Palm's second webOS phone is finally official. Called the Palm Pixi, the handset will feature core hardware similar to the Pre, but comes in at a candybar form factor with a front-mounted full set of keys.
With an uncluttered front panel, the new device offers a fresh departure from the semi-industrial look that most full-QWERTY candybar devices tend to come with. Design appears particularly smooth, with slim lines and an understated sense of style.
Exterior details include a 2.63-inch touchscreen display (320 x 400 resolution), a gesture area below the screen, white-on-black four-row keyboard design, a rubberized back cover, microUSB connector and a 3.5mm audio jack. It's running off a Qualcomm MSM7627 chipset and comes with a 2.0 megapixel camera (with flash and autofocus), an onboard accelerometer, 3G connectivity, Bluetooth with EDR and 8GB of built-in storage. It doesn't come with a Wi-Fi chip.
The Pixi will support the full range of webOS features, including multitasking, notifications, universal search and Palm Synergy, which links the user's range of information from Google, Exchange ActiveSync, Facebook, Yahoo! and LinkedIn. Palm will be releasing it along with the "Palm Pixi Artist Series," a selection of limited-edition back covers for the handset, featuring designs from well-known artists.
Sprint will be selling the Palm Pixi to US customers at a $149.99 price (with instant and mail-in rebates) on a two-year contract agreement. It's scheduled for release later this year.
