Comments on: Palm's Open Secrets Exposed

I think you make a reasonable point that Palm could just go with Windows Mobile for all future phones that need modern features like multi-tasking and support for 3G GSM networks (neither of which Palm OS Garnet is likely to support). But I don't think people would continue to buy Garnet Treos at prices that would make it worth Palm's while--not in the major markets where Treos have been selling to date, anyway. I'm quite sure that Palm has a high priority of shipping devices with a modernized version of Palm OS and knows that can't be done without a modern kernel and services under the hood. That could be ALP, but Palm surely has reasonable concerns that ALP might not meet it's needs or delivered on its timeline. My bet (confirmed by an insider, for what it's worth) is that Palm is going its own way with a Linux system to succeed Palm OS Garnet.

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
Software Everywhere blog
www.pikesoft.com/blog

That's a real nice looking site you've got there, John.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their profits.

Qtopia?

Apparently PalmSource looked but passed:

'Qtopia is popping up in some curious places. Sprint is offering the Kangaroo TV handheld for rent during NASCAR races. And it's already in one VoIP handset, Leadtek's recently announced Videophone.

One place it won't be, at least for the forseeable future, is in a Palm PDA. Eng says that Trolltech was talking to PalmSource at one stage last year, but a deal never materialized.

PalmSource had acquired a Chinese Linux handset vendor late in 2004, and during the spring revised its strategy again, focussing new development entirely on Linux. PalmSource was acquired by Japanese mobile browser company for over $300m late last year, and announced its Linux roadmap in February. In a couple of years it might be where Qtopia is today.

"We talked to them before the acquisition by Access. Obviously we were disappointed."'

'Eng' is Trolltech founder Eirik Chambe-Eng.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/04/trolltech_interview/

Wild speculation: perhaps Palm looked but didn't pass?

To those of you who know more than me (everyone reading this I'd imagine): would Qtopia based Palm devices make sense? Qtopia looks to be pretty mature:

http://www.trolltech.com/products/qtopia/

PenguinPowered, Do you know how serious PalmSource were about Qtopia?

PS Sorry if this has been discussed to death here at PIC already (I'm a pretty in frequent visitor).

Who said anything about wifi? I was talking about EVDO and HSDPA. Those are here today in most large metro areas and rapidly rolling out in the rest.

But since you brought it up, have you looked into the numbers for Mobile WiMax deployment? Pretty cheap from what I hear (though I'm not familiar enough with this market or technology to just how soon we'd be seeing it in the US).

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
Software Everywhere blog
www.pikesoft.com/blog

If I needed a support person, I'd be looking for a Linux Administrator, not an Engineer. In my book Engineer==Developer.

That would be Hawkins:

super high-speed Internet connection in their pocket

I dunno about you, but EVDO doesn't qualify as "super high-speed" to me.

May You Live in Interesting Times

Engineer==Developer

I thought engineer was what you yankies called a train driver! Maybe Palm is working on creating a "Linux powered" railroad, this might be the secret third business Jeff Hawkins was hinting at:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=7999

He states that Palm currently has three business, the PDA market, the smartphone business and a secretive third business involving the next major generation of mobile computing.

He reckons it'll be the next major thing in mobile computing; you can't get much more "major" mobile computing than a 100 ton Linux powered railroad engine!

:-)