Comments on: Rumor: Possible Palm OS Powered SmartPhone?

PalmInfocenter Exclusive: An anonymous source has sent us this image, of what appears to be a Palm OS Powered SmartPhone. A quick look at the image shows a possible built in digital camera, microphone, and high-res screen without a silkscreened graffiti area.

It is unclear which licensee has developed this handheld or if it is just a design mockup. You can click on the image for a larger picture.

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Phone?

treo007 @ 11/13/2002 1:42:52 PM #

For me a phone has to look at least somewhat like a phone. This looks like an interesting handheld however. Leave the camera off or make it optional though. I have no need for poor resolution photos.

Low Resolution Photos

HandAble @ 11/13/2002 2:11:57 PM #

I used to think the same thing ("no use for low resolution photos") until my wife was in an automobile accident.. she was able to use the built in camera of her NR70V to take pictures before the cars were moved, making it impossible for the guilty party to claim any sort of innocence.

RE: Phone?

abressler @ 11/13/2002 2:18:53 PM #

As long as your wife wasn't the guilty party!

RE: Phone?

JPVann @ 11/13/2002 3:26:11 PM #

As long as your wife wasn't the guilty party!

LOL!

Jer 23:29

RE: Phone?

big_raji @ 11/13/2002 3:30:13 PM #

I still don't understand how someone could look at this picture and think it was a phone.

There's nothing about it that tells me that it's a phone.

---
George W. Bush at his best!
http://raj.phangureh.com/foolme.html

RE: Phone?

abosco @ 11/13/2002 4:06:14 PM #

Well, possibly the button on the right that is in the shape of a cell phone? Or the microphone being in the exact position for being talked into while being in your hand?

In my opinion, it's fake. Anonymous source + mixture of things only Palm does + mixture of things Palm said they will never do = phoney. Sure, it could possibly be the next generation smartphone, but don't you remember when Palm said they wanted to incorporate D-Pads on all of their models? They even did it on the Tungsten W. Remember the third button on the i705? It's in the same exact position and the same exact design.

Eh, I don't know, it could really go either way. I would say that it was fake, though, if I had to choose.

---
This signature is witty. You like it.

RE: Phone?

Admin @ 11/13/2002 4:12:10 PM #

Initially I thought it could be a smartphone, the more I look at it, looks more like a web-pad or tablet pc.

RE: Phone?

rsc1000 @ 11/13/2002 4:32:09 PM #

>>In my opinion, it's fake. Anonymous source + mixture of things only Palm does + mixture of things Palm said they will never do = phoney. Sure, it could possibly be the next generation smartphone, but don't you remember when Palm said they wanted to incorporate D-Pads on all of their models?

No,no,no - read the article. It said 'licensee' - a Palm OS device NOT a 'Palm Inc' device. Having said that - it is possibly a fake, its just that you can't make that assumption based on the 'Palm would never do this' argument.

RE: Phone?

terrysalmi @ 11/13/2002 4:32:52 PM #

Didn't people also say the Oslo was fake when it had basically the same circumstances?

______________________________________
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The Star and Crescent shall not be worn by every man, but only by him who is worthy to wear it...

RE: Phone?

Token User @ 11/13/2002 5:24:12 PM #

No,no,no - read the article. It said 'licensee' - a Palm OS device NOT a 'Palm Inc' device.

Getting picky, but Palm Inc is a licensee of the PalmOS, just as Handspring, Kyocera, and Samsung are (sorry - just listed the "known" smartphone licensees). Makes you wonder how many unknown ones there are - Sendo?

~ "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed." - DV ~

RE: Phone?

I.M Anonymous @ 11/13/2002 6:22:06 PM #

I don't think it's a phone. My Palm V has a button with a picture of a phone on it, but it has no voice capability. I think this is just the addressbook button for the 21st century.

RE: Phone?

I.M Anonymous @ 11/13/2002 7:14:46 PM #

Nevermind. I just saw that it also has a corded phone button. Oops!

