How would you change Palm's Pixi?
By Darren Murph 
posted January 1st 2010 11:47PM
posted January 1st 2010 11:47PM
posted January 1st 2010 11:47PM
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add 3d games on it
@mikmik111
wifi
gsm
unlocked
amazon
@mikmik111 To me 3D games wouldn't be so great on the screen. But a nice camera with VIDEO recording capabilities would be nice.
@mikmik111
Pay attention to CES. I wouldn't be surprised to see that announced.
@mikmik111
How about the name?
@Chazwell
I disagree, 3D games + buttons = win
although the 3D wouldn't be as good as Pre's because the pixi has a MBX instead of an SGX core but pixi could make a great gameboy replacement
I have downloaded the homebrewed doom and I love it. I would love to see 3d games exclusively made for palm pre.
@mikmik111 I tried typing on the Pixi and it was a horrible experience. I have relatively small/medium fingers and it was still a tough task.
Adding Wifi into the mix would be a necessity, although I'm assuming that'll come with the Pixi Plus? we'll see
@yyandrew
The keys and orientation on the Pixi and Pre date back a almost decade (see Handspring/Trēo 600) and have been tried and true. The work perfect for all fingers alike.
@worldbfree4me You may be typing in a fashion not useful to smartphones of this type. After having a centro, I find palm's brand of keyboard to be very good. With the increased size of the Pixi's keyboard, I wouldn't be surprised if I preferred it to a Blackberry.
Thats theoretical, as I haven't tried a pixi, but I liked the Pre generally, so I assume the Pixi is just as good, or better.
@yyandrew
It really doesn't matter how big your fingers are. You should be using the tip of your thumb to try to type.
@mikmik111
how about basics like great battery life, non-lagginess generally around the O.S, camcorder, decent speakerphone and a GSM version (unlocked would help as well).
@mikmik111 I'd change it by making it have never existed. its a disgrace to call it a smartphone.
@merovingian
Give it to Verizon so they can call it the Treo 900 and not embarrass Palm for the rest of their Sprint contract.
@yyandrew
The Pixi Plus will be a standard Pixi with a more restrictive OS thanks to Verizon, nothing more. You heard it here first. Verizon is terrible.
@Arkv2
Think I like the name. Though I dont have the slightest idea of how the webOS works. I'd say Rubinstein needs to market himself to Android and abandon webOS. This way Android would get more users and Rubinstein would be working with a technology thats actually getting somewhere. I believe both Android and WebOS were released around the same time, yet the amount of apps on the Android OS are about 20 times greater than whats available on the WebOS.
@Slicky Android has a 2 year head start over WebOS. The Palm App Catalog and Homebrew Catalog devices are releasing apps at a faster rate than all of the other platforms.
OpenGL is now on the latest WebOS just released, Doom and Quake were ported over in mere days. GameBoy and NES emulation are also running. There is also to now a Palm standard way host a native app in a WebOS card like any other (so it doesn't take over your phone), Fully-integrated native apps on webOS are a go - and within seven months of launch. (For the record, the iPhone took a year to get there and Android nearly two.)
source: http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/10016/palms-native-webos-app-secrets-revealed/
I'm just gunna say what everyone else is thinking.... add wi-fi like the pre has? Aparently the Verizon version is supposed to have wi-fi. We shall see. Maybe a bigger screen would be cool too. But that would push it past its intended market of a "Centro replacement."
@Shawn
The only times I ever use the wifi on my Pre are when a machine isn't connecting and I need to check that the WAP is up, and when I'm updating. Generally, if a wifi network is available, my laptop is in front of me, or there's a desktop or thin client I can sit down at.
@Trevize Thank you for your very interesting life story... I'm sure this is EXACTLY what the other readers were looking for.
@Butler He seemed to only be giving his insight and opinion. No need to be a dick just because you don't agree.
