Tapwave Discontinues Zodiac Business

Even minus the analog stick and one of the SD slots, such a device would've been a KILLER machine in every sense of the word.

Did anyone ever think a year ago that the lame duck T5 would (patched) be left holding the title of the best Palm device currently in production/on the market? Folks, it's getting grim...

Btw, Tapwave's perpetual "spring has sprung" promotion/motiff on their website kinda gave me some signals something was dead wrong with 'em...here we are sweltering in the brown grass of late July and they are still showing the green grass of spring on their site.

P.S. I wonder what'll happen to Scott & the gang at Tapland? How long will the lights stay on at Tapwave.com? I guess no one wanted to partner up with them to license "Zodiac" technology for next-gen devices!?!

I'm afraid to set my Treo down too hard for fear that vibrations will travel through the earth's crust, making their way to PalmSource headquarters, collapsing the shaky foundation they set upon. Seriously, is there anything further that could make this platform look any more hopeless? I'm beginning to think Microsoft is actually paying PalmSource and its licensees to implode. It's all too perfect.

You can bet Windows Mobile based products are in the pipeline at Palm. Their only concern now is offering what the customer wants, not in cultish platform ideology. Palm's money is in selling hardware, not PalmOS..especially not a DYING PalmOS.

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Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

So much potential. So much RAM! At a time when it was sorely needed!

I recall a few weeks ago there was an article stating Tapwave was shifting the company's focus, and someone started a thread stating companies make their boldest statements just before going out. Gekko or Voice Of A Prick said it. Either one, it doesn't matter. Good call.

-Bosco
NX80v + Wifi + BT + T637

You often criticize PIC as a place of bullies, but you seem behave that way yourself at times. I suggest the doctor take some of his own medical advice.

I'm sure after the embarrassing exposure of Jeff's lack of insight on his own website, he's particularly touchy of being challenged or having to prove his statements. He/Reggie deleted every factual or insightfully post I made at 1src in an apparent attempt to protect their users from the truth.

Pity they cant protect PalmSource licensees in the same manner.

Surur

You have GOT to be kidding me? PalmSource isn't in a position to pick up ANYTHING or anyone, except perhaps rubbish along the highway. As for Palm..why would they want this company? The Zodiac was unsuccessful. Buying them up and slapping a new brand name on the device won't make it anymore popular.

Second, Tapwave is going out of business. Ueker and Associates handles bankruptcy cleanup. They're finished.

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Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

Well it all depends on how much the Tapwave folks want for their IP, but PalmSource could be interested in whatever progress they made on getting Linux running on Palm-compatible hardware. And as for them being unsuccessful, we all can only speculate as to what the reasons for that were. I personally believe it had more to do with poor brick & mortar distribution and insufficient marketing. You're certainly welcome to have your own opinion and to believe that the Zodiac platform itself was unappealing, but I definitely would disagree with that.

http://Tapland.com
- Tapwave Zodiac News, Reviews, & Discussion -

Even Microsoft has a problem with this on the X-box. I dont see how Tapwave ever stood a chance.

Surur

It's not as if the Zodiac was a big mover for Palm Source anyway. How exactly does this spell doom for Palm Source? For what it's worth, Palm (which of course exclusively uses Palm OS) just shipped more handhelds worldwide than HP. And this didn't even include the Treo.

Over time it doesn't matter as handhelds are going the way of the dinosour. If you ask me, Palm Source is in good position as the Treo is only going to continue gaining momentum. This phone wouldn't work the way it does with a WM or even Symbian OS. I'm anxious to see what the Linux flavor looks offers as well.

It isn't a matter of want, it's a matter of facing reality. PalmSource is dying, and the Palm platform is shrinking. Unlike other Palm enthusiasts (zealots might be a better description) I choose not to bury my head in the sand and pretend everything is coming up roses. Others are free to do so, but I don't generally don't believe in prayer chains.

I look at PalmSource, and the larger mobile device space, with a high degree of detachment. You have to, otherwise you always apply your own emotional desires where they do not apply. View PalmSource or mobile devices through the eyes a fan boy and you'll misinterpret reality every time. You WANT PalmSource to succeed, therefore you think they ARE succeeding.

