Got some bad news from HP’s webOS update tool? Not looking forward to a long wait for webOS 2.0? Right on schedule, Verizon’s bringing the Pre 2 to its network, with HP now accepting pre-orders for the smartphone.

We had previously learned that the Pre 2 would be released on Verizon on February 17, which has now been confirmed as when pre-ordered phones will ship. The $100 on-contract price tag also checks out with earlier leaks.

The coolest part of Verizon’s offer is the inclusion of its Mobile Hotspot feature for no additional charge. Normally, you’d have to fork over another $40 each month in order to share your data connection with your other WiFi devices; this promotion gives you 5GB of bandwidth to share for free.

The offer is marked as being “for a limited time only”, but it’s unclear if you only have so long to sign up for the promo before it’s pulled, or that Verizon will go back to charging you for the Hotspot after a few months of free service. Call us cynical, but the latter sounds a lot more plausible. If you were thinking of holding out for the Pre 3, this might just be enough to sway your decision, especially if you’re using a bunch of mobile gadgets.

Update: The Mobile Hotspot offer no longer appears when pre-ordering a Pre 2. There’s no indication yet as to why the plug was pulled.

Source: HP Wireless Central

Via: PreCentral