Palm: No Plans to Join Google's Open Handset Alliance

Palm Inc. has no plans to join Google's newly announced Open Handset Alliance at this time according to statements from Palm representatives when reached for comment today.

Google's new Linux based mobile operating system announced earlier today is backed by a new consortium of companies called the Open Handset Alliance and notably includes many of Palm's current partners and competitors. Google's efforts with Android will directly compete with Palm's own mobile linux project as well as its Windows Mobile business. Read on for a official statement from Palm.

Palm's official statement on today's Google & Open Handset Alliance news is:

Palm has always been committed to open platforms for developers. And Palm has the added differentiation of being able to tightly integrate the software platform with our hardware design, which we believe gives us an advantage in delivering a great user experience.

Palm customers have benefited from the availability of Google services on Palm’s platform, such as Google Maps for mobile on Palm OS. And we look forward to further collaboration with Google to offer great user experiences on Palm products.

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What Palm means is:

Gazpacho @ 11/5/2007 3:57:54 PM # Q
"Oh, those search engine guys won't figure it out all at once. I mean, it took us 3 models before we had a decent smartphone. So, well, no panic. It won't affect us or our sales."

http://foleocentral.blogspot.com

FoleoCentral is the news, opinions & review blog about the Palm Foleo Mobile Companion
RE: What Palm means is:
LiveFaith @ 11/5/2007 11:05:18 PM # Q
"I mean, Google's not just going to walk into the smartfone OS business".

:-D

Pat Horne

RE: What Palm means is:
DrewT3 @ 11/6/2007 12:20:21 AM # Q
Yes, how could Google stand a chance? They didn't even exist in the late '90s when the technology gods handed out all the mobile device ideas.

Reply to this comment

Palm is right to shun it

mikecane @ 11/5/2007 4:25:06 PM # Q
Why should they join? It's going to be a Tower of Babel disaster. Every damned manufacturer will have *multiple* UIs -- each one fine-tuned for various price points and/or hardware features.

Code to take advantage of all that is going to be a hell of a lot fatter than it needs to be (think Vista x 4!).

Users aren't going to be able to buy software with the assurance it will run on *their* handset (hey, have fun researching software for your *Symbian* phone -- you have to know *which fekkin UI* it has!).

This has all the hallmarks of success the old USSR had.

Fail, fail, fail.

Apple must be very happy today.

And Colligan must be breathing a big sigh of relief (though he should still resign, dammit!).

RE: Palm is right to shun it
mikecane @ 11/5/2007 4:28:18 PM # Q
And, oh yeah, the Finns must be having a huge party over in Nokia HQ. (Given their failure with their Anti-Net Tabs, they have nothing to celebrate. Especially not with Apple stabbing their soft underbelly!)

RE: Palm is right to shun it
retrospooty @ 11/5/2007 4:51:00 PM # Q
Not sure what makes you think Colligan would breath a sigh of releif. At its worst its yet another competitor with deep pockets and the ability to adapt and move much faster than Palm. It will also show yet again how ineptly slow Palm is, for the few left that still cant tell. Palm needed a complete engineering overhaul 5 years ago (could have used it 4,3,2 years ago as well) but now they are just hoplessly pathetic... and I am a long time Palm fan, many have called me "apologist" on this site. Even I cant defend them anymore. Wait another 18 months until Palm OS2 or whatever they call it is out and doent measure up. what then?

RE: Palm is right to shun it
freakout @ 11/5/2007 5:37:04 PM # Q
For once, I agree with Cane. Too many cooks yada yada.

Palm have no more reason to join the Alliance than they do the Empire: controlling their own OS is their major point of difference and biggest attraction. And after all the pain they've gone through in spinning it off, losing control and buying it back, they're hardly likely to want to just throw it all away again...

RE: Palm is right to shun it
Magrell @ 11/5/2007 6:22:40 PM # Q
18 months is nearly throwing it away already. Why not join and hedge their OS bets.

