Palm launches Pixi in bid to wow mobile mass market

American PDA firm updates the Pre with cheaper, slimmed-down version of the device that will be out in US in time for Christmas.



Palm has updated the Palm Pre, the mobile phone the American manufacturer hopes will revive its fortunes, with a slightly cheaper version of the device aimed at the mass market.

The Palm Pixi, which will be out in the US in time for Christmas, has a slightly smaller screen than its predecessor in order to make way for a full qwerty keyboard, which is likely to appeal to people who are used to using a BlackBerry.

The Pre has a slide-out keyboard, and as a result of its "candybar" design, the Pixi is thinner. Both devices recharge wirelessly and run Palm's operating system (OS).

"With Palm webOS, we're creating a new, more intuitive smartphone experience defined by unmatched simplicity and usefulness," said Jon Rubinstein, Palm's chairman and chief executive officer. "Palm Pixi brings this unique experience to a broader range of people who want enhanced messaging and social networking."

In order to make the device cheaper than the Pre, the Pixi has removed some functions such as wi-fi access. Initial tests by American gadget websites have also suggested that has less processing power than the Pre.

The Pre, which has been out in the US since the summer and will be released in the UK well before Christmas, is aimed squarely at taking on the iPhone. The Pixi, meanwhile, looks designed to compete with the next tier of touchscreen mobile phones made by the likes of HTC, Samsung and Nokia.

The Pixi will be released in the US in time for Christmas on Sprint, which also has the exclusive American deal for the Pre. A spokesman for Palm said he did not know when it would be available in Europe or Canada, but said: "Palm does plan to bring Palm Pixi to both regions as soon as it can and will announce more when appropriate".

O2 has already grabbed exclusive rights to stock the Pre and prices are expected to be revealed in the next few weeks. It is also likely to stock the Pixi.

Palm, which popularised personal digital assistants in the 1990s with products like the Pilot, has spent three years on the Pre and it represents the firm's attempt to get back into the top end, or smartphone, market, having been upstaged by Apple and RIM's BlackBerry.