Comments on: Quickies: Sony OS?, Free & Discounted eBooks, San Francisco

InfoWorld's gossip columnist Robert X. Cringely reports that there's "talk" at Palm Inc. of selling the new OS subsidiary to Sony. -Paul

Fictionwise has released another 2001 Nebula Preliminary Ballot nominee as a free eBook. A Roll of the Dice by Catherine Asaro is an Analog Reader's Choice Winner, a HOMer Award Winner, a Hugo Award Nominee, and, of course, a 2001 Preliminary Ballot Nebula Award Nominee. -Scott Pendergrast

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OS to Sony? Adios Support & Service...

T.W.G @ 1/23/2002 8:33:47 AM #

HI,

think if this rumour will be true these are the first realy bad news in the Palm-OS section!
If Sony will develop the OS AND the Hardware you can throw your handheld into trash when s.th.'s wrong with it.

Greetings

Thomas

PS: about my english: I'm german and new here :-)

RE: OS to Sony? Adios Support & Service...

mtg101 @ 1/23/2002 8:39:28 AM #

While I've never head any problems with Sony's support (never used it :-) I know many people who have, from both the the US and the EU.

However, wouldn't Sony buying PalmOS change some things in the industry?!!?!?!

1 - Sony vs M$
It would be Sony vs M$ in the standard PDA market. I've got to think that Sony has a better chance to beat M$ than Palm - if nothing else their marketing machine is better, plus of course they bring their consumer brand to the OS too.

2 - Ericsony Palm v's Nokia Symbian?
What will Ericsony mobile phones run? Ericsson is a partner in Symbian. But if Sony own PalmOS... will Ericsony choose PalmOS or Symbian?

I'd guess that if Sony buy Palm, Nokia will finally buy all of Symbian.

Cheers
Russell

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russ@russb.fsnet.co.uk
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Diga ao Falante pelos Mortos
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RE: OS to Sony? Adios Support & Service...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 8:40:30 AM #

Yes, but Palm's customer servvice has been degrading anyway. This could actually be really positive (IF it's true--I have my doubts), because Palm just has too little money or talent anymore for innovation, whereas Sony is skating rings around them on innovation. On the other hand, it would be very sad if Sony buys Palm just to kill it. I would hope that they would continue to support the line. Don't know much about Sony's practice there except that I know they don't like to buy rival technologies, which makes the whole thing suspect.

RE: OS to Sony? Adios Support & Service...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 8:44:27 AM #

If anything, Palm should sell the Hardware unit - Sony is a much better innovator than Palm - they just need to be better about working with open standards...

RE: OS to Sony? Adios Support & Service...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 8:44:46 AM #

I just got my T615 yesterday. I tried beaming stuff from my m505 and it would not work on send or receiving from my new T615. I called Sony support and was susprised I got someone on the phone right away. They said this was a known issue and there was a patch on the sony support web site. So if you have a new T615 d/led the patch so you can beam! So my first call to Sony Support was a good experince for me. I hope I do not need to call them again.

RE: OS to Sony? Adios Support & Service...

mtg101 @ 1/23/2002 8:47:59 AM #

The hardware unit is the one that makes money. A better plan for Hardware would be to buy Handspring, and get Jeff & Donna back in charge of the PalmPilot! :-)

On a serious note, it may make sense. The VCs get an exit from Handspring, and Palm get some visionary leadership back.

Cheers
Russell

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russ@russb.fsnet.co.uk
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Diga ao Falante pelos Mortos
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RE: OS to Sony? Adios Support & Service...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 10:18:33 AM #

Well, if this is going to happen I hope it happens soon. Palm OS will be DOA at Sony. Then I can stop reading sites like this and move on to another platform. It will be a sad, sad day.

... and the Newton

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 10:32:05 AM #

This was the same rumor that went around back in the Apple Newton days too. Well, except Sony would buy the Newton OS... could you imagine what could have been if they had their hands around that OS. They sure have done wonders with hardware for the Palm OS. Nice small changes to the software throughout their units over the Palm inhouse units.

OS to Sony? Adios Mac Support

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 12:18:24 PM #

They don't support Macs as it is when most syncing works already. I really fear Sony taking over the OS and dropping Mac support completely.

