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An hands-on preview of the Pre packaging has come by the way of Chinese website MaxPDA (translated page here), including a gallery of the Palm Pre box, manuals, and other goodies. If you're a fan of carefully saving the boxes of all your favorite devices, then this could be an exciting peek at what to look forward to. For the rest of us...where's the beef? (or Pre, that is)

What's interesting is the inclusion of a "Phone Pouch" and stereo headset in the contents list, so looks like you'll be ready to hit the road with your webOS device on day one (sans the sexy Touchstone dock, of course). More photos after the break.

The last week has seen some potential gains for Palm, with Sprint expanding employee training and news that Canada and Australia could be next to adopt the new webOS handset. However, the outlook has not been all rosy. Palm could be facing an uphill battle leading up to the release of the Pre. We review a couple issues including supply and demand, poor quarterly numbers by Sprint, and skeptical analysts.

Possible Pre shortages; issues with suppliers, price = DOA?

Palm could face a serious supply crunch if their new webOS device flies off store shelves, Bloomberg suggests. According to six analysts, the median estimate of Pre stock at launch will be about 375,000. This is in comparison to Apple's 1 million 3G iPhones that sold in only three days after launch. Sprint employees have already been told to wait a few months before buying a Pre for themselves, reports PreCentral.

In addition, "the Pre has to live up to the hype or else they'll lose their momentum to rival products," states an analyst from Gartner, Inc, possibly referring to a new iPhone model that could be unveiled at the Apple WWDC on June 8th.

As for their supplier, rumored Taiwan-based Chi Mei, they could be experiencing some manufacturing issues due to little experience with mobile devices, TamsPalm notes. Collins Stewart analyst Ashok Kumar elaborates via CNBC, stating that "due to multiple hardware and software issues, Palm has dramatically reduced its production orders for Pre with its ODM partner." Smartphone growth has also been slowing, while the playing field has become more crowded with competitors.

Palm also needs to tread lightly on the issue of pricing; previous reports had the device pegged at $300, but recent reports predict it could be as low as $150 after rebate. "If Sprint does not match or beat AT&T's subsidized iPhone price of $199...the Pre is DOA", Kumar warns.

Sprint posts $594M quarterly loss ahead of Palm Pre

Sprint has recently been absorbing heavy losses, as has Palm, with their net losses expanding from $505 million last year to $594 this quarter, an 18 percent drop. They also dropped off 182,000 subscribers this year, down to 49.1 million.

This is certainly not new; they have been shedding revenue and subscribers for some time; however Electronista notes that member losses have been slowing as of late. The increased retention was largely due to Sprint pushing their $50 unlimited plan on Boost Mobile.

Company cash flow has also been increasing, which bodes well for Sprint readying for the Pre for a possible June 7th release date. "We generated more than enough cash...to pay all of our 2009 debt maturities," states Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. Could their accelerating Palm Pre ad campaign pay off for them in the end?

New videos of the Palm Pre have surfaced recently, possibly from an internal Sprint training source. The first video offers a peek into the contacts functionality, including dynamic updating over the cloud from various online sources, such as Facebook. The second video gives a brief look at e-mailing and integration of multiple addresses using synergy.

UPDATE: A third video has surfaced, this time detailing the unique gestures functionality of the Pre.

Hopefully, we will see more vids like these to help keep our Pre cravings in check. Chris Whiting, a professional "Fake Announcer" does the bit, and helps to hype up the features of the new webOS device. Sprint is also pushing their ad campaign with several commercial shorts, sporting a high-tech theme. In case you missed them, three TV spots have been featured so far:

• Commercial 1
• Commercial 2
• Commercial 3

The Palm Pre Touchstone inductive charger, as well as several cases for the Pre, have appeared in Best Buy's internal inventory system. The "Touchstone Kit" for the new webOS device lists as $69.99 and presumably will include the required matte battery cover, confirming earlier rumors regarding pricing. A Touchstone line of products is also expected in the future.

While inductive charging is certainly not new (electric toothbrushes have been using them for some time), it is the first time such technology has been used on a cellphone, and is sure to entice many Pre users to upgrade from the basic USB charging cable, despite the weighty price tag.

In addition, five cases - three acrylic, one leather, and one labelled "palm pre case" were also identified in the system. So a decent selection of cases should be available to protect your shiny new Pre.

via SprintUsers

UPDATE: Engadget reports that the "In Stock Date" for the Touchstone has been changed to 06-07-2009 (June 7th). This coincides with earlier rumors that the Pre could also hit store shelves that day.

