The smartphone market is hot with consumers spending money on high-end models despite the poor economy. The smartphone market is expected to continue growing in the face of the global recession as other segments of the mobile market see declines.

Palm launched its Pre smartphone officially last month in the U.S. and so far, analysts think that Palm has sold about 300,000 of the devices during June in America. The Pre has now been officially announced for Europe and the providers that will be offering the Pre have been unveiled.

O2 and Movistar parent company Telefonica has announced that it has now secured the exclusive rights to distribute the Pre in Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Spain. Palm also announced on Tuesday that O2 will be the exclusive carrier of the Pre in the UK, meaning that O2 will be the exclusive provider for both the Pre and the iPhone 3G S for the UK.

In Spain, Movistar is the exclusive iPhone 3GS provider and will offer the Pre meaning that Germany is the only European nation where the Pre and iPhone will be offered by different carriers. Reuters reports that shares in Telefonica rose 0.2% in trading to outperform a fall in the European Telecoms index of 0.4%.

One analyst from CCS Insight called the exclusive Pre deal for O2 a "coup" for the provider. Palm maintains that the Pre will be available in Europe in time for Christmas shopping, but didn’t specify a date or pricing for the device.

Pre hopefuls in Canada will be able to get the phone form Bell Mobility.