Palm Pre Bound For EuropePalm Pre Bound For Europe

(click image for larger view)
Palm 'Pre' Smartphone

Palm said its touch-screen Pre smartphone will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and Spain in time for the holidays.

Telefonica's 02 brand will be the provider of the Pre in the U.K., Germany, and Ireland, and Movistar will be the carrier in Spain. Unlike the original device that launched exclusively on Sprint Nextel in June, the European smartphones will use GSM technology. Palm did not give an expected price for the European versions.

"Since we showed Palm Pre at Mobile World Congress in February, there's been a great deal of anticipation for an announcement about European availability, and that day is here," said Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein in a statement.

The highly anticipated Pre broke Sprint's sales records during its launch due to its relatively unique design, and new webOS operating system. The OS enables users to multitask, and it ties in information from various Web services into a single, finger-friendly user interface. The smartphone also has all the features expected of a high-end handset including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 8 GB of internal storage.

Palm was once the king of the U.S. smartphone market, but has been outpaced in recent years by Apple's iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry smartphones. The company has been struggling, and it is counting on the Pre and webOS to help it make a comeback.

The six-month delay may make the Pre a harder sell in the European markets, particularly with new handsets from Samsung, HTC, and Nokia expected to roll out by then. But the extra time will enable Palm to ensure it can get its production up to scale, and it will also give the company time to build out its App Catalog.

Most companies are just starting the hard work of mobilizing workforces by bringing the software they use to smartphones. information analyzed this issue in an independent report, and it can be downloaded here (registration required).