Now, the rest of the photos in the Pixi gallery on the Sprint site still show the regular handset we’re familiar with, and only the main page has the camera-blessed version. There’s no telling whether it’s a mistake by Sprint’s artwork team – though we can’t really think of a reason why they might be modifying the smartphone like that – or an accidentally posted image from an imminent Pixi refresh.

HP-owned Palm has told us to expect a new range of handsets in 2011 though is yet to suggest what sort of hardware we can look forward to. Meanwhile, the underlying webOS is due for a significant update too, and video calling might well be part of that. For the moment, though, we’ll have to wait to see what arrives at CES 2011.

[via Ubergizmo]

According to our friends over at Pre Central, Germany’s O2 timeline has always been “remarkably frank”, thusly they trust them – we’re inclined to as well. On the other hand, the people working at webOS en Castellano heard “from private forums” that current devices might never get webOS 2.0, instead simply getting an update straight to 2.1. Uh… alright! Whatever works, man!

There already is a 2.0.1 out there for Palm Pre 2 that fixes some bugs, but it appears that this 2.1 is more advances than that. This 2.1 rumor has no timeline however, and is of course less credible having come third or fourth hand. Here’s hoping, though! Nothing like an update to a Palm!

ALSO note that as we get pumped up about the rise of Palm and WebOS to prominence, we’re rolling out some chats about the subject over at webOS Forums – come and have a cup of tea and talk it out a bit. Maybe bring your pals, bring your pixies and your pres, bring it all.

[Via PreCentral]

Video demo after the cut

That’s because the two handsets are virtually identical, beyond the absence of WiFi in the Pixi, and so after a quick backup (since all the user data is stored on the wireless card’s memory chip) and running the Sprint webOS doctor the handset is up and running as if it had WiFi all along.  The only omission is Sprint Navigation, with Verizon’s version replacing it (and not working on the Sprint network, obviously), but we reckon most Pixi owners would rather have WiFi than the app.

[via PreCentral]

At the moment, a workaround appears to involve setting the date of the smartphone back to some point in April, but the official Palm blog is suggesting that an official fix will be appearing in short order.  They also say that any purchases you’ve made through the webOS App Catalog have “been properly recorded and as soon as this issue is resolved, you’ll be able to access all apps you’ve purchased” so you shouldn’t have to worry about losing money.

[via GottaBeMobile]

The Best of R3 Media

Motorola Gets a Handset Leaked, Too: The leaks just keep on coming, don’t they? This time around, it comes in the guise of a Motorola handset running a version of the Android mobile Operating System. From the looks of it, it’s running MOTOBLUR, that skin that the company created, and that’s about it for the details. Other than that, we know that there’s a plastic flip cover over the screen, which could have some touch-based technology in it. It’s apparently still a prototype, so it might be awhile before we get to see this in an official capacity. [via Android Community]

The iPad’s Got Two LS Indicators: The Liquid Submersion Indicators have been in practice for some time. In fact, they’re pretty much a mainstay when it comes to cell phones. A little dot, that if it turns pink, can pretty much ruin your chances of getting a phone replaced through warranty. Well, Apple deemed it necessary to implant two of the little buggers in their tablet device: one in the 3.5mm audio jack, and one next to the pins in the 30-pin dock connector. So, don’t get your iPad anywhere near moisture, yeah? [via Everything iPad]

Samsung Reality Gets Really Real: Not that it’s been a long time coming, but the next American-based Samsung device is launching on Verizon Wireless on April 22nd. It’s got a pretty cheap price tag, coming in at $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, but it’s definitely a featurephone. It’s got a landscape QWERTY keyboard that slides out, so it’s got that going for it. Also, a 3.2-inch touchscreen for good measure. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge Net

Chandelier Consists of 9 OLED Panels: You know you’re in the future when something as ridiculous as a chandelier is changing. That’s exactly what German designer Ingo Maurer has done here, as he introduces his Double-C Future OLED Chandelier. There isn’t any other adorning features to this glorious piece of tech: just nine panels of OLED-goodness, that look remarkably like some kind of item from a science fiction picture. And, unfortunately, there’s no price to go along with the image above, but we’ll look forward to find out what it is eventually (we hope). [via DVICE]

Electromagnet Suspended Train: There’s something about going through your urban jungle in a floating train, isn’t there? This time around, it’s a train that runs on electromagnetic rails, and is crafted from transparent polycarbonate. This suspended train has all sorts of features (as a concept render should): wind turbines at the top of the towers to power traffic lights; solar powers on top of the train cars themselves; WiFi inside the cars; OLED panels; and information boards throughout. A perfect combination of technology, if you ask us. Now, let’s make this happen, yes? [via Yanko Design]

RadioShack Pulls the Sprint Pre and Pixi From Shelves: Despite our best wishes, the news about Palm’s devices just doesn’t get any better. However, there might be a glimmer of hope in this one. As it stands right now, it looks like RadioShack’s all across the country have begun pulling the Sprint version of the Palm Pre and Pixi from their shelves. Now, according to RadioShack, this is just part of their natural progression of devices — and, yes, we believe them. However, the bad part is the fact that these are the only two Sprint, webOS devices Palm has. So . . . Well, that’s just one more retailer not providing money to Palm. [via Phone Scoop]

Unfortunately – and unsurprisingly – Rubinstein wouldn’t be drawn on the contents of that roadmap, nor the sort of timescales it covered. Still, he maintains that Palm are looking to “continue to enhance the family” with a small handful of clearly related devices and a “great webOS experience in every product we do.” Just as Microsoft have targeted their new Kin platform at the mass-market, Rubinstein sees the Pixi – which he uses as his daily phone – as positioned for entry-level smartphone users, while the Pre Plus occupies the flagship spot. We pushed him on whether the company plans to flesh out the top-end next or somewhere else along the line, but he refused to be drawn; what we can expect, however, is a faster, more responsive delivery of new devices. Rubinstein blamed the lengthy delay before the GSM Pre’s launch on the company’s relatively small size and limited resources, paired with the difficulty in prepping the first UMTS device running webOS; now that’s been done, however, relationships with operators cemented and testing gone through, the company can “move more rapidly in future.”

It’s not just hardware that Palm recognises it needs to work on; the sales experience is also a point they’re keen to address. Rubinstein has previously criticised Verizon’s handling of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus launch, and it’s something he reiterated today. Palm ensured there was plenty of Verizon inventory – certainly enough to cover the Chinese New Year shut-down period – and they “would’ve liked [it] to move quicker.” There’s anecdotal evidence that the steps both parties took in the aftermath – bringing in Palm employees to better train Verizon salespeople on the nuances of webOS, preloading devices with tutorial videos and tips – have been working, Rubinstein insists, and that the experience has already helped them in launches with other carriers. He agrees that perhaps the core issue is demonstrating webOS’ strengths better; it’s “a matter of giving people training” on the platform, both those selling it and those considering buying devices based on it.

Part of that is emphasising the potential of the hardware on offer. Rubinstein reckons that the Pre Plus is faster than the iPhone 3GS in terms of raw hardware, and webOS is the only other platform on the market capable of immersive 3D gaming. Now that the App Catalog in Europe finally has paid software support, and together with the recently announced Unreal engine on the platform, Palm are looking to promote the Pre Plus among developers and buyers alike as a gaming device. Part of that is certainly looking at what Apple are doing with Game Center in iPhone OS 4.0, and “watching closely” the movement in iAd too.

