Today, Palm announced that the Pixi, the company's second webOS device and slimmer, lighter-weight cousin to the Pre, will be available for the holiday season on November 15 exclusively through Sprint.
With a 2.63" multi-touchscreen, 8 GB of internal memory, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 2 megapixel LED flash camera, and integrated GPS, the Pixi lightens up on many of the Pre's specs (smaller screen, slower processor) and eliminates the Wi-Fi radio entirely.
The Pixi will be available for $99 after rebates and with a two-year service contract, landing it on the sub-$100 tier which proves vital in stimulating consumer interest.
As fans of Palm have already pointed out, on the day that Pixi was announced in September, the Pre dropped to $149.99, putting only $50 between Palm's upper and lower tiers after subsidies and rebates.
However, this tight pricing scheme likely means that a new high-end device is on its way, and that the Pre is actually destined to be the company's midrange handset. As Palm CEO Jon Rubenstein said in September, webOS will be the only operating system the company supports from now on, and there has not yet been a replacement for the Treo Pro, Palm's final Windows Mobile device and last flagship device up for replacement.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2009
