A Week With the Pixi 54
The Pixi. Palm's second webOS based phone launched on Sprint back in September with relatively little fanfare, and while there's plenty of great information (including our very own in-depth review) covering the phone, there's only one way to truly assess a device - and that's to get it in your hands for at least a week, if not more.
For the first time since I began writing for PreCentral back in September, I was able to do just that, and go hands-on with the Pixi for a little over 7 days. I had the phone right on the cusp of the webOS 1.4 update, which made the overall experience much more interesting (and enlightening!), significantly changing my outlook on the device midway through my evaluation.
How was a week with the Pixi from a Pre owner's perspective? Read on to find out.
Software and the user experience
Migrating from the Pre to the Pixi was a painless experience, and I think Palm has finished ironing out most of the issues users had been experiencing in this area. After getting the phone activated on my account and signing into my Palm Profile, my contacts, calendars and some of my settings were downloaded from various cloud services in about the same amount of time it takes on the Pre. Curiously, none of the programs I had previously installed on my Pre were automatically installed on the Pixi – I had to go back into the App Catalog and manually choose what to put back on the phone. 3D games still aren’t available for Pixi, but that wasn't a huge issue for me since I'm not much of a phone gamer.
At first, I only loaded up the essentials – Tweed, Facebook, a few streaming audio apps – and initially ran the Pixi without any homebrew or modifications to get a better feel for how most people would be using the phone. I honestly didn't mind the default configuration, but it was only a couple of days before Preware was installed and a few key UI elements, such as the amount of apps shown in the launcher grid, were modified to my liking. Preware, by the way, works great on the Pixi.
I was fortunate enough to have the phone just before the webOS 1.4 update hit, and I was able to observe the drastic improvements in performance between the two versions of the OS. With webOS 1.3.5, I often found the overall user experience to be frustrating - I’d experience annoying hangs in programs, the dreaded “too many cards” issue and even the occasional UI crash. I was less than impressed, and after about a week I had concluded that there was no way I could use the thing as my primary phone, and I questioned how anyone else could put up with that level of performance. I was ready to switch back to my Pre and send the Pixi back on its way. Then webOS 1.4 hit.
After updating, the user experience improved by an order of magnitude. Most of the performance issues I had been experiencing were significantly improved upon or had disappeared completely – I no longer had the browser hang during loading at random intervals, and the UI crashes disappeared completely. For the most part, so long as I didn’t have too many cards open, the overall experience was very similar to what the Pre offers. Google Maps and Sprint Nav worked like a champ. Simultaneous activities like browsing the web, listening to grooveshark and checking twitter was fluid. It was a revelatory experience – this is how Palm meant the phone to be.
Hardware
When showing the phone to people I'd often ask, “this thing is an engineering marvel, no? I mean, look at it!” The usual response was a patronizing nod, since most of my friends don’t share my enthusiasm about these kinds of things, but I digress – I’m impressed. Take the battery cover off the phone , and you’ll be astonished that Palm’s engineering team was able to pack so much into that tiny slab. Remember: the Pixi can fit inside the iPhone dimensions wise. The thing feels great in the hand, it disappears in the pocket, and it never feels fragile. With that said, and as much as I enjoy the Pixi's form factor, I actually prefer how the smooth "river stone" shaped Pre fits in my hand.
The keyboard is generally regarded as being good, but I’d say that it’s one of the better portrait QWERTY keyboards I’ve used - If you can type reasonably well on the Pre or any QWERTY BlackBerry, you’ll fly on the Pixi. I was able to slam out emails and texts with surprising efficiency
The screen was always very responsive (multi-touch gestures worked great), crisp enough, and bright enough, but it was a little too small for my taste. This is probably the one thing, aside from the overall lack of horsepower, that would keep me from considering this phone as my primary. I spend a lot of time browsing the web on my phone, and I don’t think I'd ever want to use anything smaller than the Pre’s already smallish 3.1” screen.
I thought that I would see better battery life given the Pixi's more power efficient processor and smaller screen, but I found it to be about on par with the Pre - not great, and with the last update, not terrible either.
