HP boasts of two new Palm phones

­HP now boasts of a range of new devices from a mobile phone, the size of a credit card to a new tablet device. The company, which brought Palm, last year, also restored the Palm Pre with its 3G model.

The small Palm Veer is a 3G smartphone that comes with a 2.6-inch multi-touch screen supporting 320×400 resolutions. In addition to the touchscreen, it also comes with a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard. The operating system is based on the HP webOS.

According to Jon Rubinstein, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Palm Global Business Unit, HP, while much of the industry is trending toward larger and larger devices, the company believes there’s also a whole lot of room for thinking small. Veer bridges the gap for a new generation of smartphone users, proving they really can have it all without sacrificing the size they want.

At just 54.5 mm x 84.0 mm x 15.1 mm and only 103 grams, Veer flaunts an 800-MHz processor; 8 GB of internal user storage; a browser with full access to the web, including support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta; Wi-Fi; integrated GPS; messaging support; and multimedia options, including music, photos, video recording and playback, and a 5-megapixel camera.

The HP Veer smartphone is scheduled to be available in the early spring. The exact prices and availability will be announced at a later date.

Building on the Pre platform, the Palm Pre3 increases keyboard size and the display resolution, adds video stabilization, a 1.4-GHz Qualcomm processor, and a forward-facing camera for video calling.

The company also introduced a HP webOS based TouchPad, a long rumored tablet device.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Due to a leaked inventory screenshot, Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus models will be introduced by Vodafone UK in due time. The move shows the two handsets making their way towards Verizon Wireless in the US while the company had a strong tie with Vodafone.

The official prices of the handsets are yet not revealed.  Palm is already under a whole load of stress financially and as a company and this has given rise to apprehensions regarding the success of the Plus models.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The prices of Palm’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus smart phones has been cut by Verizon Wireless and the operator is also offering access to a Wi-Fi service that lets the phones deliver Internet access to other kinds of devices such as Apple’s iPad.

Touch screens and standard QWERTY keyboards are the common features of the two phones which are black in color. The keyboard of Pixi Plus is built into its face while that of Pre Plus slides out from the bottom.

Strong demand of Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry has highly affected the sale of Palm Inc. and the price cut along with providing various applications are considered some of the good options to help the company snag bargain-hunting shoppers.

According to Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney, Verizon is selling Palm’s Pre Plus for $50, down from $150. The Pixi Plus now goes for $30, down from $80. Both require two-year contracts.

Limited but free service has also been offered by Verizon that lets up to five devices connect to Verizon’s wireless network through the phones, which act as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

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ZTE is all set to change its low-cost handset maker image and enter into the business of higher smartphone market. Android-powered smartphones will supposedly be the next big target of this Chinese company. However, the latest venture to find its way to the market is 4ZTE phones. These phones are expected to circulate even outside China.

ZTE Smooth, the Palm Pre like device has features like Android 1.6, 2.8-inch QVGA display, QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, FM radio, and 3g (UMTS) connectivity. ZTE Blade is another high-end device and has features like Bluetooth, Android 1.6, WiFi, FM radio, GSM/UMTS connectivity and 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen.

ZTE Racer another Android 1.6 phone will have 3G, WiFi, GPS, and 2.-inch QVGA while ZTE Mercury, which is a look-alike of HTC Hero comes with 3.2-inch HVGA display, GPS and EDGE data.

The only problem these Android phones are expected to come across is the distribution otherwise ZTE is super committed to Android.  The ZTE Smartphones will soon be popping on every comer of Europe and US.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The price of Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus devices, which go on sale January 25, has been decided by Verizon Wireless which has priced Pre at $150 after $100 mail-in rebate and Pixi at $100 after $100 mail-in rebate.

A voice plan (minimum $40/month) and a $30 unlimited data plan will be required by both the devices. Even a buy-one-get-one promotion will be offered by Verizon until February 14. Palm Pre Plus or Palm Pixi Plus customers can buy Palm Pixi Plus for free after rebate.

Mobile HotSpot application allowing the Pre and Pixi to act as a wireless data modem will require an additional $40 premium over the required voice and data plans (totaling at least $110/month).

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Palm Pre, a web-ready cellular phone produced by U.S. handset maker Palm Inc, will be launched by Telefonica O2 Czech Republic, or T-O2, by 2010.

Czech Republic’s cellular market leader T-O2 is testing the various applications of Palm Pre in order to ensure its smooth working on its network.

Palm Pre is currently offered by Telefonica’s units in the U.K. and Germany. Palm Pre is a smartphone and its various features include touch sensitive screen, physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard and also offers Internet browsing, e-mail, calendar and expanded contact features along with standard voice telephone and text message services.

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Loyalty pays. So Sprint is rewarding its most loyal and high-value consumer customers with perks, privileges and discounts that drive higher satisfaction, through the launch of Sprint Premier.

After being automatically enrolled in Sprint Premier, customers receive benefits such as:

  • Early Upgrades: After only one year customers can receive our new customer price on a new handset. That’s almost a year sooner than other customers. For accounts sharing minutes, the early upgrade applies to the primary line. A new two-year agreement is required.
  • “Just Because” Perks: Spontaneous special offers for trips, tickets to shows and sporting events — just to say thanks.
  • Anniversary Rewards: Customers celebrate their annual Sprint anniversary with a special gift such as free ring tones or free minutes.
  • First to Know/First to Buy: Longstanding customers get an exclusive first peek at new products and services such as the upcoming Palm PreTM, and then are among the first with opportunities to purchase when they become available.
  • Accessory Discounts: A once-a-year discount on accessories at participating Sprint stores.
  • Courtesy Plan Check: For customers who haven’t changed their plan in six months, Sprint will notify them for a “Plan Check” to make sure they are getting the most value out of their device.

Eligibility requirements for Sprint Premier are simple: 1) For three consecutive months, consumer customers must be on an individual wireless plan of at least $69.99 per month or spend at least $99.99 per month on a plan that shares minutes, or 2) they must have been a Sprint wireless customer for at least 10 years.

“We know that loyal customers are the most important ones to our business and we want to reward them for their choice in Sprint,” said Jeff Hallock, Vice President for base management at Sprint. “Sprint Premier is our way of saying, ‘thanks, we appreciate your loyalty and here’s something special for staying with us’.”

Sprint Premier is the latest addition to a growing list of other customer-friendly initiatives Sprint has already launched for its customers, including:

  • The Right Plan Promise, which allows customers to change their plans at anytime without signing a new contract.
  • Sprint’s Simply EverythingSM, an unlimited pricing plan that gives customers value with unlimited nationwide voice, text, data, e-mail, Web-surfing, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS navigation, Direct Connect and Group Connect for $99.99 per month.
  • Ready Now, in which trained and committed retail associates work one-on-one with customers to personalize phones, set up features and demonstrate how phones work – before the customer leaves the store.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 51 million customers at the end of the third quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone.

For more information, please visit www.sprint.com

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