Palm Pixi Smartphone

It would seem that Palm's latest product introduction was destined to
get lost in the shuffle. Whether this was by design or simply pure
happenstance, the announcement today by Palm of the launch of their new
Palm Pixi smartphone might be struggling to get the attention the
handheld marketers are looking for. The Palm Pixi appears to be a
diluted version of the popular Palm Pre and what it lacks in
functionality just might be comparable to the lack of interest most
potential users may show when it comes to picking one up for themselves.
The new Palm Pixi, as announced today by the folks at Palm, is being
touted as a faster, more intuitive personal communication device
available in a compact and customizable design. The webOS-driven Pixi
has paired a visible full QWERTY keyboard with a 2.63-in multi-touch TFT
display that offers gestural navigation in 18-bit color and 320×400
resolution. So far, those sound like a great set of features. And for
managing your social media and general contact information, the Pixi
allows users to link their info with Google, Facebook and Exchange
ActiveSync. The Palm Pixi also adds Yahoo! and LinkedIn integration to
Palm Synergy and puts it all together in the same view for easier
navigation.
As for connectivity, this may be where the Pixi takes the biggest hit.
The Pixi will use Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network for Internet access and
there is no wi-fi option. This means that you need a fairly strong
connection to the Sprint network to make use of the web functionality, a
downside many consumers may find hard to swallow. On the upside, The
Palm Pixi does come with 8GB of internal storage and will still
synchronize with compatible versions of iTunes, just like the Palm Pre.
Like the Pre, the Pixi will also use GPS for location-based services, as
well as an accelerometer to orient your images and web pages based on
the position of the device. The fixed-focus camera of the Pixi is also
slightly under that found on the Pre, at 2MP instead of 3MP.
To help jumpstart the sales of the new Pixi, Palm has given users the
option to customize their device with several different artist-inspired
back covers; again, not revolutionary, but definitely something that
will get attention with the younger, more impressionable crowd. Pricing
has yet to be announced for the new Pixi, but given the current
competitive landscape and pricing for the Pre ($150 with contract) it
might be a safe bet to see this new device come in somewhere just over
$100. Palm has also stated that the Pixi will be available just in time
for the holidays. For more information and to check out the Pixi Artist
Series designs you can head over to www.palm.com.