We’re still waiting on Bell to announce an exact release date for their Palm Pre, but Sprint, on the other hand, has made everything official and named June 6th as the first day when the Palm Pre will be available for retail in the US.

That’s a day earlier than the rumored June 7th release on Best Buy. Beginning June 6, consumers can start ordering the Palm Pre from Sprint online or likewise get it from Sprint retail outlets as well as Radio Shack, Best Buy, and select Wal-Mart stores. The price isn’t that bad either. The Palm Pre is actually priced at $299.99, but when you sign up for a 2-yr contract on either an Everything Data plan or Business Essential with Messaging and Data plan and avail of the $100 mail-in rebate, it’ll just cost $199.99. Several Palm Pre accessories will also be made available starting June 6th. The Touchstone Charging kit, which includes both the Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover for the Pre, will retail for $69.99. Buying these items separately will cost $49.99 (Touchstone charging dock) and $19.99 (Touchstone back cover).

The Palm Pre is undoubtedly of the new rivals of the iPhone, and with its impending release, we’ll soon find out whether it really is a real threat to Apple’s little darling or not. However, this early Sprint release might just be the calm before the storm as Apple is also rumored to be announcing their new iPhone next month as well. Once Apple unleashes their latest offering, then the true showdown between Palm and Apple can finally begin.

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