Comments on: No Palm i705 for Christmas

During a conference call earlier today, Palm's CEO Carl Yankowski said that his company's new wireless handheld would not be announced this year after all. For months, Palm has been promising that a successor to the aging VIIx would be on the market before the end of 2001 and it even briefly received permission from the FCC to sell one, the Palm i705. That permission was later withdrawn at Palm's request.

But those plans have now changed. "We will not release this product during this holiday season," Mr. Yankowski said, noting that that the company believes that economic conditions aren't right for it to be a success.

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I'm shocked!!!

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2001 9:29:08 PM #
What a surprise that Palm is again not producing. No replacement for the m700 or i700 (whatever) and the IIIc also. No wonder palm consumers are looking elsewhere. Looks like another year gone by with nothing to show. Those m5xx series is no big deal either. m500 not selling well and that m505 color screen was a big disappointment to all. Oh well maybe next year! =)

RE: I'm shocked!!!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:48:38 AM #
Yankowskis decision is right. If you do not have anything to show, stay off.
The whole history of mobile computing is a daunting and depressing one.
The even today unsurpassed Newton had not problem reading his own cards and automatic backup at start-up, email and web (at a time when most of us thought Internet is a Caribbean cocktail) and a lot of stunning features where a breeze. Even for a total novice. Movie and sound, tons of shareware supplied by money making and innovative programmers, everything was here. Same for the quite nice but also dead Psion platform – mail with attachments, full unobtrusive card support you name it, was a click away. What we see in Palm is a comic of Newton & Psion. The have the guts to sell a machine which cannot even read his own card out of the box – only the freaks here dig into something as ugly as PowerRun to make the thins moving. Think of buying a car and you have to buy and fit the gearbox yourself to drive of. If you have a meeting surpassing 00:00 hours you cannot set the agenda without funny tricks. Besides a long, long list of bugs or missing features unadressed since years. Fact is – Palm seems to have lost the innovating power they in fact never had. They are in fact not more then a leftover of the founder Hawkins which bound himself firmly with his Handspring toys for years to supports a nowadays totally outdated industry slot standard. The whole Palm environment is today a tragic comic of the gone Newton and Psion. Both platforms are not dead because they where technically not first class – but for grotesque management failures.
The "new” Palm 125, low end high price, is the last in a line of continuous downgrading – if you step back and see the mobile computing general picture. It seems like a joke. MS seems funnily the only innovative force listening to the customers, they may be ugly but there improving slowly and continuous nipping at Palms underwear– beat me, flame me, but this wont change the facts we see.
I am still a devoted Palm user but I fear I will finally have to change horses again.


Long past tired of Newton Worship.
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 9:45:35 PM #
The things that nobody seems to remember about the newton:
-Slow as HELL. When Apple made ones with faster processors, it seemed to be an excuse to just pile more crap on.
-HUGE. (Makes most of the PocketPC's look svelte)
-Ate batteries (4 AA's at a time, at that.)
-WAY past expensive.
-Sad input method. (Graffiti was /invented/ as a replacement input method for Newtons, remember?)

Yes, if you make size and battery life no object, you can easily surpass a Newton - It's called a Slate, or a Webpad. Heck, some of the are even cheaper than the 2100 was when it was released.

The problem is, of course, that Size and Battery life DO matter. That's why PalmOS is currently beating WinCE v.X stupid in the marketplace, and why the Newton was canned in the first place.

Unless you really, really want to carry a PDA that requires you have a HOLSTER for it.

And if Apple resurrected the thing, it'd /still/ be too big, it's still be too slow. Look at OS-X for proof.

Newton: I'm shocked!!!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/23/2001 3:56:05 PM #
You have never used a Newton Message Pad 2100 - otherwise you could not write such a pile of dung. The high polished ultra hardened optical screen costed more than a whole palm today. Internal the Newon worked on 256 colours. and the battery lastet longer then in any Palm today - with a screen you could light a garage. Anyhow - we get, if were lucky an Palm survives so long, neyt year exactly the lightning fast ARMprocessor the Newton had in our Palms.
Sorry not the refined and util today not reached Newton intelligence - but this time has gone - we live in the age ruled by the simple & stupid - as seen on TV every day...

