[garethhems]

Link From CNN
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/s...00618&vnsId=33



October 26, 2009 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
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)--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.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving almost 49 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

1 “Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability, and signal strength for the top 50 most populous U.S. markets (including PR) from January 2008 to July 2009. Not all services are available on 3G, and coverage may default to a separate network when 3G is unavailable.
2 Within wireless coverage area only. Email, mobile number and related information required for setup and activation. Required data plan not included; unlimited plan strongly recommended.
3 Limitations apply. Layered calendars and linked contacts for Outlook require Exchange ActiveSync and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or later, sold separately.
4 Savings based on publicly available information comparing AT&T Nation Unlimited plus required iPhone data plan and optional unlimited text messaging totaling $149.99/month for AT&T as of publication date, excluding taxes, surcharges and fees. iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.
5 Coverage comparison based on publicly available information as of 4/01/09 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners. Based on square miles. Coverage comparison based on publicly available information as of 4/1/09 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners. Based on square miles.

Palm, Pixi, Synergy, Touchstone and webOS are trademarks of Palm, Inc.

[vicn77]

But will anyone buy it with the Pre being $50 away?

[mrstak]

Bleh...does that mean its only working on SEP plans? It mentions an SEP plan as something you can use it for but it only says unlimited data...? Sigh I'm probably just reading it wrong so I can trick myself into believing it'll work on SERO.

[bigchico68]

Originally Posted by mrstak

Bleh...does that mean its only working on SEP plans? It mentions an SEP plan as something you can use it for but it only says unlimited data...? Sigh I'm probably just reading it wrong so I can trick myself into believing it'll work on SERO.

Yep.. It has web os, so it will require it.

[Matt]

Yeah we have that.

http://www.sprintusers.com/palm-pixi...-for-nov-15th/

[Matt]

"Palm Pixi requires activation on a pricing plan including unlimited data, such as Sprint’s Everything Data plans with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM"

If you view my link you will see the full press release.

[boomhower]

It's priced to high. It should be $50AR. With what it gives up to the Pre is specs it is just not worth saving $50, the difference has to be higher than that.

[rambo47]

Originally Posted by boomhower

It's priced to high. It should be $50AR. With what it gives up to the Pre is specs it is just not worth saving $50, the difference has to be higher than that.

I agree. It's a lower-end phone compared to the Pre, and judging by the specs they need more price differentiation.

I also wish they'd give it a new name, like the "Palm P900" or something, and leave "Pixi" as the internal code name. Unless they're marketing this towards teenage girls. I just can't get past "Pixi".

[kaotic504]

some people don't like sliders, the more mechanical pieces, the more room for failure. i'd like a Pixi, i hate having to slide for a keyboard. but that's just my opinion, my last 5 phones, 700wx, 8130, 8830, 8330, and now 9630 all have their keyboards exposed. my brother has had the 6700 and the 6800, i didn't like them at all, but he loves them. i like the fact that i can text using one hand to hold the phone stable and type.

[goodiemob]

what is a pixi?strange name for a smartphone.

[VisionsDivine]

Originally Posted by goodiemob

what is a pixi?strange name for a smartphone.

A small fairy in folklore that had a slew of mystic powers.. Tinkerbell in Peter Pan is a pixi.

[i330]

Who cares about the phone price...Sprint has to seriously stop trying to force us legacy plan holders onto newer plans.

We're the ones who have been loyal to Sprint for years and we get slapped in the face by not being allowed to get newer phones without losing our plans.

[VisionsDivine]

Originally Posted by i330

Who cares about the phone price...Sprint has to seriously stop trying to force us legacy plan holders onto newer plans.

We're the ones who have been loyal to Sprint for years and we get slapped in the face by not being allowed to get newer phones without losing our plans.

Oh no you don't! We are not turning this thread into another one of those cry-baby fests. Stay on topic. The Pixi will require an Everything plan. Done, no need to say anything else about the plan requirement. Leave any other qualms you have in the Rants sub-forum.

[mrstak]

Originally Posted by metallicpoet

Oh no you don't! We are not turning this thread into another one of those cry-baby fests. Stay on topic. The Pixi will require an Everything plan. Done, no need to say anything else about the plan requirement. Leave any other qualms you have in the Rants sub-forum.

Agreed. A lot of people are on the same boat as that poster but at least we know not to complain about it with EVERY new phone that Sprint releases. Its Sprint's service...it's their rules. Oh well...

[grndslm]

Nicely done, Mr. Poet. That should be a template.