New Details Emerge on the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus

Verizon Wireless has announced that it is going to release updated versions of the Palm Pre and Pixi, but many of the details on these smartphones have not yet been officially revealed. Nevertheless, some additional information on these webOS models has come to light.

The Palm Pre Plus will definitely have twice the storage capacity as the current model: 16 GB vs. 8 GB. In addition, it will reportedly have twice the RAM: 512 MB instead of 256 MB. This will help noticeably improve the performance.

Some information is less positive. Despite some hopes, the Pre Plus is not getting a higher-capacity battery.

Both models are going to launch with webOS 1.3.5.1, not version 1.4 that was unveiled at CES last week. A system software update is scheduled for February.

Other Changes
Many of the changes in these upcoming models were announced last week, when they were unveiled. 

For example, the button in the Palm Pre's gesture area has been made virtual -- it's physically gone, but the functionality has not changed.

The Pixi Plus will include Wi-Fi. a feature not in the Sprint model that launched this fall.

Both of these smartphones are going to have a new feature: they will be able to function as Wi-Fi access points, sharing their 3G mobile broadband connections with up to five other devices, like laptops and handhelds.

Pricing?
Verizon has not yet announced what it will charge for these products. Still, sources say this carrier plans to make them comparable to what Sprint charges for its versions. The Pre launched at $200 but dropped to $150 several months later. The Pixi sells for $100.

Verizon reportedly plans to charge $30 a month for unlimited data access, but an additional a $30 per month fee for for those who choose to use the Wi-Fi router feature.

Both these smartphones are set to debut on January 25.

An Overview of the Palm Pre, Palm Pixi, and webOS
The Palm Pre and Pixi uses Palm's webOS, the replacement for the venerable Palm OS. This is a multi-tasking operating system able to wirelessly synchronize a wide variety of data with online services like Google, Yahoo, and Facebook, as well as Microsoft Exchange.

The webOS includes an on-device app store, and a growing collection of third-party software is available.

The Pre features a sliding keyboard as well as a multi-touch-capable touchscreen. This device is also equipped with Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, and a 3.0 megapixel camera with LED flash.

The Pixi can be thought of as the successor to Palm's popular Centro series. It has a tablet shape, with a 2.6-inch, 320-by-400-pixel, capacitive touchscreen. The Pixi is smaller, lighter, and less expensive than the Pre.

Source: PreCentral Forums