RE: I'm shocked!!!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/23/2001 6:55:08 PM #
The Newton was the best mobile companion the world ever has seen.
No other similar mobile product produced today has a friction its charm, functionality, quality, intelligence and stand-alone qualities.
To compare the Palm with a Newton is honestly comparing the genius of a not to talented hobby painter with that of Michelangelo. I wonder where the many top notch Newton programmers, which made it after Newton’s popover to the Palm developer team, hidet it the last year so successfully.
If the Newton would not have been killed and constantly further developed, he would most probably rule the market today by far. My guess would be, that names like Palm, Handspring, Handera, Sony (the original maker of the Newton), PPC e.g. would combined have at best a 40 % share of the market today. If the Newton would be still alive most of the above mentioned names would surely not be around.
I still use my MP 2100 side by side with my Palm 505 everyday.

Boris Michael v. Luhovoy
Publishing Editor
Palmtop-Pro Magazine
www.palmtop.at


My .02 worth...

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2001 9:47:18 PM #
I would bet that the reason that Palm doesn't want to release the m705 at this time is partially due to recent events and that consumers who spend that much for wireless will expect color. I've used the PalmOS since PalmOS 3.2 (Palm III, Now use a Prism/VisorPhone). I've tried browsing the net on a Monochrome screen. You have to really want that data to use it for more than a few min at a time. It's a really dark experience.

Once you go to color, there is no turning back. In the same light, once you go Wireless, there is no going back either. The next wireless device from Palm will need to be color and wireless (& possibly voice) to be successful.

Although, I'm a bit disappointed in Handspring's recent product releases to (and the yet to be released Trio line). I surely thought the VisorPro rumor would reveal a 16MB color device. No go there. Instead, they release an underwhelming addition to the Visor line. Not to mention the Neo which was even more disappointing.

I find my VisorPrism and VisorPhone a "Good" fit but it's still too big and you can't see the screen in direct sunlight.

Now if Sony integrates a Phone/Wireless Internet (Always On) into their PalmOS product line, they will have a winner. It would most likely take Palm and Handspring off-guard. I drool on the one in Best Buy during every visit.

All in all, Palm probably feels that a "Great" color screen is becoming a necessity. Regardless of what other features (Bluetooth or Wireless Internet) they attempt to add.

Just my .02 worth...


RE: My .02 worth...
Davy @ 9/20/2001 10:12:26 PM #
You know, the m505, even with all of it's complaints, is perfectly viewable in all lighting conditions, with 16-bit color internet. The novatel m50x series modem adds only .4 inches to the back, has a much longer battery life than previous models, and is very cool. I consider it to be the best way to go on the internet in color. [And you know me, no personal biases :o)] That's my 2 cents.

Hmmm

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2001 10:19:01 PM #
Perhaps the darn thing did not perform up to expectations.

From the manual, it basically looked like a Palm VII with always on e-mail. Not much added innovation.

Warning this is a rant

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2001 10:25:51 PM #
Ok, well right now I am the owner of a Palm VIIx, the service sucks. The only reason I still have it is because it is free (TIP: Palm.net will give you free service so you don’t cancel). Palm is ageing, the OS has not changed. Their are so many improvements that can be made to it but 2.0 looks almost the same as 4.0

I must use my VIIx about 4hrs as day and the screen shows it. I took out my Palm Pro that I had used for two years, it looks new. The VIIx looks like it has been through a war.

If Palm is not able to give me a device that can hold a candle to PPC2002, we all should jump ship. I don’t love M$ but I am not going to stay with a company that does not change, if Palm's 5.0 OS is not a huge jump, then why support a product that is subpar when compared to others.

Palm is playing games with their costumers the M125 the M525. It is all away to cheat us out of cash. I loved Palm 2 years ago they had a great product and they came out with new features, IR is a good example. What is different about it now, some now features MMC, oh boy that is a reason to spend 500 dollars on it how about they put 32mb in the 505. It looks Sony is the only Palm PDA that has a lot going for it. MP3's, great color screen, and nice looking and is improving and expanding the way the device is used.

I am going to ask you what you think, I say that if 5.0 release does not have a virtual graffiti area, great color screen, "real" audio playback, and an improved basic features (date book, memopad) palm will go the way of OS/2, NOS, and Netscape.

I think so.

Plamariana@palm.net

RE: Warning this is a rant
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2001 11:49:58 PM #
All the new features in palmos 4 like 16 bit color and usb support came from handspring.

RE: Warning this is a rant
drw @ 9/21/2001 12:12:43 AM #
I'm sure you and your iPAQ will be happy. Don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on your way out to the other side.