RE: Phone?

Liam @ 11/13/2002 7:27:16 PM #

It's amazing how fast my reply to big raji was taken off. Let me restate! This is not a political forum. Trashing Bush is not appropriate. Deleting my previous post borders on communism.

Since Ed’s departure this site has become rather weak.

My .02 in ‘02

RE: Phone?

rsc1000 @ 11/13/2002 7:50:22 PM #

Get over it Liam - its his signature. Stick with the topic.

RE: Phone?

Admin @ 11/14/2002 10:24:15 AM #

Liam: you are welcome to post whatever you want as long as it's on topic and contributes constructively to a thread. Your post borders on McCarthy-ism. That is also Raj's sig, and it is acceptable by me.

I reserve the right to edit/delete any post in my TOS.

yucky

burnkit @ 11/13/2002 1:46:29 PM #

No sir, I don't like it.
It looks like a tablet PC designed by 4th graders.

RE: yucky

graph @ 11/13/2002 2:05:57 PM #

camera is nice. esp it wont be flipping like the nx

RE: yucky

cyn @ 11/13/2002 2:24:22 PM #

definately just some CAD mockup - whether it'll be a real product or whether it was just a 'fanboy' has yet to be seen.

That said, it needs work either way IMO :)

RE: yucky

sralmas @ 11/13/2002 2:54:23 PM #

I like it. I hope it is an OS5 with virtual graffiti, no phone, built in camera and either wifi or BT (or both).

RE: yucky

IanJD @ 11/13/2002 6:39:17 PM #

"camera is nice. esp it wont be flipping like the nx"

Why not; the camera mount looks as though it rotates, possibly more than the NX since it's restricted by the CF blister.

Who needs a SmartPhone

KeareB @ 11/13/2002 2:09:16 PM #

Now that I have used a Palm T|T, a bluetooth phone (T68i), and a bluetooth headset, I would never want an all-in-one SmartPhone.

With them combined, it IS a SmartPhone. But, when I want to scale it down (e.g., I go biking, or at night), I can just take the tiny T68i.

RE: Who needs a SmartPhone

JPVann @ 11/13/2002 3:27:10 PM #

What Bluetooth headset are you using and how well does it work. Oh yeah, is it in the realm of 'affordable'?

Jer 23:29

RE: Who needs a SmartPhone

fleegle @ 11/13/2002 5:05:31 PM #

I don't know what you consider affordable, but, Jabra sells a Bluetooth headset. It's called the FreeSpeak. It costs around $100.

RE: Who needs a SmartPhone

pen_n_paper @ 11/14/2002 12:34:31 AM #

I do! :)
The Tugsten T is pricey but looking at this "beta" makes me want to get it.

----------------------------------------
Join my Forums 1rst to get a 100 posts gets to be a moderator hehe :)
http://www10.brinkster.com/pennpaper/forum/

Bad fake

mikecane @ 11/13/2002 2:40:46 PM #

Let me be the first to cry "Fake!"

No part of that alleged design makes any sense. Looks like some poor college student's submission for a design final. I'd give it an F-.

RE: Bad fake

Ba-gug @ 11/13/2002 2:52:11 PM #

Ah, isn't that what was said when the first photos of Oslo, I mean TT appeared. I hope it is a fake cause it sure is a ugly critter.

Please buy Palm stuff, I want my stock to go back up so I can sell it!

RE: Bad fake

Moosecat @ 11/13/2002 2:54:45 PM #

I agree. It doesn't look very realistic to me, and the design is really crappy. What's with the shape of the buttons?

And as for the "microphone" (and it isn't at all clear to me that's what it is), why would it be on the right side of the phone? Holding the "phone" to one's right ear would cause the user to stick the left lower corner up in the air. That doesn't make sense. The microphone would be on the left.

I think someone had fun in Photoshop.

Bad fake indeed

Rok @ 11/13/2002 4:27:47 PM #

To me this looks like a twenty-minute Photoshop job, crossing the old Handspring (Visor, anyone?) and Palm m505, minus the grafitti area ...

