Palm announces Pixi WebOS smartphone

The Pixi has a Qwerty keyboard and links to social networks

Palm has lifted the lid on a second handset using its WebOS smartphone platform, which looks set to be less costly than the Pre and with a greater focus on messaging and social networking.

The Palm Pixi is slated to be available later this year on the Sprint network in the US, but pricing has yet to be disclosed and no announcement has been made regarding UK availability.

While the existing Pre, which is still to ship in the UK, has a slide-out keyboard, the Pixi has a fixed Qwerty keypad, giving it a passing resemblance to Palm's older Treo Pro handset.

The Pixi also lacks the Wi-Fi connectivity of the Pre, although it has high-speed EVDO wireless support on Sprint's network, and built-in GPS capability.

Palm seems to be pushing the Pixi as a lifestyle device, with personalisation features such as designer back covers that can be swapped whenever the owner desires.

The Pixi also features greater support for social networking with a built-in Facebook application, plus Yahoo and LinkedIn integration in the WebOS Synergy feature which brings online accounts together into a single view.

Palm said that the new handset will bring the WebOS, introduced on the Palm Pre, to a wider audience.

"Palm Pixi brings this unique experience to a broader range of people who want enhanced messaging and social networking in a design that lets them express their personal style," said Palm chief executive Jon Rubinstein.

At about 100g, the Pixi is lighter than the Pre and has a smaller 2.63in multi-touch screen, plus a 'gesture area' below the screen. It has 8GB of internal storage and a MicroUSB connector for linking to a computer.