The summer of 1967 will always be known as the “Summer of Love,” but perhaps 2009 will go down as the summer of smartphones. It’s typical protocol for handset makers to release phones before school starts up and the holidays kick into gear, but this year the market is buzzing about a slew of new iconic devices that are destined to make things abnormally exciting.

Here’s a round-up of all the latest handset rumors and speculation icoming from companies, like Palm (NSDQ: PALM), Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), Nokia (NYSE: NOK), Samsung, Google (NSDQ: GOOG), Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and others:

—Palm Pre: The Palm Pre’s official launch is expected to be unveiled tomorrow in the Wall Street Journal, however, the NYTimes reported today that Sprint (NYSE: S) will start selling the Palm Pre in the first week of June, according to people were briefed on the company’s plans.

—Apple iPhone: On June 8, Apple is holding its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, where it will unveil its iPhone software 3.0 update and talk about its latest Mac operating system. The company has not confirmed a new handset, but MobileCrunch is reporting that Apple could launch a new iPhone there, which is interesting because its “just a few days” after the Pre’s launch.

—Samsung and Google’s Android: Also in June, the NYTimes said Samsung is expected to release the i7500, its first phone based on Google’s Android operating system. It’s not known if the phone will come to the U.S.