RE: Bad fake

mikecane @ 11/13/2002 5:09:23 PM #

Difference is, I never thought the Oslo pic was fake. This one I do think is fake.

RE: Bad fake

TobyG @ 11/14/2002 10:54:29 AM #

One noticable difference between this one and the Oslo is that the Oslo still retained the extended file information from the digital camera used to take the picture. The only extended information on this one is that it was done in Photoshop 7.0. ;)

"Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." - Sam Brown

RE: Bad fake

Take1 @ 11/15/2002 5:23:42 AM #

Looks like a FrankenPalm. m5xx stuck to a Symbol chasis. UGLY. Could this be a HandEra prototype? (just joking).

RE: Bad fake

masitti @ 11/16/2002 2:18:00 PM #

I can't believe anyone noticed the resolution on this thing.

It looks like it's running 1024x768. :-x

------------------------
Mario Masitti
O/T Mod
I Love Tennis :)

pic of the two guys in skis...

bobes @ 11/13/2002 2:59:37 PM #

reminds me of either an advertisement or a demo movie for one of the palm OS devices from a couple of months ago. Can't recall where I saw it tho

Is it real or is it Photoshop?

robman @ 11/13/2002 3:17:56 PM #

I'm not sure, but either way a visual mockup of a device is a great way to get people talking.

Here's my thought: what if the PDA fans / Photoshop gurus among us sumbitted our own *clearly marked* fantasy PDA designs for discussion on PIC. I think it would be great free market research for Palm and would tide us over until the next device comes out. :-)

Ryan, would you consider this newsworthy enough for a front page discussion?

Palm Researcher at the University of Texas at Austin
http://www.edb.utexas.edu/petrosino/pda

RE: Is it real or is it Photoshop?

Admin @ 11/13/2002 4:08:33 PM #

I would be happy to host a "mock-up" PDA Photoshop article. If enough people are interested I could create a forum section for it and post the best ones on PIC.

-Ryan
webmaster@palminfocenter.com

RE: Is it real or is it Photoshop?

TedTschopp @ 11/13/2002 7:48:28 PM #

I was going to mock up a design, but I didn't have the time to finish. I was going to include

1) Television/FM Radio Tuner
Well, we know they are making so why the heck not.
2) (BeOS + Palm OS 5) like OS
Palm OS 6
3) Blue Tooth headset
Watch for some cool new Bluetooth products to hit the market over the next couple of months.
4) Full WideScreen Support (Like Sony Clie)
I love my Sony
5) Virtual Graffiti (Like Sony Clie)
I love my Sony
6) GPS
Give me this with Web Access via BlueTooth, and I'll show you killer App.
7) Get rid of Jogdial and replace with nubby mouse
I hate nubby mouse, but in the case of a handheld they make perfect sense. Also reprogram Virtual Graffiti area to act as finger mouse area.
8) Drop speakers/headphone jacks for Blue tooth wireless.
It will come with or require a bluetooth speaker/headset to output the sound. Can still include Pizo Electric speaker for small bleeps and blunders on Alarms.
9) CF Card (For Microdrive)
I think the Microdrive is the perfect drive for handhelds. Why go the way of the iPod when you can do with 1 GB on a matchbox
10) SD Card
Well, I hate Memory Sticks. Get rid of them
11) No Keyboard or other buttons other than nubby mouse and back button.
Needs room for large battery, and all input should be done via virtual graffiti area which programs you are in modify on the fly to put their own custom buttons down there.
12) Indicators
Little LEDs, and flashy things for messages, Alarms, Power, Signal Strength, Etc.
13) Ability to add on Keyboard/Game pad adaptor either = or ||
I want to be able to hook the keyboard/Game Pad up either vertically or horizontally.
14) Vibrator ability like Pager/Cell Phone
When an alarm goes off I want the thing to bounce off my desk. I want bells and wistles. I Want the thing to send on MP3 to my bluetooth headset. I want the alarm to send a message to my cell phone.

