While this isn't
exactly news to anyone that follows the mobile industry, Palm
announced today what has been known for some time -- Verizon will be
receiving PalmOS devices this year. Starting January 25, Verizon will
begin offering the Palm
Pre Plus and the Palm Pixi Plus.
The added "Plus" comes from
the fact that the Pre Plus now features 16GB of internal memory (up
from 8GB on the original
model; 15GB of which is user accessible) and a Palm Touchstone
battery cover which was previously an optional accessory. The Palm
Pixi Plus, on the other hand, bring Wi-Fi to the table -- a feature
that wasn't
available on the original Palm Pixi.
“The Palm experience is all about
helping our customers stay connected so they never miss a thing,”
said Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein. “We’re constantly enriching this
experience with new features and innovations. The Verizon
Wireless launch of Pre Plus and Pixi Plus is the next phase in
delivering this unique Palm experience to more people.”
Another new addition offered up by Palm
today is the new Palm Mobile Hotspot webOS app. The app, which is
available from the Palm App Catalog, allows Verizon customers to share
their 3G connection with up to five other Wi-Fi enabled devices.
The addition of two webOS devices to
Verizon's network brings a well-balanced smartphone portfolio to
Verizon's network. The company already has two competent
Android-based smartphones with the Motorola
Droid and the Droid Eris. The wireless company will also be
getting its own CDMA version of Google's
Nexus One in the spring. And if all of the planets align, Verizon
could possibly land a fourth generation iPhone which would make its
smartphone lineup a force to be reckoned with.
