Forget RoboCop and McGruff. Not only can it read your mind, sync your address book and calendar, surf the ‘net, and download killer apps — the Palm Pre is also crime-fighter extraordinaire. Watching the local news, a crime story was reported where a man had bought a foreclosed home and observed the previous owner removing light fixtures, speakers, and other items before the new owner could move in.

Suddenly the Palm Pre appeared front and center as the new owner flicked through several photos he had taken of the crime in progress. The pictures were used to help police get to the bottom of what had happened. Crime solved, case closed, and a happy Pre owner got his property back. What’s next for the Pre? Politics?

Palm has just announced that divisions of Telefonica will have the exclusive rights to sell the GSM version of the Pre in the U.K., Ireland and Germany (O2) and in Spain (Movistar). As far as a launch date is concerned, the manufacturer said that the handset would be out in time for the holidays which doesn’t really narrow things down, although we’re pretty sure that Arbor Day isn’t the holiday in mind.

Palm’s Spanish division has released the first official photo of the GSM Palm Pre and outside of the HSDPA indicator on the display, you would be hard pressed to find any difference between the CDMA and GSM models on the outside. Last week, we reported on a film shot by some Vietnamese individuals that showed the GSM version of the handset and now we have the official word from Palm. A couple of items were not revealed in the press release, such as the frequencies used by the radios on the GSM Pre, and pricing.

Check out the via link for Palm’s lengthy press release.

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As it became clear yesterday, Palm is about to reveal details on the Pre’s UK launch pretty soon. Now, a word has spread that O2 has already acquired the exclusive rights for the device. According to The Guardian, what Palm is going to announce next week is that it has signed a deal with the carrier, so that it would be the only one in the UK to offer the Pre, just like it did with the iPhone. This actually confirms a rumor from March, going that O2 owner Telefonica is to take care of the webOS smartphone across a number of Latin American and European countries, including Spain and the UK.

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It´s not that there weren’t signs this was going to happen, but it’s more than great to see the Palm Pre’s GSM version officially coming to the UK. In short, the manufacturer’s UK website now says the phone is to be expected soon, while more details on carrier availability,  price and the exact release date of the webOS-based smartphone are to be revealed early next week. Congrats to all UK Pre lovers!

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It is estimated that about 150,000 Palm Pre units have been sold to date, as we said yesterday. However, it looks like these guys just can’t help but install new applications on their webOS-powered smartphones. According to New York-based mobile analytics company Medialets, the users have already downloaded a total of one million apps from Palm’s App Catalog. That figure really sounds like a lot, especially having in mind there are only 30 apps currently available on the storefront (all of which are free). That said, we certainly hope to see more and more mobile programs surface on App Catalog soon enough.

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If you though you are a real Palm Pre maniac – don’t be so sure; it seems like there are much more (dangerously) serious cases. Now, what we would rather call an obsession is the following…

Sprint has published a press release, in which the Pre is described like it is the coolest thing since sliced bread, but what just grabbed our attention was the story of Mr. Travis and his wife. It seems that the guy was 14th in line while waiting for the Pre this Saturday at 7 AM. What’s interesting is that his wedding has actually been scheduled for 8 AM the same day! So, about fifteen minutes before the appointed hour, he finally decided to quit his position, but still left his credit card information to a store employee and asked that he “hold the 14th phone” for him. Later, the newlyweds had returned to the store to take the phone and spend their first minutes of married life with a Ready Now consultant who “walked the happy couple through Pre’s setup and features.”

Boy, wish we were there too so we could see this…

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According to one of phoneArena’s reliable Sprint tipsters, the rumored early launch of the Pre looks like it may not take place, and that June 6 will be the official date after all.  Of course the early launch details were hearsay in the first place, there was never any official word from Sprint so who knows if this is business as usual or not.  Stores will still be opening at 8am on the 6th, so when do you plan to get in line?

Yesterday, we told you that Best Buy’s director of merchandising, Scott Anderson, confirmed that there will be a short supply of the Pre for the first 4-8 weeks. He wasn’t kidding. BGR was told that the retailer was going to have a total of 4,250 units for sale on launch day. Anderson said that 1,000 Best Buy outlets would be selling the device. If you can remember your Jr. High School math, that works out to 4.25 units per store; well, that would certainly qualify to be called a shortage. Even worse off is RadioShack, where the figures work out to about 2 phones each for 721 stores. EngadgetMobile has learned that Radio Shack reps are being encouraged to try to get potential Pre buyers to switch to the Instinct S30 as a substitute choice. And to think, the U.S. was criticized for buying Manhattan from the Indians for $24.

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Are you eager for the Palm Pre to be released? We thought so. However, there is one thing you can do while anxiously waiting for the launch – sign up at Sprint’s new contest, which will give you the opportunity to win a free Palm Pre smartphone with one year of the Simply Everything service and the Palm Touchstone. According to the official rules, users are able to register until May 18, and the two winners will be notified by phone or e-mail, once the phone has been released. Wish you luck!

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Have you ever thought to yourself how much fun it would be to write cellphone reviews and spread your thoughts around the internet? Palm is offering “Real Reviewers” a current model Palm device (a Pre, perhaps?) and data-plan service on the house for 6 months. All you have to do in return is take the opinion you have of the Palm model and write a review of 140 characters or less that you spread throughout all of the social networking sites. The cellphone manufacturer said that they might even have one of the chosen reviewers do a piece on its Facebook page. To apply for the position, click on the following link. Before you start filling out the application, you have to be at least 18 years old and a U.S. resident. Sharpen up those pencils and your wit, winners will be notified on May 8th.

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