Ex-Apple Exec Takes Over at Palm

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»

RIM dominates in sales, but the iPhone has big advantages

(NEWSER) - The iPhone has become a cultural phenomenon, but RIM sells way more units than Apple does. Why, then, does the BlackBerry have such obvious flaws? Wired lists five improvements RIM needs to make:

1. Browser. The web looks much the same on an iPhone or Palm Pre as it does on a PC. But the BlackBerry presents a bare-bones mobile version of most websites—and is slow, to boot.
2. Touchscreen. The BlackBerry Storm's "clickable" screen was supposed to feel like a real keypad, but it just made typing slower.

(NEWSER) - Until recently, the iPhone ruled the smartphone roost, but a new crop of competitors could threaten Apple’s bottom line, Jon Fortt writes for Fortune. AT&T, the sole iPhone carrier, pays Apple $300 for every new customer. Until now, paying for the privilege made sense, because AT&T monopolized the “high-value data junkies.” But “these new iPhone rivals,” Fortt writes, “are bound to alter the math of the phone wars.” More»

(NEWSER) - Sprint will launch the much-ballyhooed Palm Pre smartphone June 6, two days before the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Though this year’s WWDC isn’t expected to produce any new hardware, John Biggs writes for TechCrunch, the scheduling of the Pre launch is connected … probably. Though unlikely, Biggs writes, it’s possible Sprint “just wanted to get something out on a nice Saturday.” 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»