Palm makes comeback with a tiny credit card-size Android smartphone
Palm is making a comeback with a tiny handset that is unlike any other smartphone in the market. Designed by a San Francisco-based startup, the new phone can be used as a companion device with your main phone. It’s Verizon exclusive in the US and costs $350.
From the design perspective, this new Palm device looks like the iPhone but in a compact form factor. The phone has a small 3-inch, 445ppi screen and uses a USB Type-C port for charging and earphones. Under the hood, it is powered by a Snapdragon 435 processor coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It has a 12MP rear-facing snapper and an 8MP selfie camera.
The phone uses a custom version of Android (based on Android 8.1 Oreo) and has full access to the Google Play store. There is a virtual button on the bottom of the device that controls all notifications and can also launch Google Assistant. And yes, users can unlock the phone securely using the selfie camera.
But before you decide to buy a new Palm phone, keep in mind that the device can only be used with your companion phone (it even shares your existing Verizon number). The new age Palm phone technically works with your iPhone, but you won’t receive an iMessage.
The Palm phone isn’t a smartphone you might have expected it to be nor it is a “dumb” feature phone. The idea behind the credit-card size phone is to be used on vacations and weekends. But at $350, a new Palm phone isn’t really a cheap phone at the end of the day. Nokia 7.1, a full-blown Android smartphone with better specs and camera, costs exactly the same amount of money.
At one point in time, Palm was known for its PDAs in the late 90s. After a release of iPhone in 2007, Palm began to sell smartphones with its new WebOS mobile OS. The company was purchased by HP in 2010, after poor sales, the PC giant decided to discontinue webOS and all Palm products. TCL acquired the rights to the Palm brand name in 2014. This is the same Chinese company that aims to revive the iconic BlackBerry brand.
In its new avatar, Palm is a separate company operated by TCL. The company has new co-founders, a new logo, and a brand new office in San Francisco. NBA star Stephen Curry is an investor and “brand advisor” too.
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