Mobile advertising is an “evolving space”, Rubinstein agrees, and one Palm is certainly looking into. Still, the focus now is on the push into Europe, with O2, SFR and Vodafone partnerships to offer the Pixi Plus and Pre Plus in various markets. webOS’ growing App Catalog is definitely a part of that, and Palm are working with developers not only in the US but Europe to make sure the 1,000+ titles in there are soon joined by others. While he wouldn’t comment on the buy-out speculation, Rubinstein did tell us that keeping webOS to itself was “not something we’re religious about.” Palm is chasing objective scale when it comes to platform market share, and if they were approached by a company, could build a good working relationship and business model, licensing webOS “would make sense.”

With the iPad fresh to the market, and talk of a Google-branded rival running Android, we also asked about Rubinstein’s opinion on the burgeoning tablet segment. While Palm are focusing on smartphones right now, he did tell us that webOS was designed to be a “mobile device OS” rather than solely a smartphone platform, suited to a broad scale of devices up to tablets and even larger. Describing larger-scale touch computing as “an exciting area,” Rubinstein said that Palm were watching the tablet market and that “we – or licensees – could look at entering that in future.” Since we reckon webOS’ interface – especially its background notifications system – bests those of iPhone OS 4.0 or Android, that’s a direction we particularly hope somebody chooses to follow.

Is Palm going to turn around and announce a partnership deal, a buy-out or a licensing arrangement in the next days or weeks? You’d better believe that Jon Rubinstein is far too media-polished to let that slip. Still, he describes Palm’s current path as a “transformation story”, suggesting that while commentators love to presume that the smartphone market – and Palm’s place in it – is settled, in actual fact it’s in its infancy. “Everyone wants to go “it’s over”,” Rubinstein says, “there are all kinds of rumors. But we’re at the beginning of the mobile device story.”

The biggest change between the Plus handsets and their regular predecessors is the increase in internal storage – the Pre Plus gets 16GB, the Pixi Plus 8GB, though neither has a memory card slot – but the Pre Plus also has more RAM.  It remains to be seen whether the MiFi-style connection sharing app available on the Verizon CDMA versions makes it through to the European handsets.

[via Unwired View]

The Best of R3 Media:

Has the LG Aloha (Finally) Been Photographed? The LG Aloha is supposedly LG’s first high-end Android-based device. It’s got a 1GHz Snapdragon processor under the hood, Android 2.1, and a 3.5-inch AMOLED display. LG’s also got a fancy for the slide-out physical QWERTY keyboards, and they’ve included that in the package as well. The only trouble is, the images captured of this device match a model number LU2300, and the Aloha’s is supposedly C710. There’s some confusion abound, but we’ll hopefully get some straight answers soon. Either way, LG definitely needs a high end device rocking Google’s little green ‘droid. [via Android Community]

HTC Hero (Finally) Getting Android 2.1: It seems that with some (maybe most?) of the best Android devices out there, waiting for the update is half the battle. In the case of the HTC Hero, and all of its variations around the globe, faithful owners of the flagship HTC Sense device have been patiently sitting on Android 1.5 since its debut last July. HTC has been pretty tight-lipped over the last few months, but since last December, there’s been plenty of rumors. Now though, it seems that a lucky HTC Club member received an email directly from HTC, saying that roll-outs of the upgraded mobile Operating System will begin April 19th, and then fan out across the world in a progressive way. Good news for Hero owners, that’s for sure. [via SlashPhone]

iPhone the Choice of Owners On the Move: It looks like Apple knew what they were doing when they sent out the iPad on a Saturday. From a recent report, which was taken over the launch weekend and extended into Monday, it seems that people loved to browse the web on their new Apple tablets, but as soon as the work week started up, they left them at home, and took to their fall-back: the iPhone. The door swings both ways on this one: for most, it makes perfect sense to leave the iPad at home, and bring the iPhone with you to work, or whatever it is you’re doing during the day. After all, it’s thin and light, but not able to fit in your pocket. On the other side of the door, you have Steve Jobs who wants you to take it everywhere. Maybe that will all change when the 3G model hits customer’s hands, eh? [via Everything iPad]

The Dredge Net:

Seats 3D Wants You to Look at Your Seats Before You Get There: If you’re a major fan of the MLB, then this service probably won’t do much for you. After all, you’ve probably been to your local stadium a few times, and even have your favorite section. But, for the rest of the people out there, or if you’re visiting a new venue, then this might be just what you’ve always wanted. Even if you didn’t know it. A new site, Seats 3D, wants to make it possible for you to find your seat’s position in a 3D, rotating image. That way, you can see the field from your seat, well before you get into that seat. The only trouble is that only 9 stadiums are compatible with the service right now, but it sounds like they’re planning to add more soon. [via DVICE]

Jacket Made With a Pocket That Carries Your iPad: Sure, there’s plenty of accessories out there that can carry your iPad. Most of them are made specifically for that job. But, what if you’re not a fan of an extra thing to carry, or hang on your shoulder? Then this travel vest, made by Scottevest, which has an in-line pocket perfectly sized for your shiny, new Apple tablet is perfect for you. It will be available July 1st, and will only cost your $100. That’s a steal, right? [via Engadget]

The Land Glider From Nissan Looks Ridiculously Awesome: We’re not going to say that we’d want one of these things (…), but we have to admit, it does look like someone stepped into the future and brought it back with them. The vehicle is pictured above, and as you can see, it’s leaning, and we think that’s just about fantastic. Nissan is designing the electric motor-powered vehicle for people who just want to get across town, and, well, don’t want to walk. It’s got a top speed of 62 miles per hour, but we can guarantee you’re not going to go that fast. Nissan is also touting that the car (or whatever you want to call it) also has zero emissions, too. [via CrunchGear]

Palm Drops Modernista From Developing New Ads: There’s no denying that the early advertisements for the Palm Pre were completely out of this world. Watching as several hundred orange-robed individuals did some strange movements, and some even creepier lady talking about what your phone could do just wasn’t good product placement. Truth be told, it was down-right frightening. Sure, the Palm Pixi commercial was better, and the very latest Palm Pre Plus (for Verizon Wireless) commercial wasn’t that bad at all. But, those early promos were just too much to handle. And, while the advertisement agency said early on that people knew the Palm existed because of the strange commercials, it didn’t do much for the whole buying of the devices. [via Everything Pre]

If owners have already signed up to the Mobile Hotspot package – which used to involve a $40 surcharge – then they’ll see that removed from their next monthly bill.  The existing buy-one-get-one-free deals on both Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are also still in place, which adds up to a pretty strong push for the platform.

Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein had previously criticized Verizon for a subpar launch of the two smartphone, and described efforts on the carrier’s part to promote the webOS handsets.  These included improved training by Palm “brand ambassadors” so that Verizon sales staff would be in a better position to push the two phones onto potential customers.

The Palm Pre has already been on sale in various European countries for several months now, though unconfirmed rumors suggested that consumer demand had been less than impressive.  So far carrier O2 has been Palm’s partner of choice, offering the Pre in the UK, Ireland, Germany and elsewhere, and it remains to be seen whether Palm continues that exclusivity or – maybe more likely – look to get the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus on as many networks as possible.

