The Palm Pre 2 is official. And while it might still rock the same look as the original, it’s still a phone which is bound to elicit plenty of interest, not to mention give its smartphone rivals plenty to chew over in the coming months. Here are our top 10 reasons why a Palm Pre 2 is the way to go for savvy smartphone lovers.

1 webOS is still top dog

webOS 2.0, with its multitasking ‘stacks’, new Just Type search function and more straightforward app organisation, promises to be a winner. When the original webOS was first seen nearly two years ago, it was universally heralded as the best mobile OS going. webOS 2.0 promises to match and likely best iOS and Android.

2 It stands out from the crowd

Let’s face it, the Pre 2 won’t be an epic seller like the iPhone or HTC Desire, but that makes it all the more appealing. With 14 million iPhones sold in the three months to September, it seems everyone including your Mum has an Apple blower. A Pre 2 will rock the same sharp skills, but give you the gadgety edge you so desperately crave.

3 It combines the best of both worlds

The Pre 2 and BlackBerry Torch are aiming at achieving the same things, but the assured nature of Palm’s touchscreen tech, its ace keyboard design and webOS make it a winner. For those who want a touchscreen but can’t do without a proper QWERTY, the Pre 2 is the way to go.

4 APIs have been boosted

Palm’s App Catalog can’t touch the Android Market or Apple’s App Store and the Pre’s failure to build its app store was one of its early failings. However, parent company Hewlett Packard (HP) has confirmed that the new APIs will be more robust, which should mean more devs getting on board and, consequently, more decent add-ons landing on the Pre 2.

5 It’s up to speed

A 1GHz processor is a must-have for any top-end smartphone and HP/Palm has seen to it that the Pre 2 comes with one on board. That’ll make it every bit as snappy as its rivals, meaning nasty lags should be a thing of the past.

6 HP Synergy offers better integrated accounts

The iPhone’s mail handling remains suspect, while Google’s Android efforts are certainly not without flaws. The Pre 2’s HP Synergy feature will bring together management of Gmail, Facebook, Exchange and LinkedIn accounts, as well as third party apps. That means syncing contacts and calendars seamlessly.

7 Exhibition makes it a desktop winner

This feature is a small but handy one, which will doubtless get workaholics and deskbound techies salivating. Essentially, Exhibition allows you to see an agenda or photo album when you have the Pre 2 docked, meaning you’re not simply juicing up your blower while you tinker away on your PC.

8 It should be affordable

As we’ve said before, the Pre 2 is essentially a stepping stone for HP/Palm. And while it adds key features, its retention of ageing specs such as the 480x320 screen means it shouldn’t come in at anywhere near the same price as the latest Android phones.

9 Multitasking is breezy

The new ‘stacks’ feature takes its cue from Apple’s iOS folder functions, but means you can easily arrange apps and tap into them quickly. Few phones manage this feature very well and HP has built on the original Pre’s multitasking nous.

10 Just Type is a stroke of genius

Tap out what you’re looking for straight onto the keyboard and the Pre 2 will go and search for it. This ‘Just Type’ feature has been rightly lauded and will make zipping round that 16GB of storage much easier.