Ted Tschopp

RE: Is it real or is it Photoshop?

arielb @ 11/14/2002 1:06:30 AM #

what's the point of a tv tuner if I can't watch cable such as Fox News or CNBC?

RE: Is it real or is it Photoshop?

ronlach @ 11/14/2002 8:17:49 AM #

Ah, so we also need satelite TV capability as well.

Eh...

Thunderball @ 11/13/2002 3:55:31 PM #

Protect what innocents? You mean you blurred the LG logo? (Filename gave it away in that case...)

RE: Eh...

Thunderball @ 11/13/2002 3:56:38 PM #

..or LG could also mean Large... haha, silly me.

RE: Eh...

PR @ 11/13/2002 4:01:40 PM #

i doubt it

sm=small
lg=large

it's the image size, not the brand name ;) unless there's a brand name called SM that made the prototype in the small photo...

RE: Eh...

PR @ 11/13/2002 4:03:11 PM #

beat me to your own mistake :)

new licensee?

GregGaub @ 11/13/2002 3:54:06 PM #

Maybe this is a leaked prototype of the device being made by the "new licensee" that has yet to be revealed to eh public. It has the feel of a PPC turned into a Palm, but I like the idea of an NX70V-killer in pure tablet form-factor. As for the smartphone angle, I don't see it. The Tungsten|T has a mic port, but it's not a phone. A mic port doesn't mean it's a phone. If it were a phone to be held to the face, then where's the speaker? Anyway, diversity and innovation are good things, even if some people don't like how it looks.
-Greg

-- SeaPUG: http://www.seapug.com --

RE: new licensee?

JKingGrim @ 11/13/2002 7:45:47 PM #

>>As for the smartphone angle, I don't see it.

Uh, HELLO!!! There is a cell button and a web button!

And even if it is a new licensee, they wont make to much profit.

RE: new licensee?

tmuralli @ 11/14/2002 1:07:26 AM #

If you enlarge the picture, the URL shows LG.jpg and if you check brighthand.com PalmSource has announce that new licencees are coming. My guess is this may be LG's new handheld!!!

RE: new licensee?

I.M Anonymous @ 11/14/2002 1:55:24 PM #

Or LG could stand for Large. Did SM make the one in the small picture?

RE: new licensee?

Admin @ 11/15/2002 12:42:37 PM #

LG does in fact stand for Large, it is not an indication of the manufacturer.

You can't have the cake and eat it too!

sonicxracer @ 11/13/2002 4:04:13 PM #

Unless you wanna be fat :)

What I am trying to say is that I can't stamd these stupid phone/pda hybrids! How in the heck can you COMFORTABLY use these big bulky "flat-like" things as a phone?

Totally not into it. Of course this is just my .02 but still, I think these things are lame and I would much rather carry a good cell phone (Ericsson T68) and a nice lookin, productive PDA (Sony Clie 665) :)

Smart Phone? More like Tablet PC.

Scott R @ 11/13/2002 5:12:33 PM #

This looks more like a tablet PC than a smart phone. That said, I have to agree with most everyone else in saying that this looks like a poorly designed fake. If it's real, it still looks like a mock-up via PhotoShop. And if it is real, it sure is ugly.

Scott

Where's the speaker

Foxer @ 11/14/2002 1:04:32 AM #

Well, i'm no pro at telling if the photo is a fake or not. It looks real enough to me, but the thing that confuses me is if it is a phone, where the heck are you going to listen to the person? I mean instead of a speaker to hear the person you're talking to, they put a digital camera there. Isn't that a little silly? So I don't know, it just doesn't fit. Other than that it looks kind of cool, although a little wide. Personally I'd much rather have a phone seperate, but that me.

