Palm has announced their second WebOS based handset, the Pixi, which is essentially a scaled down, cheaper version of the Palm Pre. The Pixi still features the same Blackberry-style keypad, as well as GPS and a touch sensitive screen but has had many of the higher end features of the Pre stripped out for cost effectiveness. Due to its touch sensitivity Palm has not included a trackball or D-pad as the functionality is provided through the screen and QWERTY pad.
The Pixi is a model of phone that has previously been seen under the name ‘Eos’. While having a similar screen resolution to the Pre (320 x 400 compared to the Pre’s 320 x 480) the actual screen size is a step down from 3.1″ to 2.6″. The camera is also only 2 megapixels compared to the Pre’s 3 megapixel snapper and there is no Wi-Fi included.
There are some specifications where the Pixi still remains true to Palm’s flagship the Pre, such as the 8GB storage, 3G, A2DP Bluetooth, GPS and 3.5mm audio jack. The Pixi will also still make use of some more elaborate features such as a proximity sensor, accelerometer and gesture navigation.
Palm state that the Pixi is an attempt to attract younger phone users to the Palm brand by making it more affordable and they are even joining in the trend of many phone companies that are now reintroducing the concept of changeable covers. Palm thinks this will be enough to attract a younger audience and they are also offering artist designed covers for the Pixi.
The Pixi is being heralded as the cheaper cousin of the Palm Pre and while offering much of the same features that have made the latter device a popular handset over in the US since its release, the price reduction stems from the reduced screen size and omission of Wi-Fi. Whether this and the reduction is price will be enough to woo younger consumers remains to be seen.
Tags: Palm-Pixi