We've gotten Palm on the record saying that there's a WCDMA (read: UMTS world 3G) version of the Pre in the works, though we don't know when or where. That means that the AT&Ts, T-Mobiles, and Vodafones of the world will get a shot at this baby. Suggestion, Palm: "soon" and "everywhere."

Update: We've just seen a copy of the Pre's press release, and sadly, the 3G GSM version is listed as being intended for "other regions" -- in other words, places not served by Sprint. The good news, we guess, is that we've also confirmed that it's HSDPA, so at least it'll be hauling ass.

There's not a lot of meat here, but we like where it's headed: ASUS CEO Johnny Shih talked up the company's "two-pronged" approach to mobile devices last night, which apparently includes a unit that can be "put in the pocket, play MP3s, offer GPS services, works like a PDA and offers Mobile TV altogether" -- with the other prong being the Eee PC, we would guess. When asked about plans to use Android, now that the company is a minted member of the Open Handset Alliance, Shih said that they're looking into using the OS on the already-hacked Eee PC or the Eee Phone (hopefully both!), and that they're big iPhone fans -- we'll just let our imaginations run with that one.

[Thanks, Neerhaj]

Looks like Amazon may soon be getting some competition for the hearts of the Kindle-loving literati over at the Algonquin. In a pre-CES interview with Reuters, Verizon's Tony Lewis -- the man in charge of their Open Development program -- doesn't see the current state of the economy as halting production of e-readers or other nonessential consumer electronics. "Competitors to the Kindle are out there and ready," the man said. "In 2009 I'd expect them to come to the market." To date, the company's certified 29 third party devices to run on the carrier, a new attitude that seems to have come about when they realized the bucketfuls of cash they could be raking in if they were a little more... well, open to these sorts of things. If you're a vendor, feel free to peep their booth this week at CES. We're sure you'll be more than welcome.

[Via Moco News]

If these fine specimens look familiar, well, they should -- one's already been announced (albeit on a different carrier) and the other two have been thoroughly scooped. Motorola's CES haul includes the eco-tastic Renew W233, a simple candybar destined for T-Mobile that features a neutral carbon footprint and components made of recycled water bottles; the Tundra VA76r, a rugged 3G flip with push-to-talk that previously launched on Rogers and has its sights set on AT&T this time around for a January 13 release; and the headliner of the bunch, the SURF A3100. The WinMo 6.1-based SURF -- alias A3000, alias Atila -- features a full 2.8-inches of touchscreen adorned with a custom skin designed by Moto, 7.2Mbps triband HSDPA, a 3-megapixel autofocus cam, AGPS, and support for microSD cards up to a purely theoretical 32GB in size. Though the radio is fully equipped for North American action, no stateside launch is in the cards just yet; for now, you'll find the SURF in Asian markets before the quarter's out.

[Via Phone Scoop]