Today marks the O2 Palm Pre launch over at the UK. And O2 has been tweeting all morning about the Pre launch, reporting that the number of Palm Pre sold today exceeds the total number of handsets they sell on an average day. Not only that, over half of the people that bought a Pre also picked up a Touchstone inductive charger!
It's official, UK, Ireland, and Germany are bound to get the Pre on O2 where as Spain it will be Movistar, both exclusively. And you want a release date huh? Palm is trying to be creative here, so instead of saying "soon", it's "in time for the holidays". Which essentially means before the end of the year as engadget notes. No price point released either. This feels like the waiting game all over again... but for Europe.
Update: Palm Germany site states an October launch.
[via engadget]
According to Guardian, O2 has won the exclusivity to the GSM Pre in the UK. We haven't heard official announcement from either side, but it is said that Palm will confirm the deal as early as next week. No word on pricing or release date.
[via engadget]
Related Post: Palm Pre Caught Sporting GSM SIM Card in Asia
According to Apcom/I.R.I.S., the official distributors of Apple products in Romania, cited by Ziarul Financiar, the Palm Pre should come in the country at about the same price as in the US. This report comes from ZF.ro and it quotes Zsolt Kadar, the director of marketing for Apcom/I.R.I.S., "The launch depends on demand and in the West, but the device should be available in Eastern Europe, including Romania, at the end of September, at prices similar to those outside ($550 without subscription red.)." The Palm Pre may be offered on the local market in Romania through wireless carriers as well, though no exact details have been made public.
Representatives from Apcom / IRIS, which distributed PDA's and smartphones in 2001 (originally the company name was Handspring, and subsequently acquired by Palm in 2003), say that will consider partnerships with local telecom operators. So be on the lookout in your local European markets in the Q4 of this year.
Telefonica, known as O2 to United Kingdom, Ireland, German, Czech Republic and Slovakia in Europe, looks like they will be the first European carrier to pick up the amazing Palm Pre in GSM. The Guardian UK reported, Britain's largest mobile phone operator sees off Vodafone and Orange in fight to stock Palm Pre. The UK's largest mobile phone operator, with more than 20 million customers, 02 understood to have seen off fierce competition for the new handset from Vodafone and Orange, and it will be available in the UK in time for the crucial Christmas period. Welcome abroad Palm Pre!
It was reported by several Spanlish media that Telefónica's Movistar will exclusively offer the Palm Pre in Spain, UK and Latin America. In addition, they'll also be the ones to exclusively market the Pre in UK by it's subsidiary brand, O2. No release date here either, just "before summer". You can catch the full article at newspaper Expansion(Translated).
Movistar, O2, Palm Pre, Telefónica, latin America, spain | Permalink