Palm Pre vs Palm Pixi

First question asked by many is “how does it compare to the Palm Pre?” The Pixi is designed as a entry-level phone, where as the Palm Pre is a prosumer model. If you were considering a jump from the Pre to the Pixi, there are a four major differences between the two phones.

1. The processor, which is detailed here, is not as powerful. No word yet on the amount of RAM. Palm acknowledges that there will be a limit to the number of cards they can have open at any given time.
2. The screen is 320×400, which is 80 pixels less than the screen on the Palm Pre 320×480. If you watch movies on your device, this is where you’d likely notice it most.
3. Camera is 2 megapixels vs 3 megapixels on the Palm Pre. Both feature an LEF flash. We could not test picture quality during the hands-on.
4. This is an entry-level phone. To keep costs down, it does not include WiFi.

Source: Chris (everythingpre.com)

The Palm Pixi is official, headed to Sprint this holiday season -- we've got hands-on and video!

The Palm Pixi has officially arrived, and if you're an avid reader of Engadget (you'd better be), this device should look a little bit familiar to you. We first broke specs and images of the phone -- codenamed Eos and the alternately-spelled "Pixie" -- back in April, when we nabbed what appeared to be a leak of a new, Centro-esque phone headed to AT&T. Today, Palm has announced that the Pixi -- a tiny, sleek webOS-based handset -- will be coming to Sprint this holiday season. The phone will hit shelves sans-WiFi (EV-DO Rev. A only here), with 8GB of storage onboard (a nice bump up from the rumored 4GB), 2 megapixel camera (with flash), a full QWERTY keyboard, and a minute, 2.63-inch, 320 x 400 capacitive display (guess they didn't get that HTC memo).

Along with the new handset, Palm will offer five artist-designed back covers in the "Palm Pixi Artist Series" -- similar to Zune Originals and Dell's Design Studio laptops -- which can be purchased separately... of course. Touchstone owners take heart: those backs, as well as a separate black backing that you'll also pay extra for, are all compatible with the accessory. In addition to the hardware, Palm will be introducing a native Facebook app when the Pixi hits, as well as new Yahoo! and LinkedIn integration for Synergy. Right now no date for launch has been set, though Palm says the phone will be ready in time for the holidays. The company is also mum on price, but coupled with the news that Sprint will be slimming the Pre's entry point down to $149.99, we have to assume it's going to be in the $99-or-less ballpark. We had a chance to play around with the new phone, so read on after the break for our initial, early impressions.

Palm is still tweaking the device, so we aren't making any final judgments on the Pixi -- though what we saw is mostly heartening.

For starters, the phone is really quite handsome. In terms of industrial design, the clean lines and smart choices in materials belie the Pixi's likely price-point. In your hands it feels solid, though it's shocking just how tiny it is. The standard backing is a soft-touch material (not unlike the Touchstone back for the Pre), and perhaps due to the lack of moving parts here, the phone feels really well put together. Just as with the Pre, the Pixi includes a ringer on / off switch and 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a removable 1150mAh battery.

The body of the phone is -- as we said -- very small, but the thickness is where it really struts its stuff... or lack of stuff. The Pixi is just 0.43-inches thick. To put that in perspective, the iPhone 3GS is 0.48-inches -- which means anyone who has complaints about sliding a handset into their pocket should be swooning.


Instead of a center button, Palm has made the middle of the gesture area (part of its capacitive coating) take on the duty. The target is represented by a small, white slit, and the same gestures that webOS is known for seem to work flawlessly around it. While the screen gets 80 pixels lopped off compared with the Pre (and the iPhone, G1, Hero, and Storm, to name a few), it looked clean and crisp to us. The responsiveness on the main part of the display was just as tight -- if not tighter -- than the Pre, and that's a plus. Of course, webOS makes clever use of the cramped space by squashing card and app sizes down to fit. It's a tremendous example of the UI's literal scalability.

The QWERTY keyboard on the Pixi was also a bit of a shocker -- even though the keys are tiny and tightly spaced, it's definitely usable. The reps we spoke with noted that due to the candybar form factor and lack of a sliding mechanism, they were able to get more height on the keys. Besides the more pronounced buttons, the Pixi's keyboard seemed to have a more tactile click than that of the Pre, and honestly, we might have liked the Pixi's variation better.

