CES 2009

(Credit: CrunchGear)

We're just a couple of days away from CES 2009, but rumors are already starting to fly about the new Palm Nova smartphone that is set to debut on January 8. Citing a "trusted source," CrunchGear reports that the first Nova device will have a slider design with a full QWERTY keyboard and portrait-oriented touch screen. Not surprisingly, it's been compared to the iPhone and will supposedly be outsourced to HTC like the Palm Treo Pro.

In addition, the new operating system has been described as "amazing," with full personal information management (PIM) and e-mail support. The smartphone will also come with a ton of software and media playback functions.

Again, these are all rumors at this point. The official unveiling is set for Thursday at CES, and I will be at the event to get all the details, photos, and more, so stay tuned.

[More resources: Boy Genius Report, Engadget Mobile]

(Credit: Engadget Mobile)

It's been a while since Palm has caused a stir, but the company certainly has people talking with its planned January 8 CES event. As CNET News reporter Tom Krazit reported last week, it's expected that Palm will preview its new operating system, codenamed Nova, at CES 2009, and the rumors look to be true based on new information from a Business Week article.

According to Peter Burrows at Business Week, Palm will unveil Nova and the first of a family of products in Vegas, but it's not looking to go after the iPhone or BlackBerry. Instead, Palm Executive Chairman Jon Rubenstein said the goal behind Nova is to create a flexible platform that supports a number of customer needs and to create products that bridge the gap between work-oriented BlackBerrys and the fun-oriented iPhone. Before joining Palm, Rubenstein was the senior vice president for hardware engineering at Apple.

Rubenstein and Palm executives wouldn't get much more specific about product details, other than that the team hopes to create phones that "make smarter use of data about you." The company also hopes to release products by mid-2009. I'll be at the January 8 event, so check back then for the full report and my first impressions.