matter), and how do you expect the Pre to change your life when it arrives?

Feel free to post in the comments below, or head over to the blog.