Thomas Lopez (@tmomaslomez) has been busy with his Pre. Last night he tweeted "My fav photo from our trip to SF http://post.ly/1Gav nearly 2k more taken with my Pre."

On the field, Ryan Howard is an all-star’s all-star. The 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies’ first baseman and 2006 National League MVP was the fastest player to reach 100 home runs in Major League Baseball history. And he’ll be on the field at today’s MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis. 

The event was attended by an impressive roster of athletes -- including Derek Jeter, Ernie Banks, Jason Bay, and Kevin Youkilis -- and entertainers -- like Alyssa Milano and DMC of Run-DMC (who also provided a special midnight performance). Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis thought Pre was “really cool,” and Nationals pitcher Ross Detwiler said Touchstone was “the coolest thing I have ever seen.” Tennis star Anna Kournikova, in St. Louis for the All-Star festivities, said she thought the new Pre was “so cute” and will be donating an autographed phone to her charity.

Palm Pre will arrive in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain on local Telefónica networks in those countries. Scheduled to be available in time for the holidays, Pre will be offered in the UK, Ireland and Germany on Telefónica's O2 network, and in Spain on Telefónica's Movistar network. You can read more about the announcement here.

Customers who would like to register to receive additional information about Palm Pre and be notified when it's available can register at:

• UK and Ireland: http://www.palm.com/uk-pre-notify
• Germany: http://www.palm.com/de-pre-notify
• Spain: http://www.palm.com/es-pre-notify

Jon Zilber

Between the backyard barbecue and the fireworks, you might enjoy these photos from an event last month honoring the work of our friends at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Have a happy Fourth of July!

Jon Zilber

As we slide into the Independence Day weekend, it seemed like a good time to salute some new Pre owners who reveal a truly independent spirit:

- Is it possible to live “off the grid” while using a device that relies on both electricity and a cellular network? After you read about this gentleman, you might ask whether it’s possible to live off the grid without one.

- At the other end of the lifestyle spectrum, is it possible to improve on the Touchstone inductive charger for Pre? Maybe – by attaching one to a BMW.

- Built-in Touchstone not enough of a tricked-out ride for you? How about turning your entire car into a Pre?

- Like the previous video, this was another winner in PreCentral’s “What Would You Do for a Palm Pre?” contest. (And this winner really put some skin in the game….)

Jon Zilber

When the reviews for Palm’s new Pre phone started coming out, the reactions from folks here ranged from -- we’ll admit it -- just a little pride (“a smart, sophisticated product” – Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal) to aw-shucks embarrassment (“a spectacular achievement…zero to 60 in one version” – David Pogue, The New York Times) to….well, frankly a few reviews left us pleasantly puzzled (“The Pre is the opposite of the mullet: Party in the front and business in the rear. We’ll make time for both.” -- Maxim).

And like the kudos we received when we unveiled Pre at CES in January, we appreciate the kind words (along with the constructive feedback). We also wanted to help make sure that you’d be hearing feedback from people who were learning how Pre fits into their lives after using it for a while. We asked for volunteers to become “Real Reviewers” – we provide the phone and the service, you provide your opinions. We heard from enough of you to populate a decent-sized city, and ultimately selected a cross-section of ten Real Reviewers who’ll be sharing their experiences on their favorite blogs and social networks.

You can meet the Real Reviewers on a discussion board on Palm’s Facebook page, where we’ll post links to keep you up to date on what they’re saying about the Pre, webOS, apps, accessories – and how it all fits into their lifestyles. For starters, here’s a review of the MotionApps “Classic” emulator that lets you run PalmOS apps on your Pre.

Thanks to all who applied for the Real Reviewers program! On the application questionnaire, we asked how you would describe yourself in a single word. Here’s a wordcloud summarizing the results -- you are truly a curious, busy, eclectic and awesome bunch of folks!

Jon Zilber

 

You might have caught the premiere of a new Palm Pre ad on Facebook earlier this month. This week, the new Palm Pre campaign hits the airwaves. The ad -- created by the Modernista! agency -- will air nationally over the next several weeks on everything from the Today show to "The Daily Show" to the Wimbledon finals. (You might also see online elements of the campaign on sites like Hulu, DailyCandy and YouTube.)

Jon Zilber

Looking for information about the Pre? Here are some suggestions to help you get the best and speediest responses.

• Have a question about -- or a problem with -- your Pre? The answer may already be on our support forums. If it isn’t, our moderators can often help you find a resolution. (There are specific forums for hardware, software, and webOS, as well as specific topics like Palm Synergy.)
   
• Got an idea for a feature you’d like to see? We’re all ears -- drop us a note in our virtual suggestion box.
   
• Looking to develop applications for the Pre? The Palm Developer Network is the place to go with questions about the Mojo SDK or other under-the-webOS-hood topics.
   
• Curious about Pre? Catch a guided tour and get even more details here.
   
• Wondering what other people are thinking about? Start a discussion board on Palm’s Facebook page. (You’ll also find links to many independent Palm community sites on the blog roll on your right.)
   
• Here are some suggestions from Sprint: Need help with questions about your device or rate plan? Visit www.sprint.com/support for support with questions about your account, technical questions or information about Sprint's rate plans and services. You can also find tutorials, user guides and videos specific to the Pre at www.sprint.com/learn. Sprint also offers an online community of wireless users at www.buzzaboutwireless.com who can provide support for questions about Palm Pre.
   
• Just want to tell us how much you love us? Awwww ….

(And of course, if you’re already a Pre owner, the Help app is as close as your Launcher.)

Jon Zilber