RE: OS to Sony? Adios Support, Service & MOST DEVELOPERS!...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 3:48:39 PM #

The problem with Sony is that most stuff they do is closed systems. They do not want
open platforms because this prevents them controlling what go's on their machines.
(Even when people reverse engineered their dogs to program them just for fun,
Sony put a stop to it).

The fear is that if Sony owned the OS then while they would have to keep it an open
platform for developers for the OS generation that currently exists when they buy
it, the long term is that they could very easily end up with a closed system and
just let the old OS versions die out in time (something Sony does all the time with
its older machines).

I Don't Believe It

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 9:00:28 AM #

I can see Sony taking a stake in the new OS Group but Palm won't sell it out-right. Sony would be able to decide to no longer licence the Palm OS to anyone but themselves. Then what would Palm's Hardware Group do, licence PPC?

Sony may buy a non-controlling interest in it as a way to insert alot of dinero into its coffers which the OS Group will need to get OS 5 out and correct. That's in Sony's interest too.

Give the cow away and buy the milk back...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 10:31:17 AM #

The idea of Palm selling the OS to Sony is like the converse of "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free." It would certainly be the beginning of the end for Palm as we know it, and it would likely be the end of Palm OS, since I have little faith that Sony could handle OS development -- they have a history of working in a very proprietary environment, which is the opposite of the Palm philosophy.

Foo Fighter is to blame

Scott @ 1/23/2002 11:42:32 AM #

Why do I get the feeling that this guy when combing through the PDA sites came across the insistent rumors by Foo Fighter that Sony would be buying the Palm OS?

This doesn't make much sense and would seem like a very bad idea to me. If anything, they should sell the hardware division to Sony and focus exclusively on the OS. Sony is in a much better position to create a better, cheaper m100 than Palm, Inc. can (or even to sell them at a loss to drive the competition out of business). The only way this could be true, IMO, is if Palm was planning on putting all of their eggs into the wireless service (Palm.net) basket. While this is certainly a good market to be in, if they do it right, the OS is too valuable to sell. I suppose another possibility would be if they were planning on selling the older OS and keeping the new OS5 (and up) or vice versa. But, again, I see no use in speculating here as I just don't see this rumor panning out.

Scott

RE: Foo Fighter is to blame

ptc @ 1/23/2002 1:14:52 PM #

I have a little more faith in Cringely - he's not just making this stuff up based on reading posts on different sites. I've been reading Cringely for years and he is usually on the money. The only weak link is the source inside of Palm that he quotes. Who knows what kind of rumors fly around inside Palm...

_________
Paul C.

Been saying this for months

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 3:15:49 PM #

Sony will ultimately own the Palm OS. It makes sense.

I've posted comments to this effect several times over the past 8 months or, but usually people disagree.

RE: Been saying this for months

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 4:38:37 PM #

There is advantages and disadvantages of your idea, but it is what the disadvantages that scare us off...

RE: Been saying this for months

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 7:08:27 AM #

those disadvantages will scare Palm from making the deal too

I'd rather have Apple buy Palm instead...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 8:04:17 PM #

An Apple/Sony partnership has long been rumored, as has been an Apple/Palm relationship.

Apple would work the OS, Sony would work the hardware. This could lead to a whole new relationship where Sony eventually builds all of Apple's hardware (imagine a TiBook or an iPod designed and built with Sony miniaturization know-how) while Apple sticks to what it does best -- the GUI. Sony also would stop building user interfaces (buttons, LCD's) into its consumer audio/video equipment, and instead has users hook black boxes to a central network -- the digital hub. A Sony home theater would be all digital and controlled by a broadband-connected Mac. Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 could be used to include a portable user interface (a touchscreen remote control). This portable UI would be nothing more than a Palm -- albeit one running Palm OS X...

Of course, I'd gladly settle for an iBook that's as small as a PictureBook.

Frank

RE: I'd rather have Apple buy Palm instead...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 10:30:43 AM #

Picturebook Size iBook ?? I wish they'll build one too, but face it Steve just got too much ego, if steve doesnt like it, it will never happen. Then again, if it wasnt for steve, apple's product line probably won't be as focus as it is right now, or even worse it'll become a "AOL Time Warner netscape Apple company".

Sony hardware is never really good, seriously the VAIO line computer is famous for their slowness (right next to HP), their design is good though I think in some ways they are even better than apple. So having sony to make apple's hardware might be a really bad idea.