Palm's AT&T WebOS Device Revealed: Eos

Expecting the Pre to eventually come to AT&T? It may not, but a different, and decidedly more affordable device may. AT&T WebOS device won't be the Pre, or at least, not only the Pre. The new device: the Palm Eos.

The Eos has been exposed via enGadget, and to be honest, I'm glad I can finally talk about it. For a variety of conflict-of-interest reasons, I couldn't talk about this, but this is real. It's Centro-ish in looks, but it's all Palm WebOS underneath. Yes, the keyboard looks like a Centro's keyboard as well, which if it were, would be a pain. My understanding is it's more Palm Treo Pro-like in actual performance, however.

• 4GB storage
• Quad-band GSM/HSDPA
• 55mm (W) x 111mm (L) x 10.6mm (D)
• Price: $349 (pre-rebate)
• Camera: 2 megapixel fixed focus digital camera and flash / video capture
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP and EDR, USB 2.0 via micro USB
• Removable 1150 mAh battery (4 hours 3G talk time)
• Messaging: SMS, MMS (picture and video only), integrated IM client
• Contact sync with AT&T Address Book
• MediaNet
• Cellular Video
• Email: POP3, IMAP4, and EAS support
• A-GPS
• Audio: WAV, MP3, AAC, AAC+ ringtones
• Video Playback: MPEG4, H.264, H.263

The thinness is impressive. A Centro is about 54mm (W) x 107mm (L) x 18.5mm (D). My information says that after subsidy, this device will be a very affordable and very tempting $99.

Bad news for Sprint? Not necessarily. The Eos will be GSM, Pre is CDMA; this is a low-end device, Pre is higher end. It would be really bad news for Sprint if Pre came to AT&T.

At any rate, word is Sprint has exclusivity for six months; this device would likely appear right around Christmas, given that.