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Will a Palm "Mini-Pre" be out in 2009 too?

I finally had the chance to see and touch the Palm Pre at CTIA and think it is an exciting device that may keep Palm going for a bit longer. I am not the biggest fan of the keyboard and think that the rumored "Mini Pre" mentioned by Michael Arrington last night may even be a more compelling product. The iPhone is extremely popular and it does not have a physical QWERTY keyboard so there is no reason a more compact Palm Pre without a keyboard cannot do just as well.
Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer

I finally had the chance to see and touch the Palm Pre at CTIA and think it is an exciting device that may keep Palm going for a bit longer. I am not the biggest fan of the keyboard and think that the rumored "Mini Pre" mentioned by Michael Arrington last night may even be a more compelling product. The iPhone is extremely popular and it does not have a physical QWERTY keyboard so there is no reason a more compact Palm Pre without a keyboard cannot do just as well.

There are no solid details on the next Palm Pre device, except that it will run the new WebOS and be smaller than the upcoming Palm Pre. Rumors indicate it could be out before the end of 2009.

I think offering a couple of slightly different form factor options may appeal to a wider audience and help Palm as they try to stay afloat in the mobile space. If the on-screen keyboard is decent, then going with a more compact and more pocketable device may make even more sense than the current Palm Pre.

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