Aug 17, 2011 11:59 GMT  ·  By

HP has finally managed to make its Pre3 smartphone available for purchase in a series of European markets, both via its own retail channels, as well as through partners.

Spotted only a few days ago on various retailer websites in the UK or Germany, the smartphone is now available for purchase in the UK SIM-free and unlocked via the Palm Eurostore, as well as on Box.co.uk and at Clove.co.uk.

When purchased via HP, the 8GB flavor of this device costs £299.00. As for the aforementioned retailers, the former has the phone available for £349.98, while the latter lists it for £360.00.

The mobile phone is available in stock now, and should be shipping to end users in one or two business days.

The smartphone was announced quite a while ago, but it seems that HP needed much more time than expected to make it available for users.

“HP is excited to begin its regional rollout of Pre3, the only phone today that offers users a slide-out keyboard coupled with a large touchscreen and the fastest speed (1.4GHz processor – the fastest on the market),” the company reportedly stated.

For the time being, no specific info on when would the smartphone become available for purchase in the United States emerged, but HP promised more info on the matter in the near future.

HP Pre 3 sports a similar design as its predecessors, but should offer increased performance capabilities and a better mobile experience.

It includes a 1.4GHz application processor, along with a WVGA display, a slide-out keyboard, GPS receiver, front-facing camera for video calling, a photo snapper on the back with support for HD video recording, and the usual set of connectivity capabilities that can be found in high-end smartphones.

The phone runs under HP's own mobile operating system, the HP webOS, which can offer appealing features, including:

True multitasking - Keep multiple apps open at once. Move them around. Flip back and forth between them using simple gestures.

Just Type - Search the web, start a new message, update your status, and more. Simply start typing to do just about anything.

Integrated messaging - See IM, texts, and pictures from the same person in one combined view.

Notifications - Stay in the loop without getting off track. That’s why we call them notifications, not disruptions.

Social networking - Update your status and upload photos and videos from where you’re standing.