Palm Pilot is back. No this is not a tech throwback, this is legit. Palm is back in action after being shut down in 2011 by HP. A startup out of California now uses the Palm name, and it’s serious about breathing new life into the brand. They are releasing a new android based smartphone sidekick. It’s a back up phone of sorts? The Robin to your smartphone Batman? The new phone known as just the Palm. The Palm is a small device you carry around when you don’t want to bring your main iPhone or Galaxy along. Like to the beach or warped tour. Let take a look in to this, “The Palm”
The Great
- Small
- Tiny
- Miniscule
- Cheap
The Not
- Lacks everything you need on a daily bases
- No NFC
The Conclusion
It’s a backup phone that fits is the palm of your hand. It is a thin version of the iPhone 3g with slightly more power and running android. My first impression, it’s a giant smartwatch. I think I want one
The Palm In Your Palm
So lets address the elephant in the room, new Palm has nothing to do with the old palm or Palm pilot. They just got the name. That said, The Palm is a 3.3 inch LCD display with Android 8.1 OS. Palm has redesigned the interface to give it a more friendly Palm feel. The Palm is a beautiful little thing, crafted from aluminum and Gorilla Glass 3. Its has a amazingly sharp screen, with pixel density of 445 PPI. For those keeping score at home that is top of the charts iPhone XS level. The Palm is crystal clear.
The guts are comprised of a octa-core Snapdragon 435 chipset with 3GB of RAM. Pretty unimpressive and available in any free android MetroPCS is giving away this month. This is a Verizon exclusive, but for any of you that pay attention we know all Verizon phones are factory unlocked so The Palm will be able to be used with any carrier.
An 800mAh battery tucked away inside. Palm claims will last about 8 hours on a single charge. You can extend that battery life a bit with a feature Palm calls Life Mode, which is meant to help you disconnect when needed and focus on what’s happening in front of you. Its like enabling airplane mode.
The Look
With rounded edges, no fingerprint reader and only one power button on the entire thing, the Palm’s resemblance to the iPhone is unavoidable. Extremely easy to hold and use, it almost slipped out of my hands a few times. Palm wants you to buy accessories for this phone accessory like a workout sleeve or lariat. Palm will also sell you a bi-fold wallet case and a Kate Spade clutch which you wear around your wrist.
“Creating a smaller smartphone would have been easy, but Palm is unique in that it augments the smartphone in a special new way,” said Brian Higgins, vice president of device and consumer product marketing at Verizon. “Palm and Verizon set out to reinvent something in a smaller form factor that allows you to connect with only what matters.”
The Palm Quick Speck Look
• 3.3-inch, 445ppi. 720p resolution
• 12-megapixel rear camera and flash
• 8-megapixel front-facing camera
• 32GB local storage/3GB RAM
• No expandable storage
• Battery capacity: 800mAh
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor
• Proprietary optical sensor to unlock the phone, but not 3D, not secure enough for mobile payments
• One speaker on front
• USB-C port
• One button power/lock
• Gesture controls
• Android 8.1
• No NFC
• Water-resistance: IP68
The Final Thought
It’s a backup phone that does all of the things your current phone does, just not as well. It to be used in a pinch. I really don’t know what to make of this. I have carried a backup phone for the last 10 years, and I’m enjoying not having 100% communication reliability. There has to be some fail safe to just go off grid for a moment. I will get its own number or a simple sim switch and you are good to go with your regular number. For $299 it is a pretty inexpensive phone, my just be the phone I slip in to my baggies on those long boat days.
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