What's not to like hardware-wise? If you don't own a touchstone charger, you'll quickly become frustrated with the battery door. If you thought the Pre's plastic flap was annoying, the Pixi's is integrated with the rubberized plastic back cover and utilizes a magnet to keep it attached to the phone. That magnet, generally against your will, will cause the door to snap shut. Frustrating! And after prolonged use, I can see the magnet (attached to the door with adhesive) being pried loose. My advice to perspective Pixi owners? Just buy the Touchstone charging kit.
I had the Sprint version of the Pixi, and I’m still baffled by their decision to omit WiFi. Sure, most of the device’s target market probably won’t really care, but I think that the omission of this feature is still detrimental to the user experience. Since the EVDO connection has a limit placed on its download speed, I gave up on downloading the 1.4 update OTA and just ran the webOS Doctor to update the phone.
Palm’s Strategy
Using the Pixi has solidified my views on Palm's strategy in the entry-level smartphone space.
Compare the Pixi, a full multi-touch phone with a physical portrait-style hardware keyboard to what else is on the market at the sub $99 price point. On the Android front you have phones like the Cliq, the Eris, and the Backflip. Large, rather unwieldy devices with less than stellar keyboards and a comparatively steeper learning curve for smartphone novices. On the RIM front you have the Curve and the upcoming refresh to the Pearl, and while RIM is making great inroads to making its rather corporate user experience more consumer friendly, it’s nowhere near as elegant as webOS. And while BlackBerrys are considered the undisputed king of the hardware keyboard, I'd say that the Pixi easily rivals that of RIM’s offerings, with the exception of maybe the Bold.
I'll politely disagree with Engadget's recent survival guide for Palm and say that the Pixi is an important piece of Palm's strategy going forward. The Pixi is, in my view, one of the best "beginner" smartphones on the market, period.
Wrap up
I come away from my week with the Pixi impressed. Impressed not just by the device itself, but by the staggering performance improvements Palm's OTA updates can bring. If the company continues on it's "web schedule" of operating system updates, these devices are going to be very potent come years end.
The Pixi isn’t a power users’ phone by any stretch, but unless you spend a lot of time browsing the Web or playing 3D games on your phone, it really should satisfy most. I even know someone who recently switched from the Pre (a user since its launch on Sprint) to the Pixi. The catalyst for her switch was Sprint's policy of allowing its customers to switch devices after a certain number of warranty replacements (hint hint) who actually prefers the form factor, screen size and all.
And now that the Pixi is finally settling into the price point it needs to be at to be really effective (with prices varying from free to $70), Palm is finally set to start capturing the market RIM has been thriving on and Android is vying for in the consumer segment.
54 Comments
i have used both the pixi and the pre, and i can understand someone moving from the pre to the pixi (i went the other way pxi to pre).
the form factor (solid slab vs slider) and the ease of use can really sway you more towards the pixi. messaging is much more easier in the pixi....
I moved to the pre, not only because it was the "higher end" web os, but i fear that good programs/games will be more available for the pre than the pixi... but if there was no differentiation between programs and support for programs, it might have been a toss up for me. :D
NOTE: with the facebook chat patch, sometimes i feel that the pixi could have been more convenient :D
I like the phone and all...but like the Pre for gaming and power etc. Would have already got one for my wife if Sprint would of got the WiFi version. Until they do guess my wife will have to wait on getting a Palm phone. Need WiFi as my new house only works with an Airave, but am happy with Sprint for their CS and overall pricing. Dont usually have a problem as long as our phones have WiFi for data when at the house.
Prvni!
Why would anyone even move from the Pre to the Pixi?
Much more solid hardware, because of not having the slider. Plus much smaller. I'd probably go for the Pixi as my day to day phone if it had WiFi.
same. i was going to pick up a pixi (in addition to the pre) just for testing, but without the wifi i consider it useless. fortunately i live in a 4g area, so hopefully this "c40" is a 4g webOS device.
this is juts me but I see the pixi more on the female side as for the real machine is actually the pre n pre plus. There is no such thing to get a pixi hell noo is not enough for ma for me. 800mhz pre plus totally rocks ma lif.
I made the switch once from my Sprint Pre to a Verizon Pixi Plus. It was just for the change in the hardware.
