Palm Eos Smartphone On The Way?
New GSM Palm Eos May Be Ready For AT&T By Q4 ‘09
Following rumours that Verizon could be in discussions with Apple to release the first CDMA iPhone 3G, we now also have increasingly plausible rumours that according to TechCrunch Palm “is already very far along on a second webOS device” (pictured here on the right) and that it may become available towards the end of this year.
It appears that this Palm Eos will be designed as an entry-level smartphone based on the webOS platform that will aim to target a younger mass-market at a lower price point than the Palm Pre – the same strategy that Palm used with the Treo and Centro.
Additionally, the Palm Eos is supposed to be a Quadband GSM/HSDPA device which would indicate that AT&T may be the carrier of choice if this rumour turns out to be true.
Palm Eos Specifications:
According to Engadget, the Palm Eos will be an astounding 10.6mm thin, will measure just 55mm x 111mm (about 2.1 by 4.3-inches), weigh a mere 100 grams, and will tout a 2.63-inch, 320 x 400 capacitive touchscreen display as well as:
Price: $349 before rebate and $99/$149 after rebate
Memory: 4GB storage
Camera: 2 megapixel fixed focus digital camera and flash / video capture
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP and EDR, USB 2.0 via micro USB
Power: Removable 1,150 mAh battery (4 hours 3G talk time)
Messaging: SMS, MMS (picture and video only), integrated IM client
Contact sync with AT&T Address Book
MediaNet
Cellular Video
Email: POP3, IMAP4, and EAS support
A-GPS: SUPL and Control Plane support
Audio: WAV, MP3, AAC, AAC+ ringtones
Video Playback: MPEG4, H.264, H.263
I personally feel that launching a second webOS device this year is the wrong thing to do but I also understand why Palm may have no other option. With Sprint as the exclusive US carrier for the Palm Pre for the whole of 2009 the only way that Palm can leverage its webOS further and ensure that all its eggs are not in one basket (with Sprint) during the ultra-important Xmas ‘09 holiday season is to release a second device such as this Palm Eos with AT&T as the exclusive carrier.
Sources:
Palm Eos: super-thin, 3G, and headed to AT&T? [Engadget]
Forget the Pre, Palm’s Got A Second Device [TechCrunch]
Apple and Verizon consider iPhone deal [USAToday]
Treonauts always have something new to share… 
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c71a953ef0115706325b7970b
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Palm Eos Smartphone On The Way?:
Comments
Verizon had better get their behinds in gear. The only reason I'm still with them is 1) contract and 2) coverage. As the others get better, they're falling behind. T-mobile is overall a disaster where I live, but they and Sprint are the only ones with actual service within our high school, where my daughter is. By this summer, if Verizon can't come up with a decent phone, I'm outta there.
Is there ANY chance at all Verizon will have one of these new Palm phones??!! I don't like the prospect of switching carriers, but I'd really like to have access to at least one of these Palm devices!!
Looks pretty sweet to me. I prefer this form factor over a sliding keyboard. Less mechanical parts.
Why do you need wifi when you have 3G? Also, maybe they need to keep the cost down...
Sweet!
Looks like a "classic version" of the Palm Pre! ^_^
Eos, is the official name?
There is a Cannon with that name, right?
>"There is a Cannon with that name, right?"
And also a Volkswagon convertible...
--
Corey
Palm needs to get the @#$%&*! Pre OUT THE DOOR quickly. All the buzz I heard has just about vanished. It certainly won't be an iPhone killer if it can't launch this thing into the stratosphere in a very short time. While I understand the need to put another device into another carrier's hands, the Xmas thing, and so-on, I think they need to get the first one (Pre) out the door and get it selling. They need to do some serious market buzz/hype in the next several weeks if this thing is even gonna help carry this company into next year.
WTF's an "eos"??
In keeping witht he "pre" theme, and given it's positioning, I think they'd be better off calling it the Palm Intro.
I while I agree that they need to get the Pre into consumer's hands soon, I think RustyNail out to realize that the engineering team finished 90% of their work on the Pre a few months ago, and does he really think they're just going to sit around and do nothing while the marketing & production folks get the Pre out the door? Hell, I'm glad to see that they're capitalizing on all the work they've put into WebOS by bringing out a second device to target a second market segment. I just hope that when they finish with Intro/Eos/whatever-it's-called, their next project is a more business-oriented device.
This needs WiFi.... simple.
Nothing new in smartphones should be released without it. ;-)
I have verizon, but if they can't get the butt in gear and grab one of the new Palm devices, I'm switching. They missed the boat on the iPhone and now are letting AT&T get the EOS before them??? I guess the Blackberry Storm is really working for them..LOL. Get with it Verizon!
Eos, in Greek myth, is the name of the goddess of the dawn. As someone pointed out elsewhere, too, take the W and B out of WebOS and you get Eos...
And yes, there is also a Canon camera line with that name. No cannons or other weapons AFAIK, though.
More frustrating than no WiFi, IMO, is that it only has 4 GB--8 on the Pre is limiting enough!
No WIFI , no FM, No autofocus camera, again Palm is going back to his genetical desease....
While all Pro companies in the world ( Apple, Samsung, HTC, LG , Nokia, Sony-Erickson, and the family of sweet Blackberries... etc ) are less speaking and more showing, shortening the gap between publicity and the real thing, Palm is still promising new toys ... with nothing to play for "here and now"...
Could you explain me that ? The Pre is flotting some where, the Pro is changing faces... A New OS before even having tasted the PRO-mised one: who is the Shmock in charge of Palm marketing ... and are where are hidden all these smartphone Behemots ?
The comments to this entry are closed.
