Sprint chief Dan Hesse on Friday flatly rejected claims by Verizon that it would have the Palm Pre in six months. He warns that neither Palm nor Sprint will say how long the exclusive will last but is adamant to CNET that it's "not six months" as claimed by Verizon's wireless head Lowell McAdam. The statement echoes a previous denial by a Sprint spokesman that hadn't yet been backed by executives at the carrier.

The confirmed exclusive gives Sprint free rein over the Pre for at least the rest of 2009 and will be important to the company, which is depending on attracting customers from rival characters as well as keeping existing subscribers onboard. Most observers expect the deal to expire as of 2010, allowing AT&T, T-Mobile and Version Pres. In the interim, the Palm Eos will offer many of the same features in a smaller but also cheaper form factor.