Palm Pixi review

Will the Palm Pre's younger sibling, the Pixi, overshadow its elder? We review the Palm Pixi to find out.

Palm Pixi
IT Pro Verdict

The Palm Pixi may very well be the most feature-rich, enjoyable smartphone in the budget smartphone price range. It might not pack enough oomph to excite hardcore smartphone enthusiasts, but it will almost certainly satisfy beginners and moderately savvy users. All in all, the Palm Pixi's compact size and capable OS combine to create a terrific user experience that is definitely worthy of attention.

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Palm Pre fever had only really just started sweeping the UK when we found out more about what the device's successor - and the second Palm handset to sport the company's new webOS - would be called. And, as with the Pre, US users have gotten hold of the Pixi first.

While mobile fans will have to wait to get hold of the Pixi over here, will it be worth it? More importantly, how does it measure up against its older sibling?

Unlike the meaning behind its moniker, Palm's Pixi isn't really small, elfin, pert or mischievous words you'd find next to the word pixie, which unsurprisingly is where the handset's name is derived, if you looked it up in the dictionary.

So, what is Palm's Pixi? A terrific, modern smartphone that we're eagerly awaiting to hit our shores.

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Keeping it in the family

The best way to look at the Pixi is to compare it to the first handset on Palm's comeback trail, the Pre. Both the Pixi and its older brother the Pre run on Palm's new webOS operating system (1.3.1 is the latest version).

Both have 8GB of built-in memory, built-in GPS, a microUSB port, Bluetooth 2.1+ and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Both handle Microsoft Exchange sync, push email and feature integrated IM, SMS and MMS messaging.

As for the differences, the Pixi is candy bar-shaped with its QWERTY keyboard positioned right under the screen. The Pre has a slightly larger screen (3in diagonal versus 2.8in on the Pixi) and a slide-out keyboard. The Pixi has a two megapixel camera, while the Pre boasts a whole extra megapixel on its snapper.

The Pixi, alas, also lacks Wi-Fi, while the Pre sports support for the 802.11b/g variants.

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