Palm Pixi gets Bloomberg’s Vote as Frugal Teen Gift

Rich Jaroslovsky of Bloomberg News wrote today that the economy hasn't recovered for many to consider a "$2,500 Apple MacBook Pro, or even that $200 Motorola Droid."

He goes on to say:

"If you’re looking for a smart phone to give a teenager, consider Palm Inc.’s Pixi... The Pixi is lightweight without being flimsy, and webOS is a pleasure to use. Teens may have fun with its Web-surfing and soon-to-be-available interchangeable designer backs."

And what makes the Palm Pixi a good frugal gift?

"it has become ground zero in a price war between Amazon Inc.
and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which are both selling it for $24.99. Moreover, Sprint data plans are cheaper than those of competitors such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, adding to the savings."

This is exactly what we've been saying here for some time. This phone is the first smartphone we know of that is not only marketed towards teenagers, but it's also priced right for them. Part of that pricing isn't just the $25 for the phone, but the Sprint plans that run as low as $69 for just about every service that Sprint has to offer. Of course you may have to up that plan for more (or unlimited) talk time, but it's still far cheaper than other plans out there.

A lot of people may put the Palm Pixi down for reduced functionality of other phones, but we think it's going to sell quite well at this price point and serve as a starter phone that gets people to upgrade to the Pre and/or future WebOS devices. It's funny, because more and more of the Apple iPhone commercials are coming out saying, "Can your phone do that?" Owners of WebOS devices like myself will find themselves saying, "Yep, it does... and for a lot less money."

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Posted by brian on November 27, 2009 in Commentary, News. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.