Sprint (NYSE: S) CEO Dan Hesse said it will be another three or four months until they can tell if the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre is a knock-out success because of handset shortages. At Fortune’s Brainstorm: Tech conference here today, CNet reported that he said, “There have been shortages of the device,” and realistically, Sprint won’t know if it is a hit for three or four months. “It’s too early to tell.”

As for Android, Hesse said they’ll launch a device with Google’s mobile operating system by the end of the year, and they are glad they waited. “The reviews say now it’s ready for prime time. It wasn’t when it first came out.”