It turns out to be ever so easy to get a windows smartphone (or even a pocket pc phone) without contract for about the same price as the 680 - there's a link on this page that will take you to a site with several options...

That's not to say that the palm is not a good deal because clearly it is - nice that there is competition in the field to drive development forward.

As a long term Palm owner I get e-mails from Palm (USA and Europe) and sites such as Mytreo.net. I was very taken by the offer of a Palm 680 at (USD) $399. With the UK pound as strong as it is that seems a good offer at (UKP) £204 - except of course Palm USA won't ship to Europe. Palm Europe ('Palm Connection') also tempted me with an offer of a Palm 680 at just (UKP) £299.

I e-mailed Palm about the 50 per cent mark up, and they just said "Both the US and the European stores operate independantly (sic) and therefore prices are fixed with regard to local markets.

The Palm Store Customer Service thanks you for the opportunity to assist you and hopes to have been of assistance."

Rip off.