Palm Pre UK launch date set

The Palm Pre will have its official launch on 16 October, O2 has announced.

The handset, which some analysts have suggested could be a rival to the iPhone, will only be available on O2's network.

You can get the handset for free though you will have to sign up to at least an 18-month contract paying a minimum of £44 per month.

The handset features a 3.1in touchscreen, a slideout Qwerty keyboard and a built-in GPS (global positioning system) chip. The Pre runs Palm's proprietary operating system, PalmOS.

"There's a lot of excitement about Palm Pre in Europe as we continue to expand Palm webOS products across new carriers and countries," said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Palm.

"We look forward to launching Palm Pre with O2 so people in the UK can see firsthand how Palm webOS offers a new and better smartphone experience," Rubinstein continued.