Remember Palm? Well, after a handful of leaks, the brand is back, this time with a tiny little Android phone that’s launching later this year. Here’s what you need to know about the new Palm Phone. Palm isn’t exactly the first name you’d associate with Android, or any smartphone in 2018, but the company is coming back with a new Android smartphone that serves a different purpose. The new Palm Phone is designed as a companion to your bigger phone with a tiny 3.3-inch display, 2.2-ounce weight, and a footprint roughly the size of a credit card. The point of this tiny smartphone is to “back up” your larger device for on-the-go activities. The designers explained to Variety that they wanted to “create a new category” which lets users take this device with them for activities such as working out, concerts, a weekend getaway, and things like that. That may be the purpose, but don’t think that this tiny phone isn’t still a capable device. The Palm Phone runs a modified version of Android 8.1 Oreo with a Snapdragon 435 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and it can run any Android app. You can use it for Google Maps navigation, taking photos with the 12MP rear camera, checking social media apps like Twitter or Facebook, or listening to music with options like Spotify or YouTube Music. Palm even claims “all-day” battery life from the 800mAh battery which charges over USB-C. There’s also a front-facing 8MP shooter which has a face unlock feature and the device is even IP68 water-resistant. There’s a modified interface to compensate for the small display as well. The homescreen is a “honeycomb” of your various applications, with a notification tray that houses quick settings and the volume controls. There’s only one physical button on this device, and it’s used for power and also to trigger the Google Assistant. As for navigation, there’s a single capacitive button under the display which goes back with a single tap and home with a double tap as The Verge points out. A key software featured baked into the Palm Phone is “Life Mode,” which basically shuts things down. It turns on a battery saver mode, mutes all notifications, and even turns off the radios so you can just ignore the device. It essentially turns your phone off, but leaves it ready for tasks such as listening to music. Notably, TCL manufactures the Palm Phone and Steph Curry will play a large role in the marketing as a “brand ambassador” and investor. As mentioned, the Palm Phone isn’t designed to be used completely on its own. Rather, it’s designed as a companion to your standard smartphone. To that end, the device is going to be sold exclusively through Verizon (not even unlocked) with a Connected Device plan. This $10/month plan is also used for wearables such as the Apple Watch and the phone will use Verizon’s “NumberShare” program to let users mirror their phone number onto the device. Using Verizon’s Message+ app, users will also be able to mirror SMS messages from Android or iPhone. There’s a pretty hefty charge for this device, though. Verizon is charging $349 for the phone or roughly $15/month with financing. The Palm Phone will be available in Titanium and Gold color variants with plenty of cases and accessories launching through Verizon as well. More on Android: Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news: FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:<doc-sep>Remember the Palm Pilot? This iconic gadget of the 1990s has returned, sort of. At a time when iPhone and its rivals have become big and powerful, Palm will be a small, simple smartphone that doesn’t demand as much attention. But its designers — including NBA star Stephen Curry — argue that a Palm isn’t a smartphone at all, though it looks and functions as one. Their concept is of a device that’s closer to an Apple Watch, and they’re even designing wrist bands for their product. And it won’t replace your iPhone, but work alongside it. Palm is less intrusive Many people are becoming concerned that smartphones are psychologically addictive. Apple bowed to their concerns with Screen Time, a feature of iOS 12 that shows users much time their are on their iPhone, and helps them cut down a bit. The idea behind Palm is that someone will have a one of these small gadgets in addition to an iPhone or Android. It will be there if someone needs the functionality of a phone, but doesn’t draw attention the way a smartphone does. The user can leave their iPhone at home and just take the Palm. Palm is, well, palm sized The first-generation model has a 3.3-inch screen, and runs a heavily modified version of Android, not Palm OS or its replacement, webOS. It’s designed to do only the basics. A highlight is called Life Mode because it leaves the user alone to have a life. The device will go on sale in November, exclusively from Verizon.It will cost $350 For $10 a month, this carrier will allow the Palm and an iPhone or another smartphone to share the same phone number. Time will tell if enough people think “less is more” to make Palm into a resurgent brand once again. Source: Fast Company<doc-sep>
Sometimes companies experiment with new product categories. Sometimes those experiments prove to be hugely successful - see Samsung's Note line - and sometimes, well, not so much. It's probably too early to tell what fate the new Verizon-exclusive Palm will have, but for now the device is a head scratcher. First off, it's called Palm. Just Palm. Like the company. Like the brand, that's now owned by TCL (which makes Alcatel and BlackBerry smartphones these days). Oh, and it's not a smartphone. It may look like a tiny smartphone, but it isn't. Instead, it's a $349 gadget that has LTE connectivity but can't make calls on its own. It has to be paired to your smartphone, like an accessory. Then and only then will you be able to call and text with it. This all happens through Verizon's number share service, which links your phone number to the Palm as well. It has a 3.3-inch 720p display with 445ppi pixel density, a 12 MP rear camera, an 8 MP selfie cam, the Snapdragon 435 chipset at the helm, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of non-expandable storage, and an 800 mAh battery (that's not a typo). A proprietary optical facial recognition sensor will help you unlock it, but it's not 3D and not secure enough for mobile payments. There's Gorilla Glass 3 on both sides of the Palm, a speaker on the front, a USB-C port, IP68 water and dust resistance, a gesture control system in software (which is Android 8.1 Oreo), and no NFC or a headphone jack. The Palm will be offered by Verizon from November. You'll have to pay $10 per month to get it on your existing plan. That's the same as for a smartwatch, so the carrier is also clearly treating this as an accessory. TCL is positioning this weird thing as a secondary device for when you need a break from your regular phone. That's the value proposition here. Pay $349.99 to (hopefully) use your phone less. Because you obviously can't do that for free. Unlike most phones these days, at least the Palm is small. So there's that. It ships with a custom launcher that is, let's say, inspired by the Apple Watch's home screen, with large icons in a non-grid layout. There will be an entire ecosystem of accessories for your accessory: cases, lanyards, armbands, and even Kate Spade clutches. Source