[via Unwired View]

That means the AT&T Palm Pre Plus will have WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS along with 16GB of storage, while the AT&T Palm Pixi Plus will have half that capacity, with 8GB of storage.  Neither handset has a memory card slot, but both get Palm’s webOS Synergy system; the Pixi Plus will also get a special AT&T blue battery cover.

No specific release dates at present, but AT&T will apparently be showing off the new smartphones at CTIA Wireless 2010 this coming week.  Prices will be following a $100 mail-in rebate and subject to a new, two-year agreement.

Press Release:

Palm webOS Smartphones to be Available for AT&T Customers

Palm to Showcase Pre Plus and Pixi Plus at CTIA Wireless

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Mar 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — AT&T’s 80 million customers will soon have a new choice for staying connected in their fast-paced lives — the Palm(R) webOS(TM) platform. Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today announced that the Palm Pre(TM) Plus and Palm Pixi(TM) Plus phones will be available on the nation’s fastest 3G network for $149.99 and $49.99, respectively, with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

“AT&T and Palm have a history of smartphone leadership, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone for us,” said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. “With Palm webOS phones coming to AT&T, Palm can help most anyone in the United States stay connected so they never miss a thing.”

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will be featured in Palm’s booth (No. 7053) at CTIA Wireless, which runs March 23-25 in Las Vegas.

With a slider keyboard, a larger touchscreen and a high-performance processor, Pre Plus is Palm’s full-featured Palm webOS phone. It’s designed for people who want an easy-to-use phone with advanced features to help manage the different aspects of their lives, both personal and professional. The keyboard makes for quick and easy typing, while the unique gesture area provides a sleek look and intuitive navigation. Customers also get 16GB(1) of storage (~15GB user available) for applications and media. Pre Plus comes with the Palm Touchstone(TM) Back Cover, so it’s compatible out of the box with the revolutionary inductive Touchstone Charging Dock (sold separately).

As Palm’s thinnest phone to date, Pixi Plus fits easily in your hand or pocket and offers a host of powerful features, including Wi-Fi. It’s great for social communicators and first-time smartphone buyers who want an affordable and customizable phone with a full QWERTY keyboard instantly accessible for messaging and web content. Available in the original black as well as a new blue exclusive to AT&T, Pixi Plus is designed to let you express yourself. With the color Palm Pixi Touchstone Back Covers and the Palm Pixi Artist Series Back Covers (www.palm.com/artistseries), which are compatible with the Touchstone Charging Dock, you can easily switch covers to suit your mood and style (all sold separately at www.palm.com/store).

“We’re offering our customers even greater choice by adding Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus to the nation’s best smartphone portfolio,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Palm webOS plus included access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network and the ability to talk and surf the web at the same time is a powerful combination.”

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus showcase the defining features of Palm webOS, including the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them; the power of Palm Synergy(TM), which brings customers’ information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view; unobtrusive notifications; and universal search.(2) Palm webOS also has a unique model of over-the-air software updates that delivers new features and performance improvements directly to a user’s phone. Past updates have included support for 3D games and video recording allowing webOS customers to use their phones in fun, new ways.

A significant advantage of Palm webOS applications is that they can be integrated into the core webOS functionalities, such as linked contacts, layered calendars, notifications and GPS, providing a rich catalog of innovative and unique offerings for Palm webOS users. The growing Palm App Catalog offers some of the best apps in the market – such as Pandora, Fandango, and rich 3D games like “Need for Speed(TM) Undercover” and “Guitar Hero” – unique in their high integration with the webOS device. Currently there are more than 2,000 applications for download.
Pre Plus and Pixi Plus feature Wi-Fi connectivity, and AT&T customers with these devices will receive AT&T Wi-Fi access at U.S. hotspots included as part of their unlimited data plan. The phones transparently connect to Wi-Fi when in range of an AT&T hotspot, providing customers with fast and seamless access to music, email, video and the web. AT&T has the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network with more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots.

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus also support a variety of AT&T services, including AT&T Navigator for audible turn-by-turn navigation (subscription required), AT&T Address Book to easily synchronize online contacts to your phone, and YPMobile to quickly find local businesses. They also include the following features and specifications. (NOTE: A complete list of features and specifications for each phone is available at www.att.com/WebOS or www.palm.com/PrePlus and www.palm.com/PixiPlus.)

Palm Synergy(TM), a key feature of Palm webOS that brings your information from all the places it resides – including Outlook(3), Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and LinkedIn – into one logical view that links your contacts and calendars, so accessing them is easier than ever

The ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them
Unobtrusive notifications
Universal search
Over-the-air software updates delivered directly to a user’s phone
High-quality applications from the Palm App Catalog
High-speed connectivity
Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
Full QWERTY keyboard
High-performance, desktop-class web browser
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Integrated GPS(4)
Robust messaging support (combining IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)
Multimedia options, including music, photos, video recording and playback, a camera with LED flash and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
Email, including EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers) and personal email support (Google Gmail push, Yahoo!, POP3, IMAP)
Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
USB mass storage mode
Charger/microUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touchscreen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
Light sensor, which reduces power usage by dimming the display if the ambient light is dark
Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
Removable, rechargeable battery

Band/modes:
UMTS bands/HSDPA 3.6: 850/1900
Quad band GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900
GSM/GPRS/EDGE Class 10

Availability and Pricing

Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus will be available in AT&T stores and online at www.wireless.att.com in the coming months for $149.99 and $49.99, respectively, with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate. More information is available at www.att.com/webOS.

The Pixi Plus gets 8GB of storage and WiFi (unlike the original Pixi, which lacked WiFi), while the Pre Plus has 16GB of storage and double the RAM of its predecessor.  Frankly, while anonymous tips can always be discounted as make-believe, it seems particularly likely that Palm will attempt to turn around their fortunes in the short-term with broader device availability, while simultaneously developing their next generation of hardware.

In total, Palm has announced that they lost $22 million, part of their $366 million profit. Based on shipped products, the company had a 23% increase from the previous quarter, effectively shipping 960,000 smartphones. However, the number they actually sold is drastically lower, topping off at 408,000 units. And while we’re not going to directly compare those numbers to the iPhone’s estimated 8.7 million units sold in the same time frame, we feel like we should at least point it out. No, we’re not expecting Palm to compare in numbers, but it goes to show that the company is still fighting an up-hill battle.

Palm’s CEO, Jon Rubinstein, said that the company’s under-performance is certainly disappointing, but he wanted to stress that the potential for the company is still strong. He also stressed that they are making great improvements on future products (which hopefully means more handsets, and not just different version of the existing ones), and that the changes they’re making to improve sales are having an impact. He also noted that they are looking forward to future carrier launches, which we’re taking to mean AT&T here in the States. Unfortunately, those may already be seeing some major delays. We’re hoping that Rubinstein’s hope is not ill-fated, as we would love to see some more products (and better numbers) from the company that brought us webOS. We’ve got our fingers crossed.

[via Palm]

What’s the TiVo paradox? It’s a term I coined to explain how hard it is to market the contextual value of features. A distinct conflict existed between consumer understanding of TiVo features and their ability to value the functionality. This was the TiVo paradox. While the purpose of TiVo features was clear and consumers valued features exclusive to TiVo, they don’t learn to appreciate the entire package of features until they used them. The net result was a rabid fan base of users who loved and praised the product and other users who couldn’t understand the cost of a $500 “digital VCR”.

