Handheld computing veteran Palm has unveiled its Pre smartphone at CES.
The touchscreen handset runs a web-centric operating system that aims to help people organise and manage their many online contacts and identities. The device is widely seen as a competitor to rival smartphones such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, N97 and G1. The gadget will be available on the Sprint network in the US before June 2009. Palm has not said when it will debut in other nations. Palm showed off the Pre at a lavish news conference at the Venetian hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

"The opportunity is to take all of that information wherever it is and put it all in one place - in your hands"

Despite the positive reception the Pre won, Mr Colligan acknowledged that there was much more to making it a success than just making gadgets.