RE: Palm is right to shun it
mikecane @ 11/5/2007 6:47:16 PM # Q
Show me the frikkin phone TODAY that will be running this OS. Ain't any.

Nor do I think any of you will be impressed when such phones start d...r...i...b...b...l...i...n...g out.

This is absolutely nothing to get excited over.

Next!

RE: Palm is right to shun it
SeldomVisitor @ 11/5/2007 8:25:57 PM # Q
Palm is screwed; they know it, too; they're still trying to come up with SOMETHING to say about this and gave a laughable nonresponse to the whole shebang that was so wide open a truck full of returned Treos could drive through it.

That comment on TreoCentral said it best:

-- http://discussion.treocentral.com/showpost.php?p=1371276&postcount=18

One week til that Handset Alliance SDK gets released - an SDK that includes:

== "...Rubin: "It's an amazing UI -- it's interface is top-notch..."

So much for Palm's "special sauce"...

RE: Palm is right to shun it
Gekko @ 11/5/2007 8:57:59 PM # Q

google has been a one-trick pony. search.



RE: Palm is right to shun it
TooMuch @ 11/5/2007 9:02:47 PM # Q
Cane, I agree with you on this one! ;)

RE: Palm is right to shun it Let's take silly speculation...
SeldomVisitor @ 11/6/2007 6:32:21 AM # Q
...a bit further!

=========

When PALM threw away the Fooleo's Linux and opted to go with a co-developed Linux with Windriver, they did so because Google had just approached them and said "This is coming". Then they threw away the Fooleo entirely and announced they needed to concentrate on a SINGLE OS for all their devices.

Someone REALLY needs to ask Andy Brown today if Windriver is still on-board in a major way.

RE: Palm is right to shun it
nybble @ 11/6/2007 10:39:32 AM # Q
Mike's right about this! It is telling that Google would announce this without releasing the SDK at the same time. They aren't pre-announcing it - the SDK is only a week away - what reason could they have for this?

Who knows what this is, in my book though, there's just not a lot of promise in this mealy mouthed move into the mobile space by google. Blogged a li'l bit more about it. http://tinyurl.com/2xoxc3

<http://comments.deasil.com/> that is my tech blog. There are many like it, but that one is mine.

RE: Palm is right to shun it
joad @ 11/7/2007 2:22:55 PM # Q
Yeah, those Google clowns couldn't code their way out of a five-hundred-dollar stock option. Thank g*d they haven't attempted to try designing anything that works on the Treo, since "google has been a one-trick pony. search." I certainly wouldn't want ANYTHING by Google messing up the zen that my Treo is.

Oh yeah, there IS that terrible "google maps" application. But it's so unreliable and has an awful GUI, they should stick to just "search," eh? Thankfully we have Mapopolis still available for purchase.

|
**Another vote for a >100MB RAM Treo**

RE: Palm is right to shun it
hkklife @ 11/7/2007 2:46:13 PM # Q
And let's not forget TomTom's STRONG support policies and continued support of the Palm OS platform though constant updates to their Navigator software!

Right now about the only knock I can come up with against Google Maps is that it's not 320x480 compatible and they don't post a change log on their site when they release a new version of the app.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Palm is right to shun it
SeldomVisitor @ 11/7/2007 3:02:18 PM # Q
> ...Right now about the only knock I can come up with against Google
> Maps is that it's not 320x480 compatible...

!!!

Is that right?

I have Google Maps for Mobile on my SE520A. If it's compatible with THAT screen, I'd think it was compatible with 320x480, too (or just about anything else).

-- http://www.google.com/gmm


RE: Palm is right to shun it
mikecane @ 11/7/2007 3:10:39 PM # Q
Wait a minute. Google Maps in on the iPhone. iPhone is 320x480!

(I've not been denigrating Google here, if that's the impression some have got. I've been spitting on this motley crew of corporations that would screw up the best of plans. Symbian redux...)

RE: Palm is right to shun it
hkklife @ 11/7/2007 3:51:08 PM # Q
Oh dear, let me reiterate my comment...

