This is a juicy rumor for Palm and webOS fans. Spotted at the FCC was a Palm handset with the model number of “P102UEU”. Palm fans will recognize the P102 designation as one commonly used by Palm and the possible internal reference for the rumored Pre 2. Americans should not jump for joy over a brand new Pre handset quite yet. A typical US handset will be tested for both GSM and 3G frequencies, but this Palm handset was tested for GSM 850/1900 only, suggesting its is destined for European soil.
The rumors surrounding the next generation Pre are starting to heat up. Just last week, another similar set of unknown Palm handsets with model numbers of P102UNA and P102EWW were recently spotted in TÜV Rheinland’s database. Details on this pair are sparse but they are thought to be the CDMA and GSM variant of the second generation Pre. Additional details out of PreCentral suggest that one of Palm’s upcoming handsets will be known as the “Mansion” and will sport a full touchscreen design and a display with a respectable but not astounding 800×480 resolution. This Mansion may or may not be the Pre 2.
What would a full-fledged rumor be without some extra trivia from a loose-lipped executive? Thankfully, HP Senior Vice President Eric Cador was happy to oblige and stated rather candidly that “You will see us coming early next year with new phones.” So there you have it, we possibly have both GSM and CDMA Pre handsets from Palm that are destined for Europe and the US early next year. A CES unveiling sounds about right, don’t you agree?