@slipdisc calling what he said "insight" is a stretch. being an apologist for palm by saying that its ok they didnt include wifi because you always have a laptop when you have wifi is lame.
some people cant afford to carry a laptop with them or dont want the inconvenience and hassle. true at your home you can likely use your computer to check things online, but walking around at the office or even if you want to use your cell phone as a web browser / email client on the couch or in the bedroom your SOL with the pixi
also with palms (sarcasm) "brilliant" (/sarcasm) synergy thing you end up waiting ridiculous amounts of time while your pixi tries to sync up all your contacts, emails and other stuff on sprints lame network. wifi wouldnt do much to fix palms flawed strategy... but the exclusion of it is just another pile of evidence that they have no idea what they are doing :P
I'd give it better internals (processor A8), sexify it a bit, and give it much better advertising. Put it Verizon too.
@RockNStuff
. . . and on AT&T.
@RockNStuff I've actually really liked the pixi ads I've seen. Much better than the creepy Pre ads.
@MONKEY OMG! wow im glad i wasnt the only one scared by that lady....
The most important thing for me was adding Wifi but it seems verizon is already doing that.
Oh and maybe sell it in my country?
Android it up. Bigger screen. Name change.
@Teslanaut So essentially what you would like to do is take away what makes the palm pre great (webos) and then continue to strip it of its form factor. It sounds like what you are after is not a pixi but an entirely different phone.
@Teslanaut
"Make the screen bigger, put OS X mobile on it, only one, central button and an Apple logo. Has anybody heard of a phone like that? I would love it if they had something similar..."
Personally, I'd like a (cheap) GSM version.
I'd replace the hardware with something like the HD2 hardware - fast processor, large screen, flash, adequate camera. I'd get rid of that tiny keyboard the keyboard on a big screen would be easier to type on. Then I'd replace the OS with Android or WM or the iPhone OS.
@boe Then I'd go rob a bank, set an orphanage on fire, blow my house up with firecrackers.
Oh I'm sorry, I thought we were still pitching terrible ideas.
Bigger screen. Slightly larger keys.
Slide out qwerty.
@Guybrush Threepwood So basically you want a pre?
@Eduardo
no, he wants a pixi with a slide-out keyboard. pres have wifi ;)
@Guybrush Threepwood: a pre?
@Guybrush Threepwood I agree, completely. I have a Pre and I really wish it had another slide out keyboard and no wifi. One can only dream though right.
Palm just needs to get more WebOS devices on more carriers around the world if they want to stay in the game. The mobile industry is a violent arena. Can't wait to see what Palm has ready to announce at CES!
@Shawn
While they would want to be more careful about it this time, I think they should look at licensing the OS again so that there can be more diversity in WebOS devices. Imagine a WebOS Sony Clié out-sexifying even the Moto Droid...
What's there to change, besides a Wi-fi Sprint version and GSM versions for other carriers? I suggest making the Pre cheaper.
@N900
Call it something a little more butch.
How about "Nukem." (Wait, no . . . then it would never get released.)
@N900 What's there to change? How about storage size, or speed? This thing chugs along.
I'd like to see the Pixi form factor with the Pre's internals and the entire device scaled up to a 3.2-3.5" screen (essentially a Pixi+Pre Hybrid/Pro)
@COCOViper I agree, I think the Pixis got a badass look. I was dissapointed to find out it was much weaker. Make it a pre in the Pixi's body and I'd ditch my iPhone.
@COCOViper You said everything I wanted to say. My girlfriend has a Pixi I tried it and fell in love with webOS. Now if only they had the hardware to match the OS, I know they have the Pre but I don't like the form factor, and the Pixi is too small for me. I think I'll even consider changing my iPhone for a webOS powered device.
Make it an iPhone? I kid...
Make it faster, add WiFi, add GPU acceleration. Basically everything that Palm had better be doing at CES.
I would add a wifi, as that was the killer for me.
i much prefer the form factor of the pixi to the pre. if the insides of the pixi matched that of the pre i would be alot more interested in getting one. even with the smalled screen.
@cody1205
+1