Palm To Announce UK Pre Next Week

Palm will announce the UK carrier with exclusivity for their GSM Pre next week, according to the latest news from the company.  The launch will also included a release date and pricing details for the handset, making the UK the first region to see the Pre outside of the US.

Despite pressure, Palm have remained tight-lipped on their GSM Pre plans.  Even after a GSM pre-production prototype was spotted in Barcelona back in February, the company declined to comment on any plans for a model other than the CDMA version which launched on Sprint on June 6th.

In the UK, carriers Vodafone and O2 have been tipped to clinch the exclusivity deal with Palm.  Vodafone was an early front-runner, but more recently rumors have suggested that O2 – who also have an exclusivity agreement with Apple for the iPhone – have edged out their rival to secure the Pre.  Pricing until now has remained mere speculation, but given that the UK cellphone market is hotly contested it's likely we'll see the Pre available free on at least some monthly contracts.

[via MyPre]