Yes, the story broke a month ago about a new smartphone from Palm, and while everyone is euphoric about the Palm Pre, I’d like to revisit and discuss the underdog. With a couple different nicknames, the Pixie or Castle, under its belt, the Palm EOS (personally, either of the possible code names sound more enticing) is looking at a release date somewhere around the year’s three-quarter mark (roughly September). With AT&T as the confirmed carrier and the same WebOS software seen on the Palm Pre, it surely looks as though the Palm EOS will be a solid device. Also, preliminary images seem to reveal a device that’ll feel less cheap than the Centro, from which the EOS is partially built off of (but judging how something will feel by looking at a picture is like saying Kim Kardashian is hot based off her post-Photoshop images). The EOS has also been touted as the Palm Pre’s little brother, one that’s geared at the lower end of the price spectrum.
Undressing the Palm EOS
So, if the Centro felt cheap in-hand and there’s already the Palm Pre that’s being heralded as the next iPhone killer, what’s so special about the Palm EOS? Well, not much beyond the standard fair offered at a reasonable price, which is reported to be around $99 and I’m sure that’s after agreeing to a two-year service plan. Physically, the Palm EOS weighs in at 3.5 ounces, measures 2.16 inches by 4.37 inches by 0.41 inches, the 18-bit TFT with flush capacitive touch window is 2.63 inches (at 320 x 400 resolution), there’s a fixed QWERTY, comes with a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera with video capture, and a 1150 mAh battery that promises 4 hours of 3G talk time. Breaking the specs down further, you’ll find 4GB of user storage, SMS and MMS messaging, integrated IM clients (AOL, Gtalk, Yahoo, and Windows Live) AT&T contact sync, Navigator and Mall, Bluetooth connectivity, and a micro USB 2.0 port. Given all that, the Palm EOS is fully capable in the music and video playback.
The Palm EOS isn’t exactly breaking new ground, but like it or lump it, it’s coming and it’s not half bad. At the very least, it’s an intermediate device for those wanting to upgrade to their first smartphone in an economical manner.