Inside, the phone is powered by a completely different CPU than its big brother. In this case, Palm chose to use the Qualcomm MSM7627, a smaller chip which enabled them to mint the micro form factor. The CPU itself isn't dramatically different than the 7200 series, though it is noticeably less charged than the TI OMAP3 chip in the Pre. Regardless of what's cranking the gears, the phone seemed pretty snappy when it was demoed for us (you can see it in action in the videos below). We did notice a few hangups during big image scaling and heavy webpages, but again, this is early software on an early device.

All in all, we walked away impressed by the Pixi, but a little bummed that Palm has chosen to bring another webOS device to Sprint. Here's hoping that this proliferation means the Pre will be finding its way to other carriers soon -- part of Palm's strength right now is that it's not locked into a long term Apple / AT&T situation, and it would be a shame not to take full advantage of that. Still, it's always nice to see a quality handset joining the smartphone ranks, and if this pans out to be as cheap as we think it should be, Palm could find themselves making a lot of new friends... Centro style.

Source: Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 9th 2009 at 12:02AM

Palm Pixi Due Nov 15 at $99

Sprint has announced that Sunday, Nov. 15 will be the first day of nationwide availability for the Palm Pixi. The device will be exclusive to Sprint for a period and will cost $99.99 with a two-year service agreement, after a $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate.

According to the press release, the Palm Pixi will be made available at Sprint stores, sprint.com, through telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1, and at Best Buy, RadioShack and select Wal-Mart stores.

"We are excited to offer the new Palm Pixi to our customers in time for the holiday season, and it's a great addition to Sprint's industry-leading device portfolio," said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. "Simply put, this phone is fun and easy to use; with its multi-touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, it's a great device for messaging and social networking at a price everyone can enjoy, and delivers so many of the great features people love about Palm Pre™ in a fantastic new form factor, making it a huge hit for consumers."

Palm Pixi features an exposed keyboard, multi-touch screen and a durable, removable rubberized back cover. It is also compatible with Palm Touchstone charging technology and will feature a series of replacement back covers. You can checkout our recent Palm Pixi preview here.

Spec-wise, the Pixi packs in a CDMA EVDO Rev. A data modem, a 2.63-inch 320x400 TFT multi-touch screen, an exposed QWERTY keyboard, GPS, 2-megapixel camera with flash, 3.5mm headphone jack, 8GB of internal storage, and a Qualcomm MSM7627 chipset.

A new Facebook application will be available with Palm Pixi, so users can see and comment on all the latest news from friends and easily update their status.

Palm Pixi requires activation on a pricing plan including unlimited data, such as Sprint's Everything Data plans with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM, which give customers unlimited mobile calling on the Sprint network to and from any U.S. wireless carrier, unlimited nationwide texting, email, Web browsing and much more, starting at just $69.99. The Simply EverythingSM plan from Sprint offers a truly unlimited experience for only $99.99 per month, a savings of $1,200 over two years versus a comparable AT&T iPhone plan. (All price plans exclude surcharges and taxes. Other exclusions apply.)

Source: Ryan Kairer Monday, October 26, 2009 7:42:46 AM

Palm Pixi clears FCC

Besides a slew of new LG phones, the biggest news out of the Federal Communications this week is the approval of the Palm Pixi. In light of its November 15 release date, the Pixi's appearance here is not surprising. We also spied the Google Android-equipped LG GW620.

Because the FCC has to certify every phone sold in the United States, not to mention test its SAR rating, the agency's online database offers a lot of sneak peeks to those who dig. And to save you the trouble, Crave has combed through the database for you. Here are a selection of filings from the past week on new and upcoming cell phones. Click through to read the full report.

Source: Kent German October 30, 2009 12:44 PM PDT

Palm Pixi Music, Photo and Video

Take pictures with the built-in 2-megapixel camera and LED flash, then share them by uploading to Photobucket or Facebook—or by sending from Email or Messaging.3 Download songs from the Amazon MP3 store and play them complete with their album art.6 You can also easily transfer your DRM-free iTunes music, videos, and photos right to your Palm Pixi.