David in Pflugerville, TX
Good luck with your new Ipaq
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:24:58 AM #
Well, here is my one experience with an Ipaq. My boss was showing his new ipaq to me after only having it for a week. It locked up. He asked me if I knew where the reset button is, I told him that I knew where the reset was on my three year old Palm Pilot, but I've never needed to use it.

RE: Warning this is a rant
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/24/2001 10:06:21 AM #
I think you need to check out Handera, particularly their next one.

Basically, they looked at every problem with the other palm platforms, and ... changed it. I won't say that all their changes were improvements, and they still aren't usually perfect, but most were improvements.

To answer your specific requests, they have a Virtual silkscreen, a better screen, and a real audio playback with a fairly convenent recording. (By default, the select key for the jog-dial.)

The expansion ports support far more memory (for $10, you can have 24 Meg to start with, and it goes way up if you have the $$$), so you can use third-party memopad and datebooks that do what you want. (And if what you want is a word-processor, they include a QuickWord.)

You will have problems with a few programs that draw to the screen in unsupported ways, but I assume they'll improve on this with the next one, which you have already said you are willing to wait for. Most programs work, but don't take full advantage of anything except the sharper screen. (=better font)


Carl, have a little respect!!

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:14:57 AM #
"With an uncertainty [about] Christmas and consumers and after the terrorist attacks, we simply thought this wasn't the optimal time launch the product,'' Mr. Yankowski said. "So we are focusing our marketing dollars [on current handhelds] as opposed to deluding ourselves with the launch of another product. It's really not more complicated than that."

Is it me or do other people find that quote disrespectful and in poor taste to the__as of tonight__ 6,333 people that are "missing" or have died in the terrorist attacks.

Gee Carl, I'm sorry that all that dying and destruction and stuff cause the release of your little gadget to be less than "optimal".

Is the economy in bad shape? Yes.... but gosh there are more tasteful ways to say it.

my 0.02

RE: Carl, have a little respect!!
kevdo @ 9/21/2001 12:51:06 AM #
I don't find his comments any more disrespectful than yours. It is extremely sad that all those folks are dead but for God's sake can't you realize business does move on?

If he had said "we lost 6000 of our target customers" then you would have a point. But what he said (and what lots and lots of companies are saying) is that consumer confidence is looking like it will be low since the attacks. That's all. This may be masking the truth (like, maybe it doesn't work very well yet) -- but it certainly isn't disrespectful to the dead!

Besides, it isn't like Palm has any choice to have this discussion now. They, and all public companies, are REQUIRED BY LAW to have shareholder meetings and so forth where they discuss upcoming products.

-Kevin Crossman

RE: Carl, have a little respect!!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 1:59:29 PM #
This is a really disgusting statment by Yankowski. Par for the course though...he is clearly a loser. They should have fired him long ago.

I don't think this is a disrespectful statement by Carl.
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 2:11:11 PM #
Not for the WTC victims anyway. The people it is disgusting for is the PALM shareholders and community who have to listen to this guy BLAME EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING for the failures of this company to execute. No new products? Uh - let's blame the economy. Now they are blaming the WTC tragedy. Please I hope you Palm die-hards can appreciate MSFT and why they get to be #1 in most things they do. They DON'T BLAME ANYBODY. They don't pass the buck. THEY JUST GET THE JOB DONE.

RE: Carl, have a little respect!!
kevdo @ 9/21/2001 3:29:35 PM #
Let me get this straight:

Microsoft announces PocketPC 2002 before the terrorist attack -- because Microsoft can "deliver" on products.

Palm delays i705 after the terrorist attack -- because Palm can't "deliver" on products

How, then, do you explain Microsofts DELAY of the next version of the Flight Simulator? I thought Microsoft could DELIVER on products?

Clearly, if you have any sense, you would be able to realize that the terrorist attack indeed is a factor in the delay of MANY products, not just Palm's!

Don't confuse a small delay with total lack of new products.
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 7:15:19 PM #
You Nimrod. Compare the balance sheets imbecile.

If MSFT delayed FS2002 it's because they had to remove
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 7:24:38 PM #
the WTC towers from the NYC scenery. Idiot.

Microsoft CAN'T deliver
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 12:30:43 PM #
> Microsoft can "deliver" on products.