Agree that this is an engineering marvel. Really amazing how a phone that small can dod so much.
The problem was, being a ower user, I often made it do TOO much. And performance suffered. Hence I went back to a Palm Pre (Plus).
But I don't mind having it as a secondary phone in all honesty. I LOVED the form factor. LOVED the keyboard.
I've had the Pixi for about 6 weeks and like it more than the Pre. I think it is a preference thing since the Pixi screen is smaller and it has a bit less apps in the catalog. I chose Pixi over Pre because I don't like sliders. I like having the keyboard always ready and I think the Pixi keyboard is much easier to use than the Pre's. Since I use my Pixi for texting and email, the keyboard is important to me.
I thought no WiFi would be a big deal, but so far it hasn't been. Sprint's network is fast enough for streaming music and downloading apps.
I have a Sprint Pre and would have gotten the Pixi for mi wife, except no WiFi. For me, it
I have a Pre and my wife has the Pixi. I'm in love with the pixi's form factor and keyboard
My wife's Centro was stolen last week so she replaced it with a Pixi. Now, like drewkora, I've a Pre and my wife has the Pixi. We went ahead & got her a Touchstone since it was discounted to buy along with the phone.
It came with 1.3.5 so I put 1.4 on it right away. It seemed to install faster than my Pre did. Overall response time on her Pixi has been just fine. It did have one spontaneous reboot but has otherwise been stable.
Overall I like the Pixi keyboard better but the Pre for just about everything else. I'm somewhat more of a power user than she is and I think we both have the right phones for our needs.
If there'd be an O2 Pixi (plus), my gf would have long ago got one, because she finds the pre to be too big.
just upgraded my ancient moto q for a pixi. Would consider myself a power user and would have preferred the extra oomph of the pre, but the pixi's form factor & keyboard sealed the deal for me. Oh, and the price. Bottom line: I'm in front of a PC 90% of the day, for the few times I need to message, I need a good keyboard and I don't wear a holster so my phone has to be super thin (why I stuck with the q for so long) Basic, rock-solid messaging is what I need & the Pixi fit the bill.
Ur gurl is a cock sucker for that 1 dude. She disowned the Pre cuz of size. I bet she dnt say that bout Tiger Woods in her face. This article has nuthin to do wit wats in demand frm us Pre users. I want Flash. Bring me Flash or bring me HTC EVO.
I agree with the EVO part, but you need to watch your language bro.
The article never once said it was supposed to have anything to do with what you think Pre users want. You sir, come off as a moron.
I agree somewhat, though I can see that there is ambiguity with the site being labelled _pre_central...
+1
What the heck?!? This is a Palm/webOS forum and not a "trash talkin tabloid." Although everyone has the right to their opinion, dmiller0212's comment should be deleted for just being ignorant.
IMHO
Your comment is offensive and should be removed.
totally immature and uncalled for.
I wish there were a way to downrate or report offensive posts like this one. Not only offensive, but ignorant, though I suppose you can't moderate ignorant.
Low Life!
I would feel pretty gay telling people that I owned a phone called the pixi lol. Besides that I'm one of those people who like to have the best version of the device one could get not bc of pride I assure I but just because I hate thinking that what I have is just the lower end version & wishing I had spent a little more for the best version. My wife didn't even want the pixi & she's a teen which is the target market for the pixi imo.
Your WIFE is a TEENAGER?
I didn
LMAO! =D
So what? My wife claims to be thirty-teen and I find it less harmful to my health when I agree with her.
yup but you ask that not knowing my age so what's the big deal?
"The catalyst for her switch was Sprint's policy of allowing its customers to switch devices after a certain number of warranty replacements (hint hint) "
Is there more info about this?
I was able to switch to an HTC Hero after 5 replacements and talking to a manager at retensions. Your local store has to be a participating member of some program though (which, should be if its a corporate store). I had the option to pick whichever phone except the touch pro 2, cause that cost more than the pre did out of contract. Originally they gave me to option to buy back my pre for $150, when I paid $200 and I would have to pay out of contract price for a phone. I told them, Please forward me to a manager because a Sprint employee at the store I was at said I could have the phone replaced with a different model.