TiVo’s features were relevant to the TV viewing experience based on a user’s immediate contextual need; the pause and rewind live TV feature is the killer feature for a sports fan, while remote access to the electronic programming guide is key to the busy traveler’s DVR experience. Without trying these features, users are unaware of their overall value as they come together as a whole. Want to pause TV when the phone rings? That’s the killer app at that moment. Recording a show using an EPG to simply search for it? That’s the killer app at that moment. Skipping commercials when you watch recorded content? That’s the killer app at that moment. Contextual functionality ONLY comes together when you get to see the whole, not a piece or part. When you see only pieces, you just get a very expensive VCR not a TiVo.

This is exactly the issue I think Palm is having right now.

Palm’s features by themselves are not “killer applications”. In fact, they look a lot at the surface like most of the other phones that are out there. There are, however, a multitude of features related to things like Synergy that are totally contextual, that at a given moment in time BECOME the killer app for using the device. It’s something you see reflected in the base of the webOS user. Those who use webOS are totally fans of the experience and don’t discuss issues such as a lack of applications. They focus on the contextual experience that delivers on the notion of mobile social context.

The problem for Palm (as TiVo learned) is this is a nasty marketing problem since there’s no good way to get the message across in 30 seconds. It’s important for Palm to start focusing it’s marketing on getting the message of mobile social context out there; at the same time Palm needs a better way to leverage the fan base that make up webOS users, since those are the folks who have made the leap of faith and for whom the light bulb has already lit up. I don’t think Palm is anywhere close to being down and out but they need to re-think how to tell a great story of engineering and technical achievement and break the Palm Paradox.

Rubinstein also paves the way for an internal refresh, suggesting that employees should expect their supervisors to “work with you to make sure your priorities are laser-focused” on product quality, together with ways to differentiate Palm’s offering from that of competitors.  The short-term situation seems reasonably safe – Palm have over $500 million in cash right now – but they’ll have to pull something out of the bag if they want the medium- and long-term horizon to look so settled.

Team,

This morning we announced preliminary results for our 2010 third quarter. Since the quarter has not yet closed, it is too soon to offer exact numbers, but we stated that we expect to report revenues for Q3 between $300 and $320 million. We also announced that we expect our revenue for this fiscal year to fall below the guidance we gave to Wall Street, which ranged from $1.6 to $1.8 billion. As we mentioned in our press release, our softer than expected performance is due to slower than expected customer adoption of our products, which in turn has prompted our U.S. carrier partners to put additional orders on hold for the time being. On a positive note, we expect to exit the quarter with over $500 million in cash on our balance sheet. We’re scheduled to announce our full financial results in March.

I realize this news is difficult to swallow. We made this announcement today to prevent a surprise for Wall Street when we announce quarterly earnings in March. In the meantime, the entire executive team has been working extremely hard to improve product performance, and have implemented a number of initiatives to increase awareness and drive sales.

Dave Whalen and I just returned from a very successful meeting with Verizon Wireless, where they acknowledged that their execution of our launch was below expectations and recommitted to working with us to improve sales. To accelerate sales, we initiated Project JumpStart nearly three weeks ago. Since then, nearly two hundred Palm Brand Ambassadors, supplemented by Palm employees from Sunnyvale, have been training Verizon sales reps across the U.S. on our products. Early results from the stores have already shown improvement on product knowledge and sales week over week. You may have also seen a growing number of Palm ads on billboards, bus shelters, buses, and subway stations—all getting the word out about Palm.

All of these efforts are examples of how we are working to accelerate adoption and grow distribution of webOS. In the next few weeks, your management will work with you to make sure your priorities are laser-focused, primarily on helping to increase sales, improve product quality and differentiate the Palm product experience.

Our goals are taking longer than expected to achieve, but I am still confident that our talented team has what it takes to get the job done.

We’ll schedule an all-hands meeting after our earnings announcement in March, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Go team!!!

jon

[via My Pre]

Palm Pre and Pixi WebOS 1.4 Software Update

On 2/26, Friday evening, Pre and Pixi device users will receive an Over the Air (OTA) notification to download the new 1.4 webOS software release.

This release includes both fixes and feature updates (listed below).

Fixes:

• Time Zone bug fixed
• Network time sync bug fixed to reflect accurate Network time
• Bluetooth car-kit transition to device corrected
• No EV icon bug fixed (random)
• Random browser formatting bugs fixed
• Fixed bug that incorrectly displayed Sprint when actually was Digital Roaming
• Missing Contact issue specifically with swap down to 1.2.9.1 or less

Feature Updates:

• Phonebook Transfer (import & export)
• Adds Video Capture capability & edit
• Calendar Enhancements
• Messaging Enhancements
• Improved Performance (Phone & CAL)
• Email Enhancements
• Notification Enhancements
• Adds Adobe Flash 10.0 (Pre Only)
• NOTE: The 1.4 software adds the ability to use the Flash 10.0 Adobe plug-in which will be available shortly from the Palm Appl Catalogue.

[Sprint]

“Driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated” Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein is quoted as admitting, though he insists that carriers are still committed to the Pre, Pixi, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus lines.  Full results will go public come March 18th.

Press Release:

Palm Updates Guidance

SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today indicated that it expects that revenues for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 will be in the range of $285 million to $310 million on a GAAP basis and in the range of $300 million to $320 million on a non-GAAP basis.1 Revenues for the quarter and full year are being impacted by slower than expected consumer adoption of the company’s products that has resulted in lower than expected order volumes from carriers and the deferral of orders to future periods. Accordingly, Palm expects fiscal year 2010 revenues to be well below its previously forecasted range of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion. The company will provide more detail on its financial results during Palm’s third-quarter financial results conference call currently scheduled for Thursday, March 18.

“Palm webOS is recognized as a groundbreaking platform that enables one of the best smartphone experiences available today, and our work to evolve the platform and bring industry-leading technology to market continues. However, driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated”
“Palm webOS is recognized as a groundbreaking platform that enables one of the best smartphone experiences available today, and our work to evolve the platform and bring industry-leading technology to market continues. However, driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated,” said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our carrier partners remain committed, and we are working closely with them to increase awareness and drive sales of our differentiated Palm products.”

The Company expects to close its third fiscal quarter with a cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments balance in excess of $500 million.

Notes for Palm Investors

Palm will announce its third-quarter fiscal year 2010 financial results on Thursday, March 18, shortly after 4 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Pacific), followed by a conference call for the public at 4:30 p.m. Eastern (1:30 p.m. Pacific). The conference call will be hosted by Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer, and Doug Jeffries, chief financial officer. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to listen to the call via audio webcast at Palm’s Investor Relations website (http://investor.palm.com). Investors wishing to listen to the conference call via telephone may dial 877-278-9658 (domestic) or 763-488-4651 (international). There is no pass code required for the live call. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available through April 1, 2010. The dial-in number for the replay will be 800-642-1687 (domestic) and 706-645-9291 (international). The pass code 58326338 is required for the replay. An archive of the audio webcast of the conference call will be posted on Palm’s Investor Relations website at http://investor.palm.com.

