eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
The Palm Pre Plus won’t be on the AT&T Wireless network without the Pixi Plus-its less-expensive, non-sliding younger sibling-for very long. According to the carrier’s site, the Pixi Plus will make its AT&T debut June 6.
The June 6 arrival will make AT&T the third network to offer the smartphone-Sprint and Verizon Wireless were the first two, though in fairness Sprint offers the original Palm Pixi, minus the Plus.
AT&T plans to price the Pixi Plus at $49.99 with a two-year contract, according to Information Week. Verizon, meanwhile, offers the Pixi Plus for the low, low price of…free.
At either rate, however, users get a 3G-running, WiFi-connecting smartphone running Palm’s webOS-which was said to be a major incentive for HP’s recent purchase of Palm. The OS features perks such as the ability to multitask between multiple applications and calls; a universal search feature that will hunt through phone contacts, apps and even online sources such as Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia and Twitter.
The Pixi Plus also pairs its full QWERTY keypad with a 2.63-inch multitouch screen with a 320 by 400 resolution. GPS is built in, as is a 2-megapixel camera with flash, geo-tagging and video capture. The Pixi Plus supports multiple types of e-mail accounts, including Microsoft Exchange, Direct Push technology and POP3/IMAP accounts, such as Gmail and Yahoo. IM, SMS and MMS are also supported, along with multiple audio and video players, and there’s an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor and an accelerometer.
On board are 8GB of memory, and on the AT&T network users can expect 5.5 hours of talk time-versus 5.2 on Verizon. A 3.5mm stereo headphone jack is also built in, and the device weighs 3.26 ounces and measures 2.17 by 4.37 by 0.43 inches.
Also like Verizon Wireless, AT&T signed on with the then-struggling Palm to try and get the Pre Plus into more hands than Sprint managed with the original Pre. Shortly ater posting a terrible fiscal third quarter March 18, Palm went looking for a buyer, and on April 28-after considerable negotiations–Hewlett-Packard announced it was acquiring the smartphone maker.
AT&T customers can sign up to receive a reminder when the Palm Pixi Plus officially goes on sale.