Palm Inc. has launched a new smart phone model known as the Pixi. The new smart phone is smaller and thinner and comes with many new features.
The launch of Pixi comes three months after Palm’s Pre smart phone. Pre was designed to compete with other smart phones such as Apple’s iPhone. Simultaneously, Palm has also cut the price of Pre to $149.99 with a 2-year agreement with Sprint Nextel Corp after $150 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate. Pre initially cost $199.
The Pixi will be available during the holiday season and is primarily aimed at younger customers. Jon Rubinstein, Palm’s chief executive said that the Pixi will bring a “unique experience to a broader range of people.”
Pixi will have many of the same features as the Pre. The smart phone will run on Palm’s WebOS which allows users to easily connect to the Internet. However, the Pixi has a new exposed keyboard which is absent in the Pre.
Palms latest offering is very important to its success. Both Palm and Sprint need to expand their user base to survive in the market. Palm’s earlier offering, Pre received an overall positive response. However, it lost momentum due to supply constraints which made it available only at Sprint stores. Eventually, the phones were available nationwide. However, many believe that fewer phones were sold that expected.
In the coming months, Palm will face increased competition as Spring will be launching other high-profile smart phones such as the HTC Hero.
Palm Inc. is a pioneer of the smart phone market. However, rival companies such as Apple and Blackberry have affected Palm’s sales in the recent years. The company is taking stringent measures to reclaim its share of the market.
More details such as pricing and availability will be announced shortly.