This week, Europe got their first wave of webOS devices, with Palm Pre releasing in Germany on October 13, Spain on October 14, and the UK and Ireland today, courtesy of O2. While Flash 10.1 is expected to come to all Pre models later this year, the O2 device is sporting only webOS 1.1.3, although North American models already have the improved version 1.2.1. However, rumors suggest that Europe may pass on 1.2 altogether, and join with the rest of us for webOS version 1.3.
New apps are also arriving to the App Catalog in light of the European release, with some apps looking to be exclusive to Germany or Europe. No doubt, unlockers are also looking to take advantage of the new GSM version and get them into North America as soon as possible. Does anyone plan on unlocking and importing a GSM Pre to the US or Canada?
O2 recently held a UK event for the Palm Pre (see video above), along with fancy launch parties in Spain and Germany (see links for photos) just prior to each release. The UK market in particular is showing a positive response to webOS, with a new survey showing that demand for the Pre in the UK is even higher than the initial demand for the iPhone (26% vs. 16%, respectively). Back home, the Pre is also staying strong, with the Pre joining the "Top 10 most brilliant products of 2009" in Popular Mechanics. "(the Palm Pre) sets a new standard by putting all the best available technologies together", they state.
Meanwhile, the next stop for the webOS train looks to be Mexico, where blogger Javier Matuk posted a YouTube video (since deleted) showing off the Palm Pre in Mexico, reports PalmAddicts. The device may come out by the end of the month on Telcel, their largest carrier.
Check out some of the new pricing charts, as well as a UK unboxing video and one of the German Palm Pre commercials after the jump.
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