Microsoft has the worst reputation in the industry for missing its deadlines. They just admitted they have to delay the release of their most important new product for years, the Xbox. Windows 2000 was orginally planned for 1998. I could go on...

To even compare MSFTs delivery and execution of new products
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 2:23:28 PM #
with the knuckleheads at Palm is utterly ridiculous. Stop kidding yourself. Palm is on the defensive and MSFT is on the offensive. MSFT continually re-invents and diversifies itself whereas Palm simply stagnates. You have a bunch of ex-Apple rejects at Palm who I'm sure are "nice guys" but they probably should be teaching high school math somewhere rather than trying to run a company. DO NOT CONFUSE A SHORT PRODUCT DELAY WITH A TOTAL LACK OF NEW PRODUCTS. PALM'S NEW REAL PRODUCT PIPELINE IS EMPTY AND THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF CASH! I love my m505 but I will probably be forced to jump ship next purchase because I don't want to be investing any more money (software, peripherals, etc.) in a dying platform.

Xbox will be 1 week late. BIG DEAL!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 2:36:37 PM #
.

MicroTroll Goes to M$'s Defence
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 3:13:59 PM #
You seem to hit a nerve with the MicroTroll. It went so ballistic when you said MicroSoft is less than perfect. I do not believe that it has a m505. He has iPaq and only comes here to troll.

Put the time to good use...

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:55:21 AM #
Maybe Palm will come out with an upgrade to the M505 instead:

Decent color
Better resolution

Now THAT would sell!

RE: Put the time to good use...
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 7:18:33 PM #
and then, the sony people come out saying how palm can't innovate and they're doomed - its a lose lose situation in the eyes of sony users

Reason for No Palm i705 for Christmas

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:45:39 AM #
Ok. If you are going to roll out the top-of-the-line model, it have to be huge success, especially when the consumer and business confidence is low. Of course, enthusiasts will always buy any good PDAs, but the general and IT-managers (actually it is their CEOs) are unlikely to do some expensive buying.

If so, why not roll the new i705 with the new OS next year, if consumer and business confidence rebound?

My ideal i-705 model will be like this:

New Palm OS with new basic features.
More ROM for OS and future upgrades. (16MB+)
More RAM for programs and storage(32MB+)
Bundled all types of software from third parties, such as AOL.
Broadband wireless internet access.(which type of access depends on the market)
Good color display
Good battery life
Microphone and speaker

The standard, yet optional feactures (built on SD):
RAM
MP3 player
a multi-SD expansion slot (so that you can connect more than one SD card at a time.)
Camera
GPS
and more if you can think of one.

Also, these type of optional SD-card features should have their battery(AAA or rechargeable) so that it will not drain the battery of the handheld itself.

RE: Reason for No Palm i705 for Christmas
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 7:01:47 AM #
happy waiting......

Yes, market the existing product line!

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 1:24:02 AM #
Perhaps Carl should his few precious dollars on marketing geniuses who will create a Britney Spears m125. Or maybe they will come up with fantastic new furry leopard skin face plate.


Just what are all those Palm employees doing? In 2001, all they came out with a Palm V with a bad color screen and the "new" m125. (The Palm Vx now has SD and Universal cradle, ooh ah. It should have been named the Palm V sux)

Palm needs to spend more on engineering and less on marketing and PR. Spin doctoring is sort of like drugs-- The more you rely on it, the more you'll need, and the less viable you'll actually be in the long run.

RE: Yes, market the existing product line!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 1:03:00 PM #
>>
Just what are all those Palm employees doing?
<<

I continue to *hope* they're working on making ARM-based Palm OS a good OS. I hope I'm not wrong...

RE: Yes, market the existing product line!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 6:49:29 PM #
What Palm employees...??

The company had about 1700 people last December and
and I heard they are below 1000 people now..
2 Full founds at about 20% of the people..
With another round of layoffs coming

If you lay off that many people, obviously you are not going to make your product ship dates..

And what do you think the morale is like, if you have had 3 rounds of layoffs but you execs just blew 13 million on buying a bankrupt company Be...

just a thought...


Where's my flashy Red ferrari-type Michael Jordan Palm?
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 12:28:59 PM #
Instead, all I got to see was this dull black M505 with "jordan" on it. They really should take some design lessons from Upperdeck or even Nike!

What's up with this fool?

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 2:54:52 AM #
Is Yankowski secretly working for Microsoft? He seems hell-bent on running Palm into the ground. This guy is to Palm what John Scully was to Apple. Who wants to bet what his next job will be after he gets canned? I say a product manager for Keebler.

