14 DAY TRIAL // Canadian mobile phone carrier Rogers Wireless has just made available for purchase on its airwaves the first webOS 2.0
-based smartphone, the Palm Pre 2.
The handset was launched several weeks ago on the European market, and the GSM version of the device is also available for purchase in the United States, via HP themselves.
Rogers is now the first wireless carrier on the North American continent to have the Palm Pre 2 available for its customers, although some were expecting for Verizon in the US to be that operator.
The phone that landed at Rogers comes with about the same connectivity options as the unlocked version currently sold in the US, since the carrier's HSPA network operates on 850 and 1900MHz bands.
The price tag for Palm Pre 2 at Rogers was reportedly set at CAD $99 (around US$97), upon the signing of a new three-year contract agreement with the wireless carrier.
The off contract price tag for Palm Pre 2 in Canada was set at $399. The unlocked flavor of the device is being sold on the US market for $450.
“The Palm Pre 2 smartphone has been reengineered to do more of what you want to do—faster. Quickly switch between multiple open apps,” Palm notes on its website.
“Simply start typing to begin an email or update your status. Tap a message notification while you’re playing a 3D game. With HP webOS 2.0, accomplishing more is effortless.”
The specifications list for this handset shows support for Dual-band UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900 MHz)Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), along with WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.
The phone also includes a 3.1-inch multitouch screen that can deliver a 320 x 480 pixels (HVGA) resolution, complemented by a sliding QWERTY keyboard, as well as a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, and Accelerometer, ambient light, and proximity sensors.
Pre 2 comes with built-in GPS receiver, 16GB of internal storage, and USB mass storage support, all packed inside a device that measures 59.6mm x 100.7mm x 16.9mm and weighs in at 145 grams.
The Palm Pre 2 can be seen on Palm Canada's website here.