Verizon slashes Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus prices, Mobile Hotspot service now free for both

Verizon may have finally found a way to make people pay attention to Palm’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus phones. As of today, the carrier is offering the Pre Plus for $49.99, and the Pixi Plus for $29.99 — both with two-year contracts.

And if that deal isn’t sweet enough, Verizon is making its 3G Mobile Hotspot feature completely free for both devices, says Engadget. Hotspot allows you to connect up to five wireless devices to your phone’s 3G connection — something that costs $60 a month with a device like Sprint’s MiFi. It’s also much more useful than typical cellphone data tethering — which generally supports a single computer connected with USB or Bluetooth — since multiple devices with wireless connections can connect to the phone. The feature is also now completely free for existing Palm device owners.

The free Hotspot feature alone is a steal, and coupled with the new lower prices, Verizon may actually be able to convince many smartphone holdouts to grab one of these phones. Verizon is also running a buy-one-get-one-free deal for both the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus (if you purchase a second line, or upgrade an existing one), which makes the deal extra tempting for families.

Perhaps in preparation for this price drop, Amazon last week lowered its price for the Pre Plus to $29.99, and the Pixi Plus to $00.01. I’m not entirely sure if the buy-one-get-one-free offers work if you purchase the phones via Amazon, but it’s definitely worth a shot if you’re just looking for a single phone.

There’s no doubt that Palm is in trouble right now, but from all accounts, the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are both worthwhile devices. They were considered overpriced at their original retail prices, but perhaps they’ll finally find some success at these bargain prices.