Those “other things” include the usual stability improvements and functionality tweaks, but also preparation being made for the release of Flash 10.1 on the Pre, Pixi, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus.  It’s worth noting that webOS 1.4 won’t actually include Flash 10.1, though.  Users still waiting for the update will apparently be able to manually trigger it from their device; however all this is still unconfirmed rumor right now, so we’ll be waiting until Thursday to see if it pans out.

[via MyPre]

Video demo after the cut

The site is m.google.com/voice, and the only real limitation as far as we can tell from our first-look is that you can’t access your iPhone contacts from the webapp.  Outgoing calls placed from the app will show up on Caller ID with your Google Voice number, too.

Of course, the downside is that you’ll need a Google Voice account with which to log-in to the mobile version, and they’re still a) limited to the US and b) reasonably rare.  You can request an invite here.

However the buy-one-get-one-free offer tempting would-be owners with a free Pixi Plus if they pick up one of the new Palm smartphones doesn’t appear to have fully materialized.  The scheme is seemingly valid for the Pixi Plus, but Pre Plus buyers can choose “up to three select phones free”; unfortunately those select phones don’t include the Pixi Plus, only the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 and the LG VX5500.  We’ll keep an eye on the page to see if that changes.

Update: As expected, Verizon have tweaked the offer so that now both handsets are part of the “buy one, get a free Pixi Plus offer”.

Obviously both the first handset and the free Pixi Plus have to be activated with a two-year agreement.  The initial prices are after a $100 rebate themselves, and then there’s a second rebate involved for the free Pixi Plus; as for plans, they start from $39.99 per month (for 450 anytime minutes) and top out at $69.99 for unlimited Nationwide Talk or $89.99 for unlimited Nationwide Talk & Text.

Got a Pre on Sprint and wish you had the Verizon-only mobile hotspot app?  We can’t deliver that, but Peek’s Amol Sarva points to Mytether for the Palm Pre, unofficial software which basically does the same thing.  You’ll need the mojo SDK and to put your Sprint Pre into developer mode first.

In case you missed it before, notable improvements to the Plus versions include wireless charging cases included and WiFi on the Pixi Plus along with more storage for both handsets. I reckon a good network is what Palm’s smartphones have needed; we will see how Palm’s sales look a quarter after the new devices hit Verizon. If things are still bad for Palm, they can’t blame Sprint.

Palm’s changes to the Pre in creating the Pre Plus include doubling the onboard storage to 16GB and RAM, removing the navigation button in the center of the gesture area below the display, and modifying the keyboard and slider in both tactile feel and layout. In short, it answers some criticisms – even at launch, 8GB seemed low for a smartphone – but leaves others unaddressed; there’s still no memory card slot, for instance.

Thanks to the additional onboard RAM, 3D games like Need For Speed or SIMS 3 run amazingly smooth!

Verizon buyers will also get the Touchstone back cover – which allows them to use the Pre Plus with the inductive Touchstone charger – in the box, rather than as a separate accessory, though they’ll still need to buy the charger itself. Finally Palm added a mobile hotspot feature, exclusive to Verizon users, which turns the Pre Plus into a MiFi of sorts, sharing the EVDO Rev.A connection with up to five WiFi clients. Once customers have added the 3G Mobile Hotspot feature to their voice and data plan they will go to the Palm App Catalog and download the app for free directly as you would any other app.

Everything else is unchanged, and for a general grounding in the Pre we’d suggest reading our original review from back in 2009. webOS remains one of the more aesthetically pleasing platforms, together with being highly usable; treating open applications as “cards” that can be shuffled and “flicked” off-screen to close still beats out any rival multitasking OS for simplicity, and the discrete notification bar that percolates up at the bottom of the display whenever new messages, emails or other alerts come in strikes an excellent balance other platforms still struggle to achieve.

Of course, there have been several webOS updates since the Pre first launched, and Palm is currently up to 1.3.5.1. Changes have included improved enterprise support, more flexibility with IM accounts, and the introduction of paid applications to the App Catalog. Despite Palm’s best efforts, however, their download store still lags behind that of iPhone and Android, at least in terms of sheer app numbers. We’re hoping the introduction of webOS to another US carrier will give developers a shot in the arm to support the platform. With twice the RAM, though, the Pre Plus whips through applications with far more vigor, leaving behind the occasional pauses and sluggishness that sometimes marred the original. Given that the smartphone has the same processor as the iPhone 3GS, it comes as little surprise that Palm is now looking to better court game developers; the Pre Plus is a far more capable platform for them than in its previous incarnation.

Navigating the Pre Plus is little different from the original Pre, even without the hardware center button. Instead there’s a small horizontal line, as debuted on the Pixi, tapping which summons up the usual card view. While we wouldn’t say it’s necessarily any easier to handle than with a physical control, it’s one less thing that could be broken. As before, the gesture area responds to swipes for moving back through web pages and the like, as well as dragging up the quick-launch bar.

More noticeable is changes Palm have made to the keyboard section. The sliding mechanism on the original Pre always felt slightly precarious, with more side-to-side play than felt appropriate for a flagship device, and happily Palm have tightened the action up on the Pre Plus. It now opens slickly and firmly, complete with a reassuring click, and exposing a reworked keyboard. Minor modifications have been made to the layout, but more impressive is the increased key-feel. The Palm Pixi’s keyboard always felt the better of the first two webOS devices, but the Pre Plus is a great step in the right direction; the squishy feeling that could slow down typing has been replaced with a greater perkiness, and that pays dividends on typing speed. No, it’s not the biggest hardware QWERTY out there, but it’s a far more usable version.

The new Palm mobile hotspot app will be available in the App Catalog though only functional for Verizon Wireless customers; you’ll also need a suitable 3G Mobile Hotspot add-on to your data plan. That costs a further $40 (for 5GB; 5 cents per MB overage) on top of the $29.99 regular “unlimited” data plan for a total of $69.99; that’s $10 more per month than a Verizon MiFi contract alone. In use it works just as you’d expect a MiFi to: once you set up an initial SSID and password, opening the app shares the 3G EVDO Rev.A connection over WiFi. A list of all the connected clients is shown on the phone, and up to five are supported at any one time; since the Pre Plus supports multitasking you can continue to use other apps while mobile hotspot is still running.

Palm expect the Pre Plus to last a little longer than the original Pre, too, quoting up to 5.5hrs of talk time or 350hrs standby (versus 5hrs/300hrs for its predecessor). In practice the Pre Plus still lacks stamina, especially if you make reasonable use of WiFi 3G sharing. Given how well webOS handles push email and tight integration with cloud calendars and other servers, we remain loath to step back to less frequent or even manual updates. It’s a little better than when we first tested the Pre, but definitely expect to recharge the Pre Plus every night. Palm really should consider bundling the Touchstone in with the Pre Plus; dropping the smartphone onto the charger for a quick top-up is a far more natural (i.e. far more likely to be done) movement than prising open the microUSB cover and plugging in the regular AC adapter.

ad for http://PreAccessories.com

As of sometime in February 2010, Palm will push out webOS 1.4 which will bring with it video recording and Flash 10 beta support. That won’t be solely for Pre Plus users, however; existing Pre owners will get the update too. As well as basic recording, there’ll also be some on-device editing (from what we’ve seen at CES 2010, this consists of trimming the beginning and end points of each clip) and the ability to upload footage to YouTube and Facebook or send it via email or MMS just as can be done with photos currently. Considering there’s been no change in camera hardware for the Pre Plus – it remains a fixed-focus shooter, with average quality but speedy shutter response – there’s no particularly great reason to recommend the Plus over the basic Pre for those prioritizing imagery.

