HP's Palm Pre 2 Will Be Available Unlocked for GSM Networks

The recently-announced Palm Pre 2 is soon going to be available from Verizon Wireless, but the product manager at HP says this won't be the only option.

The latest webOS smartphone will also be sold directly to the public as an unlocked device for GSM networks. This will allow consumers to buy this product and use it with AT&T or T-Mobile by inserting a SIM card.

However, HP's Tim Pettitt did not say whether the Pre 2 will support both of these carrier's 3G networks, which use different frequencies.

He also didn't say when the GSM version of this webOS-based smartphone is going to be available or what it will sell for.

Palm Pre 2 Overview
As its name suggests, the Palm Pre 2 is going to be a moderately updated version of its predecessor.

Like the original Pre, this upcoming device will be a slider with a portrait-oriented keyboard and a 3.1-inch, HVGA (320 x 480) touchscreen. However, the shape has been tweaked a bit, giving it a flatter screen and a "sleeker, streamlined design", according to its creator.

The product manager says that the display will be covered in Gorilla Glass to help prevent scratches and breakage.

The device is going to run HP's mobile operating system on a 1 GHz processor, faster than the one in its predecessor. It will come with 512 MB of RAM and 16 GB of built in storage.

It will run webOS 2.0, a multi-tasking, touch-oriented operating system able to wirelessly synchronize a wide variety of data with online services like Google, Yahoo, and Facebook, as well as Microsoft Exchange. 

The Pre 2 will support  3G wireless networking, and also include Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and a GPS receiver.

In addition, this smartphone is going to have a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and a 3.5 mm headset jack.

Overall, it will be 4.0 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches and 5.1 ounces.

Its web browser will have support for Adobe Flash, and the Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite will be bundled, allowing users to work with Microsoft Office files.

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