If you're thinking of picking up a Palm Pre and, like us, think mail-in rebates are a drag, you might have an out thanks to Best Buy Mobile. They'll apparently be applying an instant rebate instead, allowing you to walk out the door with Palm in palm, $199.99 poorer and with nary a worry about cutting UPC codes from boxes and scanning extra copies of receipts. 

According to a research study by the Aberdeen Group, as many as 42% of consumers forget or find submitting mail-in rebates too much of a hassle — a windfall for companies that offer them. More recently I've personally found even mail-in rebates to be annoying even after taking the time to submit them, with the rebate coming in specific formats like pre-paid credit cards or store gift cards when I really just want the darn money. So I'm glad to see Best Buy offering an instant rebate and hope it brings them some extra business come June 6.

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