The Pre also serves as a personal information manager, has a number of communication and collaboration applications, and has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity built-in.

A revised model, the Palm Pre Plus, which doubled the available memory and internal storage, was launched on January 25, 2010, for Verizon Wireless and later released on AT&T Mobility on May 16, 2010.

"[11] Sprint's CEO, Dan Hesse, commented that his company and Palm had agreed not to discuss the length of the exclusivity deal, but remarked that "it's not six months.

"[12] On July 7, 2009, Telefónica announced that they would exclusively carry the Palm Pre in the UK, Spain, Ireland and Germany on their O2 and Movistar networks, with availability "before the winter holidays".

The device had a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, a 5-megapixel camera, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta and more durable hardware including a Gorilla Glass screen.

[24][25] The phone was released to consumers in France (2010 October; SFR), Canada (2010 December; Rogers), and the U.S. (2011 February; Verizon) and was also available unlocked from HP.

HP stated that Verizon Wireless customers would be able to use Skype Mobile for Skype-to-Skype calls and messaging[23] when webOS 2.0 is released for consumer use.

A-GPS with support for turn-by-turn navigation is also included, though access to aGPS features remains locked for Verizon Wireless users.

The Touchstone Charger requires a compatible back cover, which was sold separately from the Pre but included in subsequent models.

Synergy was highly innovative, and was regarded by many as a highlight of the new operating system,[32] but received some criticism for being undiscerning in what it included in the contacts application.

[33] The device makes use of the cloud based services model, but uses no desktop sync client (in the style of Palm's HotSync synchronization method).

[36] When showcased in January 2009, five months prelaunch, the Pre received positive reviews, winning CNET's Best in Show, Best in Category: Cell Phones & Smartphones,[37] and People's Voice for CES 2009.

[41] In Engadget's second open letter to Palm, they cited "hardware issues which plagued the Pre, with no outward acknowledgment or rush to correct.

[43] Users expressed intense concern about the slow pace of new webOS releases and the absence of substantially improved hardware.

[45][46] While it was the fastest-selling cell phone in Sprint's history, the Pre has been described as Palm's swan song since the sales were not enough to keep the company afloat, leading to its acquisition by HP.