Motorola Milestone getting a pre-Christmas UK release?

Those of you in the United Kingdom following the progress of Motorola’s Android-based 'iPhone killer' the Droid may be feeling a little left out at present - although parts of Europe are getting the device (rebadged as the Motorola Milestone), the UK has thus far not seemed to figure in the company’s ambitious plans.

Thankfully, it would seem such pessimism is largely unfounded and the chances of the phone getting a UK release this side of Christmas are increasing.

Several UK-based online retailers are advertising pre-orders for SIM-free versions of the Milestone, including Superetrader, eXpansys, and Clove, with prices ranging from £449 to £424.

The Milestone is the first handset to pack Android 2.0 as standard, although it lacks the much-hyped Google Navigation software that comes with its North American equivalent, the Droid.

If the SIM-free prices are little too rich for your blood and you’re looking to pick the Milestone up on a contract, you might have to wait a little longer.

There’s no news about which UK networks will be picking it up, although given the high profile of the phone - which has sold particularly well since its US launch - we can’t imagine that situation will remain the same for very long.