Just a little over a month we were invited to meet with representatives from Palm and O2, to discuss the announcement regarding the European GSM Pre. At that time, Palm announced that the GSM version of the Palm Pre would be exclusively available on O2 in the UK, Ireland and Germany, and Movistar in Spain.

Now the web is alive with rumors that 02 will have the Pre available on October 30th. So I guess that just in time for Christmas part still holds true. According to an O2 employee, the Palm Pre will release in the UK on October 30th. The tipster says that management informed staff of the date yesterday. Price has not been set, but the tipster did mention that it will be close to that of the iPhone 3GS. Tariffs will be the same as the iPhone.

The next official release date we have is August 27th, when the Palm Pre will release on Bell in Canada. Of course, the O2 Palm Pre will be the first Palm Pre of the GSM variety. It will also mark the first head to head competition for the minds and hearts of consumers who will have a choice between the iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre, both on the same carrier.