Google Mobile Maps under PALM OS (Garnet/OS 5 etc) is limited to 320x320. Google supports 320x480 etc. on OTHER platforms but they've decided to limit their POS support to 320x320. This is probably due to the fact that Palm will never again produce a non square-screened device after the TX is EOL.

P.S. I was chiming in with Joad on my TT comments and it was all tongue in cheek. TT's abandoned WM and soon, POS, in favor of their own standalone GPS units.
So right now Garmin is the last man standing for POS GPS software solutions, pretty much.



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

Reply to this comment

Google Services and Palm

Magrell @ 11/5/2007 5:29:11 PM # Q
Now that Google has their "Android" all announced and whatnot, what makes Palm think that Google will still want to collaborate with Palm? Sure, APIs are available that will allow Palm to hook into some of Google's services, but it will be fairly limited as compared to what the Android devs are doing.

In 18 months (!!) Google's Android will be a recognized and possible well-supported phone OS. After 18 months of no innovation, Palm won't even have shelf-space.

Palm should at least join the consortium just to hedge their bets. Get a clue, guys!

RE: Google Services and Palm
theseus @ 11/5/2007 5:38:19 PM # Q
What, and admit that their in-house development of a proprietary Linux variant was a bad move? Especially in the face of the Foleo cancellation (due to the supposed resource needs of the OS development)?

It's already easy to see they're lumbering dinosaurs; have them admit that they're WRONG on top of it would only hammer the last few nails in their coffin.

The best solution for Palm is to finish their Palm OS II and make sure it's available on some cutting edge hardware. Granted, past history being an indicator, it's not looking too good for them, but that would be their best shot.

-e

RE: Google Services and Palm
freakout @ 11/5/2007 5:45:38 PM # Q
Google are an advertising company. Their goal is to get as many people addicted to their services as they can. Whether they're doing it via Android or another competing OS matters little to Google; more eyeballs, more advertisers.

This is really more about making sure they have a foothold in the mobile space so competitors like Microsoft can't ever shut them out.

RE: Google Services and Palm
Magrell @ 11/5/2007 6:21:04 PM # Q
I'm not saying Palm should quit OS2, or admit anything, but to be involved in Android.

Hey, who knows, Palm might even be able to contribute something...

Plus, when it does become apparent that OS2 won't see the light of day ala Cobalt, they can gracefully say that "due to parallel development, we have decided to concentrate on Android as our primary OS kernel, of course with own zen-like UI on top of it.

RE: Google Services and Palm
mikecane @ 11/5/2007 6:48:10 PM # Q
>>>what makes Palm think that Google will still want to collaborate with Palm?

Power and money.

Welcome to planet earth.

RE: Google Services and Palm
mikecane @ 11/5/2007 6:48:36 PM # Q
Oh, did you ask the same thing about WinMob on Treos?

Reply to this comment

Palm will bury Google

Gekko @ 11/5/2007 6:09:53 PM # Q

Ballmer's threat last November was recounted in a sworn declaration by a former Microsoft engineer, Mark Lucovsky, who said he met with Microsoft's chief executive 10 months ago to discuss his decision to leave the company after six years.

After learning Lucovsky was leaving to take a job at Google, Ballmer picked up his chair and hurled it across his office, according to the declaration.

Ballmer then pejoratively berated Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Lucovsky recalled.

"I'm going to f---ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again," the declaration quotes Ballmer. "I'm going to f---ing kill Google."

Before joining Google, Schmidt was a top executive at Sun Microsystems Inc. and Novell Inc., a pair of tech companies that Microsoft has previously battled.



RE: Palm will bury Google
mikecane @ 11/5/2007 6:50:47 PM # Q
Yeah, yeah, Ballmer. Fix Vista first. You have more headaches that you can imagine, pal.

RE: Palm will bury Google
twrock @ 11/5/2007 7:38:40 PM # Q
Ballmer seriously sounds a bit psychopathic. Hopefully they get him some meds before it's too late.