Is the Verizon Pre Plus a must-have upgrade? For existing Pre owners, probably not, thanks to incremental rather than revolutionary changes. Those who’ve considered a Pre – or webOS – but been put off by the keyboard feel or the limited storage, however, should definitely take a look at the Pre Plus. Our typing felt faster and we had fewer concerns about side loading reasonable catalogs of music onto the smartphone. Lastly, webOS is faster and more responsive thanks to the extra RAM doesn’t hurt either.

Verizon have priced the Palm Pre Plus at $149.99 (assuming a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate; the Pixi Plus, incidentally, will be $99.99 with the same conditions). Plans start from $39.99 per month (for 450 anytime minutes) and top out at $69.99 for unlimited Nationwide Talk or $89.99 for unlimited Nationwide Talk & Text. Sprint will likely further discount the first-gen Pre to compete, but given the initial purchase price of any handset is dramatically outweighed by the longer-term cost of your voice/data plan, the sensible buyer stumps up a little more on day one for a happier experience overall. The Pre Plus breaks no new ground in smartphones, but Verizon availability and an altogether tightened package keeps it reasonably compelling among the smartphone rank and file.
Oh, one more thing…VZW has just informed us that they will offer a buy one get one free offer through February 14!

“Buy a Palm Pre Plus or a Palm Pixi Plus and get a Palm Pixi Plus free after a mail-in rebate through Feb. 14.”

These prices sound fairly reasonable, (and equally match Sprint’s pricing, but these are the faster models) but note that this information is by no means completely comfirmed.  If things go according to plan for Verizon, we’ll get to know exactly how much both smartphones will cost on January 25th.

Feel free to send us any more concrete tips about the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus pricing.  We’d love to get this rumor confirmed.

Both new Verizon handsets will arrive on the market on January 25th; however neither Palm nor the carrier have announced pricing or not.  They’ve also not revealed what extra fees there might be for tethering functionality.

As of February 2010, meanwhile, existing Pre and Pixi owners will get an OTA update that enables video recording together with basic onboard editing of clips and the ability to share footage via YouTube, Facebook, email or MMS.  Pre owners will “soon” be able to download a Flash 10 plugin from the Palm App Catalog; however that plugin will not be available for Pixi owners.

Where the original Palm Pre available on Sprint had just 8GB of onboard memory, the Palm Pre Plus for Verizon doubles that to 16GB.  There’s still no memory card slot, however.  Meanwhile the Palm Pixi Plus adds in WiFi b/g support, whereas its Sprint counterpart makes do with just EVDO Rev.A.

Frankly we’re not entirely surprised by the changes, but nor are we especially impressed.  We’re hoping that Verizon prices both smartphones competitively, and that the Plus updates aren’t the only hardware Palm has to offer at their CES 2010 press conference later in the week.

[Click to see spec sheet full-size]

As for differences in hardware, those same tipsters say the “Plus” versions will be the same physical size as their Sprint counterparts.  However there’s no telling if Palm have made any changes inside; the addition of WiFi b/g to the Verizon Pixi Plus seems a given, but we’re also hoping for a memory card slot in the Pre Plus.

Unfortunately confirmation of anything like that will have to wait until more leaks or an official announcement.  Right now all we know are the phone’s codenames: the Pre Plus  is codenamed Russell, while the Pixi Plus is codenamed Romo.

The model number – P121EWW – matches up with the P121 code we saw months ago in a Verizon database leak.  In contrast, the version of the Pixi currently on sale with Sprint is known to be the P120.

Verizon’s interest in the Palm handsets has reportedly wavered, but the expectation is that one or both of the Pre and Pixi will arrive on their network sometime in early 2010.  Of course there’s no word on whether Sprint would replace their existing Pixi with this new, WiFi-toting model, or instead rely on lower pricing to differentiate themselves from a Verizon version.

[via MyPre]

As for the rumored future update, that’s believed to be webOS 1.3.5 and expected to arrive in mid-December.  The news was revealed by a loose-lipped O2 Germany rep, apparently, who explained that one of 1.3.5′s tweaks will be to fix an SMS bug that roughly halves the character limit after a special letter is entered.

The Palm Pixi ad will begin running on Monday, November 16. Keep an eye out for the ad thru the holidays and air across a number of network primetime and cable shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars, Glee, House, Saturday Night Live, Top Chef, America’s Top Model and Gossip Girls. The song featured in the spot is “Sleepyhead” by the Boston-based indie band Passion Pit.

Per Palm PR (thanks Derick):

In the ad, you’ll see that Palm Pixi plays a role as an exciting, relevant product for people who care about staying connected, having fun, and never missing a thing. The message is clear—Palm Pixi is made by people, for people. And it’s quite clear that with our new marketing leadership we’re moving in a different direction from our previous ads, and from other smartphone competitors.

Pixi specs include a full QWERTY keyboard – which we found to be a little more usable than that of the Palm Pre, thanks to the keys being more raised – a capacitive touchscreen, gesture-based UI and 8GB of onboard storage.  Connectivity includes EVDO Rev.A and Bluetooth, but not WiFi, and the whole thing measures just 11 x 55 x 10.85 mm.

The Pixi will also bring with it Palm’s new Facebook application, which will presumably also be made available for Pre owners.  Like the Pre, the Pixi will be compatible with the $79.99 Touchstone inductive charger, though it will need a new battery-cover first ($19.99).  You can sign up for pre-launch details here.

Press Release:

Palm Pixi Available Nov. 15 for Just $99.99 Exclusively from Sprint
Application Development For Palm webOS Devices Powered by America’s Most Dependable 3G Network Will Be a Leading Topic at Sprint’s Open Developer Conference Starting Today

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 26, 2009– Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced Nov. 15 as the first day of nationwide availability for Palm® Pixi™, exclusively available on America’s most dependable 3G network1 from Sprint2. It will cost just $99.99 with a two-year service agreement, after a $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate and be available at Sprint stores, online at www.sprint.com, through telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1, and at Best Buy, RadioShack and select Wal-Mart stores.

“We are excited to offer the new Palm Pixi to our customers in time for the holiday season, and it’s a great addition to Sprint’s industry-leading device portfolio,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Simply put, this phone is fun and easy to use; with its multi-touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, it’s a great device for messaging and social networking at a price everyone can enjoy, and delivers so many of the great features people love about Palm Pre™ in a fantastic new form factor, making it a huge hit for consumers.”

Running the Palm webOS™ mobile platform, Palm Pixi lets the user keep multiple activities open and move easily between them, like flipping through a deck of cards, using natural gestures. This allows for easy movement between messaging and email or searching the Web while listening to music, and items are rearranged simply by dragging them. Universal search also makes finding things easy, providing results from both the device and the Web.

Palm webOS brings together the user’s most important information from their phone, at work or on the Web into one logical view. In addition to linking information from Google™, Facebook®, Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® and LinkedIn®, Palm Pixi adds Yahoo!® integration to Palm Synergy™3. Palm Synergy offers:

Linked contacts – A single view that links contacts from a variety of sources, so accessing them is easier than ever.
Layered calendars – Calendars can be seen on their own or layered together in a single view, combining work, family, friends, sports teams or other interests, and the user can toggle to look at one calendar at a time, or see them all at a glance.
Combined messaging – See all the conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, including MMS, even if it started in IM and switched to reply with text messaging. The user can also see who’s active in a buddy list right from contacts or email, and start a new conversation with just one touch.
A new Facebook application will be available with Palm Pixi, so users can see and comment on all the latest news from friends and easily update their status. Palm Pixi features an exposed full QWERTY keyboard, multi-touch screen and a durable, removable rubberized back cover.

