O2 Palm Pre UK Release Confirmed [UK O2 Palm Pre Now Available, Free on Selected 18M/24M Tariffs]

Following on from out initial report back in September, O2 have just released the 3.1” touchscreen Palm Pre in the UK with the iTunes friendly/not friendly handset being offered on a range of no less than five contracts (four 18 month contracts, one 24 month contract).

For those yet to familiarise themselves with the Palm Pre, here’s a quick rundown as to what the Pre brings to the table in terms of features and specifications (it’s not like we haven’t covered the Pre rather extensively on the site already). We suspect, however, that the vast majority of you are already in the know and will want to scroll right along to see the O2 Palm Pre plan/pricing details offered below.

Palm Pre Key Features & Specifications:

• HSDPA/UMTS with EDGE/GSM
• Integrated GPS
• Large 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320×480 resolution HVGA display
• Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
• Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• Email, including support for corporate servers with Microsoft Exchange, as well as personal email support (POP3, IMAP)
• Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)
• High-performance, desktop-class web browser
• Great multimedia experience and performance (pictures, video playback, music), featuring a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
• Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
• 8GB internal memory (~7GB user available)
• USB mass storage mode
• MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
• Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
• Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
• Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
• Removable, rechargeable battery
• Dimensions: 59.57mm (W) x 100.53mm (L, closed) x 16.95mm (D)
• Weight: ~135 grams

In terms of pricing, as mentioned previously, O2 are offering the Palm Pre on five differing contracts/tariffs which see the 18 month plans coming in at £44.05 (1200 mins talktime, 500 texts, unlimited net access) and £73.41 (3000 mins talktime, 500 texts, unlimited net access) as well as the 24 month £34.26 plan (600 mins talktime, 500 texts, unlimited net access) gaining you the Palm Pre for “free” whilst the 18 month £29.38 and £34.26 plans (75/125 and 600/500 talktime/texts respectively) will see you splashing out some £97 in order to secure one of Palm’s most hyped handsets to date.

The O2 Palm Pre is up for grabs now via this page.

[Thanks Sean]