HP Pre Palm 2 Details Leaked

French mobile phone carrier SFR's Website on Monday featured a Palm Pre 2 phone, causing widespread speculation that the Palm Pre 2 is in fact the webOS-based device HP is preparing for release in early 2011.

According to a leaked screenshot of the device from SFR's site which Precentral has posted along with its initial report, the Pre 2’s internal codename is "Roadrunner." In the headline of the screenshot, SFR invites visitors of the site to an exclusive look at HP's Palm Pre 2.

Based on the brief glimpse which SFR mistakenly afforded the public before taking down the page, the Pre 2's hardware does not appear to have changed significantly as compared to the original. It's still smooth and black and features a vertical slider with a touch screen.

The few, slight alterations to the Pre 2 include removal of the hatch on the USB port and a QWERTY keyboard with keys of a different shape. The Palm Pre 2 comes with support for push notifications including events, chat, and mail--although it is unclear whether push support is limited to Facebook. Pre 2 also boasts improved battery life and faster boot times.

The model in the picture SFR posted is powered by a 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM and features a flatter screen. The device is intended for webOS 2.0, which HP has said will be the platform for an HP tablet due next year.

Next: HP Responds To Pressure From Competitors

Since the release of the first Palm Pre, Android smartphone makers have released phones with larger screens and better screen resolution and Apple's iPhone continues to enjoy commercial success by offering a simple, unique user experience.

As CRN reported last week, many solution providers consider HP's entrance into the tablet market an important move for HP and a challenge to Apple's lead.

HP acquired Palm for $1.2 billion in April. Last month, Rahul Sood, CTO of global gaming at HP said HP plans to release a number of devices based on webOS over the next year.

During Palm’s Aug. 19 earnings call, Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP's Personal Systems Group, said a webOS-based device was on its way for next year.

’You’ll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future and a webOS-based product in early 2011,’ Bradley said.

Following the statement, speculation about an HP webOS-based tablet PC has been rampant, although HP is said to be exploring a number of form factors for the Palm platform.