It’s GO TIME for Palm Pre: Sprint buys full page ad in WSJ

Today, Sprint showed off a full page ad for the Palm Pre, touting the “Now Network.” To date, the phone has not been priced nor has availability been announced other than “in the first half of ’09.” The ad coupled with their TV spot I covered this week which also showed the Palm Pre at the end of the ad.

Yesterday, on the back page of the first section of the Wall Street Journal I admired a full page iPhone ad touting apps. I noted the ad was all about apps, not so much about the phone or its own software. Apple seems to be saying, “look at all the things you can do with this.” The device is becoming transparent; it is all about the apps.

The Pre, which was announced back at CES, has been the darling of the media. The device offers, perhaps, the first real challenge to the iPhone experience. Need more info on the Pre, check out this primer.

With the Now Network ad, Sprint is slowing bringing out the Pre. The phone was not mentioned by name in the TV spot, but in the WSJ ad, it was named. Could Sprint be signaling we are getting close? Could the Pre be inbound for an imminent launch? Will Sprint pitch this phone as business-focused?

There is only two things I would bet on at this point:
1. Sprint will launch this phone before Apple’s event in June.
2. It will be a big launch. Lots of glitz, lots of pizazz, lots of phones.

The rest is wide open. Place your bet for a public release date of the Palm Pre in the comments below.