I think in the coming months w/ the help of commercials and other forms of webOS ads, the Pixi will catch steam w/ those making a transition to smartphones BUT don't have alot of cash. With the Pixi being FREE - $70 it's a no brainer!
For those saying, "who would choose Pixi over Pre?" perhaps you need to re-read the article. Those not needing 3D games, WiFi, or are concerned about blazing speed are the Pixi's targeted prospects. If you think it's a small target - think again.
...people are in the process of realizing what webOS is ;)
Go Palm!
I thought about the Pixi, but after all my problems with the Pre, I couldn't in good faith give my business back to Palm. They still hadn't found my missing contacts from the 1.2.1 update and no wifi would have been a killer for me at the time. Now, I never even use the wifi on my phone. I even installed a ROM with a known wifi problem because that didn't mean much to me now. But when I made the switch, I was out on an Indian Reservation where I didn't have cellphone service and did most of my internet browsing through wifi passing other people's trailors with unlocked networks. Thats how I got my e-mail and news for 2 months. Pixi wasn't an option then.
it might be a good "beginner" smart phone, but that implies the pre is some how more complicated... they run the exact same os... Now that the Pixi is prices appropriately i have no complaints, because besides form factor there was no reason to get this phone at launch
the pixi is an excellent phone.
the initial price was too high but right now it's a steal.
I know a lot of people that the Pre isn't for but the Pixi is perfect.
they don't need or use wi-fi, even when it's on the phone, don't play 3d games, don't watch movies.
they are interested in email and messaging features along with some web browsing only when they need information on the road.
but again Pam gets the raw deal. My local Sprint store doesn't even have a Pixi demo on the floor.
Like a few people on here, I have a pre and my wife has a pixi (both plusses). I love my Pre but I can't deny that the Pixi keyboard is soooo much better. Overall, I think the Pixi is a great smartphone for non-power users. It definitely feels more sturdy than the Pre and the form factor is actually pretty nice for just tossing in a pocket (or purse in my wife's case).
I do greatly feel that Pixi is a bad name though. I'm sure many men are turned off just by the name.
Show me your wife's pixi and I might be turned on. =)
smh hahahh
I'm on Verizon, so when the Pre and Pixi finally got released I had to decide between the two. I played with both of them in the store for quite a while, and seriously considered getting the Pre, but in the end I had to go with the Pixi. Although the screen is a bit smaller and there's less RAM, overall I found the experience better. Number one on my list: the keyboard. My only problem with the keyboard on the Pre, though, was that there isn't enough space between the top of the keyboard and the bottom of the screen. The lip of the screen portion of the phone made typing very slow for me, because I constantly missed the keys because I couldn't squeeze into the top row. On the Pixi, no such issue; I can type without worrying about missing the key.
I'd love to have a Pre sized screen, and I think they could have done it, but it was probably cut more for product differentiation than size, which is sort of a shame but at the same time understandable. Also, I don't know about other people, but where I live (Orlando, FL), I find I generally prefer to keep WiFi turned off and just use 3G; I seem to get faster downloads with less latency and less power use: I only use WiFi when I'm somewhere that I know the network good.
the pixi is an excellent phone.
the initial price was too high but right now it's a steal.
I know a lot of people that the Pre isn't for but the Pixi is perfect.
they don't need or use wi-fi, even when it's on the phone, don't play 3d games, don't watch movies.
they are interested in email and messaging features along with some web browsing only when they need information on the road.
but again Pam gets the raw deal. My local Sprint store doesn't even have a Pixi demo on the floor.
I hate to say it but this review or guide fails to highlight some of the glaring differences between the Pixi and Pre. I own both, so I have the benefit of being able to compare them side-by-side.
Screen
Besides the obvious difference in size and slightly lower vertical resolution, the screen quality is simply not as good as the Pre's. The contrast and colors seem off. The black is not that dark velvet black that you see on the Pre. It's a bit washed out, which strangely seems more apparent at lower brightness. Also, if you compare that standard red/orange plant background on both the Pixi and Pre you'll see the difference in colors in plain view. The Pre's screen appears almost 3D. The Pixi's colors meanwhile are off a quite a bit which obscures detail within the flower.
