Palm reveals US launch date for Pre smartphone

Much anticipated handset to arrive on 6 June

The Pre is Palm's first handset with the new WebOS platform

Palm has revealed that its eagerly anticipated Pre smartphone will be available from 6 June in the US, but declined to say when buyers in other countries will get a chance to own one.

The Palm Pre was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas back in January, and will be the first handset based on Palm's new WebOS platform, also announced at the show.

In the US, the Pre will be available exclusively on the Sprint network at first, for a price of $199.99 (£130) with a two-year service agreement. This price is after a $100 (£64) mail-in rebate.

A spokesman for Palm in the UK said that the company was not in a position to disclose details of availability for this country.

Palm's new WebOS is said to be focused on the web and on core user activities, with tight integration between the various applications such as calendar, contacts and web browser.

The Pre handset is a 3G device with Wi-Fi and GPS support, a 3.1in touch-screen and a slide-out Qwerty keypad, plus 8GB of storage and a 3-megapixel camera.

Meanwhile, rumours indicate that another anticipated handset, HTC's Touch Pro 2, may also arrive in June. Various web sites have pointed to UK reseller Expansys indicating availability from 12 June.

The Windows Mobile handset has a slide-out Qwerty keyboard and a 3.6in display that tilts up for easier viewing. Like the Palm Pre, it has 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS support.