I don't have a vested interest in all this, other than hoping PalmOS will weather the storm. I view the mobile space from a business perspective, not as a fanboy end user..even though I kind of still am. The business reality is that they aren't going to survive. They are cash starved, and burning through money faster than they earn it. The stock is trading at the bottom of the barrel, Cobalt was collasal failure that robbed PalmSource of valuable resources (not to mention the most critical factor: TIME). The entire survival of PalmOS now depends on an OS that is two years out, an eternity in tech terms.

Add to this the fact that Windows Mobile is now ahead of PalmOS, and you have a recipe for failure. None of this would be a problem if PalmOS were still sitting on 80-90% market share. But those days are long gone. And PalmOS are already losing against larger players. Truthfully the only thing holding PalmOS upright at this point is Treo. It's highly popular, and highly successful product. Peel back that layer of the onion and you see that everything below that is tanking. And I'm betting LifeDrive is failing as well. Largely because the market is shifting away from PDAs to Smartphones, at nearly breakneck speed. I predicted this was going to happen, but never THIS FAST. At the rate of PDA decline it's doubtful any vendor (including Palm) will still be making traditional PDAs after next year.

That's the long and short of it. So..am I supposed to sit back and whisper sweet nothings into everyone's ear? Perhaps I and others are sometimes TOO cynical, but when there is little to be positive about, cynicism is all that's left. Give me something positive and raise you. Otherwise you're just complaining that we have the audacity to discuss PalmSource's misfortunes.

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Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

The consumers weren't disinterested - you have to know something exists before you can have a lack of interest in it!

What the heck do I do with my Z2 now? If I ebay it I'll get very little for it. Can you install Linux on a Zodiac? ;-)

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Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

Funny to see him repeatedly change his position again. In the space of two weeks he's gone from saying that PalmOS multitasks to saying PalmOS sorta multitasks to saying who cares if PalmOS doesn't multitask since it works adequately for many people to saying there's no need for PDAs that offer anything more than the bare bones that Palm's PDAs offer. His rationalizing has an eerily child-like quality about it. I suppose ignorance/denial is bliss and he must be quite blissful.

Kirvin seems determined to ignore the facts that people prefer value and features for their money and Palm's crappy hardware and reliance on Primitive PalmOS cripples Palm's ability to compete with Windows Mobile. It seems obvious that even more users will migrate from PalmOS if this situation stays the same. If Palm wants to survive, they must become OS agnostic + offer products running Windows Mobile that will give customers access to advanced functionality. (Imagine a Treo 700 or [FIXED] LifeDrive running some of these apps: Opera or NetFront, Pocket Informant, Wisbar, TextMaker, The Core Pocket Media Player, ListPro, Pocket Artist, Skype, CalliGrapher or PenReader, CoPilot Live, Pocket Quicken, RepliGo, Resco Explorer 2003, Nyditot Virtual Display, etc.) With native multitasking and finally some apps worth using, Windows Mobile becomes a platform that even Palm Fanboys will take a serious look at.

TVoR


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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
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The Palm Economy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

I can imagine it, then I imagine the new Axim X60v with a 20 gig hard disk that is more compact and sells for $100 less. Palms whole life had depended upon huge margins. They could never compete with Dell on that. I have no idea what they do with the money, but imagine how little it cost them to have a TE2 made? Or worse yet, a T5. They won't compete in WM arena.

As noted elsewhere, I could definitely go for Microsoft releasing a version of Windows Mobile for a gaming device like the Zodiac. In fact, just fix a couple hardware flaws and flash WM 2005 onto a VGA screened Zodiac right now, and you would have a better game system (IMHO) than the PSP.

The sudden attempts to spin their product as an iPod killer, or a multimedia jukebox. The almost delusional PR statements, trying to turn perception into reality. It'll go down as a textbook example of a company's slow implosion.

Does this remind anyone of a certain product called the LifeDrive?

Surur

No wonder zodiac have no future with Sony PSP out in the market. As others say, if they can design one of the following, I think that many companies will be considering branding it:
1. Lifedrive like design, slimmer, no HD, 512MB flash, WIFI + BT and sliding keyboard.
2. Mio 168 like device (integrated GPS) with 3.8" or even 4" device - strong speaker and a none propietery GPS receiver (unlike the aging Garmin iQue 3600)

Moshe