The Palm Pre’s success is only being held back by Sprint’s exclusivity deal on the WebOS-powered smartphone. Both Verizon Wireless and AT&T have made it known that the Palm Pre is most certainly on their radar (although, Sprint isn’t shy about reaffirming their own exclusivity deal), but we’ve yet to even see either carrier officially embracing the smartphone. Thankfully, no lack of carrier support could stop Pre-hacker Cleanser from porting his once Sprint-locked Palm Pre to the Verizon Wireless network. With a little ingenuity and some elbow-grease, Cleanser has managed to create a Verizon Wireless Palm Pre of sorts.
The Pre’s CDMA radio hardware is already compatible with Verizon’s CDMA network, so it makes sense that someone could get the Pre roaming Big Red’s US network. But, it’s most definitely a hack and isn’t going to be a viable option for the average Palm Pre customer.
Voice calls and SMS text messages are a go, but wireless data is still in in the works. With a little luck, Cleanser will have the Palm Pre fully functional on Verizon Wireless in due time.
Now, where’s that official Verizon Palm Pre?
[PreCentral via EngadgetMobile]