Finally Official: Palm Pre Launches June 6th

Get ready for long lines and "out of stock" signs. It's official, and Sprint surprised me, but only by one day. Sprint has announced the Palm Pre will be launching on June 6th for $199.99 after $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year service agreement.

Still more details: available at Sprint stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, select Wal-Mart stores and online at Sprint.com (yes, online from the start of launch, ahem, Apple).

Verified pricing on the Touchstone wireless charger and accessories: the Touchstone Charging Kit, which includes the Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover (necessary for charging to work) for Pre, will be available June 6 for $69.99. The Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover also are available separately from for $49.99 and $19.99, respectively.

I had previously thought the launch date would be June 7th due to Sprint's history of Sunday launches, but this gives Sprint and Palm two days before Apple's WWDC and the likely launch of one or more new iPhones. There's a distinct possibility that launch will draw much, if not all, of the attention away from the Pre. Thus, a two-day gap is a good idea (more would be still better, but oh, well).

Anyone besides me notice the irony involved in the June 6th date? Yep, that's D-Day, and in a sense, this is D-Day for Palm, and to a lesser extent, Sprint, in terms of survivability. They both need this to be a hit.