It's clear they went with a cheaper LCD and the shortcomings are apparent. Another fault of the Pixi's screen is that it doesn't scroll smoothly. Try swiping your finger on a webpage to move it vertically. The Pixi's screen seemingly "tears" as it scrolls. The Pre scrolls smoothly.
Camera
Again, besides the obvious difference in resolution of the sensor (lower megapixels), the image quality of a picture on the Pixi compared to the Pre is night and day. This applies to both still pictures and video. You really have to be adept to post process all photos and video on your PC, because the colors are very off. I really hope Palm either interfaces with the camera chip differently if a hardware solution is possible (by adjusting register values of the chip to change its color) or post-processes the pictures themselves in software on the phone directly. I'd like to do some comparison photos on the Pixi and Pre to show the less than subtle difference in picture quality.
With all that being said, I really like the Pixi's form factor and keyboard. It's incredibly small and light. I really wish Palm hadn't short changed the screen and camera. Palm has done a great job unifying its webOS offerings, unlike the fragmented Android, but it made a poor decision in my mind to not keep the Pixi's resolution and (to a lesser extent) hardware capabilities the same as the Pre's. This forces developers to have to cater to two different phones with different resolutions and while webOS may lend itself better to this, it clearly makes it difficult for native apps (games that directly interface hardware for instance) to work on both handsets. It also confuses the consumer a bit, since not all webOS phones are created equally.
I've said it before: "Every time I use my GF's Pixi I get jealous." and I'm a Pre user.
Like they said, the build quality is far superior in my opinion. The form factor has pros as well as cons when compared to the Pre, but that pocket size is pretty compelling.
I can't give up the better camera, WiFi, and larger screen, though. That said, I am anxiously awaiting the 2nd generation, non-slider webOS phone.
only thing I wish were different on the pre is that I wish the keyboard slid landscape ways instead of the way it does now they could have made bigger keys that way and would make gaming and texting easier. I don't like on screen keyboards much.
I have had the Pre since September, and LOVE it. My broadband card was due for an upgrade, and since I hardly use it anymore, being that most every where I go has WiFi, I opted to upgrade it to the Pixi 2 days ago, for use as a contact phone for my band, so as not to ignore the wrong call on my main line (I've missed out on some gigs because I didn't recognize the number. Now if that phone rings, I know to definitely answer). Now I have both. I truly like the Pixi. Wish it had WiFi, but whatever. And sure some of the apps I like aren't available for it, yet, but I have hopes that'll change (so long as the developer sees fit). I'm diggin' the whole Palm/WebOS experience, thus far.
Personally, I hate the Pixi. Way too laggy and slow. I don't like it. Plus, my girlfriend went through 4 of them before SPrint decided to let us have a Pre. She's been a happy camper ever since.
if i said it once i have said it a thousand times. if you are a guy and like the pixi, but wont get it because of the name. i bet you are one of those guys who drive expensive sports cars because you have such a small ipk package. i have both a pixi and a pre. i just got my pre 4 days ago and already need to take it back to the shack and get a new one. my pixi however has been perfect from day one. i must say i enjoy both phones but for different reasons. they both have great points, and of course they both have faults. i hope the third phone in the web os family will be a nice mix of them both. just my 2$, yea i'm a baller i don't mess with cents. lol. thats why i sport both phones.
I love my pixi, stupid name for sure, but as a centro user I chose this over the slider. For sure enough I wanted the 3d games but when it first came out I didn't know what the downgrade was on the hardware and plus I completely agree about 1.3.5 I hated it and wanted to trade my phone in for the pre but with no luck. I'm a heavy texter and this phone just popped at me. And coming from my back up samsung because I cracked my screen on my centro after 2 years of abuse and me being buligerantly drunk half of the time throwing it at the wall, this phone looked wwwwwaay sturdier and boy I was right, so damn it some pixi owners make a overclock patch and this phone I'll stick with, agreed the EVO looks nice but I just don't like googles bullshit feel to everything.
