Palm unveils new phones, new carriers, developer programs, and video capabilities at CES

Today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Palm and Verizon Wireless introduced Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus, two new phones combining the power of the Palm webOS platform with several new enhancements. Palm Pre Plus sports a streamlined design that simplifies navigation, 16GB of storage (15GB user available storage), and a Touchstone Back Cover. The incredibly thin and lightweight Palm Pixi Plus adds Wi-Fi along with an optional splash of color, thanks to new Touchstone Back Covers available in pink, blue, green, orange and black for all Palm Pixi phones. Both Verizon Wireless phones will be available January 25.

The companies also introduced Palm mobile hotspot, a Palm webOS app that turns your Palm Pre Plus or Palm Pixi Plus into a mobile Wi-Fi router. The app provides wireless broadband access for up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices. Palm mobile hotspot will be available in the Palm App Catalog for Verizon Wireless customers.

Another carrier will soon be bringing webOS phones to its customers: Palm and SFR announced the availability of Palm webOS phones in France in the second quarter of 2010.

Current and future Palm webOS customers can also look forward to an even broader range of powerful apps for their phones. The Palm developer program is now officially open to all. Any developer can sign up at the Palm Developer Center and immediately start developing and distributing applications for Palm webOS devices. Developers have the option of distributing apps through the Palm App Catalog or over the web. Palm also unveiled a $1 million developer Hot Apps bonus program to encourage continued innovation in the rapidly growing Palm webOS developer community.

At today’s event, Palm also demonstrated some of the additional options that developers will be able to leverage, including Flash content in the browser on a Palm Pre. Palm expects a free Adobe Flash Player 10.1 plug-in to be posted to the Palm App Catalog in the coming months and expects Palm webOS to be one of the first mobile platforms to include the full Flash Player in the web browser.

Finally, Palm demonstrated a new feature that all Palm webOS customers can look forward to: the ability to capture, edit, and share video. This functionality will be available via a free over-the-air software update. 

For more details on today’s announcements, click here. 

Jon Zilber

Comments

[Paul A]

We do plan to expand to other markets, but sorry, no info right now about availability in other countries or about GSM versions. We'll let you know just as soon as we can.

Paul @ Palm

[drh]

THANK YOU!!! From a longtime Verizon/Palm user, I can't be happier. I was close to making the jump to an Android phone (good thing I'm a procrastinator). You saved a loyal Palm customer today! Looking forward to Jan 25th. It will be a second Christmas for me!

[gool_man]

Palm, please answer me! When the Pre Plus or another webOS devices will be available in Poland? I can't wait for it!!!

[Jon]

I'm really excited (and glad) that Palm is moving forward! As a long-time Palm/Sprint user, it *is* a bit disappointing that the improved hardware went to Verizon without any chance for existing Sprint users to upgrade; I'll take it on faith that "good things come to those who wait". I'll hold off on my centro upgrade until I see what you do for the loyal Sprint fans :)

[daniele]

any chance of an italian lauch in Q2 2010?

[Fitzroy Benjamin]

The Palm Pre is a great phone. I see no comparison to make me want to change my phone any time soon. I was always a little disappointed that you could not add memory to the phone and poof, there is a new phone with twice the memory. That is not fair to the buyers that brought the first phone. Also, can palm provide an update that can allow us to see the folders on the phone for our files (documents). Currently everything is jumbled up together. All the pdf documents are sorted together even though I created separated folders. The same is with the word or excel documents. Is there a way to fix this. Other than that, great!!!! phone.

[Fitzroy Benjamin]

I also agree that this is very disappointing for Sprint customers. If Palm is introducing an upgraded Palm Pre Plus, it should have been available to Sprint as well.

But I guess politics is more important than the customers. I will still dedicated to sprint though. They are still cheaper than verizon. I just hope Palm can expedite the upgraded phones to Sprint very soon.

[Kate]

if palm pre is not released to at&t, im switching to verizon. I refused to get that horrible iphone. I've had a palm treo for years and it's absolutely perfect. Now i really want this pre! I've been "stalking" this phone before it was released to sprint.

[Ben826]

Yes! Finally! Video Capture!

[Vign]

Yeah what about Asia!? U should hit iron while its hot, i believe unlock one would make more bucks for palm than one with contract!?!? Done waiting now just bought the second iphone... Used palm treo 650 n loved it...

[Paul]

I'm really upset with Palm for giving sprint customers the shaft.The customers who took a chance on this new platform only to see a better product offered to verizon customers in less than a year leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.I am sure I can't be the only one who feels that way.

[Darrel Jorgensen]

Will the Pre+ and Pixi+ syc with Outlook on my PC like my Treo 755p does?

[A lurker by]

EEEEEEEEEEEExcuse me, folks ...

but get your gears going in Europe. Pixie not even available in .de, not speaking of the +-versions. Software updates waaaaaaay behind in time. This is not the way to win a market a share. I am still hesitating to buy the device because of this reluctant strategy.

