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Verizon Palm Voice Test Page Appears

By: , 1/10/2011 5:06 pm | 18 comments

The image above is cropped from a screenshot of what appears to be a new LTE (4G) version of the Palm Pre Plus renamed the Palm Voice Test. Everyone ready for warmed over hardware with a strange and impermanent sounding name? Don’t be. Earlier today PreCentral received a tip about the existence of a page on Verizon Wireless’ “testman” subdomain with the Palm Voice Test name as the product name and a page populated with references to 4G LTE data. It’s all a bit confusing at first glance and begs the question, “what does it all mean?”

The gadget and technology monolith-of-a-blog Engadget has posted their own thoughts as to the purpose of this page:

We’re guessing that an admin simply populated this page with information and images from the standard Pre Plus page — there’s no way an LTE-enabled Pre is planning to slink into VZW’s lineup — but it’s pretty obvious that at least someone within the company is thinking about a world where voice calls are completed over LTE. Potentially more interesting is the “4G plan pricing on this phone” line — during Verizon’s second LTE presser at CES, none of the executives on stage would talk dollars and cents, but this makes it fairly clear that there will definitely be separate plans for 4G phones, most likely ones with higher prices.

This page could very well simply be a further indicator that Verizon does plan on eventually moving to voice and data over LTE – in contrast to their upcoming crop of LTE phones revealed at CES that rely on 3G data for voice services. Still, one must wonder: why the choice of a Palm phone for the information and images displayed on the page as well as the name Palm Voice Test? Are there some Palm fanboys producing test-pages deep within the confines of a secret Verizon bunker? Could upcoming HP/Palm hardware from Verizon be the first to utilize LTE for both voice and data on their network? There just isn’t enough information to be gleaned from this page to put a more concrete postulation together. Perhaps you, our loyal readers, have a better idea as to what if anything this could mean for the future of webOS devices on Big Red? Leave us your thoughts (and prayers if you feel the need) and we will keep you updated as this story continues to develop.

[Source: PreCentral, Engadget]

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About Clifton Thomas

Clifton is a Contributor to webOSroundup. He is a graphic artist, textile designer, and passionate advocate of webOS.
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  • http://twitter.com/AboutwebOS Mark Coppock

    I’m really hoping that this doesn’t mean Verizon is getting the first 4G webOS device, although certainly Ruby hinted as much when he mentioned LTE as one of the high-speed networks he’s happy for (and specifically didn’t mention WiMax). I know it’s all speculation at this point (and less than a month before we’ll know more), but I really don’t like all of these ominous little tidbits pointing away from Sprint.

    • Cliff

      Agreed. Remember that our HP source told us that Sprint would have new 4G HW coming in …June if I remember correctly. All is not lost in Sprint land – just in the far (for me) too distant future to be comfortable.

  • [email protected]

    WHERE ARE MY POSTS!!!!!!!

    • Serentic

      Jeffrey, your post is right there and if you can’t see it with those horrendous caps then I suggest seeing a doctor.

  • [email protected]

    I HAD 3 POSTS ON THIS ARTICLE BEFORE THAT ONE WHICH MAGICALLY APPEARED. BESIDES THAT SPRINT & H/P IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2011 OH ABOUT 4 TO 6 WEEKS AWAY WILL OVERPOWER EVERY NEW THING THAT C.E.S. HAD TO DISPLAY. ALSO BEJEWELLED WILL NOT BE RELEASED FOR WEBOS ANYTIME SOON BUT SHORTLY WILL HIT WINDOWS PHONE 7 AND THE ANDROID O.S. WILL RECEIVE PEGGLE AND PLANTS VS ZOMBIES WITHIN SEVERAL MONTHS. GOD BLESS & BEST REGARDS,

    • DiscoFlash

      That’s great.

  • Cliff

    Sorry about the comments not showing up peoples. I am not sure what is going on as I have had the same thing happen to me. Mine also did appear eventually. Disqus must be having issues. Stay strong! =-)

  • Anonymous

    Palm Pre Voice test… Testing 1..2..3. I dont want to lose my sprint premier status w/1 yr upgrades…but if this puppy drops on verizon, i might be all over it.

