Palm Pre’s Launch Near as Sprint Employees Begin Product Training…

All the rumors and speculations of a mid-April/late April/May launch of the Palm Pre doesn’t appear to be too far of a stretch. Stated in an email from Sprint, “Employees can expect training to start in April as well as multiple communications to get them excited and ready to help our customers.” I was wondering if the

 training has begun — so I asked for a confirmation on that thought.

“I would like to inform that Sprint is in the process of providing the training for the new Palm Pre. Once it’s launched, Sprint will be ready to serve their valued customers regarding the Palm Pre.”

The fact that Sprint employees are already training up on the Palm Pre, pretty much implies that the release date of the Pre should be near. On top of that, early this week, Sprint began getting the word out about the Pre with their new marketing campaign. So don’t be surprised when the Palm Pre launches within the coming 5 weeks or so!

Some say that after seeing Palm Pre demos at CTIA, the Pre doesn’t seem to be ready, software wise. And of course many have advised Palm and Sprint to not rush the phone. So the question is, is it really ready?

Back in late January, it was rumored that Sprint employees were already getting training on the Pre, I guess this proves it false.

Here’s the rest of that email:

• Pricing for the Palm Pre phone has yet to be determined.
• The Palm Pre will be the first phone to run on Palm webOS – a brand-new operating system, invented exclusively for mobile use and designed to be constantly connected to the web!
• The Palm Pre’s webOS interface lets users keep multiple applications open and move easily between them.
• The Pre offers an instinctive user experience that seems to anticipate the user’s next move.
• When closed, the phone is ideal for phone calls, web browsing, music, photos and videos.
• When open, Pre is optimized for e-mail and text messaging with a keyboard that slides out only when needed.
• The Palm Pre will compete favorably with the hero products at other carriers including the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry Storm, andT-Mobile G1. Sprint expects the device to attract many customers andwill market heavily against the competition. More competitive information to come as we approach launch.
• Still not convinced? PCWorld.com said in an April 2, 2009 article: “Overall, despite not having seen the Palm Pre yet, there are plenty of reasons to get excited!”
• At it’s initial launch, the Palm Pre will be exclusively available through Sprint.
• Our customers will be the first to experience the Palm web OS – keeping us ahead of the competition.
• The 2009 launch of the Palm Pre is expected to be more than just any old phone launch. Remember the 2008 launch of the Instinct? Think bigger and better!
• It is critical that Sprint remain ahead of the competition and not allow any important information to be leaked to the public before we are set and ready to go.
• Employees can expect training to start in April as well as multiple communications to get them excited and ready to help our customers.

I think the Sprint rep just got this fresh information this week from their “Weekly Product Update”, since they mentioned an PCWorld.com article that was posted a week ago.

Hat Tip- PreThinking