While Palm Pixi comes with a charger included in the box, Palm recently introduced the Touchstone™ charging dock, the first inductive charging solution for phones. Touchstone, along with the Touchstone compatible back cover (both sold separately), allows Palm Pixi to be set on top of the dock without worrying about connection, orientation or fit. The device remains active while charging, allowing access to the touch screen, movies or video, or the speakerphone option. Touchstone is available in Sprint stores nationwide for $79.99 and includes a Touchstone charger and USB wall charger. The Pixi Touchstone back cover is also available for $19.99 (plus taxes).

Palm Pixi requires activation on a pricing plan including unlimited data, such as Sprint’s Everything Data plans with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM, which give customers unlimited mobile calling on the Sprint network to and from any U.S. wireless carrier, unlimited nationwide texting, email, Web browsing and much more, starting at just $69.99. The Simply EverythingSM plan from Sprint offers a truly unlimited experience for only $99.99 per month, a savings of $1,200 over two years versus a comparable AT&T iPhone® plan4. (All price plans exclude surcharges and taxes. Other exclusions apply.)

Customers who subscribe to an Everything Data plan are also automatically enrolled in Sprint Premier, the industry-leading loyalty program. The Premier program provides customers with great benefits such as annual upgrades, discounts on accessories, anniversary rewards, rate plan checkups and “first to know” information about the latest at Sprint.

Palm Pixi will take advantage of the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming), which reaches more than 269 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports. The Sprint Networks (inclusive of data roaming) have more than twice the coverage of AT&T’s current 3G network and more than 15 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, both based on square miles5.

Sprint is also the only wireless carrier to offer Ready Now with trained retail associates to work one-on-one with customers to personalize their Palm Pixi, set up features and demonstrate how it works before the customer leaves the store. Customers have the choice of sitting down with a Sprint retail associate at the time of purchase or they can schedule an appointment for a later time at www.sprint.com/storelocator.

Application developers will have a chance to learn more about Palm webOS at Sprint’s ninth annual developer conference beginning today in Santa Clara, Calif. The Sprint Open Developer Conference is open to all developers and will feature information through speaker sessions and coding camps on developing applications for a range of platforms, including webOS. Palm is a premier sponsor of the conference, and Ben Galbraith and Dion Almaer, directors of Developer Relations for Palm, will be giving a keynote address in addition to running several breakout sessions and coding camps focusing on the webOS platform. For details, go to http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2009.

Customers who would like to register to receive additional information about Palm Pixi can register at www.palm.com/pixi.

That’s at odds with the CDMA Sprint version of the Pixi that we played with back in September, which promised 8GB of storage just like its Pre sibling.  There’s still no sign of a microSD card slot, either, which raises the worrying possibility that Palm have decided to save money (and keep the hierarchy of their webOS range) by limiting the GSM handset’s capacity.

Of course, it could all be a matter of the device being a prototype, and thus not outfitted with the regular amount of flash, and that’s what we’ll keep our fingers crossed for.  No word on when the GSM Pixi is actually expected to arrive on shelves.

[via Engadget]

The Pixi shares the webOS platform with the Pre, but packs it into a 10.85mm-thick solid slice, meaning no keyboard wobble and bigger, more tactile buttons.  It keeps the full capacitive touchscreen – and the under-display gesture area – but the screen itself is slightly smaller, at 2.63-inches.

The Pixi also drops WiFi – meaning the handset will be EVDO Rev.A only for data – but still has 8GB of storage and a 3.5mm headphone socket.  No word on pricing as yet, but since this is going to be the entry-level model in Palm’s new line-up we’re guessing at around $99 with a new contract.

Palm Pixi hands-on:

Palm have declined to break down exactly how many of the 823,000 handsets they’ve sold in Q1 were Pre devices, but according to the company the “vast majority” were of the newer smartphone.  Overall Palm made $2.8m gross profit on $68m in revenue.

Speaking on the investors’ conference call after the results were published, Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein avoided commenting on the company’s partnership with Sprint on the Palm Pixi rather than another carrier, together with suggesting that “you have to control the entire experience … the OS and the services around it” when asked about Motorola’s new MOTOBLUR sync software on the Android-based Motorola CLIQ (aka DEXT).  He also declined to make clear exactly when the next webOS update would arrive, only confirming that users should see “a steady stream” of features.

[via MyPre]

The MSM7627 has both a 600MHz applications processor, with floating point unit and L2 cache, and a second, 400MHz “modem” processor.  There’s also a 320MHz application DSP which is used for multimedia crunching, giving the Pixi the ability to handle full 30fps WVGA encoding and decoding, while a further 200MHz hardware-accelerated 3D graphics core supports OpenGL 2.0.

Qualcomm’s chipset also has integrated GPS and supports high-resolution cameras – though the Pixi’s 2-megapixel fixed-focus shooter likely won’t trouble it in that respect – and measures just 12mm x 12mm.  Interestingly for future GSM carriers (and international releases), the MSM7627 offers both EVDO Rev.A and HSDPA/HSUPA (7.2Mbps/5.76Mbps) connectivity, though we’re assuming the Sprint version of the Pixi will only have the CDMA elements activated.

For more on the Palm Pixi, check out our hands-on with the smartphone from last week.

[Thanks Tony!]

Interestingly, contrasting with Apple’s disappointing attitude toward Google Voice – they rejected a client for the iPhone – Palm are comparing the unified number service to their own Synergy sync system.  With gDial Pro you can manage voice calls and SMS, choose which numbers Google Voice redirects to, and there’s even a dialler to make calls from the Pre itself.

These are just two out of a total of ten new titles that have been added, including three games, a Forbes news app, a currency converter, an ebook bible and a wallpaper app.  There’s also AccuRadio, which offers streaming audio on the Pre in the US and Canada; it seems these past few weeks really have been good for mobile music clients.

It also brings the Pre $50 under the cost of a new iPhone 3GS 16GB, though the Palm handset still has just half the onboard storage and no way to expand it.  You’ll also be kept waiting for Palm’s upcoming Synergy improvements – which add Yahoo! and LinkedIn support – and native Facebook app, which the company has said will launch alongside the Pixi.

It’s hard to say how this might affect pricing for the GSM Pre in Europe, where the smartphone hasn’t even gone on sale yet.  Expected to launch on O2 before the holidays, neither Palm nor the carrier have confirmed what they’ll be asking for the Pre; it’s likely to be free with a new contract.

Unlike the Pre, the Pixi’s display size is 2.63-inches 320 x 400 resolution, and it has a 2MP fixed-focused camera with LED flash; there’s also no WiFi, so users will be reliant on Sprint’s EVDO Rev.A network.  Pixi is also the first handset to launch with Qualcomm’s high-performance MSM7627 chipset.  According to the Palm execs I spoke to, Pixi will not be able to handle the same number of opened Cards as the Pre.  However, in the hands-on time I had to use the smartphone it seemed reasonably quick and snappy.