This thing is really powerful.

Thin Palm Pixi Phone Puts Fast, Intuitive Communication at Fingertips

Palm's Thinnest Phone Yet Expands Palm webOS Line with Customizable Style

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sep 09, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today introduced the Palm(R) Pixi(TM) phone for faster, more intuitive and personal communication in a compact and customizable design.(1) With the instinctively useable Palm webOS(TM) platform, strikingly thin design, a visible full keyboard and fashionable personalization options, Palm Pixi lets you express yourself in amazingly useful ways. It's scheduled to be available exclusively from Sprint in time for the holidays.

"With Palm webOS, we're creating a new, more intuitive smartphone experience defined by unmatched simplicity and usefulness," said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. "Palm Pixi brings this unique experience to a broader range of people who want enhanced messaging and social networking in a design that lets them express their personal style."

In addition to linking your information from Google(TM), Facebook and Exchange ActiveSync, Palm Pixi adds Yahoo! and LinkedIn integration to Palm Synergy(TM) and assembles it all in a single view.(2) You can get your Yahoo! contacts, calendar and IM, and access to your LinkedIn contacts, including job titles. Synergy on Palm Pixi makes messaging easier by showing you all your conversations with the same person in one chat-style thread, so you can start a conversation on AIM Instant Messenger, Google Talk(TM) or Yahoo! Messenger and continue it by text message later.(3)

Complementing the phone's already rich Facebook integration with the contacts, phone, calendar and photo applications, a new Facebook application will be available with Palm Pixi so you can see and comment on all the latest news from your friends, as well as easily update your status. The phone's full QWERTY keyboard puts it all at your fingertips, and the multi-touch screen lets you move back and forth between open applications using natural gestures.(4) The unique removable back cover is rubberized, making it scratch-resistant, slip-resistant and durable.

Personalization with Style

For those who want to express themselves with some extra style, Palm is introducing the Palm Pixi Artist Series. Designed by some of today's most unique and compelling artists, these numbered, limited-edition back covers let you change designs to suit your mood. You can see the first collection in the series, as well as information about the artists, at www.palm.com/artistseries. Palm will be showcasing the fashionable new Palm Pixi with the Artist Series covers this week at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York (Sept. 10-17).

You can also tailor Palm Pixi to your interests with downloadable applications from the Palm Beta App Catalog, including the latest entertainment and social networking applications such as Local Concerts by iLike, and Yelp(TM).(5) You can use Palm media sync to customize your phone with music, photos and videos from iTunes (Versions 8.1.1-8.2.1)(6), or use the on-device Amazon MP3 store to purchase individual songs or full albums over-the-air.(3)

"Palm Pixi continues Sprint's leadership in providing useful and innovative devices on America's most dependable 3G network,"(7) said Dan Hesse, chief executive officer at Sprint. "We are pleased to be the first carrier to bring this device to market and offer both devices in the growing Palm webOS family. Sprint's Everything Data plans, which provide unrestricted access to the Internet, mobile content and applications, and our Ready Now retail experience make for a perfect combination with these new Palm products."

The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network reaches more than 271 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports, and Sprint's networks are now performing at best-ever levels.

Customers who purchase Palm Pixi will benefit from Sprint's Ready Now, which the company pioneered to help customers leave the store educated, comfortable and confident about the phones they're taking home. It is like having a free personal trainer that educates you on all your phone can do by setting up all the applications you want to use on the device.

Palm Pixi is also the perfect complement to Sprint's Simply EverythingSM plan, which provides unlimited nationwide calling, texting, email, social networking, web browsing, GPS navigation, Sprint TV, streaming music, NFL Mobile Live, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile and much more for only $99.99 per month. It's a savings of $1,200 over two years versus some comparable competitor plans.

