(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)
Last Sunday, Palm and Sprint released their second WebOS device together, the Palm Pixi, for $99.99 with a two-year contract.
In the grand scheme of things, $100 for a smartphone is a pretty darn good deal, but when you consider the fact that there are other products out there with more power and more features (for example, Wi-Fi) for the same price or lower, it makes the Pixi look foolish. Fortunately, thanks to third-party retailers, you can now get the entry-level smartphone for much less.
Both Amazon and Wal-Mart have lowered the price of the Palm Pixi by 75 percent, so now the smartphone is only $24.99. You will still need to sign up for a two-year service agreement, but it's certainly a much more enticing offer. In addition, the Palm Pre is now available from Amazon for $79.99, which is $70 less than Sprint's price.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
On Sale Now: $99.99 - $529.99
View the latest prices for Palm Pixi (Sprint)
(Credit:
Screenshot by Bonnie Cha/CNET)
As most Palm Pre owners (and anyone who bought the Palm Pixi, which went on sale Sunday) found out this weekend, WebOS 1.3.1 is now available for download.
The latest version of Palm's WebOS brings new features, such as the integration of Yahoo contacts, calendar, and instant messaging into Palm Synergy; text message forwarding; custom ring tone support; and support for Google Apps and Yahoo Small Business Domain e-mail accounts. In addition, WebOS 1.3.1 offers several of bug fixes, all of which you can find on Palm's Web site.
However, there seems to be some hidden treasures of WebOS 1.3.1. Precentral.net has listed some of the undocumented features that its users have found as well as changes to general performance. Some of the highlights include:
- Snappier response from the photo app
- Delete all option in the Trash e-mail folder
- International dialing preferences
- Signs that video recording capabilities are in the works
There are a handful more discoveries over at Precentral. But what about you? Have you found any goodies? Let us know or just tell us about your general experience with WebOS 1.3.1 by leaving a comment.
In the market for a new phone? You picked the right weekend to go shopping. I've got three pretty smokin' deals--something for everyone. Check 'em out:
• BlackBerry From November 14 to 20, Wal-Mart is offering a $100 gift card when you buy a BlackBerry. Eligible models include the AT&T Curve 8310, T-Mobile Pearl 8120, Sprint Curve 8330, and Verizon Storm 2. Given that some models are actually free (with two-year contract and activation, natch), you actually stand to make $100 on the deal. My buddy Dave over at Business Hacks has more details.
• Droid Forget that $149.99 deal on the Motorola Droid. From now until midnight, November 16, Overstock is offering the Droid for $119.99 shipped (plus activation and the obligatory two-year Verizon contract). Alternately, you can get the HTC Eris for just $19.99.
• Palm Pixi Normally $99.99 with a two-year Sprint contract, the Palm Pixi is available from Wirefly for just $24.99. (Actually, it will be available as of midnight Saturday.) If you've read any reviews of the new phone, you know it's pretty much a non-slider version of the Palm Pre. It also lacks Wi-Fi for some crazy reason. (What is it with Palm and Wi-Fi?!)
OK, phone fans, there you have it. My question for you: Will you pull the trigger on any of these deals? If so, which one(s)?
On Sale Now: $99.99 - $529.99
View the latest prices for Palm Pixi (Sprint)
On Sale Now: $199.99 - $599.99
View the latest prices for Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless)
On Sale Now: $99.99 - $419.99
View the latest prices for HTC Droid Eris (Verizon Wireless)
On Sale Now: $0.00
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry Curve 8310 - titanium (AT&T)
On Sale Now: $0.00
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry Curve 8310 - red (AT&T)
On Sale Now: $79.99
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 - titanium (T-Mobile)
On Sale Now: $49.99 - $749.99
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 - titanium (Sprint)
On Sale Now: $49.99 - $749.99
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 - red (Sprint)
On Sale Now: $49.99 - $749.99
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 - inferno (Sprint)
On Sale Now: $149.99 - $749.99
View the latest prices for Palm Pre (Sprint)
The debut of the Palm Pre got the tech world and gadget enthusiasts excited about Palm once again. Long considered dead in the water, Palm's innovative WebOS operating system buoyed it back into the spotlight, and the Pre was certainly a boon for the company as well as Sprint.
While not a complete savior, the two are hoping to create some more magic with the new Palm Pixi. A smaller, cheaper version of the Pre, the Pixi is aimed at a younger audience or for those making the jump from a feature phone to a smartphone. It goes on sale Sunday, November 15 for $99.99 with a two-year contract, but is it worth the price?
Find out in our full review of the Palm Pixi.
On Sale Now: $99.99 - $529.99
View the latest prices for Palm Pixi (Sprint)
Palm Pixi
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)On Monday, Sprint and Palm announced that the Palm Pixi will be available starting November 15 for $99.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. The Pixi will be sold online and in Sprint stores as well as Best Buy, Radio Shack and select Wal-Mart stores.
