Palm Pre May 17th Launch Date?

Here's hoping for a May 17th release date.  I definitely can't wait for this phone.

According to internal memos circulating within Sprint Retail Stores, Sprint has implemented a vacation freeze during the month of May for all front-end employees and has begun the process of employee training with the Palm Pre in preparation for one of two launch windows.

The first window involves Sprint receiving retail units of the Pre around late April to early May in preparation for a preliminary May 17th launch.

The second window involves Sprint receiving the same units in the aforementioned timeframe, but depending on the unit level received for stocking and sales, the launch would then be postponed to June 29th if the initial shipments are deemed too low to begin initial sales in May.

At that point the June 29th date will be set for launch after Sprint receives enough of the devices to fulfill expected demand.

Employees had also noted that Sprint does not typically institute vacation/paid time off freezes in May, lending credence to the rumors of a late April-mid May launch while also falling inline with the oft-repeated first-half 2009 launch window first confirmed at CES.

Source: phonenews