The Palm Pixi offers the same good looks and ease-of-use as the full Palm Pre but with a tighter tech spec, smaller package and, most importantly, coning in at a cheaper price, this could well be the entry-level smartphone to beat the likes of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. Find out whether it lives up to expectations with our Palm Pixi review…
The Palm Pre was clearly the high-water mark of design and multi-tasking efficiency in 2009. the Palm Pixi takes the same basic approach but strips away the slide-out QWERTY keyboard in favour of an integrated candybar design.
Weighing in at 93g, it’s a good size in the hand. Built around a 2.6-inch capacitive touchscreen, the Palm Pixi has a resolution of 320 x 400 pixels. That’s a tad smaller than many of the smartphones launching today but while images look constrained, we wouldn’t say the interface is cramped. Web pages are a great case in point, they look sharp and detailed and thanks to multi-touch, you can pinch to zoom into the text to read.
The shape of the Palm Pixi may be simplified but we really like the QWERTY keyboard, as the keys have a great feel to them and while it is a compact design, the keys have a solid click when pressed. There is a neat touch-sensitive strip under the screen that makes moving between apps nice and easy.
There are neat design features of the Palm Pixi that we really like, such as the optional rubber backing that allows for wireless charging. However, it’s not all good news, as Palm has clearly had to make sacrifices to bring the Palm Pixi in at a cheaper price.
So, you won’t find Wi-Fi built-in and the processor has been downscaled, resulting in you needing to rely solely on Bluetooth or 3G connectivity and the fact that once you start loading apps the Palm Pixi will soon start to slow down.
With Bluetooth and GPS, as well as an entry-level 2-Megapixel camera, the specs of the Palm Pixi are a mixed bunch. Then there is 8GB of internal memory and a battery life of around one day, under reasonable use. We found ourselves charging the Pixi on a nightly basis.
Verdict
The Palm Pixi is aimed very much at the user who has out-grown the likes of the Samsung S3650 Genio Touch orLG KS260 Etna Pink. It’s a decent device and we really life the design. However, the sacrifices Palm has made in order to hit a price point feel to the detriment of the device.
Best features
Good screen
Great keyboard
Funky design
Not so good
Slow to load apps
Five hours talk time
Basic camera
Closest rivals
Running the Google Android smartphone operating system, the G1 puts the power of the internet and the convenience of integrated Google applications into the palm of your hand.
Blackberry Storm
The BlackBerry Storm smartphone has so much to give. From its touchscreen, to its 3.25-inch high-resolution display, this 3G device will have you browsing the internet at super-fast speeds.
Nokia E71
The Nokia E71 provides you with everything you need. The full QWERTY thumpboard sits below its high resolution 2.4-inch screen, while the Symbian OS allows you to do everything at speed.
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