Palm Eos Could Be Announced this Week

The second WebOS-powered smartphone, the Palm Eos, could be unveiled any day now, if a new report is correct. This model is expected to be less expensive than the current Palm Pre.

The Washington Post is saying it was told by an unnamed "source close to the company" that this device -- code-named the Pixie -- will be unveiled during New York's Fashion Week.

Probably Not a Launch
This source didn't indicate whether the launch is imminent, or if Palm will simply announce a model that will be released later.

However, an earlier leak from the manufacturer of the Eos said that full production won't begin until next month.

The version that will allegedly debut this fall will be for AT&T and other GSM carriers, and will have support for 3G (HSPA). A CDMA version for Sprint will reportedly go into production early in 2010. This will offer the mobile broadband standard EV-DO.

An Overview of the Palm Eos
According to a leaked list of specifications, the Eos will have a keyboard mounted on the front, below its 2.6-inch, 320-by-400-pixel, capacitive touchscreen.

This device will have 4 GB of internal storage rather than a removable memory card slot. Other features will include a GPS receiver, a 2 MPx camera, and a 1150 mAh battery, giving it up to 4 hours of talk time.

The Eos will be noticeably slimmer than the Palm Pre because it won't use its predecessor's sliding keyboard design. Overall. it will be 4.4 inches tall, 2.2 inches wide, and 0.4 inches thick  (111mm x 55mm x 10.6mm).

As mentioned earlier, this will supposedly be the second model running Palm's webOS, a multi-tasking operating system able to wirelessly synchronize a wide variety of data with online services like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft Exchange. It will come with a highly-capable web browser, email software, and multimedia player. Additional third-party applications will also be available.

The Eos won't replace the Pre -- rather it will be a lower-priced option.

Source: Washington Post