The Pixi is the second Web OS smartphone for Palm as well as Sprint and will be an exclusive to the carrier for an undisclosed amount of time. Unlike the Palm Pre, the Pixi features a candy-bar design and includes new capabilities such as the integration of LinkedIn and Yahoo contacts into Synergy, layered calendars, and a dedicated Facebook app.
Targeted to a bit of a younger audience than the Pre, the Pixi doesn't offer quite the same set of high-end features. You lose Wi-Fi and you get a smaller multitouch screen and a lesser camera (2 megapixels versus 3 megapixels) than the Pre.
Given the feature set and considering that the Palm Pre is available for as low as $79 now, we would have liked to seen the Palm Pixi priced around the $79.99 point. That said, we liked what we saw (name aside) when we got some brief hands-on time with the device back in early September. Of course, we'll work to get you a full review as soon as possible but in the meantime, what do you guys think?
Motorola Cliq
(Credit: Josh Miller)After their unveiling last week, we've had a chance to handle the Palm Pixi and the Android Motorola Cliq. A full review will have to wait, but Bonnie gives you her first take on the new devices. We also catch you up on other cell phone news, our latest reviews, and Nicole makes a bad pun.
Listen now: Download today's podcastSubscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
News
AT&T introduces A-List
Sprint offers unlimited calling to any cell phone
LG enters Android fray with GW620
First impressions: Motorola Cliq
Verizon to offer HTC Touch Pro2 for $200
Hands on with the Palm Pixi
Researchers push for new cell phone safety standards
T-Mobile gets Nokia 5130
Samsung's M330 launches for Sprint
Alltel announces Samsung Freeform
Reviews
Samsung SGH-T659
Nokia 7705 Twist
HTC Snap (Alltel)
Samsung Rogue SCH-U960
Samsung WEP870
Samsung SPH-M240
Samsung Intensity
Upcoming reviews
HTC Touch Pro2 (Verizon Wireless)
Motorola Debut
Samsung SPH-M330
You can count on the week following Labor Day to deliver a fresh crop of new cell phones. And without a doubt, this year delivered. See all the new models, from the flashy to the boring, in our photo gallery. And in case you missed our coverage, here's a list of the new handsets with links to the full details.
Motorola Cliq
Palm Pixi
HTC Touch Pro2 (Verizon Wireless)
HTC Tattoo
Nokia 7705 Twist
Samsung Rogue
Samsung Intensity
Samsung SGH-T659
Samsung M240
Samsung Freeform
On Wednesday, Palm introduced its second WebOS smartphone, the Palm Pixi. Destined for Sprint for the holiday season, the svelte Pixi is targeted to a bit of a younger audience than the Palm Pre and offers a fresh design and new features but also makes some sacrifices in those departments to presumably reduce the cost of the device.
We got a chance to check out the Pixi first hand this afternoon, and though it's not a final product, we were heartened by what we saw. If priced right--we're thinking $100 or less--we could see a lot of youngsters and smartphone newbies flocking to this device. Find out more about the Palm Pixi and our impressions of the smartphone in our hands-on slideshow below. Also, be sure to check back for our First Look video to see the Pixi in action.
We're pretty swamped with a lot of news about Apple's iPhone, new Android phones, and the new Palm Pixi, so this is a short show for this week. Stay tuned next week with a bit more in-depth analysis and be sure to check out our live stream over at http://live.cnet.com every Wednesday at 2 p.m. PT.
Listen now: Download today's podcastSubscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
News
iPhone 3.1 brings Genius changes, ringtones
iPhone will get MMS on September 25
Sprint announces HTC Hero
Palm thinks small with the new Pixi smartphone
HTC Tattoo: An Android phone for all
Verizon announces Samsung Rogue and Intensity
T-Mobile's retro Samsung T659
Make calls with Sprint's Samsung M240
Facebook app for Android released
Pandora Radio launches on Android
Stay tuned to Android Atlas for the latest Android phone news
If you thought the Palm Pre had a lame name, then consider their newest fumble: the Palm Pixi. Can you imagine walking into the nearest Sprint store and asking for the latest smartphone to hit the market, only to have the clerk bring out the Pixi? Well, names aside, the phone looks pretty cool. It's basically a stripped-down, simpler version of the Pre. It replaces the sliding keyboard with a fixed QWERTY keypad. The screen is a bit smaller, but still retains the 8GB of memory and GPS.
In other Palm news, the company has dropped the price of the Pre to a very affordable $150 and someone leaked an early copy the webOS version 1.2. The latest update which fixes small problems like the Select All option in the edit menu of the browser and makes some changes to the GPS.
Of course, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the forthcoming iPod price cuts and the new iPod leaks. CNET News is bringing you full coverage of the event on our live blog, and apparently TechCrunch has already reported that the 32GB iPod Touch has dropped from $399 to $279. Check out the photos and tune in tomorrow to see if our Technodamus predictions actually came true.
EPISODE 421
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