Please See the Update at the bottom

Once again, one day before Apple makes its big yearly announcement, Palm has graced us with a preview of a new WebOS device. This time it’s the Pixi (also known as the EOS) .

We always knew that the Prē was only the first in a new type of Palm Products; and this was confirmed back at the end of April of this Year when we first heard about the EOS. Rumors flew and some were true.

At MyTreo.net we try to set ourselves apart from other Palm sites by not just quoting those other sites and this article will attempt to stand by this idea. That said, few have actually seen or touched a Pixi and I am one among those who have not.

So again back to Palm’s news conference on 09/08/09. Palm shocked attendees by telling them that the next WebOS phone would be on Sprint’s shelves in time for the holidays and that it would be officially called the Pixi (Dropping the e from the name found in earlier rumors). Not only will it still communicate with Facebook, Google and AIM but additionally, right out of the box it will Synergize with Yahoo (including Ycalendar, Ymail, Yahoo Messenger) and LinkedIn (a large plus for business users). As well as the already present Facebook Contact and Calendar integration Pixi users will get a Facebook Application which will allow them to see news from friends and update their FB status. I think this is the Facebook “wall” but as many know I don’t use Facebook.

Hardware wise the Pixi will initially run on Sprint’s CDMA network and will have built in GPS just like its older sibling. However unlike the Prē there will NOT be wireless networking on this device. Also missing is the center button, though early reports state that tapping in the gesture area, where the button would’ve been, acts the same way as the button.
The Screen is a 2.63-inch 320×400 Resolution. Onboard is the same amount of Memory as the Prē , 8GB (with 7GB User Available), and it can accessed as a mass storage device on your computer (via MicroUSB connection).
The Exciting news about the Processor is: it will be the first phone with Qualcomm’s high-performance MSM7627 chip, which is smaller than most current smartphone processors and melds the Phone and application processor together.
The Camera is a 2-Megapixel camera so expect lesser quality in the photos than we’ve seen coming from our Prē Owners (they’ve got a 3-MegaPixel camera).
Personally, I like the fact that the headset/headphone jack is on the top, but I come from the Walkman Generation. Of course it wouldn’t be a Palm If it didn’t have a removable battery (1150 mAh) and a ringer on/off switch.
Much of what is on the Prē is also on the Pixi: including proximity sensor, accelerometer, and light sensor, as well as Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP built-in.
Of course it’s sprint so expect NFL, NASCAR, and SprintTV to be there as well. And the app catalog (and homebrew) will work as with the Prē (by then there might even be some more apps in the catalog). Sprint Again wants you to have a hefty data plan as this is a web intensive phone
So how much is this going to cost?
Palm’s not saying yet, nor is Sprint; I’d say think Centro ($99) not Treo ($150).

That was a lot to digest and I’ll summarize in a table below :)
But before I do that I want to touch on as really cool personalization extra that the Pixi will (optionally) have; art for the battery cover. Head over to http://www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pixi/artist.html and peak at the, touchtone compatible, cover replacements; each one is done by a different visual artist, and each one is numbered.  I like this one myself. 

 

Please Comment and as more info comes out (directly from Palm please) I’ll update this article. . . or write another . . . or something.
For now Let’s try and keep discussion to the Future Models and I’ll work on getting the admins to set a Pixi board up by release time.

Cheers Your lovingly Off Kilter Moderator

MiDoJo

A’ight so as I promised here are the specs broken down. (From the Palm Press release)
• High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A)
• 2.63-inch multi-touch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color 320×400 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

 

UPDATE: Palm and Sprint have now announced the Release date to be November 15th 2009.  Also Our wonderful admin, Feico Mol,  has created a device board for the PiXi and it can be found HERE.

Filed under: Device announcements