Do you understand your smartphone... really understand it? Know its moods, its wants, its desires? A survey hosted by Best Buy Mobile shows that half of people don't, with 47 percent saying the things confuse the heck out of them, while 60 percent of those aged 35 - 49 feel that people with smartphones spend too much time working and not enough time playing Wii Sports Bowling. Those feelings of confusion and ire doesn't stop a "sizable segment" of the rest of the 1,000 people surveyed from wanting a handset with brains, with most desiring access to the sort of apps you can't get on dumbphones, and 14 percent of women saying that playing games was "very important" -- only nine percent of men said the same. Sadly, there was no figure indicating how many people enjoy paying too much for text messages and signing their lives away on lengthy contracts.

We'll be straight with you, we have no idea if the linked document (that builds on the original) is authentic or not. Then again, why would someone go to the trouble of faking a 31 page PDF file showing Palm Pre inventories for every Best Buy in the US and Puerto Rico -- the internet just can't be so sad. Anyway, given the positive reviews received, we expected demand to outstrip the meager inventories on-hand at launch. As we figure it, anything that might help you sort out the mess on Saturday will be appreciated.

[Via Everything Pre, thanks John]

Read -- PDF share 1
Read -- PDF share 2

We don't want to incite panic in big box parking lots from coast to coast or anything (or do we?), but from the looks of things, Best Buy's Pre stock for launch day is meager at best -- and distribution is a little weird. A poster over on everythingpre's forums threw up a bunch of alleged inventory screen shots, suggesting that Florida and Texas stores are particularly well-off -- many stores are expected to get 18, 20 or more -- while Illinois stores appear to be getting hosed (a trip to the Hancock location downtown, for example, will result in success for just two people). The way we see it, this could be fake -- but it might just have to do with how close each store is to Best Buy's distro centers or a balancing act with proximity to Sprint locations in the area. Worst case scenario, we figure, you can just riot.

Update: A tipster tells us these "On Order" numbers are actually the number of Pres each store's manager has requested, which doesn't necessarily correlate to the number they'll actually receive. Of course, that still doesn't explain why downtown Chicago's Best Buy would request just two -- there have to be some other constraints involved that we're not privy to -- but it's an interesting tidbit nonetheless.

This is starting to become a trend that we can't imagine carriers and manufacturers are too pleased with, but for whatever reason, Sprint's Samsung Exclaim is just the latest victim in a string of Best Buy outings. The previously-rumored dual slider looks to be hitting in your choice of blue and "berry" (are we the only ones that find that amusing?) for $399.99 off-contract with an estimated shipment in 1-2 weeks' time, aligning it nicely with talk that we'd see a launch in June. Your hard-earned cash nets you a 2 megapixel cam, microSD expansion, A2DP, and -- perhaps most importantly -- both QWERTY and numeric sliding keypads for those times when you're feeling a little indecisive. Hey, if the form factor works for Pantech, it can certainly work for Samsung, right?

[Via Phone Scoop]

We'd say that Best Buy's phone pricing is never a set-in-stone indication of the price you'll pay direct from the carrier, but it's probably pretty safe to assume from these tags that everyone -- Rogers, Best Buy, Future Shop, you name it -- will be charging within a few bucks of CAD $149.99 ($135) for your choice of the Dream or Magic when the Android sets launch on June 2. That's not too terribly bruising on the pocketbook, but that's going to be on a three-year contract with a minimum $45 voice / data plan; if you step down to a two-year deal, you jump all the way up to a whopping $449.99, and a contract-free purchase is going to set you back $599.99. Tell you what, Rogers: give us both the black and the white Dream for $450 on a two-year and you've got yourselves a deal. Sound good?

Verizon still hasn't fessed up to the imminent launch of its Voyager successor, but no matter -- its retail partners are happy to do that on their own. Best Buy's product page for the VX11000 enV Touch has now gone live, offering the phone for a $599.99 commitment-free -- which, to be fair, is still way less than the Pre's $849.99 -- along with a nice, clear bunch of press shots of the front of the phone from every conceivable angle. The front's nice, the inside's great, but one unexpected touch is the crazy stylized back; it doesn't make up for the loss of VCAST TV, admittedly, but it's pretty cool nonetheless. The enV Touch isn't in stock on Best Buy's site just yet, but with the June 5 date with destiny still on as far as we can tell, it should be ready to ship any day now.

[Via CNET]

While subsidies, long-term contracts and unbecoming groveling are all part of the game when it comes to getting a hot new phone for a reasonable price, we'd say Best Buy's listed "regular price" for the Palm Pre is a little extreme: $849.99 will buy you a lot of Palm shares these days. That's miles away from Sprint's supposed $550 off-contract price, and it sounds like somebody along the chain doesn't want just anyone walking out of a Best Buy with Pre in their pocket and no "Simply Everything" plan hanging around their neck.

[Thanks, Fredrick C]

The Pre launch continues to befuddle -- sure, we finally know that June 6 is when the magic happens, but the mechanics of actually snagging Palm's baby on that day are still pretty mysterious, and that's leaving a lot of room open for misinformation. Today's cloudy tea-reading comes courtesy of an ever-changing list of stores on Sprint.com that are marked as having June 5 "special hours," which some are reading to mean that only those stores will be blessed. We don't buy it. First, we've been told specifically that all stores will have Pre stock, even if it's minimal, and second, the special hours distribution just doesn't seem right to us if it's really correlated with Pre stocks: New York, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco are each currently showing just one store within 50 miles as having special hours, and Philly, Atlanta, and Houston have none listed at all. That's a way different list than when our friends at jkOnTheRun checked earlier, and it's a recipe for total launch chaos if it's true -- but we're guessing the real deal is that all stores will get stock, but only one flagship store in each major metro area will be going all out on launch day with special hours.

