I was about to return this phone because Verizon wanted a $45 data plan just to activate it; then I read the brilliant comments by Chuck Homic.
Opening the package, I saw the ESN/MEID HEX printed on the box. I held down the power button until the PALM light lit up on-screen. It took a while for it to boot up. The phone tried twice to call Verizon and activate itself, to no avail.
On another phone, I called the Page Plus Cellular toll-free number and gave them the Pixi's MEID and the phone number that I wanted ported from my active, prepaid Verizon phone. They gave me a 'Premier Package' 6-digit activation code to dial from Pixi, and said that Verizon is usually quick to release your old number and to call back when they have done so.
It took about an hour or so that the old cell number stopped ringing the old phone, indicating that it had been ported.
In order to dial the activation code on the Pixi, you first press the little phone symbol on the screen and press Emergency Call. When the dialpad shows, hit the backspace three times to erase the 911 off the screen. Enter the six-digit code and hit the Call button. The phone will take a while to activate and will need to be rebooted when it's finished.
After you reboot the phone, you'll have to do the Phone Symbol- Emergency Call- erase 911- thing again. Now on the dialpad, try to call a phone number near you to test, like a home number or something. When the phone near you rings, hang up and listen for the confirmation on the phone that it's working.
IMPORTANT: Page Plus Cellular gives your account about $2 worth of phone/ text/ data to start your service. Because the Palm Pixi Plus requires a data connection to set up the Palm Profile and activate FIRST, you cannot use WiFi yet to do this. The $2 credit should be plenty to just set up your profile; if not, then call them from another phone and make sure you get the full-on Premier activation code.
When I was told this, and since I only use the Voice feature for rare 'emergency' and 'notice' calls, then I opted for the Standard Plan of $10 for 100 minutes that expire after 120 days ($30/year).
After the Palm Profile was set up, a brief video tutorial ensued. I then immediately tapped on the Signal Bars symbols to turn on the WiFi, and entered my router's WPA security code for access to my home WiFi network.
Now using my own WiFi, I felt FREE to import/ associate the Pixi with my Google contacts, emails, and calendar. Sweet.
Here are my notes on this - [Amazon took away the link to my SpringPad notes - [...] ]
UPDATE: I've put 380+ songs on it, plus the Pandora App, and I still have 5gb of space.The 'Amazon MP3' app is already built in. The music sounds so good that I ordered the Palm headset as well. I also like the AccuWeather app and about 16 others.
UPDATE: I got the dedicated Palm stereo headset for about $3 and discovered that double-clicking the Mic Mute button will advance to the next song (FF) - see review: Palm Stereo Headset for Palm Pixi and Palm Pre . At that price, I try to keep a pair in the car, work, etc.
UPDATE: I got a deal on the Belkin Bluetooth dongle for Home Stereo - NEW Version Belkin F8Z492-P Bluetooth Music Receiver and so that I could play my music on the Pixi over my full system; I really like that.
UPDATE: plugging and unplugging the charge cord was starting to be a chore, so I bought the TouchStone inductive charger from Palm where you just lay the phone on top of the thing - Palm Touchstone Charging Dock for Palm Pre and Palm Pixi. You have to use a special jacket w/ the TouchStone, and I chose one in bright orange - Palm Pixi Touchstone Cover (orange)
Palm Pixi Plus Verizon Cell Phone ~ No ContractI wanted the Pre because I had one as a work phone, but since I recieved such a good deal in the Pixi I decided to try it. I like it a lot. With the free hotspot feature, its like the phone paid for it self. The price for the value was incredible because I know how expensive a full retail phone can be.
First off i want to say that 60$ for this phone brand new is a absolute steal! The phone's internet is fairly fast. Nice responsive touch screen. Lots of widgets and apps. If your use to a blackberry curve 8530/8520 you will love this phone! It takes a little time to get use to the keyboard.. but , once you get the hang of it its great! The mobile hot-spot app is a great addition , i bring my laptop everywhere now! I would defiantly recommend to anyone who likes Blackberrys. But anyone with larger fingers than normal probably wont like the keyboard. But for 60$ heck you could turn around and sell it for more if you don't like it!
I bought this Palm Pixi Plus to replace a failing Palm Pre Plus. My biggest complaint about the Pre Plus was its keyboard, it was hard to use, and keys often failed. It was my third Pre, and I still have time on my contract, so even though I want to switch to an Android based phone, I chose to go with this because the price (where as an Android phone would be much more expensive).
Positives:
So far, my experience with the Palm Pixi Plus has been much better than the Palm Pre Plus. The hardware seems to be built a little better (no sliding moving parts), the keyboard is much easier to use and is responsive (however, my "R" key needs to be pushed a little harder than the others to respond. Even though it "clicks", it won't type until you press just a little bit more. Still MUCH better than my Pre.) I like the size of the Pixi better than the Pre as I'm not a fan of having a huge smart phone.
I only really use the device to receive e-mail, check social networking sites, and look up information on the go. I do not play games on it, and would not recommend it to those looking for a smartphone to play games. Music sounds fine, as do calls. Mobile hotspot is a nice feature and works well (it even passes on GPS information to my iPod Touch)
The GPS is a little frustrating to use due to Verizon's ability to lock out parts of a device you own, until you buy the monthly subscription fee. (Although, if you open the VZNav App, and don't click anything, then open a GPS enabled App, it'll work fine.)
I love Synergy, importing contacts from your e-mail, social networking sites, syncing your calendars, etc. Notifications don't get in the way and are easy to manage. Gestures work REALLY well, once you get the hang of it.
You have more customization available to you than an iOS device, wallpapers, ringtones, notification tones, etc.
Negatives:
Coming from a Palm Pre Plus, I have to say that this is a slower device. Apps take longer to load, and transitions don't seem as fluid. It has a smaller screen than the Pre, but still readable. Being that it's a Palm device, your choice of Apps is very limited (in comparison to the iOS App Store, or Android Market), so if you are looking for something with a large number of cool apps, look elsewhere. It has the basics, but outside of that its nothing too special. On top of it all, most apps are written for the Pre and are not compatible with the Pixi. So, some of the better apps out there won't even work with this device.
The camera is something to be desired. I wouldn't ever buy this device for taking photos, but nice to have for random shots.
There is no voice command for the phone. Hands free is not possible with this device because this feature is missing. Be careful out there!
The charging door is a real pain to use, with the door constantly flipping back because of the strong magnetic pull. A touchstone back really should have been included in this device.
For those using Google Voice, your options are pretty limited in comparison to other platforms.
You are limited to webOS 1.4.5. HP said they will not support the current Pre's and Pixi's. Real bummer since they did tell us we would be getting webOS 2.0.
I've had lots of trouble with my Palm Pre Plus in the past due to hardware issues. My hope is that this device lasts. However, these Palm device are KNOWN for having hardware build quality issues. Be warned!
WARNING:
Verizon REQUIRES you to have a smartphone plan if you use this device, meaning your plan could increase by 30 dollars a month, even if you won't be using the data on 3G (and using purely WiFi). I don't agree with this mentality at all. Also, this is NOT a world class phone, and will only work on USA CDMA networks.
Tips:
Install Preware to get some more functionality off the device. I would also classify this between a true smartphone, and a feature phone. It works well for what it can do, but don't expect anything beyond that. It's a communication tool that can also play music, videos, check appointments, and surf the internet. Don't ask it to do too much else, and you will be happy.'
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