A side-product of the non-sliding design is that the QWERTY keyboard has been reworked, and while it’s narrower – since the Pixi is narrower than the Pre – the buttons are also more raised and show marked signs of tactile improvement over the first webOS phone.  Palm have also dropped the hardware Home button, replacing it with a totally touch-sensitive strip running in-between the display and the keyboard.  Like the Pre, the Pixi’s capacitive panel stretches down over the lower edge of the LCD and into this black center strip, and is used for triggering gestures, bringing up the webOS launcher, and other things.

Palm is also introducing the Palm Pixi Artist Series, designed by artists I’ve never heard of.  Nonetheless, these numbered, limited-edition back covers let you change designs to suit your mood. You can see the first collection in the series, as well as information about the artists, at www.palm.com/artistseries. Palm will be showcasing the Pixi with the Artist Series covers this week at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York (Sept. 10-17).

Those back covers – together with the Pixi’s standard panel – are compatible with the Palm Touchstone inductive charger system.  The smartphone also keeps the 3.5mm headphone jack and traditional Palm ringer-switch of the Pre, together with GPS support.  However the Pixi will bring along some new webOS functionality when it launches, including boosting Synergy support to include LinkedIn and Yahoo!, and a new native Facebook application.

The Palm Pixi phone will be available on Sprint sometime this holiday.  The price is still forthcoming, but I suspect that it’ll be around $99 after mail-in rebate and 2-year contract.  It’s worth noting that effective today the Pre phone from Sprint is $150 after an instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate.

Palm Pixi hands-on demo:

My initial thoughts on the Pixi: it’s thin, lightweight and highly pocketable. That being said, the lack of WiFi might turn a lot of potential buyers away.

Palm Pixi Press Release:

Thin Palm Pixi Phone Puts

Fast, Intuitive Communication at Fingertips

Palm’s Thinnest Phone Yet Expands Palm webOS Line with Customizable Style

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 9, 2009 – Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) today introduced the Palm® Pixi™ phone for faster, more intuitive and personal communication in a compact and customizable design.⁽¹⁾ With the instinctively useable Palm webOS™ platform, strikingly thin design, a visible full keyboard and fashionable personalization options, Palm Pixi lets you express yourself in amazingly useful ways. It’s scheduled to be available exclusively from Sprint in time for the holidays.

“With Palm webOS, we’re creating a new, more intuitive smartphone experience defined by unmatched simplicity and usefulness,” said Jon Rubinstein, Palm 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 a design that lets them express their personal style.”

In addition to linking your information from Google™, Facebook and Exchange ActiveSync, Palm Pixi adds Yahoo! and LinkedIn integration to Palm Synergy™ and assembles it all in a single view.⁽²⁾ You can get your Yahoo! contacts, calendar and IM, and access to your LinkedIn contacts, including job titles. Synergy on Palm Pixi makes messaging easier by showing you all your conversations with the same person in one chat-style thread, so you can start a conversation on AIM Instant Messenger, Google Talk™ or Yahoo! Messenger and continue it by text message later.⁽³⁾

Complementing the phone’s already rich Facebook integration with the contacts, phone, calendar and photo applications, a new Facebook application will be available with Palm Pixi so you can see and comment on all the latest news from your friends, as well as easily update your status. The phone’s full QWERTY keyboard puts it all at your fingertips, and the multi-touch screen lets you move back and forth between open applications using natural gestures.⁽⁴⁾ The unique removable back cover is rubberized, making it scratch-resistant, slip-resistant and durable.

Personalization with Style

For those who want to express themselves with some extra style, Palm is introducing the Palm Pixi Artist Series. Designed by some of today’s most unique and compelling artists, these numbered, limited-edition back covers let you change designs to suit your mood. You can see the first collection in the series, as well as information about the artists, at www.palm.com/artistseries. Palm will be showcasing the fashionable new Palm Pixi with the Artist Series covers this week at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York (Sept. 10-17).

You can also tailor Palm Pixi to your interests with downloadable applications from the Palm Beta App Catalog, including the latest entertainment and social networking applications such as Local Concerts by iLike, and Yelp™.⁽⁵⁾ You can use Palm media sync to customize your phone with music, photos and videos from iTunes (Versions 8.1.1-8.2.1)⁽⁶⁾, or use the on-device Amazon MP3 store to purchase individual songs or full albums over-the-air.⁽³⁾

“Palm Pixi continues Sprint’s leadership in providing useful and innovative devices on America’s most dependable 3G network,”⁽⁷⁾ said Dan Hesse, chief executive officer at Sprint. “We are pleased to be the first carrier to bring this device to market and offer both devices in the growing Palm webOS family. Sprint’s Everything Data plans, which provide unrestricted access to the Internet, mobile content and applications, and our Ready Now retail experience make for a perfect combination with these new Palm products.”

The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network reaches more than 271 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports, and Sprint’s networks are now performing at best-ever levels.

Customers who purchase Palm Pixi will benefit from Sprint’s Ready Now, which the company pioneered to help customers leave the store educated, comfortable and confident about the phones they’re taking home. It is like having a free personal trainer that educates you on all your phone can do by setting up all the applications you want to use on the device.

Palm Pixi is also the perfect complement to Sprint’s Simply Everything^SM plan, which provides unlimited nationwide calling, texting, email, social networking, web browsing, GPS navigation, Sprint TV, streaming music, NFL Mobile Live, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile and much more for only $99.99 per month. It’s a savings of $1,200 over two years versus some comparable competitor plans.

Palm Pixi Features

• High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A)
• 2.63-inch multi-touch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color 320×400 resolution TFT display
• Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
• Exposed QWERTY keyboard for fast messaging
• Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities), including Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo! IM
• High-performance, desktop-class web browser
• Integrated GPS⁽⁸⁾
• Multimedia options, including pictures, video playback and music, and featuring a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera with LED flash, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
• Email, including Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers), as well as personal email support (Google push, Yahoo! push, POP3, IMAP)⁽⁹⁾

• Bluetooth^® 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support

• 8GB of internal user storage (~7GB user available)⁽¹⁰⁾
• USB mass storage mode
• MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
• The first handset to launch with Qualcomm’s high-performance MSM7627™ chipset
• Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
• Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
• Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
• Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
• Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAh battery
• Dimensions: 55mm (W) x 111mm (L) x 10.85mm (D) [2.17 in. (W) x 4.37 in. (L) x 0.43 in. (D)]
• Weight: 99.5 grams (3.51 ounces)
• Sprint services, including Sprint TV® and Sprint Radio, Sprint Navigation, Sprint’s exclusive NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile Live

Availability and Pricing

The Palm Pixi phone is scheduled to be available from Sprint in time for the holidays. Pricing for the phone, as well as the limited-edition Palm Pixi Artist Series covers, will be announced closer to availability. Customers who would like to register to receive additional information about Palm Pixi and be notified when it’s available can register at www.palm.com/pixi.

In addition, effective today the Palm Pre™ phone from Sprint is available for $149.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $150 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate. You can find this great pricing at Sprint stores, on the web (www.sprint.com) and by calling Sprint’s telesales group (1-800-SPRINT1). With the new Palm Pixi phone, and Palm Pre at a lower price, Palm and Sprint are bringing greater choice of Palm webOS phones to a larger audience.