Palm Pixi Features

* High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A)
* 2.63-inch multi-touch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color 320x400 resolution TFT display
* Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
* Exposed QWERTY keyboard for fast messaging
* Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities), including Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo! IM
* High-performance, desktop-class web browser
* Integrated GPS(8)
* Multimedia options, including pictures, video playback and music, and featuring a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera with LED flash, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
* Email, including Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers), as well as personal email support (Google push, Yahoo! push, POP3, IMAP)(9)
* Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
* 8GB of internal user storage (~7GB user available)(10)
* USB mass storage mode
* MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
* The first handset to launch with Qualcomm's high-performance MSM7627(TM) chipset
* Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
* Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
* Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
* Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
* Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAh battery
* Dimensions: 55mm (W) x 111mm (L) x 10.85mm (D) [2.17 in. (W) x 4.37 in. (L) x 0.43 in. (D)]
* Weight: 99.5 grams (3.51 ounces)
* Sprint services, including Sprint TV(R) and Sprint Radio, Sprint Navigation, Sprint's exclusive NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile Live

Availability and Pricing

The Palm Pixi phone is scheduled to be available from Sprint in time for the holidays. Pricing for the phone, as well as the limited-edition Palm Pixi Artist Series covers, will be announced closer to availability. Customers who would like to register to receive additional information about Palm Pixi and be notified when it's available can register at www.palm.com/pixi.

In addition, effective today the Palm Pre(TM) phone from Sprint is available for $149.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $150 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate. You can find this great pricing at Sprint stores, on the web (www.sprint.com) and by calling Sprint's telesales group (1-800-SPRINT1). With the new Palm Pixi phone, and Palm Pre at a lower price, Palm and Sprint are bringing greater choice of Palm webOS phones to a larger audience.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos and video are available from Palm's media gallery at www.palm.com/mml.

Please add the tag #Palm #Pixi to your tweets or "Palm Pixi" to your blog posts about the all-new Palm Pixi phone running on Palm webOS, and follow Palm on Twitter at www.twitter.com/palm.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. creates intuitive and powerful mobile experiences that enable consumers and businesses to connect to their information in more useful and useable ways. The company's groundbreaking Palm webOS(TM) platform, designed exclusively for mobile application, introduces true multitasking and Palm Synergy(TM), which brings your information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view of your life.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels, and at Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com.

(1) Within wireless coverage area only. Email, mobile number, and related information required for setup and activation. Required data plan not included; unlimited plan strongly recommended.

(2) Limitations apply. Layered calendars and linked contacts for Outlook require Exchange ActiveSync and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or later, sold separately.

(3) Within wireless coverage area only.

(4) Performance varies based upon actual usage.

(5) Third-party software available separately. Within wireless coverage area only.

(6) Compatible with iTunes 8.2.1 on Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X version 10.3.9-10.5.7. Within wireless coverage area only. Music sold separately. Please respect copyright laws when downloading music.

(7) "Dependable" based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from Jan. '08 to Feb. '09. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network when 3G unavailable.

(8) Coverage not available in all areas at all times.

(9) Outlook requires Exchange ActiveSync and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or later, sold separately.

(10) Storage estimate subject to change based on system software and application usage.

Palm, Pixi, Pre, webOS and Synergy are trademarks of Palm, Inc. Google and Google Talk are trademarks of Google, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.

SOURCE: Palm, Inc.

Palm Pixi Out Next Month

The Palm Pixi will be launched next month, it has been confirmed.

A low-end alternative to the Pre – reviewed here - Pixi was unveiled on 9 September. But it has taken US carrier Sprint until today to confirm that the phone will be available in North America from 15 November.

Customers willing to sign a two-year service agreement with Sprint will be charged $200 for the Pixi after a $50 "instant" rebate. You'll get another $100 (£61/€66) back if you send in a coupon.

Sprint will offer various Pixi price plans, including one that provides unlimited mobile calls, nationwide texting, email and web browsing for $70 per month.

Pixi is compatible with the Pre's Touchstone wireless charging system and allows you to express your mood with a series of $20 interchangeable back covers.

Palm has already promised that Pixi will be sold in Europe, but the manufacturer hasn’t yet announced a specific UK launch date or carrier handshake.

Source: James Sherwood (26th October 2009 15:54 GMT)