The UK mobile network operator O2 is said to have secured exclusive rights to sell the Palm Pre in the UK, reported the Guardian.
The newspaper reported that O2 is believed to have been in competition with France Telecom’s Orange, for the device, which it also beat to the iPhone at the last minute.
If the new deal turns out to be true, it would be a significant accomplishment for O2, as it also owns exclusive rights for the Apple’s iPhone 3GS in the UK. The new deal could strengthen its position in the UK smartphone market.
The Palm Pre, which features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 3.1-inch touch screen, is said to have sold out more than 300,000 of the devices in the US since its launch last month.
Earlier this year, Jon Rubinstein, chairman of Palm, said that launching a hit device was the first step on the road to recovery. We’ve been fighting the battle with basically both hands tied behind our back for the past year and half, he said. Now we’re getting on the playing field, and we’re going to be extremely competitive. But it’s the beginning.
