The latest from Lowell McAdam, top exec for the Verizon/Vodafone venture, has Verizon selling the Palm Pre and the Blackberry Storm in the next “6 months or so.” The Storm 2 is no big surprise. Plenty of people have had their hands on that things for weeks. But the Pre, too? We knew Sprint’s exclusivity contract was short, but 6 months hadn’t even crossed my mind. Earlier this week AT&T announced similar plans to snatch up the Pre, but made no projection as to when.

This really shakes things up, both for Palm and Sprint. For Palm, it could mean new life. I know plenty of people who don’t have an iPhone because of AT&T. Verizon could be enough to make them consider the sleek Palm smartphone as an alternative. For Sprint, though, this is like a cancer diagnosis. The company bled more than a million customers in the last quarter of 2008. If Palm’s launch stock is as scrawny as rumors say, they could be out of phones and out of exclusivity with Palm before they have a chance to dig their toes in. Could Sprint bounce back from having their most-hyped phone on Verizon? I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one.

Source: Reuters