Oh, and if you're planning on avoiding all the drama and just rolling into Best Buy on the 7th, we'd say think again: Boy Genius Report says that the Blue will go "weeks after launch with little or no replenishment." Ouch -- guess Sprint CEO Dan Hesse wasn't kidding around about shortages. Bottom line? Keep calling your local Sprint store to see if they get any information about the Pre, and keep it locked right here as we lead in -- we'll be working hard to let you know exactly when and where your best bet'll be.

Read - Sprint Store Locator
Read - Boy Genius Report on Best Buy stock
Read - jkOnTheRun post

Boy Genius Report cites a source claiming that Best Buy -- the whole chain -- will be allotted just 4,250 Pres for launch day, which works out to something like 4 per Pre-selling Best Buy Mobile installation. Seems like those should sell out right quick and leave a whole bunch of folks high and dry (if demand is as strong as Palm and Sprint undoubtedly hope it'll be), and the situation isn't any better over at Radio Shack where we've learned an internal communication reads:

"Due to inventory constraints on the June 6 launch date, not all stores will be able to carry the Palm Pre at launch. To make sure we get the maximum advertising and brand benefit while still having enough inventory to meet the expected demand, we have selected key markets to receive the device at launch."

Here's the best part, though: Radio Shack locations not receiving the phone on the 6th are being encouraged to offer the Instinct S30 as an alternative. Look, the S30's a fine phone for what it is (we suppose), but something tells us that no one -- and we mean no one -- is cross-shopping it with the Pre.

[Thanks, RWS]

Best Buy may not be launching the Pre exclusively, but it's probably the place to go if you're scouting one come June 6th. Why? Pretty simple, really -- you'll leave the joint with an extra Benjamin in your purse. You see, those who waltz into a Sprint store will be forced to pay $299.99 up front (with a two-year contract) and wait eons for a $100 mail-in rebate to return. Over at Best Buy Mobile, you'll pay $199.99 free and clear, sign your contract and proceed to send us loads of personal hands-on shots. Be honest -- which scenario sounds superior to you?

[Via Brighthand]

The day you've been waiting for is here. Sprint just announced that the Pre will cost $199.99 after $100 mail-rebate and 2-year contract and will launch on June 6th as rumored this morning. The phone will go on sale nationwide (US-only at the moment) at Sprint stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and select Wal-Mart stores. The Pre will be available under Sprint's Everything Data or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plans. Accessories include the optional $69.99 Touchstone charging dock kit that includes the $49.99 dock and $19.99 Pre back cover. June 6th, that's two days before the WWDC keynote. Poor Apple.

All signs are pointing toward an early June Pre launch at this point; of course, we know it'll launch in the first half of the year -- and we're quickly running out of first half -- but we've heard increased chatter the past few weeks suggesting that June 5 or June 7 are particularly likely targets for bringing Palm's (and Sprint's) would-be savior to market. The latest evidence comes once again from our friends at Best Buy, where the recently-added Touchstone inventory stub has already been updated to reflect an "In Stock Date" of -- you guessed it -- June 7. As we've noted before, that's a Sunday, which is Sprint's traditional launch day; not to say there's anything traditional about the Pre or the hype surrounding its appearance, but it's something to chew on. Worst case, we figure you'll be able to swing by your favorite big box on the 7th and pick up a cool, pricey inductive dock even if you can't pick up a phone.

[Thanks, Mr. Caffoni]

Looks familiar eh? If you're a fan of leaks and pre-release innuendo then you're already acquainted with Best Buy's internal inventory system. According to lgmac, forum jockey and self-proclaimed Best Buy employee over at SprintUser, the first Palm Pre accessories have just been entered into the system. The list includes 5 cases (3 acrylic, 1 leather, 1 labeled "Palm Pre case") and the Touchstone charging kit which lists for a whopping $69.99 -- the same price already rumored. Really Palm, $70? We've been inductive charging our SoniCare toothbrush for years already -- the tech just isn't that amazing anymore, magnet or not. You'll note that the "in stock date" is listed as May 10th so with any luck we'll soon be hearing from Mr. BlurryCam with some shots from the warehouse.

[Via PreThinking]

Given that Sprint and Palm are no stranger to Best Buy shelves, it was only natural that the Pre would be headed that way, and it looks like a sure thing now that a bright yellow Pre banner landed on Best Buy's website. Oddly, the banner only seems to show its face under specific searches for "pre" or "palm pre," and isn't linked to any further info -- like a super-convenient launch date and price or anything special like that. What it does suggest is that Palm may or may not be gearing up to reveal those very facts. Possibly.

[Via Everything Pre; thanks to everyone who sent this in]

If this latest bit of Pre intel scored by Boy Genius Report is to be believed, it looks like you might be able to pick up one of 4,500 of Palm's latest and greatest as early as June 7. According to a tip from a supposed Best Buy insider, the venerable retailer could be gearing up to launch the hotly anticipated handset in just over a month's time, though it's not clear whether this'll coincide with Sprint's full-scale launch or come before or after. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, they've got some possible numbers on what this beauty will run you: $199.99 for new customers with a 2-year plan, $299.99 for upgrades, and a cool $999.99 contract-free -- though in our experience, Best Buy Mobile frequently has its pricing wrong ahead of launch, so these are definitely subject to change.