Hasta La Gadget!

It looks like that blurry little blob from before is the Palm Eos, the cheap WebOS successor to the Centro. Engadget’s got the pic, and better yet, the specs for little stunner: UPDATED

It’s 10.6mm thin, measuring about 2.1 by 4.3-inches, with a 2.63-inch 320×400 res capacitive screen. And the good news for AT&T peeps: It’s quad-band GSM/HSDPA, so you guys will have your comeuppance, it seems. Update: Techcrunch adds that its codename is “Pixie” and they’re aiming for a $99 pricepoint (obviously after rebate).

And the full purported spec list is in. Here’s what Engadget’s got:

* 4GB storage
* Price: $349 (pre-rebate)
* Camera: 2 megapixel fixed focus digital camera and flash / video capture
* Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP and EDR, USB 2.0 via micro USB
* Removable 1150 mAh battery (4 hours 3G talk time)
* Messaging: SMS, MMS (picture and video only), integrated IM client
* Contact sync with AT&T Address Book
* MediaNet
* Cellular Video
* Email: POP3, IMAP4, and EAS support
* A-GPS
* Audio: WAV, MP3, AAC, AAC+ ringtones
* Video Playback: MPEG4, H.264, H.263

Interesting that it has a bunch of AT&T services built in, if that’s really the spec list—totally different tack than the iPhone.

There are some conflicting reports as to whether Palm’s blazing ahead on it or waiting to see how the Pre does, according to Arrington. So while not 100 percent verified, obviously, with multiple independent sources leaking this thing, it’s clear there’s something along the lines of a cheaper, smaller Centro-like WebOS phone in the works, probably landing this fall. Hopefully for $99. Palm Pre what? [Engadget]

TechCrunch reports today that Palm is working on a second WebOS device, a lower-cost follow-up to the Palm Pre.

We reported this in January. At the time, a Palm insider told us that the next WebOS phone may be a lower-cost, candybar-style model without a QWERTY keyboard. No, it wouldn’t be a “Centro 2” in that it wouldn’t have the Centro form factor, but like the Centro, it would address a less expensive end of the market where Palm has been strong recently.

TechCrunch’s story says the new WebOS phone may come out just a few months after the Pre, which jibes with our information as well; we heard that the second device could appear around six months after the Pre’s launch. That said, that could change – don’t go calling an unannounced second device “late” if it doesn’t show up by the end of the year. By not announcing the device, Palm is reserving the right to change course until they’re sure of the tack they want to take.

Palm has said for a while now that they intend WebOS to be a platform that they base several phones on. They’re actually starting out with two: the Sprint Palm Pre and the GSM/UMTS Pre, which will be sold in Europe. But as WebOS replaces Palm OS in Palm’s lineup, it makes sense that they’d want both a lower cost device and a flagship model in their stable.

An apparently reliable source at Palm has told TechCrunch that Palm is “very far along” on a second, smaller Pre-like device to be marketed as soon as this fall, 2009. Pre nano, anybody?

Details are scarce, but the device is rumored to be both smaller and thinner than the Pre, which may mean we’re looking at a phone with the QWERTY keyboard replaced by a soft keyboard. It is assuredly not the “Pre 2,” since it’s too soon for Palm to be this far along on that project, but it will run Palm’s ballyhooed WebOS.

The main factor here seems to be the device’s size, hence TechCrunch’s moniker “Mini-Pre.” We’ll keep you updated when and if more info comes in on this mysterious Palm project. [TechCrunch]

With the economy in the tank (still) and the heat on, cost and profit margins are more important than ever to companies hoping to stave off the inevitable, apocalyptic doom of recession. Well, iSuppli’s released an estimated report of how much its costing Palm to cobble together the Pre — about $138, as it turns out. iSuppli has positively identified just two of the Pre’s suppliers thus far — that Texas Instruments OMAP chip, which runs Palm $11, and Qualcomm’s wireless chip — but they’ve formed a general picture of what’s under the hood for the estimate. That price is about 46 percent of the $300 iSuppli suggests Palm will be charging Sprint for the Pre (a number that’s completely unconfirmed at this point). To put it in perspective, the BlackBerry Storm costs about $203 to make and was sold for $199 initially, the G1 clocked in at $144, while the iPhone 3G costs Apple an estimated $174.33. Of course, we have no way of assessing the accuracy of the estimate yet, but if it’s in the neighborhood of correct, Palm’s profit margin should be pretty healthy.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pre: $138 to build according to iSuppli originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PreThinking, the forward-looking Palm Pre dedicated blog, has been sent a fistful of new screenshots of the WebOS in full effect. The first thing that hits you is the design — these interfaces are polished and pretty. Whether this means that the Pre will be an iPhone killer (which everybody in the world but me seems to believe) or even successful enough to keep the debt-collectors from Palm’s door, remains to be seen.

As a quick fix to get your anticipatory juices flowing, though, the gallery is a good one, if a little hard to navigate. We’ve included a couple more pictures below.

Palm Pre Early SDK: New WebOS Screenshots [PreThinking. Thanks, John!]

See Also:

• Palm Unveils Its Long-Awaited Smartphone, the Pre
• Up Close and Personal With the Palm Pre
• Video: Hands On Off With the Palm Pre