The new Palm Phone is, shall we say, a very complicated device. Then again, it was somewhat difficult to get a hold of in the first place: since its launch in November, it's been exclusive to Verizon and up until late April, you had to have a primary phone on a line of service to pick up this $350 "accessory." Nowadays, customers can use a Palm Phone as their main device, but that still leaves Big Red outsiders high and dry. Today, Palm is fixing that as it is availing its phone direct to buyers unlocked for use on most GSM networks.

The cost to pre-order a Palm Phone stands at the original MSRP of $350, but early birds do get a free leather case with lanyards. Orders will begin to be filled in 6 weeks. This standalone phone will work on any carrier that uses the networks of AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon — the latter still has a lock on the ability to use it as a companion device.

As it stands, Verizon Palm Phone units are designed to keep users' prying fingers out of the SIM tray, though longtime tech industry journalist Myriam Joire has shown that it is possible to switch cards out. We'll have to see if there are any tweaks in the design to better accommodate its unlocked nature.

Of course, whether you buy into the notion that this phone is meant to keep you connected to friends and family without the dependency to all the frills a larger screen affords... that's up to you.