Palm's little Android phone is launched on November 2nd

The Palm reboot unveiled its first smartphone last week and we now have a release date: November 2nd. Verizon, the exclusive supplier of the device, will start selling the phone next Friday, priced at $ 300 with a two-year contract or $ 350 if you buy it right away. The device does not need a new data plan, but it does require Verizon's NumberShare service, which costs $ 10 per month.

Palm's phone – simply called Palm – is not a typical smartphone. It has the features of a low-end phone and uses Android Oreo, but it is not designed to be used in the same way. In fact, it's not even supposed to be your main phone.

The device is meant to be complementary to your main smartphone, offering a smaller and simpler alternative that you can take with you if you want to be less distracted. A handful of other devices have already tried this successfully. Palm's approach is to offer the functionality of a complete modern phone in a compact format that is not particularly practical to use for complex interactions. This way you can focus on calls, send SMS and take photos on occasion, but you can always send an email if you need it.

We have all the details here in a big article about what the alarm clock looks like and the little connection between it and the original Palm. But even if there is not a lot of real DNA Palm here, the adoption of this phone by Verizon is the strongest incursion of the minimalist movement, and this is the best chance to see how much it can take hold .