I hope Palm has something new to offer on Sprint by June, when original Pre owners like me can upgrade, but at this point, I plan to switch to the Pixi over the Pre. Games don't mean anything to me, but I text all the time, and not having to deal with a slider on the go is the main difference. My Pre has terrible performance anyway, so I am confident a Pixi would be equal, and perhaps even better because my expectations would be a little lower to begin with.
i have had a pre since launch day. still love the phone. wouldnt take an iphone or android device over webOS even if i were paid. yeah, there are still kinks with webOS and with both phone models. these will be addressed. we all bought into brand new platform. it will need some time to mature. everyone needs to remember that palm has been sending us crazy amounts of updates. they are doing awesome i think. they just need to get marketing more effective and launch on all four of the top carriers. there are alot of people on tmobile that would like the device as well as att. i am also one of the ones eagerly awaiting an announcement for a new device in june. we loyal sprint users who were at stores before they opened launch day deserve a new device so we can lord it over verizon users!! :-)
Love my Pixi as well, wanted the pre, but too many problems reported with breaking and cracking before I got it. I do find it a little silly that you would be turned off just by a name...does that really effect your "man-hood"? Pixi is just a name..and it doesn't say it ANYWHERE o nthe phone. It's a great phone so far and runs well - I will say I also chose because of the form factor, a bigger screen would be nice, but not a fan of sliders anyway. If the Pixi Plus ever comes to sprint, would prob upgrade to that instead of pre.
I love my Pixi. I received it the day after 1.4 went live so I've never had to experience the lagginess that a lot of people described before. I also have it patched up with Preware so the experience is pretty tailored to my likes.
Largely I love it because its the first smartphone that doesn't look like and feel like a heavy brick to me. It may not have the "power user" appeal of an iPhone or Pre, but speaking as someone who was never even attracted to a phone like that I'm glad that somebody finally tried to design a phone to fit me. And WebOS seals it.
I went into a Sprint store to just help a friend pick out a replacement for his LG Rumor, a week later I'd found a free Pixi online and had it ordered. A new contract just because I was so enamored of the beauty of the Pixi's design.
One of the funniest comments I hear from people when they play with my Pixi, is "its so big". Not because it's big, but because when they see the device it seems too small to have the seamless user interactivity in such a small screen/device and this is where WebOS's scalability is just amazing. It makes the small screen on the Pixi "feel" bigger, the same is true of the keyboards design. Its got just the right clickiness to make it feel like the keys are spaced more than they really are.
That's what we need more of. People innovating more functionality and usability into smaller form factors, I know that's what kept me out of the smartphone market until now. Thanks to Palm, I hope they don't drop the Pixi/small smartphone category out of the second generation of WebOS devices.
Ok so can i have different ringtones for like messaging and stuff? like a ringtone for texting and stuff? or is it all one ringtone. also how do i get ringtones on my palm pixi? i don't like those free websites because the sound quality is bad (sometimes).
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this is my fourth day on my wife an i's spare pixi...(long story but sprint gave it to us after threatening to go to verzizon) together we have gone through 9(soon to be ten when I get home) pre's since our first two in june 09...my 3rd started freaking out on me just be fore leaving town I I didn't want to take the chance of it dying on the road...so I updated to 1.4.1 from 1.35, crap what a difference. I tried running with no preware but that only lasted about an hour...oops. Honestly don't care about 3D gaming, I have a computer, just want a phone that hits the web when I want, texts well(keyboard rocks) and is RELIABLE. I thought the wifi thing would be a problem but I really don't miss it and after going to dslreports.com while buried in a hotels indoor pool area watching my kids swim, my test ranged from 961 kbit/sec to 1012 kbit/sec...i don't know, I am so fed up with horrible quality of the pre's hardware, or atleast the 9 we've had in 9 months, I don't want the pre anymore...as i'm typing my wife texted me saying the refurb pre #6 is crapping out on her!...i'm all about the pixi now, can't wait for the OClocking patches when they come. At this point I think we're going to wait until june/july when some new devices come out_ tell sprint to shove these bogus pre's, keep the pixi I have and trade my pre for an android machine(i love webOs but like to play with other stuff too much) and let the wife trade for whatever...i wonder if verizon users are having the same problems with the pre+? Ours started in month #1...bye bye pre...
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