Vodafone to get non-US exclusivity on Palm Pre?

Even before iPhone hysteria struck it was considered a significant coup by O2 to land Apple’s handset exclusively in the UK. Which is why T-Mobile grabbed so furiously at the Android-powered G1, and Orange leapt at the chance to carry the BlackBerry Storm.

With Palm gearing up for a US launch of its CES show stopper, the Pre, within the next couple of weeks - with operator Sprint Nextel - MobileTopSoft is reporting that Vodafone is in early talks to land another handset-exclusive deal with Palm elsewhere in the world.

But factoring in the poor performance of the BlackBerry Storm (which, to be fair, has been more to do with hardware issues than service ones, though it ultimately still happened on Orange’s watch) we wouldn’t be at all surprised if Orange tried to get in on those early talks, along with other players (like 3) also attempting to land this big new smartphone fish.

Despite Palm’s many mistakes over the past couple of years, all looks as though it’ll be forgiven in the Pre performs as attendees at this year’s CES show suggested, so whichever service provider lands the new handset will have a serious shot at taking on the iPhone – and that’s a battle that won’t go quietly.