Seems like the Palm Pre is getting the big thumbs up according to Reuters, oh yes Mr Walt Mossberg from WSJ’s raves about it, Shares are up 2 percent in premarket and predictions say it will be a tough competitor to Apple Inc’s iPhone.

The Palm Pre smartphone is getting nearer its release, yes only 1 day, 10 hours and 57 minutes to go, and it seems it is getting really good and positive reviews. It has been given the big thumbs up by several newspapers for its shape, how the touchscreen controls works with the physical keyboard and the ability to run many applications at once.

Ok there are a few problems such as the concerns for battery life, and the lack of applications, but hey that is not bad. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Walt Mossberg said that the Pre will come up against tough competition such as the new iPhone, he said “”I consider the Pre to be potentially the strongest rival to iPhone to date, provided it attracts lots of third-party apps, which it sorely lacks at launch,”

David Pogue, New York Times reviewer said that the Palm Pre had all the features for an advanced smartphone, he said “The hard part is making it all feel simple and unified — over all, Palm nailed it,” Pogue also said that opening certain programs can be very slow, “sometimes eight or nine seconds” and bemoaned the fact that there was no progress bar or hourglass to let you know it’s still working.”

About the Premarket shares: Shares are up by 3 percent in premarket which is now trading to $12.90, The Palm Pre was first unveiled January 8th and shares have quadrupled since then.