Hoping to capitalize on the momentum created by the release of its preliminary smartphones, Palm on Wednesday will unveil a smaller, cheaper smartphone called Pixi.

Apparently aimed toward younger consumers than those targeted by Pres, he playfully smartphone will be longer but thinner than before and smaller sport multitouch screen, a full-size keyboard QWERTY, as well as a 2-megapixel camera, Palm said. However, like his brother, smartphone, 3.5 oz Pixi-will still have 8 GB of memory and GPS capabilities.

In addition to the new application Facebook, Pixi also be able to integrate LinkedIn Yahoo contacts and the contacts, calendar, and chat in one window using the “Synergy palm.

“With Palm WebOS, we are creating a new, more intuitive smartphone experience is defined unmatched simplicity and usefulness,” Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Palm Pixi brings this unique experience to a wider range of people who want advanced messaging and social networks in the field of design, which allows them to express their personal style.”

Pixi announcement comes less than four months after the start of sales of Palm Prete, who said the company registered record sales, when it became available in June. The company did not discuss specific numbers, the first week, but some analysts estimate that between 50000 and 100000 units were sold during the first week.

The move coincides with the announcement that Palm would reduce the price of its smartphone preliminary to $ 150 with a two-year agreement for service and two rebates. Palm did not reveal the price Pixi did, but said it would be less than before and that he expected to be available to consumers in time for holiday shopping season through Sprint. Palm also plans to offer an artist-designed, Limited Edition replacement back cover, which he plans to demonstrate at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, which begins on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Sprint began short-term promotion that offered customers to competing carriers $ 100 credit services for those who bought a Palm Preliminary and transferred my old Sprint number. However, this proposal was pulled after a few hours with Palm said that it was posted in error.

Tell us you’re not doing that, Palm? Indeed, we have been friends for over ten years. I defended you when you were a bad idea, and praised you when you have good ideas. But this time even I have to give a well-earned “What …?” I want to say that you should know that modern technical users value their privacy, for almost nothing, and yet it looks like you do it?

It seems that every day you send a message from the President of the people without their knowledge. Why? And why would you include it, which applications are installed and, most frightening of all, their co-ordinates GPS? Why would you want to know exactly where your customers on a daily basis?

You made a great product with a pre-, Palm. Please disable this function. This is the spot for the company that is known by the experience of users. If you can not disable it, you could at least change the privacy policy, that if you are a user pre you spied on? Of course, it is said that you will gather information to users when they use location-based app - as, for example, Google Maps, - but he has not told you this when you feel like it. I hurt.

Honesty is best policy, and honesty should be in politics.

UPDATE: Palm has sent me the following statement:

Palm takes privacy very seriously, and offers ways to turn data services on and off. Our Privacy Policy, as well as many politicians in the industry and includes a very detailed language about the possible scenarios in which we might use customer information, all to the purpose of offering a great user experience. For example, if location services are used, we collect information to give them the relevant local results in Google Maps. We appreciate the confidence of users who give us their information, and do not intend to violate that trust.
Well, that is, of course, that shoots up.

If you like Pre, but I hate Best Buy and Sprint, you now have the possibility of nabbing a mediator through the Internet, you can live with: Amazon. The device has just popped on the super-retail site, like the aforementioned blue and yellow dealer, you do not have to worry about any pesky e-mail at discount - $ 199.99 phone in a virtual doors. Also, you can nab the Non-contract version for $ 499.99, which is a saving of $ 50 for Sprint pricing, and, of course, the value compared to Best Buy in the $ 749.99 price tag. Only bummer note? Amazon said these babies will not ship for 4 to 6 weeks … which basically SUCKS.

With a Pre Palm on Sprint may be good for Americans driving them to take the ‘Em-up truck on the highway data CDMA, but it does not make the Europeans (or Palm, the bottom line) of any good over in the Old World. Now we have video and pictures on the GSM-loving Palm Pre freedom in Vietnam. Why ‘We? Light, as workers get more rights and higher wages in China, producing all of our fantasy of consumer electronics are moving further south in search of cheap labor. While this does not mean Damn Thing, concerning the start, there is still a pleasure to see the functioning of pre-GSM in the wild in the way of a start before the end of the year, possibly sooner. Video after the break, as they say.

Attention users of iPhone: We have found a way (through the pre-thinking and Sprint in the Facebook page), which can store up to 1200 dollars in two years in the service plans! All you need to do is buy a pre-Palm and subscribe to the service with Sprint.