14 DAY TRIAL // The high-end webOS-powered Palm Pre smartphone is now available for purchase in the UK via wireless carrier O2. As announced before, O2 has launched the new device on its airwaves for free for those who would opt for a 24-month contract agreement on a £34.26 per month plan, yet users can also opt for an 18-month contract agreement on a £44.05 per month plan to enjoy the new phone for free.
O2 also has the Palm Pre available for its users on 18-month contracts on £29.38 or £34.26 per month plans, cases in which the device is priced at £96.89. According to the wireless carrier, those who will purchase a Pre with a monthly plan will also enjoy unlimited data and unlimited Wi-Fi Bolt Ons (which are worth £15 per month). The handset can be seen on the carrier's website here, yet it is also available for purchase via telesales.
What users will get when buying a Palm Pre mobile phone includes a device that sports a 3.1-inch touchscreen display, as well as a sliding physical QWERTY keyboard, a 3-megapixel photo snapper with LED flash, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth capabilities, and built-in GPS receiver, as well as 8GB of internal storage space.
In addition, a large set of feature is also available with the device, including access to the Palm App Catalog, which already sports a nice array of software solutions for the device and its webOS platform, Universal Search capabilities, Palm Synergy, Microsoft Exchange email with support for POP3/IMAP (Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, Hotmail), media player, Integrated IM, SMS and MMS capabilities, and more.
UK is the third European country to have the Palm Pre available for purchase, following Germany, which has seen it since October 13, and Spain, where the device is available since October 14. The Palm Pre is expected to face strong competition from handsets like the iPhone, yet recent market surveys have showed that it might actually prove more popular than Apple's iconic device.