Free Stuff! Verizon Service and Palm Pre Plus Giveaway

My Life List

Update: The Giveaway is closed, thank you all so much for reading and commenting. The winner announcement is over here.

Hello. Would you like a free Palm Pre Plus, and $300 worth of Verizon Wireless service? Yeah you would. Let’s discuss that further.

As you know, I’ve been partnering with Verizon this month to knock a few things off my Mighty List, and as part of the campaign, I’ve been using a Palm Pre Plus.

The idea was to see if the phone would be useful to me, and to find out whether Verizon would be better than my iPhone service provider. Of course, my iPhone service doesn’t work at my desk and garbles half my phone calls, so I’m a little angry about that. Angry in a “hurl my phone against the wall” kinda way. But I can be demanding when I’m paying through the nose for something that doesn’t work. We’ll discuss that more later.

For now, let’s talk about that giveaway. Verizon is offering a $600 Palm Pre Plus for free. It looks like this:

The winner will also get $300 of free service from Verizon, which looks like this:

Well, technically cellular service is invisible. It’s more something you sense in your soul when you don’t feel like hucking your phone out the window during a conference call. So in that way, Verizon is sort of like inner peace, but with less yoga involved.

I’m not required to review the Palm, and frankly I didn’t plan to, but a few of you said you were pondering new phone purchases and asked me what I thought. So here’s the stuff I liked:

Making calls. Primarily, I enjoy using my Palm as a telephone that will call people when I dial their numbers — people with whom I can have complete conversations until we mutually decide it is time to hang up. I carried both my iPhone and Palm with me while friends got used to my new number, and I can’t tell you how many times I called friends on the iPhone so they’d recognize my number, and then had to immediately call back on the Palm so they could hear what I was saying.

Dropping it in soup. So. Right after I activated my Palm, I kind of dropped it in soup. I was freaking out, thinking I’d have to admit I’m a terrible phone parent and ask for another phone. But then I just dried it off with my napkin and it kept on working. I did have to scrape some dried soup out of the charger port with a safety pin, but otherwise it didn’t even cough. Nice.

Taking photos. The phone takes killer photos, you guys. Here’s what a snapshot looks like straight out of the phone with no Photoshop intervention:

See what I mean? (Bryan took that, by the way. Thanks, B!)

Also, it has a flash! On the phone! Which means you can use it just like a regular point and shoot without having to lug around another gadget.

Making videos. You can record video on your phone. Do you hear me? We are living in the future, y’all:

Typing. I know not everyone agrees, but I like the tactile feedback of buttons when I’m typing. Some people find the buttons too small, but I didn’t have that problem. In fact, I actually used my phone to send email for the first time in my life because the email is so well integrated and it’s so easy to type.

Applying lipstick. Yeah. The phone has a compact on the back:


(Photo from the Palm Info Center, which has a detailed review if you’re looking for one.)

When I first saw it, I was irritated. Like, “Oh, I’m a girl! I want a girl phone that helps with my lipgloss.” Then I used that stupid mirror three times before I even activated the phone. My makeup has been flawless for the last month. Curse you, user testers and your uncanny insight into my demographically predictable needs!

Downsides? Because I use the camera and video constantly, I run the battery down pretty fast, which can be frustrating. So you might want some sort of battery backup if you’re not religious about charging your phone every night. Also, I tend to be an early adopter of mobile applications, and betas aren’t always available on the Palm. I realize that may not be a problem for… most of the world, but there it is.

All in all, this is a good phone on a great service. I actually think it’s a smart choice for bloggers because the camera and video are superior and it’s much easier to type, so you can do mobile updates easily.

The Giveaway

If you’d like a Palm Pre Plus for yourself, not to mention a lot of free service from Verizon Wireless, please leave a comment below promising that you will not use your new phone to text while driving, and that you will not drop it in soup within 24 hours of receipt.

Now for the fine print: You must be 18 or over to enter and live in the U.S. Multiple entries will be disqualified. Comments will be open until Wednesday morning March 31, 2009 at 11 a.m. PST. I’ll choose winners randomly using Random.org, and will announce later that day. Good luck! My fingers are crossed for you.

Published

1,047 thoughts on “Free Stuff! Verizon Service and Palm Pre Plus Giveaway”

  1. I would LOVE a shiny new phone, since Im a college kid and opted for a cheap phone and a cheap phone plan that doesnt have a camera or a qwerty keyboard or anything exciting. I will love it and cherish it and never drop it in soup or text while driving, because I like my car and my body and I don’t want crash! the end 🙂

    Like

  4. I would love a free phone! AND I won’t text and Drive, or text and eat soup, or whatever. Plus, I already have Verizon. Plus, my daughter will be soooo jealous!

    Like

  5. I promise not to text while driving. (I’m much too busy blow drying my hair and shaving my legs while driving to have time to text. Just kidding, I promise.)

    Like

  6. No texting while driving – EVAH. And yes, given my soup-free diet, I think I am pretty much cool on the second point too.

    Like

  8. If you give me a palm thing, I promise not to text while driving, and not to drop it in soup ever.
    Thank you.

    Like

  9. OOoohhh!!! I promise not to text while driving, I also promise not to talk on the phone in a movie theater, and I promise to be the happiest girl ever who usually gets the hand-me-down phones (which is not fair! I ❤ tech!!)

