The Palm Pre is one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year, offering a modern, gesture-driven user interface, built-in access to an online application store, and an operating system built around user information and the web.

Available in the UK from 16 October on the O2 network, the Pre is the first handset with Palm's new WebOS platform, which features multi-tasking capabilities, extensive support for messaging, and tight integration between its built-in applications so that users can easily see information such as contact details aggregated from various sources.

In terms of specifications, the Pre is a quad-band GSM phone with 3G/HSDPA support at up to 3.6Mbit/s and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi for internet access. It also has Bluetooth support for wireless headsets. Its display is a 3.1in touch screen with 320 x 480 resolution. It also has GPS capability for location-based services, such as the built-in Google Maps, and an accelerometer that senses if you rotate the device and changes the display to match.

Comparisons with the iPhone are inevitable, and based on our tests we believe the Pre is easily a match for Apple's device; it weighs the same (135g), its gesture-based user interface is equally easy to use, and it has built-in access to an online application store (the Palm App Catalog).

Where the Pre beats the iPhone is on size; it is smaller in each dimension (59.5mm
x 100.5mm) except thickness (16.95mm), where it is a few millimetres larger, and its rounded shape makes the Pre more comfortable to hold. It also has a slide-down Qwerty keypad that makes messaging much easier and more convenient than using an on-screen soft keyboard.

However, like the iPhone, the Pre lacks a memory card slot to expand on its built-in storage, but whereas newer versions of the iPhone have 16GB or 32GB, the Pre has only 8GB as standard.

Key points for consumers are that the Pre can not only link to your Facebook or Gmail account, but can import contacts and calendar events directly from these services.

It also features a combined messaging application, so that users can start a conversation in instant messaging, and reply with a text message, for example.

For business users, the key points are that the Pre can receive push email from Microsoft Exchange email servers, and ships with a PDF reader and Doc View, an application that lets you read attachments in Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats, with Office 2003 and Office 2007 versions both supported.

The latter is actually a version of the Documents To Go technology from DataViz, and this company said that it intends to offer Pre users an upgrade version with full editing capabilities later this year.

The Pre itself is about the size of a bar of soap and, as delivered, came with a tiny mains adapter, a wired headset, USB cable to link to a computer, and a small carrying pouch to protect the phone. There is also a Getting Started guide that gives very basic information on the phone and the gestures used in its interface.

External controls are kept to a minimum on the Pre. It has volume up/down buttons on the left, and a mute switch on the top, next to the on/off button. The right side has a small flap covering the microUSB connector, and a single centre button is located beneath the screen.

Turning on the phone for the first time, a new user needs to set their language and personal profile for Palm Services, through which the data held on the Pre is backed up to a repository operated by Palm and is also how software updates are delivered. A valid email address is required to setup a profile.

We were warned by Palm that users must check the box to agree to the terms and conditions of Palm Services. Declining to do so will result in having to return the phone to the store, we were told. This seems like a perverse feature to us, and seems to be inviting trouble with users who do not always read such screens before hitting the 'next' button.