@CES: Palm adds carriers, features: Handset and software maker responds to growing competition in smartphone space

LAS VEGAS – In the shadow of Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Google Inc.’s Android operating systems continued strong growth, Palm Inc. pushes ahead aggressively for its spot in the sun.
What began one year ago at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show this year took a bigger step as the once-dominate personal digital assistant company unveiled updates and expanded distribution of its highly-regarded WebOS-based devices.
That expansion included the anticipated official launch of its Pre and Pixi devices at the nation’s largest wireless carrier Verizon Wireless. But, instead of launching the same models available at fellow CDMA operator Sprint Nextel Corp., Palm upped the ante Las Vegas-style with an internal and external updating of its flagship Pre model as well as enhanced wireless connectivity for its entry-level Pixi device.
Verizon Wireless’ Pre will be dubbed Pre Plus when it launches on Jan. 25 with the “Plus” indicating the removal of the physical button on the face of the regular Pre and doubling of its embedded memory from 8 gigabytes to 16 GB. The Pixi also gains the “Plus” tag on its migration to Verizon Wireless that entails the addition of Wi-Fi capabilities.
The cost for this “plus-ing?” TBD, as Verizon Wireless said it wants to wait on tipping its hand until closer to the launch date.
Analysts have noted the importance of Palm increasing its distribution base and getting the largest carrier in the U.S. to carry its device is a strong step in that direction. However, while Palm garnered nearly all of the headlines when it launched the Pre and Pixi exclusively at Sprint Nextel, at Verizon Wireless those devices will see more competition for the carrier’s attention. Verizon Wireless has a number of high-end smartphones from BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd., and HTC Corp., as well as the recently launched Motorola Inc. Droid that runs Google’s latest Android OS.
In addition to gaining stronger distribution in the U.S., Palm announced the GSM-version of its Pre device would be available at French operator SFR beginning in the second quarter. The Pre is also available in a CDMA version in Canada and Mexico and in its GSM guise in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Spain.
Current Pre owners are not being left out of the newness. Palm said it would be sending out its 1.4 WebOS update in February to all of its devices that will include video recording capabilities as well as video editing and uploading options. The demonstration of the services showed a user interface similar to Apple’s video editing option on the iPhone.
And that’s the main competitive disadvantage Palm is facing in the market. If Apple’s iPhone nor Google’s Android OS were not on the scene, Palm’s hardware and software would appear to be captured from some sort of time machine from the future. But, as it is, both sides of Palm’s offering seem to only match what is already out there. Not a bad thing necessarily, but well short of the ground-breaking advancements needed to propel Palm from an also ran to an industry leader.
Palm also announced that it has officially opened up its developer to the public as well, which the handset maker said will usher in a slew of new applications for its WebOS App Store. During the company’s event at CES it announced a number of new content providers that are providing applications, including gaming giant EA Mobile.
Of perhaps greater rejoicing for Palm WebOS users, the company also said it would begin support Adobe’s Flash 10 “soon.” Palm said it would be the first smartphone platform to support the standard that is the basis for an increasing number of traditional Web sites for animation that until now has not been supported in the mobile world. A number of Web sites that rely of Flash-based video, including YouTube, have been forced to port over their multimedia capabilities to individual smartphone operating systems for rendering.