Palm PrePalm launched its newest smartphone in the United States last week, but there is no official word yet of Palm Pre’s availability and pricing in the Philippines or the rest of the world.

However, tech news sites are reporting that Palm Pre may become available in Europe as early as September this year. If this is true, there’s a chance that the Pre will come to the Philippines by the end of the year.

The marketing director of IRIS, a local distributor in Romania, reportedly said that Palm Pre should be available in Eastern Europe, including Romania, by the end of September at a price similar to that in the US — which is estimated to be $550 without subscription.

Mirror.co.uk cited a Softpedia report, which in turn got the news from Romanian site Ziarul Financiar.

Last year, the Palm Centro was launched in the United Kingdom on Valentines Day. Two months later, Palm announced its availability in the Philippines. Philippine cellphone networks use GSM technology, like its European counterparts.

I received Palm’s newsletter announcing the availability of Palm Pre in the United States after midnight last Sunday. That’s afternoon of June 6 in the US. By that time, proud Palm Pre owners were already tweeting or blogging about their first few hours with their new gadget.

By Sunday noon, a former officemate texted me, asking how much Palm Pre is in the Philippines, and if the phone will work here. I told her that while it is available in the US for $200 with contract, the GSM version that will work here has not been announced yet.

But as I said, the latest rumor of its availability in Europe raises hopes that it will also be released in the Philippines soon. Start saving, maka-Palms. :p

Based on MakaPalm’s visitor referrer data, it appears that a  number of Pinoys are still interested in the Palm Pre despite the announcement of iPhone’s new model.

Here are some interesting reports before and after Palm Pre’s US launch:

Palm Pre