Palm Lays Off 10% of Workforce

Demo of new smartphone has revi

(NEWSER) - Palm's new Pre smartphone is the hottest product at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show by a long stretch, a smitten Lance Ulanoff writes at PC Magazine. Ulanoff heard a lot about the Pre before yesterday's rollout, but was still blown away by the smartphone's impressive specs, fresh interface, and groundbreaking innovations like the below-screen gesture area. More»

Smartphone is 'super-adorably skinny'— but who's paying attention?

(NEWSER) - Palm’s tiny new smartphone is taking on a Goliath: The firm introduced the Pixi today, squeaking onto the scene just hours before Apple debuts its latest gadgets at its own San Francisco gathering, All Things Digital reports. Can Palm’s David expect to emerge victorious? Unlikely, writes Kara Swisher. “This fairytale might have a not-so-happy ending”—though the phone has its cool points. More»

Rubinstein will be new CEO as company goes after iPhone

(NEWSER) - Palm shuffled its top leadership today as it continues to zero in on Apple and the iPhone. Jon Rubinstein, who led Apple's iPod division before jumping to Palm in 2007, will take over as CEO and chairman from Ed Colligan, who is resigning after 16 years. "Colligan's departure means Palm is severing one of the last remaining ties to the company's days as a pioneer of the handheld market," writes Erica Ogg on CNET. More»

(NEWSER) - Palm unveiled a new smartphone today, the Pre, which it hopes will compete with the iPhone and restore the company’s place in the market, the New York Times reports. Industry experts say it won't be easy. The Pre has a touchscreen, 8 gigs of storage, and a new operating system designed for fast websurfing. Palm says it will “redefine the center of your access point to the Internet.” More»

It's light on features, but Peek is perfect for the non-Geek

(NEWSER) - There are two kinds of gadget-buyers: Feature-listers and elegance-appreciators. And, boy, will feature-listers ever hate the Peek, writes David Pogue in the New York Times. The Peek is a simple, cheap little gadget that does nothing but send and receive email. Feature-rich, it ain’t, but it may well appeal to non-techies who appreciate its intense simplicity. “If you get lost on this machine,” writes Pogue, “heaven help your encounters with an ATM.” More»