I guess Palm has a penchant for making their big announcement very close to Apple's big events, as they've just announced its follow-up to the Pre. The Palm Pixi is the company's second webOS smartphone, and this pretty device is coming to Sprint.Many of these details and specs leaked out earlier this year, and it's definitely a little step back from the Pre in terms of horsepower. There's no Wi-Fi, but it does use Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A 3G network for surfing the Web and downloading apps. There's also GPS, 8 GB of internal storage, IM, and mobile e-mail support, and a 2.6-inch touch screen.

But the most exciting part of the Pixi is that it looks to be a very sleek and stylish device. The handset is only .43-inches thick, which is sure to fit in even the tightest jeans of your local hipster. The keys are still small, but a bit taller than the ones on the Pre, and it should be more usable

Palm has also been priming the pump for the App Catalog, and another device should help attract more developers. Additionally, they'll be adding a Facebook app soon, as well as integrate LinkedIn and Yahoo into the Synergy goodness.

On the downside, they're reportedly using a Qualcomm MSM 7627 processor which should be fine, but a bit of a step down from the Pre's guts. The lack of Wi-Fi is also lame - connecting to hotspots would just ease the load on their 3G networks, and the chips themselves are not expensive any more. I'm also unsure if there's a microSD slot or not, but I hope there is.

The Pixi will be an exclusive for Sprint during at least the holiday season, and they're aiming to get it to stores at an aggressive price point. I would be over the moon if they can sell it for under $100, as it may be able to be as successful as the Centro was. Have to tip my hat to Sprint, as they've really boosted their smartphone lineup with the Pre, BlackBerry Tour, HTC Hero, and this sleek device. When you consider Sprint's Simply Everything plans are the best value for smartphones in the business, I'm tempted to switch over.

The guys at Engadget got some hands-on time with the Pixi, and it was mostly positive. There was some sluggishness because the software's early, but it looks like the Pixi will be a winner.