I don't want Google to be the next Microsoft, but I do want MS to get brought down to at least a level playing field. I've grown tired of the "fallout" from their OS/Office monopoly. That is of course a huge reason for my move to opensource. I don't think MS (or anyone else) can kill OSS.


Thinking about Vista? Think again: http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt
Want an alternative? Try this: http://www.ubuntu.com/ or http://www.mepis.org/

RE: Palm will bury Google
vorlon @ 11/5/2007 7:54:23 PM # Q
>Ballmer seriously sounds a bit psychopathic. Hopefully they get him some meds before it's too late.

It's too late.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc4MzqBFxZE


RE: Palm will bury Google
twrock @ 11/6/2007 12:08:06 AM # Q
^^^ Now that was very scary! The guy obviously has issues.
The "Developers" remix is quite "interesting" as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMU0tzLwhbE


Thinking about Vista? Think again: http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt
Want an alternative? Try this: http://www.ubuntu.com/ or http://www.mepis.org/
Reply to this comment

We won't or we can't?

ggeoffre @ 11/5/2007 11:07:15 PM # Q
Internal restructuring, extended os delays, rehashing outdated platforms in smaller plastic shells, keeping third party developers happy after canceling products that customers don't want, devising another brilliant plan on how to allow yet another external company buy off what ever is left of the original company, who has time to participate in anything new in personal computing? Palm could have at least participated to some degree and take a wait and see attitude, but to come out this early this strongly against this does not seem like something that Palm has any time to deal with. Since they cannot talk about what they are doing, or can do, might as well get some press on what they will not or possibly can not do. No such thing as bad press.

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Real loser is Access and ALP

TreoAnon @ 11/6/2007 1:11:54 AM # Q
The real loser here is Access since the handset manufacturers interested in the Google software were probably the same ones being targetted by Access for ALP.
RE: Real loser is Access and ALP
mikecane @ 11/6/2007 1:36:39 PM # Q
Access has to have shown that pony around a lot. Why doesn't anyone want to ride it?

RE: Real loser is Access and ALP
DarthRepublican @ 11/7/2007 6:02:37 AM # Q
Why didn't anyone want to "ride" the Cobalt pony?

RE: Real loser is Access and ALP
SeldomVisitor @ 11/7/2007 8:13:02 AM # Q
Because PalmSource has never been the monster-company-du-jour?

Reply to this comment

The statement from PALM says no such thing

SeldomVisitor @ 11/6/2007 6:35:29 AM # Q
The headline and, indeed, the whole article is incorrect. That statement from PALM says no such thing no matter how many aptly-named Me-Too Media articles repeat the same incorrect "message".

Unless PIC has private undisclosed information directly from PALM insiders over and above that statement this article should be r-Titled and radically changed to reflect the reality of PALM's actual words and what they do and do NOT say.


RE: The statement from PALM says no such thing
Ryan @ 11/6/2007 12:12:54 PM # Q
I asked a Palm PR rep directly if they had plans at this time to join the OHA alliance, the answer was confirmed no. This was separate from the direct statement above.

RE: The statement from PALM says no such thing
SeldomVisitor @ 11/6/2007 12:41:38 PM # Q
Tenkuveddymuch.

Reply to this comment

Why not wait and see?

JonAcheson @ 11/6/2007 12:55:12 PM # Q
Right now, the Googlephone OS is vaporware. It might turn into something good, but it might not, and in any case, it will be another year before we find out.

And if it doesn't pan out, Palm would have added yet another year to the wait for a new Palm OS.

The last thing Palm needs to do now is get distracted and delay their new OS yet again. They're already years overdue.

If the Google stuff turns into something great in a year, Palm can always port to it later.

"All opinions posted are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled."

RE: Why not wait and see?
SeldomVisitor @ 11/6/2007 1:51:14 PM # Q
> Right now, the Googlephone OS is vaporware...

Only publicly - reports say they have shown it to potential partners and it has been under development for three years.

> ...It might turn into something good, but it might not...

True.

> ...and in any case, it will be another year before we find out.

Well...no.

They're releasing an SDK next week; we should know then.

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