Palm WebOS, Pre and Pixi – Where Are We Now?
by Joseph Berthiaume on March 23, 2010 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
Pre Plus and Pixi Plus – Still Ticking
Palm struck a deal recently to make its WebOS smartphones available on the Verizon network, which is #1 in the US, at least in terms of coverage area and subscribers. I’ve alluded several times to these new devices, known as Pre Plus and Pixi Plus. Each is a slight evolution from their Sprint-exclusive cohorts. In addition to the new and improved center button and enabled WiFi, there appears to be more available RAM, which should further help with the performance issues (though, as we are learning with WebOS updates – performance seems to be heavily based in software optimizations). Also, both the Plus devices ship by default with the TouchStone - compatible back cover, so they have that going for them too, which is nice.
Rumor has it that the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are soon coming to the AT&T networks as well. Go go gadget universal availability!
I can haz WebOS – which phone plz!
So now we come to an interesting question: you’ve fallen in love with WebOS, and are lusting after a phone based on it, but don’t know which one to buy? Both the Pre and Pixi (and their respective Plus versions) have pros and cons and the answer also depends on what you’re coming from. If you’re upgrading from a simple non-smartphone, either is going to feel like you’ve stepped into the 21st century. If you are going to be viewing a lot of media and browsing the web, you probably want the extra real estate the Pre’s screen provides, as well as the WiFi (assuming you’re on Sprint, if you’re on Verizon it’s moot, so congrats). If you’re used to having a phone that feels more indestructible, you’re going to prefer the Pixi. I’ve been using both phones for a few months and it’s a very hard decision for me. Most of the time I say Pre – it’s just a little more powerful with its WiFi and larger screen. But then there’s those times where I pick up the Pixi and it just feels so good in the hand, and the keyboard…oh the keyboard.
One of the big items to consider when choosing between these two phones is the browser. As I’ve mentioned, Pre has a significantly larger display, and you’d probably think that because of that, the web browsing experience would be more enjoyable.
For the individual, it might also come down to price. Both phones have seen major price cuts recently, and if you shop around, depending on the usual deals and terms, you can pick up a Pixi or Pixi Plus for close to 0$. At the same time though, the Pre is around 80$ depending on your situation. Granted we’re not talking about huge quantities of money, but free is still free. Well, after mail in rebate it is. So there’s that.
In a perfect world, Palm is going to find a way to marry some of the features of both form factors and assemble a next generation WebOS phone, one that truly will be a complete competitor to the iPhone. Either majorly up the build quality of the Pre’s slider, and import Pixi’s superior keyboard, or up the Pixi’s screen size to some happy medium between the two, and boost her internals so performance is never an issue. Rumors are already starting to filter through the forums of a new device coming down the road.
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johnsonx - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
I think it's the long Sprint-exclusive contract that potentially killed Palm here. If it had launched on Verizon first (or preferably on several major carriers), I think it would have had a better chance to take off. But it slumbered on #3 Sprint while the iPhone 3GS and Android won the customers on #2 and #1.Now it's finally available on #1 Verizon, but everyone knows the platform is struggling. Now, amazing news of Windows Phone 7 further erodes Palm's chances.
inspire - Thursday, March 25, 2010 - link
I disagree with you there - Sprint has the advantage of 3G coverage, 4G speeds, and the most affordable data plans available. What killed the Pre was that neither Palm nor Sprint were able to mount anything resembling an effective marketing campaign at launch - it took 3-6 months before anything halfway decent really came out, and even then it was from Sprint.Also, if you read the article, you'd realize that the platform isn't struggling at all - the sales are. It's trouble with Verizon is that the Pre & Pixi basically blew their 4 month lead they had on the Droid, and now that they've come to Verizon, the Droid is simply a better deal.
mschira - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
Well In Australia you can't even get them with a mobile phone carrier, be it the Pre nor the Pixi.I don't know about Europe but if its that they don't support the GSM mobile standard, then you can't get them in Europe either.
Sorry but that's not the best strategy to sell a device...
M.
juzz86 - Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - link
In fact, the only way to get one in Australia is from Europe, because they've got exclusivity on the GSM version through O2 (for now). There are 'factory' unlocked ones on eBay, but with QWERTZ (German) keyboards and astronomical (AU$1100+) price tags. I've just purchased a used handset to have a try on, and even that was AU$600. The only saving grace? Tri-band HSDPA. Here we come NextG!vol7ron - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
I agree. The service is a large factor when choosing hardware. A large part of the core smart-phone functionality is the "phone" - with a bad provider, it doesn't matter how brilliant the hardware is.----
I'd also like to add that I criticized software keyboards at first, but have since learned to live with them. What I'd still like is a bigger screen than the iPhone - an expandable touch screen is where it's at.
If I wanted a keyboard, I'd be fine with going back to the Palm/Compaq iPaq/Handspring days and get either a bluetooth keyboard, or a plugin keyboard to the native port. My guess is that you could make a thing sleeve that sticks on to the bottom of the phone to make it look just like the treo/blackbery/pixy, and still have that large screen.
mschira - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
Yea, where is the small leather sleeve that carries and protect an iPhone whilst having a small keyboard build in.That should be a no brain top seller, making the iPhone a better organiser for those who want a hardware keyboard.
M.
vol7ron - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
thin sleeve*taltamir - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
[quote]When it was first unveiled, Pre and its new operating system WebOS, instantly generated tremendous buzz across the smartphone and tech industry as a sort of resurrection for Palm, and possibly the first (at the time) legitimate competitor to Apple’s iPhone[/quote]Are you saying the android OS is not a legitimate competitor to iphone / palm pre? (android was released before the palm pre)
Anand Lal Shimpi - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
I believe Joseph meant that at the time of the Pre's release, it was the closest to the iPhone. Android has since matured tremendously, both as an OS as well as in terms of available hardware platforms. It's definitely a viable competitor at this point.In my experience, all three OSes have their strengths and weaknesses. There are things that webOS does that iPhone/Android do not do, and vice versa.
I'll be addressing a lot of this in an upcoming look at the new AT&T Google Nexus One.
Take care,
Anand
pookguy88 - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
I'll be looking forward to that article