RE: What's up with this fool?
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 4:21:56 AM #
probably he prepares for a takeover?

RE: What's up with this fool?
slot_machine @ 9/21/2001 7:13:08 AM #
>>Who wants to bet what his next job will be after he
>>gets canned? I say a product manager for Keebler.

ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



RE: What's up with this fool?
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 8:50:47 AM #
> Who wants to bet what his next job will be after he gets > canned? I say a product manager for Keebler.

No! Please! He'll ruin my E.L.Fudge cookies!


Get a life!

lorenzszabo @ 9/21/2001 3:36:26 AM #
Come on: You want color, 320x320 resolution, wireless and a price tag of US$ 199. Problem is: With such a cheap device everybody wants to have it, so you are not an adaptor anymore and you will have to look for the next cool device to the be first kid on the block. And so on. And, while you are looking for such a device you are all posting such comments ...

Yes, Newton and Psion were great machines -- but how many people bought them really? As a pupil, I couldn't afford a MP130 and settled with the MP120. As a student I never wanted to shell out that much for a MP2100. The Psion is (or was) a device for 90% geeks ("I need to develop Python apps in the train") and 10% business people ("I will never, ever learn Graffiti") ...

Guys, I'm one of the first GPRS users. It sucks: Service is unreliable, it's still too slow, there are no interesting WAP applications and I can't even access my normal POP over GPRS, because it is protected with a dedicated PPP log-in. The only reliable wireless service seems to be voice, and yet how many people are trying to re-dial so often or lose connections while speaking?

I know a lot of Palm users who are still happy with their 3.1 Visor or 3.3 IIIx -- they don't even install software and simply use the built-in apps. I'm still using a IIIc and don't see any reseason to trade it in to another device so soon. And by the way: I like the IIIc. Yes, I like the form factor and the black housing. Please excuse me, that I don't need more then 8 MB!!!

And hey, the m125 is definitely not for *YOU* out there posting "I want a m905" ...

Yes, the iPaq was a home run. But what about add-ons? Can you put an iPaq in your pocket like a m505 without looking like a geek?

What Mr. Yankowski said regarding the victims is *NOT* tasteless, it's simply corporate speak. Sometimes some of you posters at PalmInfoCenter remind me of Trekkies; Wil Wheaton writes about them:

It's nimrods like you, who sit behind your computers munching fritos and wrestling with the great dilemma: "Watch Xena, tape Farscape? Watch Farscape, tape Xena?! What to do?! Help me, Q! Someone! Help me!"


Get a life!

-Lorenz szabo@t-online.at>

RE: Get a life!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 4:03:14 AM #
Your basically right Lorenz - and thats the tragedy - Palm has not developed anything not even itself since then - following your line in a dedicated mood would then be: "Its good what we have today we still drive black FordT model and got a b/w TV set from grandpa and were all happy with it as we are with the oil lamp in the evening".
A good description of the pace the palm Zen develops...

RE: Get a life!
mikecane @ 9/21/2001 10:00:17 AM #
[. . .] Sometimes some of you posters at PalmInfoCenter remind me of Trekkies; Wil Wheaton writes about them:

It's nimrods like you, who sit behind your computers munching fritos and wrestling with the great dilemma: "Watch Xena, tape Farscape? Watch Farscape, tape Xena?! What to do?! Help me, Q! Someone! Help me!"

-- hahaha! That is so funny. Thanks for the rare laugh in these dim times.

RE: Get a life!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 10:21:37 AM #
Just a question, people might go out a buy a Palm and use it for a address book. Thoese people are going to die out in the future. So the Palm like it is is not going to be around for much longer. They need to get rid off this jerk and tell him to take his faceplates with him. Please find someone that knows how to run a company and plan a product line and revamp an dieing OS.

For you that dont think palm is dieing look at their stock price, look at how much cash they are bleading and then look at the crap that they are selling

RE: Get a life!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 10:43:54 AM #
Thank you. Being a female..I have been through several palms myself and I have used them for various reasons school, work, etc. I plan to upgrade to the m125 I enjoy staying informed on palm yes but when I see comments about the smallest little things is such a turnoff. Yes new things are being tried but give credit where credit is due. Something arent for everyone. Stop spewing the haterade...

What, No Palm i705 for Christmas?

