Palm Pre Plus $49.99 {Verizon}:

The Palm Pre Plus is the fastest phone available running WebOS, though with only four such phones in existence, that might not be much to brag about.  WebOS has a slew of interesting features like Synergy which will merge your Gmail and Facebook contacts into the address book if you set it with those accounts.  It also handles multitasking with an elegant card system.  As for speed? It may run a bit slowly compared to recent competitors, and have a relatively small screen, but it’s not a bad phone by any stretch.

HTC Droid Eris $0.01 {Amazon}:

The HTC Droid Eris is essentially the same as the original HTC Hero, but with a different shell.  It now runs on Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI over the top of it, similar to the HTC EVO or Droid Incredible. The processor is not nearly as fast as either of those phones (528 MHz as compared to 1 GHz for EVO and Incredible), but still runs fairly well.  It is certainly more easily pocketable than the likes of the EVO or the Droid X with it’s smaller 3.2-inch screen.  It won’t be getting any more OS updates, but being stuck on 2.1 at the moment isn’t so bad – particularly compared to those phones still stuck on Android 1.6 or lower.

LG Ally $0.01 {Amazon}

The LG Ally is the second phone on this list with a physical keyboard, but unlike the Pre Plus, it runs on Android 2.1.  The phone is actually fairly new, having launched on Verizon to little fanfare in May.  There’s no talk of a Froyo update as of yet, but as LG’s first Android phone, it’s a pretty good opening shot.  The phone’s processor would clock in around the Eris, but it runs on stock Android with an optional themes app that could mean less of a drain on the battery.  If you want a smartphone on Verizon with a physical keyboard that isn’t as cramped as the Pre Plus, and don’t want to spring for a Droid, the LG Ally is a good choice.

The Palm Pre Plus, the upgraded version of the supposed iPhone killer is finally making it’s way to the network of the iPhone.  The release coming on May 16 comes off as just a bit too late, however.  {Engadget} It comes just a month before the official launch of the new iPhone (the one that launched a nasty police raid), which is expected to borrow a few of the Pre Plus’  features.

The new version will feature multitasking, one of the biggest advantages the Pre Plus formerly had over the iPhone .  While the current iPhone has a rather boring user interface, the next version will allow for wallpapers on the homescreen, another big plus the original Pre offered.

That leaves the Pre Plus with a free Touchstone wireless charger that will be included with the phone when purchased in a corporate-owned store.  If, like Ellen, the physical keyboard on the Blackberry has kept you from giving a touchscreen phone a chance, the Palm Pre Plus has one. But we aren’t sure if that’s enough to get Apple or Blackberry loyalists (maybe Palm’s mistake was going with a tree name instead of a fruit), to make the change.

Coming in at $149.99 compared to the recently reduced Verizon price of $29.99 on a two-year contract, the AT&T Palm Pre Plus just seems like a bad idea for now.  The free charger doesn’t make up for the fact that AT&T’s network is notoriously spotty with coverage compared to Verizon.  The initial price is also a lot more than on Verizon, and the monthly plans are about the same.

The only real upside is the fact that AT&T’s network allows you to talk and browse the web simultaneously.  Provided you’re in a location where you can talk in the first place, but that’s a different discussion. All in all, we wouldn’t count on AT&T to save sales of recently rescued Palm. And though its features are solid, the Pre doesn’t seem like it will provide enough incentive for someone to switch to AT&T, or even stay on AT&T. Good thing they still have iPhone exclusivity.