Maybe this the the new "Veld"?

gfunkmagic @ 11/14/2002 4:22:04 AM #

Palm said they were working on a x-scale processor smartphone due to come out in early 2003. Maybe this is it, although I hope not...

mockup

mj6798 @ 11/14/2002 6:56:22 AM #

If that's a phone-size device, then its screen would have to be really high resolution, given the size of the buttons and fonts. That seems rather unlikely at this point. Sony hasn't even managed to get out a 320x480 screen in a thin device, and this one looks more like 480x640.

RE: mockup

DavidY @ 11/14/2002 7:50:26 AM #

Actually screens of VGA size already exist. For example, in the oQo the whole device is about the size of the NX70 with a 20GB harddrive. Exclude the harddrive and you will have thin device with a VGA screen. This aside, I hope something like this is coming from the Handera folks.

Licensee or license to kill?

Foo Fighter @ 11/14/2002 10:07:03 AM #

This looks more like something Acer would design...by that I mean it's ugly. It could be a new licensee. I've heard rumors that Casio is jumping ship from Microsoft to PalmOS. Take that for what it's worth..which amounts to nothing. Still, that would be quite a coup for PalmSource.

"it's better to be a pirate than join the navy." - Steve Jobs

Palm W??

Analytical @ 11/14/2002 2:13:16 PM #

The buttons look very similar to those on the other Palm models. Is this palms Tungsten W?

I think it could well be.

RE: Palm W??

Admin @ 11/14/2002 2:20:28 PM #

Palm Inc has already announced the Tungsten W:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=4448

RE: Palm W??

Analytical @ 11/15/2002 10:16:55 AM #

Doh!

Thanks for the link, I have been looking for a pic for a while now.

I knew they had announced it. A friend of mine knew someone the beta program but wouldn't give me anymore details.

Standards for Rumor Articles?

AlanF @ 11/14/2002 12:46:08 PM #

Ryan and Co - I remember you folks mentioning that (to eliminate the truly dubious rumors - does anyone remember the rubber-clad "Prism II?") you had some sort of standard you used to decide whether to run rumors as news articles. I know we all want to get some sense of how real this might be. Could you re-post the standard for rumor articles? Thanks!

RE: Standards for Rumor Articles?

Admin @ 11/15/2002 12:43:50 PM #

I'm not sure if Ed had anything specific, I will post something as a rumor if I feel something is not a fake, obvious forgery or scam and is somewhat believable.

While I agree that this is not a picture of an actual handheld, it is very likely a design mock-up or an Early draft of a product in development now.

It is definitely a fake

isidore @ 11/15/2002 1:39:20 AM #

Look at the title bar, and at the buttons at the bottom. They are *way* too small to be usable.

If it's a handheld, it's more or less the size of a hand, let's say 12-centimeter height. Therefore, the height of the buttons would be... 3 millimeters !!! And less than 2 millimeters for the up-down arrows at the left of "Show..." button. How convenient this would be !!!

No designer would make such an ergonomics mistake.

rubber?

adamneilson @ 11/18/2002 7:12:28 PM #

an interesting aspect of this photo fake or real is the black material at the top and bottom look very much like rubber. this suggests to me that it is meant for the sporty (or clumsy) type of person. you know the score: waterproof, shockproof but maybe not idiot proof....

the photo displayed on there also echos this.

my €0.02

Cheeeezy...

moko @ 11/19/2002 7:50:05 AM #

Looks naff. Would I buy one? Yeah, probably, if it had all the stuff my Treo 'should' have :)

RE: Cheeeezy...

jpthe2nd @ 12/23/2002 4:09:39 PM #

smartphone my buttttt......

looks like someone hit the Tungsten T with an ugly stick :).

Ave Maria My Homeys
matty

p.s. i don't actually have the Palm Tungsten W yet :).

It's obviously Palm guys...

AzureGuy @ 12/31/2002 8:32:45 PM #

Yeah, this post is late, but if anyone looks, the logo for the browser is Palm's Web Pro....

And the logo at the top is centered, and looks round, hmmm....anyone look at a Tungsten T's top lately? :P

BUT MAN, BUTT UGLY.....

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