Palm has finally gotten around to announce its second webOS device, although we can't say that we're sold on the name, as Pixi sounds a little bit too girlish to be taken seriously when it comes to a Smartphone. The Pixi is going to be the Pre's more affordable sibling, which puts it in a very competitive market space.

The Pixi is going to have to prove that it has what it takes to get people interested in it and although the webOS in itself might be enough reason in itself for some to buy this handset, the Pre has had its price on contract cut in the US to a very affordable US$149.99, which means that the Pixi has to be sold for less than US$99 to have a wide appeal.

Details of the hardware specifications of the Pixi are still thin on the ground, but Engadget is reporting that the Pixi is lacking WiFi, at least on the US model which is again using the EV-DO network, just as the Palm Pre. The Pixi will have 8GB of built in storage memory, just like the Pre, but it has a smaller 2.63-inch capacitive touch screen with a fairly low resolution of 320x400 pixels. It also has a Qualcomm MSM7627 processor, although so far there's no word on the clock speed, Bluetooth 2.1, a built in GPS receiver, a 2 Megapixel camera with flash, a 3.5mm audio jack and of course that front mounted QWERTY keyboard.

Size wise the Pixi is fairly pocket friendly at 111x55x10.8mm (HxWxD) which makes it thinner than the iPhone 3GS for example. Palm will also offer customizable rear covers for the Pixi, much like what HTC is doing with the Tattoo, but slightly less advanced as the front can't be changed.

Overall we're not sold on the Palm Pixi, although with large enough carrier subsidies, it might prove to be a popular entry level Smartphone. The Pixi is expected to be on sale in the US by the "holiday season".

You can find the product page here while Engadget has a wide range of video's of the Pixi which you can find here