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 3:53:57 AM #
Perhaps Santa's little helpers are too busy making Ipaqs to make new Palms?

"We give up. ..."

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 9:46:04 AM #
Why doesn't Palm just say,

"We give up. We can't do it anymore. We're tired. We want to go home early."

RE: Yes WE give up !!!!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 6:53:14 PM #
All of my contacts say....

After 2 rounds of layoffs, countless people leaving
and another round of layoffs

do you actually think people are doing any work at Palm...

I doubt it.. They are are looking for jobs at this point..

Good luck...



Coming in Early 2002

Ed @ 9/21/2001 9:48:58 AM #
I spoke to a contact of mine at Palm who said that the delay is only for a few weeks and the Palm VII replacement will be coming out in early 2002.

This person asked me to not reveal their identity but I can assure you they are in a position to know what they are talking about.

BTW, they would not confirm that they are talking about the i705, just calling it the Palm VII replacement, but that's normal for a company talking about an unannounced product.

---
News Editor

RE: Coming in Early 2002
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 11:23:42 AM #
"....coming out in early 2002...."

Huh ? It sounds like a joke ...

RE: Coming in Early 2002
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 2:02:22 PM #
Palm just never learn apparently. Never promised something like this, because market analyst will remember. Come 2002, market followed by landscape changed. Then what? Palm will need to use the spin machine again to explain why they need to delay the item again.

let's face it the shelf live of handheld is only about 6 months. Might as well be forth coming and say i700 is killed. (or better yet, just don't mentioned it all together)

there is always easy spin to explain why a product need to be delayed. But For palm analyst will deleniate their inability to compete instead of the spin machine explanation of "sub par economy"

RE: Coming in Early 2002
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 2:04:54 PM #
The point is there will be no new Palm this Christmas selling season. With new Pocket PCs being delivered left and right, Palm is slow to respond, and missing the Christmas selling season will be disastrous to their cash flow. The decision to stop development effort with Motorola and Nokia is also ill-timed, they should prepare for when the economy rebounds...

RE: Coming in Early 2002
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 8:41:18 PM #
Let's all remember that Palm OS and Palm hardware are different things. Palm hardware is never particularly innovative, because it prefers to let the other device makers take the risks. You can argue whether that's such a swell idea--it seems to me to be an equally if not greater risk to always be the follower--but whether or not Palm's hardware division fails, there are still several other Palm OS device makers, and the Sony line is widely recognized as one of the best set of handhelds out there. HandEra might release a color device before Christmas, and OS 5 (which, admittedly, won't be here until next year) could knock our socks off. Hey, I can dream.

I wouldn't close the coffin on Palm OS devices yet, but I think Palm-manufactured devices will soon disappear from the shelves completely. Sony, HandEra, maybe even Handspring will stay alive if the next OS gives them something to compete with.

HandEra to lay off 20% of company next month.
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 2:33:33 PM #
The 330 has been a massive disappointment and (for a variety of resons) HandEra is unable to compete with the offerings from Sony and Palm.

RE: Coming in Early 2002
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/23/2001 7:19:36 PM #
Ed.
If it is true what your contact at Palm is whispering, it is the end of Palm – after the bleeding on cash & on the stock exchange missing the 2001 Christmas season means a further blow Palm can most probably not withstand. Not when a continuous stream of people are leaving or are sacked. Seems they’re going the Psion way – off in oblivion. A way to keep the company afloat maybe, that the captain should leave the sinking ship.

If the investors let him stay he will probably license WinCe for Palm - who knows what idea this lunatic might have next?

PalmOS on EPOC DOA

mikecane @ 9/21/2001 10:01:19 AM #
With Nokia deciding not to do a PalmOS phone, does that mean the ballyhooed PalmOS-on-EPOC OS deal of a while back is dead? Then again, did anyone ever care?

RE: PalmOS on EPOC DOA
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:08:16 PM #
That was the original idea for PalmOS 5.0, however, it is no longer so. The future for Palm is grim.

RE: PalmOS on EPOC DOA
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:08:40 PM #

That was DOA almost from DAY 1. Nokia was going to release an SDK for the phone in 1999 and never did..it's been dying a slow death ever since. I say good riddance to Motorola and Nokia. Palm + Handspring + Sony are the best companies for producing the next generation pda's/cell phones that everone will want.

