Palm Pixi Hands-On: Sleek, Smart, and (Hopefully) Cheap. Updated with Video

Much like the Palm Centro before it, Palm is targeting the messaging and social networking masses with the new Sprint-exclusive Pixi. As the second smart phone to run webOS, Pixi brings nearly all the same goodies to the table, including Synergy technology for keeping your calendar and contacts in sync with the cloud from multiple sources (including LinkedIn and Yahoo). And this device is remarkably slim while still packing in a full QWERTY keyboard that’s always front and center. We spent a good hour with the Pixi and think it will be a hit, assuming it’s priced under $100.

Here are our first impressions. And be sure to check out the gallery and video.

The Pixi is much slimmer than the Pre, at just 0.43 inches thick, versus .67 inches. Last time we checked that was the thinnest QWERTY smart phone on the market. The Pre is a pretty compact device by itself, but it almost looks bloated in comparison with the Pixi. And yet Palm somehow still managed to squeeze in a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

The keyboard layout on the Pixi is indeed narrower than the Pre but the keys are raised a bit higher (because Palm didn’t have to deal with a slider design). We also found typing to be a more pleasurable experience; it’s a small thing but we enjoyed the satifying click sound we heard while pecking out a note or Web address.

To achieve such a pocket-friendly design, Palm did make some sacrifices. First, the 2.6-inch display is smaller than the 3.1-inch screen on the Pre, which means you don’t get to see as much of Web pages on the stellar browser. The capacitive display was responsive and accurate for the most part, but tapping small tabs on the top of menus proved to be a challenge. The camera is now 2-megapixels, compared to 3.2 for the Pre.

Another trade-off for Pixi purchasers is that you’re limited to Sprint’s EV-DO network; there’s no Wi-Fi on board this device. Overall, Web pages loaded fairly quickly, but we did notice a bit of lag in overall responsiveness. And that’s because the Pixi packs a slightly slower processor than the Pre. It’s the MSM7627 from Qualcomm, which allowed Palm to achieve a smaller footprint. This chip is apparently more power efficient than the TI OMAP CPU inside the Pre, but a spokesperson said you’re more likely to hit the too-many-apps-open wall at 5 activity cards, compared to 8 for the Pre.

When you look at the space between the screen and keyboard, you first wonder why there’s wasted real estate. Then you realize there’s a gesture area and backlit touch-senstitive strip you can use to minimize applications. Switching between apps was pretty brisk, as was the accelerometer.

Palm also showed us some cool new apps that are coming in time for the Pixi launch. These include Facebook (complete with photo upload support camera and status updates) and a fun but low-tech air hockey game. The iLike concert app was a bit sluggish but does a good job of finding nearby concerts and adding them to your calendar.

For those looking to personalize their purchase, Palm will be selling artist-designed back covers for the Pixi (price TBD). All of these covers will support Palm’s hassle-free inductive Touchstone charger.

Overall, the Pixi is shaping up to be a solid and affordable alternative to the Pre, especially for those not keen on sliders. The Pre will still be the best choice for power users who demand more multimedia and multitasking muscle, as well as a larger display and Wi-Fi. But the Pixi has the potential to be a formidable foe to the $99 iPhone 3G–if webOS developers can crank out a lot more quality apps to go along with the slick hardware.