As of today owners of the O2 Palm Pre Plus can get the over-the-air firmware package that takes their smartphones to the latest webOS 2.1, seen only on the new HP Pre 3 and HP Veer for now.

There’s no information yet as of when other countries/carriers might follow and given that HP obviously isn’t much into this update it might not happen at all. Still we are hoping for the best.

Even if the OS update results in the occasional bug, due to the year-old hardware it would still be better to enjoy the latest and greatest of webOS on your smartphone.

So what are you waiting for – go and get it. Just don’t forget to stop by the comments section below and tell us how it went and what the performance is like.

The Pre 2 offers Palm’s latest webOS 2.0 operating system, and a 3.1-inch glass touchscreen display with a slide-out keyboard similar to the original Pre, but also sports a speedy 1GHz processor under its hood. The Pre 2 also offers a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash and video recording, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and a plethora of social networking features. The Palm Pre 2 is available now from Rogers for C$99.99 on select 3-year data and voice plans.

But the Palm Pre 2 is not the only webOS handset heading to Verizon as it looks like the Pixi 2 is also coming soon, around the same time the Pre 2 will hit.

The Pixi 2 hasn’t been properly announced like the Pre 2 and people believe the device codenamed the Palm Broadway is actually the successor of the Pixi. It remains to be seen whether the Pixi 2 is also a sidekick to the Pre 2, in the same way the Pixi was to the Pre, or whether we’re looking at a much better smartphone here.

The Palm Pre 2  arrives with a faster processor (clocked at 1GHz), a 5MP snapper (without autofocus yet again) and a scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass covering the 3.1″ HVGA touchscreen with multi-touch support.

The successor of the Palm Pre Plus also packs 16GB of non-expandable storage and 512MB RAM, a built-in GPS receiver as well as support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. On top of that it runs the latest version of the webOS platform, webOS 2.0, which brings along a handful of improvements including even better multi-tasking, Flash capable web browser, etc.

US customers can get the unlocked Palm Pre 2 for 450 US dollars (330 euro) which is 30 percent less than what UK Pre 2 fans are expected to pay for the new toy, 400 GBP (470 euro).

Palm Pre 2 features a 3.1 inch HVGA touchscreen display with 320×480 pixels resolution, 1GHz processor, webOS 2.0 OS, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with LED Flash, Built-in GPS, Stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm headset jack, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta, Wi-Fi, 16GB of internal memory, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, Microsoft Exchange, 5.5 hours of talktime and much more.

Palm Pre 2 will not be locked to any wireless carrier, which means that, the handset will be available SIM free in UK. The unlocked version of Palm Pre 2 will be available from November 15 and it comes with a price tag of £399 (approx. $650).

The Palm Pre 2 is a significant incremental upgrade on the Pre Plus, running a new version of the operating system powered by a 1 GHz processor. On top of that, the screen was replaced with Gorilla glass for added durability, and the camera cranked up to 5 megapixels. All the usual fixings are there, like 3.1″ HVGA capacitive touchscreen, 16 GB fo local storage, Wi-Fi, GPS, and 3G.

Selling unsubsidized handsets is tough, as shown by Nokia’s venture with flagship stores, and Google’s experience with the Nexus One, but combined with the standard carrier strategy, Palm and HP will at least be able to provide both options.

Here’s the video of the Palm Pre 2, and if you’re interested in picking one up, head over to Palm for Pre 2 availability notifications. No doubt an option for the unlocked handset will show up shortly after the Verizon launch.

So now we have webOS and the Pre taking another shot at the pie with HP firmly at the helm of things, is there any life left in the platform to compete with the big boys? We will see when the Palm Pre 2 hits Verizon Wireless come November 11th 2010.

The Palm Pre 2 will be the introduction of webOS 2.0 which is hell packed with new features, but I personally fail to see webOS competing in any significant way with Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7. It had its time and the second coming will never change its future and that is the sad truth most people are unwilling to admit.

What are your thoughts? Do you think HP and Palm can bring webOS from the brink of imminent doom? Let us hear your thoughts.

The Palm Pre 2 offers a 3.1-inch glass touchscreen display with a 480 x 320 pixel resolution. It has a slide-out keyboard design similar to that of the original Palm Pre. It’s also the first webOS device to make use of a 1GHz processor.

The Palm Pre 2, which measures 59.6mm x 100.7mm x 16.9mm (2.35in x 3.96in x 0.67in) and weighs 145g (5.1oz), is equipped with a 5 MP camera with LED flash, extended depth of field, geo-tagging support, and video capture. For multimedia storage, the Palm Pre 2 has 16GB of storage, although it doesn’t appear that a microSD card slot is included. 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity are also supported.

The new webOS 2.0 offers a host of new features. The Just Type feature lets you type and then choose whether you want to email, text, search the web, or more. HP Synergy in webOS 2.0 will allow developers to offer multiple messaging, contact, and calendar application sources. A new “Exhibition” feature also allows users to display an application of their choice while the phone is charging on a Touchstone Charging Dock.

The Palm Pre 2 will make its U.S. debut on Verizon Wireless in the coming months. It will launch on SFR in France on Friday, and HP said that it will also be released in Canada.

The new lower price includes a minimum data service starting at $15 per month and also a 2 year contract with new activation. As reported earlier in an article by Ionut Arghire over at softpedia.com

Now of course with an offer this good you are probably expecting there to be a catch, and there is a little one. Even if you are lucky enough to meet the criteria getting hold of one may prove a little difficult at the moment as the operators website is showing that the device is temporary out of stock.

This does however seem to be a little on the strange side as almost immediately after the price was lowered for the Palm Pre Plus by AT&T they run out of stock? Especially when you consider that both Sprint and Verizon who also sell the same device are complaining about their overstocks.

With the Palm Pre Plus you get double the storage (16GB) and double the RAM (512MB). The design has been tweaked as well – the trackball has evolved to a trackpad and reportedly the keyboard has been redesigned. Plus now there’s native compatibility with the Touchstone wireless charger (still sold separately).

With the Palm Pixi Plus  you get the added bonus of Wi-Fi connectivity, which lacked in the original. That’s pretty much all the upgrade it got, but it’s enough.

The Palm Pre Plus goes from 99 GBP to free depending on the tariff you choose. Palm Pixi Plus is free on all Pay Monthly tariffs (with 18- and 24-month contracts, of course).