  • Panoga

    If I were hp I would drop alot of leaks on the new phone tomorrow to steal iphones thunder. We all know a webos tablet is coming, ’tis the year for tablets. But when apple and verizon are planning to drop the iphone a week before hp’s conference, it’s time to let the cat out the bag and say “yes iphone is coming to verizon, but hp has this phone and wait till feb 9th to see what else is in store, and what will be joining it”. Hp can’t skip ces, and then let apple announce a few days later the iphone on verizon, and think they’ll steal the show. The iphone will be available on verizon by the time hp does there thing, apple will steel hp’s thunder. Sad really, I love webos, and have been loyal to palm since day one. I really hope hp does something tomorrow that will undercut apple/verizons annouchment

    • Cliff

      trying to steal the iPhone on Verizon’s thunder for HP would be like trying to catch the wind. There’s no reason to even try or bother. The momentum that both iOS has along with what Android has makes them immovable stones in the mind of the buying public. The trick is to realize that there is room for more then one mobile OS out there. Honestly the best thing HP and webOS can do is to exist beyond where the market is and be the point to where these stalwarts are aiming. HP has the potential with webOS to establish an ecosystem of devices that lives as an island to itself that other platforms for the meantime can only dream of being. Imagine if HP says – Moto Atrix – nice concept – but here’s how it is done. One OS/App Ecosystem that you take with you between devices without concern for screen size/resolution, purpose for product, or even location. webOS can exist contextually with a mobile profile that works on multiple devices top to bottom. That is real mobile computing, and it could be done if HP has the vision and balls to do it. I think we’ll see some realization of that total concept by the end of 2011.

      • Cliff

        Really to succeed webOS has to be thought of as more than a ‘smartphone’ operating system and more like an embedded device in that no matter what you use – webOS is there with your information and apps that adapts to suit the needs of what you are doing with an HP device at the time.

        • Cliff

          extending into that thought I think it would be great to see HP working with automotive and maybe even appliance manufacturers. The idea of a webOS printer seems strange until you think of it also in other staid and everyday stuff like your washer, your car, your home theatre. When all of that comes together it makes a lot more sense for the consumer.

  • Kate

    I don’t think it’s quite that complicated. The way it reads to me is Verizon will be launching a new Palm phone–the Palm “Voice”–and they’re getting the web page for it ready. I would do the same thing: take an already existing page of a previous device, plug in the name of the new device and start changing icons and other little details first. The actual text wouldn’t come until later since it has to be written, edited, approved, etc. Looks to me like we’re getting a Palm Voice with 4G. Yay!

    • Panoga

      Sorry kate, but you are on crack, it’s a dog eat dog world. We all would like to see webos front and center, but we must acknolwedge that iphone has posittioned itself well. And if hp keeps the carrriot on the stick we will all lose out. Hp could drop microsoft, and go with their own plantform (aka apple) and make webos and palm 2.0 the ends to a means. Or we can all tell steve jobs that he was right and the rest of suck

  • Panoga

    Sorry kate, but you are on crack, it’s a dog eat dog world. We all would like to see webos front and center, but we must acknolwedge that iphone has posittioned itself well. And if hp keeps the carrriot on the stick we will all lose out. Hp could drop microsoft, and go with their own plantform (aka apple) and make webos and palm 2.0 the ends to a means. Or we can all tell steve jobs that he was right and the rest of suck

  • Rell

    I am just wanting to know whether or not if the already palm pre plus users are gonna receive the webos 2.0 upgrade. I don’t need a new phone, I just want the software.

    • Minchkin

      My poor little Pixi+ had to wait forever to even get 1.4.5…. I am going to dread 2.0… :/

  • Bryanmorales1

    They better bring 4G plan to those sprint member, that got there Palm Pre and is this sticking to it intill the end.