I withstood the iPhone to wait for something better and NOT from "Arrogant Apple". Now there my good old Palm raises from the ashes and behaves like ... well ... bring that damn + version to Europe ... FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST ... Google is not sleeping either and I'd bet that the Google Phonbe is available earlier than the refined Palm Pre ... hurry up ... ;)

[Dissatisfied Palm User, Happy Sprint User]

Wow Palm® really? Your going to introduce the new Palm® Pixi Plus™ and Pre Plus™ on Verizon®? That is a shame. You should have put these new devices on Sprint®, considering that many people on that network have had problems with your first WebOS™ devices. Examples are the phone coming completely in half, touchscreen not working, hardware buttons not working, and not giving the Pixi Wifi™! Many people are angry that you have done this and if you were smart should introduce even better hardware for Sprint®. Like, how Apple® did with the iPhone™ and with AT&T®.

[Peter Jacobsen]

I just cannot understand why it makes business-sense for Palm to not release their new phones unlocked or with a subscription worldwide. There are lots of potential customers, who wil get tired waiting and having waited more than long enough, will instead buy a phone from one of the many qualified competitors. iPhone keeps on getting better, so do Android, Nokia and others.

Instead of riding on the wave of the first excitement of the WebOS, Palm is waisting it's time tiring out it's potential customers in all other but the very few countries, where the Pre and Pixie has been released to, and will have to spend considerable effort and funds to even get people interested in their products again. Come on, Palm, and stop your self-defeating deployment strategy: release your phones worldwide NOW!

[vinesh]

I am preparing a project report for setting up a utility network - with wireless mesh applications.
I want PDA with 802.11g/n capability

[Lisa]

PLEASE MAKE THE PIXI GSM! I'm in the uk & have used palm since the palm ploit since before it became a phone! Loyal palm user stil using a treo 680 til the pixi gsm gets here!

[Zodiacfever]

I will eventually end up with an android device like the Nexus One or the unconfirmed HTC Bravo. Not because it is my first choice, but because it is my only choice.

Palm once sold products here in denmark i believe, not anymore though, and it doesn't appear this will ever change. Our neighbors to the south (Germany) can enjoy this device, so can Spain, France and the UK it seems. Basically every larger country in europe... you would think that a scandinavian model could at least have SOME success, as your phones seem like solid competition. Too bad we will never have that option.

[kesha]

"The Palm experience is all about helping our customers stay connected so they never miss a thing," said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer...

Hey, Hi Jon I am a long user of Palm and I currently own the Pre on Sprint and I am missing a thing the Pre Plus. Bring it to Sprint so I can upgrade! Please...

[Upset with Palm]

WHHHAAATTT??? I have been dealing with palm for years. And I get this Palm Pre in which I patiently love. But with all the bugs the updates that mess up this and that and you mean to tell me I cannot get the better phone??? I am a loyal palm user but come on let the people who supported your first WEBOS device upgrade. I dont like being pooped on really. Sprint subscribers should as well be able to get the Pre and Pixi plus after all we supported you with this first generation buggy Beta phone hook us up... Im seriously considering the hero or something so my schedule will appear correctly and many other things... cmon palm

[LS]

I want a Palm with NO PHONE. I want a handheld with no phone, a stylus, a virtual keyboard, lots of apps and wi-fi..oh wait, that the Palm TX that you killed. I tried the Centro on two carriers, It was slow, impossible to read, impossible to type on with a its tiny keyboard, and useless as a phone, impossible to hear on and impossible to hear. The pre and pixi are the same size and still have the patented centro slippery keypad.

Why would I want a pre or a pixi when I have to pay for a mandatory data plan?? How does that help me?? And you can't use the internet and phone at the same time so it kind of stupid.

[wang]

Why don't you bring Palm Pre Plus to China, here also many people love it. When will you do that? :(

[Joe]

I was a Treo 680 and Treo Pro user. I have been waiting for more than a year for the Pre but still no schedule for Asia. Now I am using the Nexus One. Sigh!

[wedding cakes]

Palm smart phone users on the GSM networks STILL do not have a GSM phone here in the US! Is Palm stiffing us to try to get at the iPhone (AT&T)??

[John Zile]

I'm really disappointed that Palm did not decide to release an updated version (the Pre should have been 32 GB from the launch, let alone the 16 GB that Verizon is getting) of the Pre for Sprint before they decided to correct their issues with the phone and only give the benefits to new Verizon customers. It's so typical. I love my Pre & I've had it since the launch but I'm pissed that another carrier is getting the phone and that I can't get the Pre Plus. I've been a loyal customer of Sprint and Palm for over a decade and when my contract is up, I'm done. It's a shame really because I love the Pre but Sprint and Palm don't value me as a customer. Adios. I'll go get a phone from the fruit company.