    Like

  11. I promise I won’t text while driving. I’ll TRY not to drop it in soup w/in the 1st 24 hrs of possession.

    Like

  12. I have never texted in my life. I swear. I won’t text while driving. I also won’t drop it in the soup. I’d love to move beyond pay as you go. Thanks.

    Like

  15. Not only will I refrain from texting while driving and steering clear of soup, I will call everyone I know on the new phone and tell them how kick-ass MightyGirl and Verizon are.

    Like

  16. heck yeah i’d like a new phone! the problem i have with the iphone is that i’m too cheap to pay for the media service. since this comes with $300 worth of service, this might solve that problem! and i really do need a new phone. (so does my husband for that matter! this would make him insanely jealous.) if i win i promise to never text while driving (i already don’t), won’t get it near soup, and promise to consider sharing with my lovely jealous husband.

    Like

  18. I have already taken the Oprah challenge. I will not drive while texting. Or shopping. And finally, I promise not to drop it in soup as well. Pick me!!

    Like

  19. I solemnly swear not to drop the phone in soup or to text while driving… I have to admit I’m addicted to my blackberry but I adore the idea of the Palm Pre having a similar keyboard that slides away and doesn’t end up with gunk getting in it all the time like my blackberry does… I hope you pick me!

    Like

  20. I can’t text to save my life and enjoy soup far too much to handle a phone while eating it. Good luck to me!

    Like

  21. not four hours ago, my electrical engineer friend told me i would LOVE the palm Pre Plus. how apropos

    Like

  22. phone? phone? phooooooone?! I’ve had the same cell for 3 1/2 years. The EXACT. SAME. PHONE. While there are probably more deserving parties, I would definitely be appreciative

    Like

  23. Me,me,ME! I never, ever talk while driving, and don’t text at all. (Is that about to change? The texting part I mean?) Talk to me Verizon! Yeah Baby.

    Like

  24. I hereby promise not to text while driving. Even on this lovely phone, which I will not drop into soup, soda, coffee, the toilet or any other liquid – EVER. 🙂

    Like

  28. 977 comments? Seriously? My God. Anyway, I promise never to text while driving or drop this expensive toy in soup. Cheers.

    Like

  30. Oh, Maggie, please pick me! I just started a job and need a smartphone, and I just don’t have the dough to spring for one at the moment. Plus, I am unwilling to leave Verizon anyway, so this is a dream giveaway!!!

    Like

  31. Isn’t it against the law in WI to text and drive? I never break the law. Puting your phone in the same vincinity of any liquids is definitely against the law – and like I said I never break the law. I’m good to go – pick me!

    Like

  33. Pick me! PICK ME!!! I would love and cherish a Palm Pre Plus, and never do anything illegal or stupid with it! Well…(shhh)

    Like

  36. Hail Mary full of grace, I will not text, while I race (I mean…while I drive at the posted speed limit)

    Like

  37. in more than five years of reading mightygirl, this is the first time I’ve left a comment. I don’t text and drive, ever, and it would be lovely to have a camera phone for the first time ever!

    Like

  38. I will not text while driving. (Especially since I don’t have a driver’s license at the age of 32 — on my Mighty Life List, though!) And I really love soup, but I promise I won’t mix the two. I really hope random.org picks me, because I’m still using my crappy years-old Razr phone that I’ve hated since day one, but I am cheap and stubborn. I need an upgrade!

    Like

  39. I have been pondering what phone to buy next. The Palm Pre was not actually on my list of things to consider until this review. That picture is pretty amazing. I am an inefficient texter and never text while driving.

    Like

  40. I promise that I will treat that one better then my last one….it’s the least I can do ! No soup dunking for at least 24 hours, no driveby texting, but I might check my lipstick from time to time !

    Like

  41. Oooooh, it is so pretty and so much better than my very old phone. I promise not to text while driving, go anywhere near soup, or do anything that might injure this very nice phone.

    Like

  42. That’s Awesome! I don’t text while driving, however, I hardly ever drive. Id rather walk to where I need to go. And A phone that can be dropped in soup and still work is brilliant! Ha Ha.

    Like

  43. Texting while driving is a very bad thing, and I will probably drop the phone in my coffee before it even gets near a bowl of soup.

    Like

  44. Scout’s honor, no texting while driving. I won’t drop the phone in any soup, but no promises on dropping it in the toilet. Sadly, I have done this before.

    Like

  45. Palm Pre me, please!! I love that you used it to video some of your life list escapades 🙂 I will use the video to share kid moments with my husband, who has a nasty 2-hour commute and works at night. We have 3 kids and lots of evening events.

    Like

  46. Oprah scared me to not even talk and drive….I didn’t text before Oprah scared me. 🙂 So I promise! I also promise I won’t drop it in soup. Oh I hope I win!

    Like

  48. I don’t even own a car, so no texting and driving, natch! (Plus my guy already has a Palm Pre and I’m incredibly envious.)

    Like

  49. I do not text while I drive…I taxi my 4 year old twin cousins! And I won’t drop it in soup…not a soup fan. A new phone would be awesome! I’m keeping my fingers crossed! Good luck everyone!!

    Like

Comments are closed.