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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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Wal Mart executives are claiming that the discount retailer will soon be carrying the yet to be launched Palm Pre in its electronics department. Previously, we have reported that Best Buy was going to get a limited supply of the smartphones to sell at its stores, but the word “exclusive” was never used in those reports. Sprint is thought to have an exclusive deal to be the lone carrier for the Pre in the U.S. from launch until the end of the year. No availability date or pricing was mentioned.

With Circuit City no longer in business, Wal Mart would like to grab the business that would have gone to the now bankrupt electronics retailer. For the world’s largest grossing retail chain, that means improving the quality of the electronics that it offers. Brand names like Sony and Samsung have been added to inventory and earlier this year the Apple iPhone 3G was added to the slim selection of cellphones that is offered by the discounter. Being able to offer the Palm Pre could be the beginning of an effort by Wal Mart to become a legitimate destination for shoppers to find “Hot” cellphone models like Palm’s much awaited handset.

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Unfortunately, no matter how strong we cry that we want the Pre, or how many sites post speculations about its release date, it won’t come sooner. However, once it gets out, it is wise to be one of the first customers to get their hands on it and love it for life, isn’t it? Yesterday, Sprint announced that its “Sprint Premier” customers will be able to get cool phones (such as the Pre) before the others:

First to Know/First to Buy: Longstanding customers get an exclusive first peek at new products and services such as the upcoming Palm Pre™, and then are among the first with opportunities to purchase when they become available.

Sounds lovely, right? What is the deal – if you really want one of the first Pre phones, then make sure that you will be one of the Premier Sprint customers when it gets out. How? See Sprint’s rules below:

Eligibility requirements for Sprint Premier are simple: 1) For three consecutive months, consumer customers must be on an individual wireless plan of at least $69.99 per month or spend at least $99.99 per month on a plan that shares minutes, or 2) they must have been a Sprint wireless customer for at least 10 years. For complete rules about Sprint Premier, visit sprint.com/premiercustomer.

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