UPDATE #2: The Touchstone dock will be available for purchase with the Palm Pre, which now officially has a June 6th release date.

According to Smarthouse, Palm Manager for Australia Brett Murray states that a second half of 2009 Pre release is forthcoming. Telstra, Australia's largest wireless carrier, is tipped to be picking up the new webOS handset, although Murray would not confirm any exclusivity details.

Research group iSuppli, who predicted the cost of manufacturing the Pre to be about $170, predicts Palm to offer the Pre to Telstra for about $400AUD (~$300USD) who may sell the phone down under for $299AUD (~$225USD) on a plan and $899AUD (~$675USD) outright.

The news comes around the same time as carrier Bell Mobility announced an exclusivity deal for the Pre in Canada. A European release is also on the way, as Palm is currently in the final stages of securing a provider.

Palm verified this week that the Pre will be available exclusively on the CDMA Bell Mobility network in the second half of 2009. This confirms rumors the Pre was headed to Bell earlier this year, and will make Bell the second carrier to officially announce the upcoming webOS handset. The exclusivity contract means that rival CDMA provider Telus Mobility will not carry the device upon the Canadian launch (despite earlier rumors). Adel Bazerghi, senior vice president of products for Bell Mobility, states:

“Bell is excited to be only the second carrier in the world to announce the 3G Pre. With the unique user experience of the world’s first webOS phone, running on the country’s largest 3G network, we’re confident that Canadians will embrace Pre as the phone for their lives today."

Bell has a longtime partnership with Palm, currently offering the Centro and Treo Pro in their lineup. Pricing and exclusivity details for the Pre on Bell have not yet been announced. You can visit the official Bell Palm Pre page for details.

Source

Normally, we would hope Palm employees minimize their downtime to get the new webOS Pre out in time. However, a particular lunch break scheduled on June 5th is definitely something we can look forward to. An anonymous tipster recently sent BGR an internal Palm memo of an itinerary for Palm Pre training beginning on June 3rd, and culminating in a "LAUNCH LUNCH" on Friday, June 5th at noon.

While this opens up the possibility of a June 5th or 6th launch, the rumored June 7th release date may still hold up, given that Sprint tends to prefer Sunday for new handset launches. A Sprint blogger (who previously posted a Palm Pre FAQ) also hints at June 7th with a pic of the alleged date on his blog, notes PreCentral. Any of these dates would still preempt the iPhone Developers Conference scheduled for the 8th.

Perhaps this luncheon could be a little R&R before Sprint goes full steam ahead with the Pre? The new rumors also mean that the previous May 17th date, gathered from internal memos and shipment documents, could be losing steam.

Reports of expanded training are also surfacing. PreThinking notes that Sprint's business unit has already begun online Palm Pre training, which includes managers and upper personnel. This is in addition to retail-level training of Sprint Store Advocates, who are experts on a given device.

Unfortunately, looks like we won't be getting much info from them anytime soon, as employees receive a strict NDA statement before and after the training. Apparently, some have already been terminated for publicly discussing the Pre. Sprint employees have been rumored to be training for some time now, while AT&T has given employees some anti-Pre training of their own.

The latest in a string of rumors regarding price and release date are that Palm's webOS handset could launch on June 7th and cost as little as $150. The last word of a release date pegged it at May 17th, pieced together from leaked internal memos and a May 16th delivery date. The new release date rumor comes from a post at SprintGurus via Precentral, who posted an internal document (below) listing various Sprint handsets. In regards to the Pre, he states:

"Here is a listing of the handsets Sprint is currently testing in alpha/beta stages...For those asking about the Pre, there are 2 release windows, one is around 6/7/09 - the other I cannot say much on."

Moreover, EverythingPre reports that the first shipment of Palm Pre phones is rumored to have just left Hong Kong via UPS and en-route to Louisville, where it will be transferred to another location in preparation for reshipping. An early June release would probably give them enough time to properly distribute the phone among stores.

In terms of pricing, the previous speculation of a $299 price tag had some some editors crying foul, considering the lower-priced iPhone and G1 handsets with similarly-priced service plans. However, a lower price point could be quite possible according to The Street, who predict that the subsidized price may be as low as $150 to undercut the entry-level $199 iPhone model.