Nokia, Erickson, and Motorola are stuck with a JavaOS to run applications on top of their own OS. That gives them greater control of their product, but they still have to pay a licensing fee for JAVA--and JAVA is much less capable and speedy than native OS's on portable devices right now. Palm (and possibly MSFT) are years ahead of the cell-phone people in producing smart-phones that people really want and that have a mature development community. And MSFT is partially crippled in this market because PPC is such a power-hog---MSFT has come out with a special version of PPC for phones(stinger) but can you say application compatibility problems?

I say Palm should just just 86 the 705. Anyone who wants one really wants an integrated cell phone too.

Ed: if you didn't hear the call, say so

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:26:13 PM #
Ed,

You note in another thread (see link below) that you didn't actually hear the conference call due to technical difficluties. If you wish to be taken seriously as a journalist, you should note this fact in your article.


http://palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=2353&MODE=FLAT#22227


RE: I found it
Ed @ 9/21/2001 12:34:26 PM #
That was true when I said it but I found it archived here:
http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=palm&script=2400
which is how I was able to write this article. Let's hear it for the power of the Web.


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News Editor

Palm still doesn't get it

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 12:35:14 PM #
I am in Hong Kong and I care less about what is going to be all-in-one wireless. All I need is the ability to use wireless bluetooth that transfer the data to and from my cellphone to the handheld. I really don't mind carrying a phone and handheld: they just have to make it more powerful. Ultimately I want to be able to watch a movie (streaming activex) via my cellphone (3G) to my handheld. I don't feel like carrying a notebook at all.

Palm, please think international and start improving your flagship product. M540 (BMW top of the line 5 series) with ARM and high res, OS 5

RE: Palm still doesn't get it
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 6:55:10 PM #
Palm only cares about the US market...

Think about it, if they really did don't you think
they send better products to Asia and Europe.
Palm will most likely pull a Gateway and abandon operations in Asia and Europe to save some money to pay Carl Yankowski..

RE: Palm still doesn't get it
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 8:58:30 PM #
Yep, Karl needs a yacht to get away from you mob of angry lunatics. Oh wait, your big Frito guts have you stuck to your desk chairs. Better call 911 for a spatula.

Palm is Carls pocketfiller
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 10:02:45 PM #
The best hardware is from Sony or Handspring, the best add ons from 3rd party developer - ever a upgrade of the OS is expected to come from Handera - which is the only Palm OS driven grear that can work with SD / MMC cards without hassle.

Could somebody kindly step forward and tell me what Palm is good for - except for paying Carls Porsche?

Palm has no function anymore in the process of driving the industry - besides rolling out some ugly repacked m100 - 125 crap (still cannot work properly with the own card slot) or?

escape strategy
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2001 10:44:20 PM #
My 2 cents to the Palm CEO: Hire 10 top-shareware programmer and let them revamp the OS in a moth. The guys are fast and efficient. Give up hardware altogether – You have countless time proven, you’r simply not good at. Others are better. Or continue the current way and the last nail in Palms coffin can be hammered for sure begin 2002. By then your pockets will be at that time as empty as the shareholders money burned to the last cent. You have no other choice.

NO! Fritos interfere with Shareware programming!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 3:01:52 AM #
And so do E.L. Fudge Cookies. Keep them lean and mean!

Analysts trounce Palm for wireless delay

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2001 12:18:49 PM #

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7250171.html

"Although analysts were dismayed Thursday to see Palm cut its sales forecast for the current quarter, some were more alarmed that the company appears to be retreating from its efforts to launch devices with built-in wireless capabilities."

"This company is so focused on near-term issues (that) every single strategic initiative is stalling: the wireless products, the enterprise and improvements to the operating system," JP Morgan analyst Paul Coster said Friday.


http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7250171.html


"Palm's every single strategic initiative is stalling."
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/24/2001 7:03:27 PM #
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7250171.html

Although analysts were dismayed Thursday to see Palm cut its sales forecast for the current quarter, some were more alarmed that the company appears to be retreating from its efforts to launch devices with built-in wireless capabilities.

"This company is so focused on near-term issues (that) every single strategic initiative is stalling: the wireless products, the enterprise and improvements to the operating system," JP Morgan analyst Paul Coster said Friday.



Motorola Deal Died 6 Months Ago

Ed @ 9/24/2001 8:53:06 AM #
The first unofficial word that Motorola had cancelled its plans to make a smartphone actually came way back in April, so long ago even I forgot about it.

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=1794

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