The Palm Pixi has been about the accepted carrier block a few times and now Palm has both their webOS smartphones, the Pre and Pixi, on all but America’s 4th bigger carrier. AT&T is the latest to accompany the party, and like Verizon they action the “Plus” versions of the Pixi and Pre. What does the Plus get you vs. the aboriginal Pixi on Sprint, who captivated an absolute on both models for 6 months? The Plus adds WiFi. The AT&T adaptation of the Pixi Plus is around identical to the Verizon adaptation we advised here. It runs Palm’s new webOS, a actual absorbing Linux-based smartphone OS (and acceptable anon a book and printer OS acknowledgment to HP’s accretion of Palm) and has a abounding QWERTY keyboard. The Pixi’s anatomy agency should abode to Palm Centro users searching to upgrade, and webOS’ abounding multitasking and visually ambrosial UI put the Pixi leagues advanced of the atavistic Centro.
The Pixi has a 320 x 400 pixel capacitive blow screen, 8 gigs of centralized accumulator (but no amplification agenda slot), a 2 megapixel camera, WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth and a GPS like GW5000 Phone. That’s adequately accepted being for a smartphone, admitting the camera is low end by 2010 and even 2009 standards. The Pixi Plus’ bigger adversary isn’t the iPhone 3GS but rather than Palm Pre Plus on AT&T that offers 3D gaming, a faster CPU, a added active college resolution display, a bigger camera and a alone added adorable design. While the Pre and Pixi’s appraisement is abutting on some carriers, the Pixi has an advantage on AT&T area it’s $49, while the Pre Plus is $149 with contract. If you’re searching to get into webOS, or wish a actual affordable and avant-garde smartphone rather than a texting affection phone, the Pixi Plus is a abundant pick. Keep in apperception that it does crave the added big-ticket smartphone abstracts plan vs. AT&T’s cheaper affection buzz abstracts plans. If you’re into web surfing, the Pixi Plus is actually account it. Palm’s Webkit browser is one of the best on the bazaar and it calmly beats any affection buzz and accepted BlackBerry browser.
What webOS does accept in accepted with the BlackBerry is all-encompassing email abutment and it adds on an astonishing adeptness to accompany contacts and PIM abstracts from a array of sources. This affection is alleged Synergy and the Pixi can accompany abstracts and get email from assorted MS Exchange accounts, Google Gmail/contacts/calendar, Facebook and more. It manages to do this after creating a mire of duplicates in your abode book—sweet.
Beyond its Linux underpinnings, webOS reminds us of Android acknowledgment to a superb notification system. You’ll never admiration about absent calls, alerts, cachet updates and new email again. They all arise acutely yet unobtrusively on the home screen. If you’ve anytime acclimated a BlackBerry and wondered “why is that accursed red LED aflame this time?!”, you’ll acknowledge bigger notifications F5 Analog TV .
Unlike the AT&T Palm Pre Plus, the Pixi doesn't appear with the Touchstone charging aback that was another on added carriers. Nor is there a advance that throws in a chargeless Touchstone charger for the Pixi Plus. In case you're actually new to the Pre and Pixi, the Touchstone charger is a desktop charger that works with a accordant buzz aback awning to allegation the buzz if you lay it on the charger. Palm offers a advantageous another of bright backs for the Pixi and you can adjustment these from Palm's website.
Battery activity is a anemic atom for Palm's webOS phones. While the Pixi Plus outlasts the Pre Plus acknowledgment to a beneath able CPU and abridgement of a top end cartoon chip, it still needs charging every day with abundant use. If you're affective up from a texting affection phone, don't apprehend to go 3 canicule on a allegation if you use the buzz heavily.
While the Pixi on Sprint and even the Pixi Plus calmly bogged down if we advised them, several webOS updates and tweaks in the accomplished 6 months accept yielded a spritely Pixi Plus on AT&T. It's not a lightening-fast smartphone but it's not unbearably slow. Given the able Qualcomm MSM7627 CPU with a max alarm acceleration of 600MHz, it shouldn't be slow. WebOS is a full-featured and ambitious smartphone OS though, so it craves speed. Unlike the Pre Plus, the Pixi Plus doesn't accept a austere accompaniment 3D GPU for gaming, admitting Palm promises 3D software abutment for the Pixi anon (the Pre artlessly rocks for 3D gaming and there's a advanced another of bank one amateur available).
As with the Verizon Pixi Plus, WiFi, Bluetooth and the music amateur all plan able-bodied and are simple to use. The GPS on the AT&T Pixi Plus works actual well, accepting a fix central and befitting up with area advice and admonition in AT&T Navigator powered by TeleNav and alive able-bodied with the pre-installed Google Maps Air Phone NO.5.
Conclusion
If you're searching to move up from a texting affection phone, the Palm Pixi Plus is an accomplished choice. It's fun and simple to use, yet it's able with a abounding featured Webkit browser that supports compression zooming (Flash is advancing but isn't actuality yet), Synergy for syncing acquaintance advice from assorted sources, able email abutment that includes assorted MS Exchange accounts and a actual acceptable music player. If you're advance from a Palm OS buzz like the Centro, the Pixi Plus is a bound into change and even those affective from an earlier Windows Mobile QWERTY bar buzz will acknowledge a absolutely finger-friendly and avant-garde OS with a abundant user interface. It's harder to exhausted Palm's automatic multi-tasking application the agenda allegory too. While we'd accept the Pre Plus easily down over the Pixi, if you're on a account or adopt QWERTY-bar phones or artlessly abhor affective locations like sliders, the Pixi is a applicable alternative.