There seem to be many Palm Pre sightings in the open lately. The last two additions to our Palm Pre gallery come from a company called Ludle International that is a Chinese accessory manufacturer. Now, we are not sure that these are real, since the device on the picture may be a dummy model or a knock-off phone. Still, it looks real enough to share at least. 

On one of the pictures, the Pre is posing for a size comparison in the company of the Palm Centro and the iPhone, although Apple’s product seems to be somewhat camera shy, laying face down on the table. The second picture gives us an idea of how the phone would look like in our hands if we had really long fingernails. The iPhone is also there, once again lying on its face, making us wonder whether or not it’s genuine too.

The Pre seems somewhat smaller than the other devices on the pictures but we already know it is supposed to be smaller. 

So, it would be best if you just take a look at the pictures and decide for yourself if they are the real thing or not.

Another picture after the brake

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If you are even remotely interested in the Palm Pre, then you’ve probably heard of the Touchstone charging dock – it is precisely the one that allows you to charge the device without any cables, by just placing it on top of the charger. We have recently seen a video presentation of the Pre, where the marketing representative stated the Touchstone charging dock would be just the first of a series of products under the Touchstone brand.

Now, Engadget has somehow managed to find out what seems to be the price of the dock. According to the Point of Sale inventory list they have found, the dock would cost $69.99, which is rather hefty for just the pleasure of charging your phone without having to plug the charger into it. On the other hand, it was confirmed earlier that the charger would be bundled with a special battery cover, needed for the charger to operable, so at least you won´t have to purchase that separately.

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Yesterday we told you that Sprint employees are scheduled to begin training on the Palm Pre, the device that has created more buzz than a bee hive full of the stinging insects. In another sign that gives us better visibility on when the Pre might be released, Sprint has put an embargo on vacations during May for retail employees. Ma Bell did the same thing to her retail people before each iPhone launch, so obviously this is a rather important clue. In the past two weeks, we have heard a range of guesses, many of which have already come and gone with the device nowhere to be seen besides in the hands of Palm executives at trade shows. Now we have the 1-2 punch of Sprint training reps on the device and the vacation embargo for May. We also have started to see the Pre show up in some Sprint television and print ads. You don’t have to be Dick Tracy to see that the most anticipated launch of the year is coming soon.

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Wondering how far the mighty Palm Pre is? Here’s a note suggesting that the waiting may be almost over. preThinking informs that Sprint has answered on whether its employees have already began taking classes on the Pre. The purpose of the training, of course, is to make employees capable of serving customers better, regarding Palm’s upcoming smarty. It seems like the lessons have begun, meaning that Sprint has moved a step closer to the Pre’s actual launch. Here’s what the source gives as Sprint’s answer:

“I would like to inform that Sprint is in the process of providing the training for the new Palm Pre. Once it’s launched, Sprint will be ready to serve their valued customers regarding the Palm Pre.”

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There certainly has been plenty of talk online about when the Palm Pre will be released. Many of the dates picked by so-called experts have already passed with no sign of the “iPhone killer”. A thread on the Sprint Users forum suggests that the Pre will be available on the Sunday that Survivors’ two hour final episode will play, which is May 17th. According to the post, the device will actually appear in the Thursday episode (May 14th) before the finale and be heavily promoted in the three days leading up to the release of the Pre. If this is true, the phone’s premiere on Survivor would be very appropriate because for Palm to continue to survive as an independent company, the device must live up to the incredible buzz it has created since being introduced at the CES earlier this year.

We don’t really believe in this one, do you?

The Pre was initially announced as a Sprint’s exclusive model for the States but shortly after that, Palm confirmed there will be a GSM version for the UK. Will only US and UK get that cool phone and OS? Well, Palm’s international pages for 16 other countries also have the Pre listed, so we can hope that the fans there will not only be teased, but Palm will give them the option to buy the Pre before the end of the year. List of all 18 countries after the break.

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Every kid knows that the WebOS is the best invention after sliced bread. However, in case you want to make the Palm Pre even more smart, there may be an option to add an additional operating system to it. There are reports that after a “Jailbrake”, the Pre will be able to offer you the choice to boot either WebOS or Google’s Android OS, thus providing with you the two best systems for phones. Another option will be to run the Android inside the WebOS itself, as an application.

Unfortunately, it is not sure that once the Palm Pre is launched, there will really be somebody to port the Android. But who cares, it will come with a better OS straight out of the box.

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Nothing official, but PalmPreBlog posted an email response by someone from Vodafone UK , saying that the carrier is in early negotiations with Palm:

With regrets, I can not currently share any information regarding the Palm Pre handset; we are still in early negotiation with Palm, but nothing is solid. I can double check next week but as of this point in time that is all I know.

Palm Europe’s VP of sales already officially announced that U.K will get the Pre in the second half of 2009. Going to Vodafone doesn’t sound so strange, especially having in mind that the BlackBerry Storm they offer is definitely not the iPhone killer everybody is looking for, and Pre is expected to really be.

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In contrast to PCMag’s tipster, who hinted that the second WebOS phone will be a QWERTY-less candybar, “a seemingly reliable firsthand source” of PalmInforcenter claims that the next phone to spread WebOS love will be the Centro 2 for Sprint. It is said to keep the Centro form-factor and hopefully price point, offering the cool and new OS to the masses. Fingers crossed!

PCMag’s Sascha Segan often has interesting details and now he reveals some information about the Pre. Unlike previous rumors, it seems that cool smart phone will not cost an arm and a leg, but $200 to $250 with a two-year Sprint contract. The plans it will run on will be similar to these of Instict. Other US carriers will get it no sooner than 90 days after Sprint does, so if you want to be cool, prepare to switch your carrier.

Sascha also says that Palm will approve all apps in the Catalog, but unlike Apple will test only if they work correctly, not if they are “good or bad”. Other “Pre” models are also said to be in the works, with rumor about a lower-cost candybar QWERTY-less phone coming. Let’s home February’s MWC trade show will reveal more information about the other Pre versions and hopefully new models.