Comments on: Palm Q1 FY09 Conference Call Highlights

New Palm Inc LogoPalm Inc. today announced their fifth consecutive quarterly loss today as the company continues its transformation efforts. The company reported a loss of $41.9 million on higher than expected revenues of $366.9 million. During the call Palm CEO Ed Colligan stressed that the company was "still solidly in the midst of its transformation with some significant hurdles yet to come."

The conference call touched on progress on the next generation Palm OS, the possible plateau of Centro momentum and the recent launch of the Treo 800w and Treo Pro products. Colligan also warned that as Palm continues its transition period he expects further losses in the next few quarters to come.

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What would you buy if Palm goes bust?

Gekko @ 9/18/2008 5:32:03 PM # Q

Let's say Palm went bust tomorrow - bankrupt - kaput, and the PalmOS died and was not available on/supported by any carrier. what would you buy if you needed a new smartphone? iPhone? Blackberry? some WINMOB device???



RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
SeldomVisitor @ 9/18/2008 5:39:39 PM # Q
I don't need a smartphone.

I need a phone.

Sometimes it might be convenient to do web stuff, maybe with location. But not very often nor for very long per instance.

That's about it.

Everything else I need to do I do at the office or at home, not on a phone.

Whatta ya got?


RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/18/2008 5:51:23 PM # Q

yes, but -

a. you're an old fart.

b. you're not normal.


RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
mikecane @ 9/18/2008 5:59:03 PM # Q
If that's the answer you'll give HIM, Gekko, then wtf should I bother? I'll get the same!

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/18/2008 6:14:10 PM # Q

if you need a phone and you need a pda, you might as well buy a smartphone.

you know my famous theory -

"There's no reason to buy/manage/charge/carry/sync/fight/fumble with 2+ devices when ONE Smartphone can do it all."


RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
freakout @ 9/18/2008 6:28:54 PM # Q
Probably an iPhone.

Ew. That felt wrong just thinking it. But the UI is the most pleasant to use... next to Palm's. :P

Blackberry Bold looks nice, but I hate RIM's software. And WinMob is just one big uninspiring "meh".

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 -> Treo 650 -> Crimson Treo 680

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
hkklife @ 9/18/2008 8:11:13 PM # Q
If Palm went under TOMORROW, it wouldn't bother me a bit. The carriers wouldn't immediate revoke all of the FrankenGarnet powered devices out there anyway. That said, if my Treo died at the same time as Palm and I couldn't get a replacement...I wouldn't miss a beat, really.

I carry a "real" dumbphone in addition to my Treo because it is such a rotten, unreliable device for actually using as a phone.

So I'd just fire up one of my two backup TX's and keep fumbling with 2 devices until something more appealing came along.

In case anyone cares, I use a Verizon v9m (aka RAZR2). Stylish, thin, fantastic reception, voice, and build quality.

Ohn yeah, I'd also keep an eye open for the BB Storm that's supposedly heading to VZW in November. At least I'd finally get beyond Palm's rotten small square screen and no 3.5mm headphone jack!

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
DarthRepublican @ 9/18/2008 9:05:07 PM # Q
To a certain extent I agree with hkklife. It's not like my Treo or my TX or any of the older PalmOS devices would suddenly stop working if Palm went out of business. I could continue using my Treo 680 and Palm TX and could probably find very good deals on back up devices in case they failed. And all this is in addition to the small fleet of older devices which I've accumulated (Visor Platinum, Prism, and Pro, a Tungsten E with a busted screen, a LifeDrive which I could upgrade using Dmitry Grinberg's software, a Treo 180g, and a Treo 270 with a bad hinge), none of which is so badly damaged that it can't be repaired. So even Palm declared bankruptcy tomorrow, I'd still have very little incentive to dump the platform. For all their shiny chrome, the Blackberry and iPhone still lack such decent PIM applications and their third party software still can't match Palm's.

It would be a long time before the consequences of Palm's possible collapse would be felt by any of its users.

Screw convergence
Palm III->Visor Deluxe->Visor Platinum->Visor Prism->Tungsten E->Palm LifeDrive->Palm TX
Visor Pro+VisorPhone->Treo 180g->Treo 270->Treo 600->Treo 680
http://mind-grapes.blogspot.com/

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/18/2008 9:09:48 PM # Q

let me clarify the premise of the question because you are averting the question at hand - palm went bust and your palmos device broke and there was not another palmos device available. what would you buy?



RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
palmdoc88 @ 9/18/2008 9:27:56 PM # Q
I think I'd have no choice but to get a Winmob device. The iPhone's PDA funstions just suck, and can Steve Jobs say "Copy and Paste"?
Luckily the choices e.g. the ones from HTC abound.
I think the days of Android devices are rather too early for me to form any conclusions.
I hope they'll stay afloat and deliver the Nova devices next year.

http://palmdoc.net
RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/18/2008 9:45:15 PM # Q
RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
hotpaw4 @ 9/18/2008 11:24:06 PM # Q
I've already switched mostly to using an iPhone 3G, since I can buy apps or develop software for it to cover a few of its deficiencies.

But I still prefer using the PIM apps on my old PalmOS handhelds.



RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
otter @ 9/18/2008 11:28:41 PM # Q
I sadly DID make the mistake of getting an iphone and strongly agree with the comments here that the PIM functions suck. Absofknlutely SUCK! Google Maps in conjunction with the GPS, as well as the audio and video, are awesome, but if you want to use it for any type of productivity you're SOL. (And I'm not a GTD/task nazi either).

Combine that with the vice grip that Apple has on access to the device - especially after coming from a hackable/customizable OS like Palm - and we're talking seriously frustrating. WiFi sync workarounds, virtually non-existent backup/restore options, ad nauseum. Had it for two months, but when the Bold comes out I'll probably switch since I doubt the first half of 2009 will produce anything from Palm other than excuses and vapor.

They missed the boat ages ago and if any POS-compatible device does eventually come out, most everyone who cared will have moved on to other devices.

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
dukat @ 9/19/2008 2:06:36 AM # Q
I suddenly found myself into that position. My Treo 680 slowly dies under my hands (the known ghost Headset problem). It seems it will be completely broken in the not so far future ...

I don't want to buy the same phone again (where's the fun in that?) nor "upgrade" to the Centro - that would be essentially the same phone. So I bought a TX as backup (I have 5 years of PIM data I cannot lose - without the Palm PIM I fear I wouldn't be able to make one single day ;-)

So, here are my conclusions for my mobile future:
- Palm OS is dead.
- Palm OS II will follow Cobalt, ALP and thus not even survive its first year.
- WinMob is out of question for obvious reasons
- I don't want to sell my life to Apple. And I want a keyboard
- RIM only works with their proprietary and expansive software, and I heard that 3rd party programming for those devices must be hell of Earth.

that leaves me with
- Symbian. It's awkward to use, but their opening the platform in the future, the consolidation into one interface only (S60) looks promising. Currently, the E71 and E90 look tempting.
- Android! in some weeks we'll know more. Certainly the 1st gen devices won't be the hit, but maybe the second gen. The showcased 3rd party applications look _very_ promising, and with an open source system I think it would be safe to but one without selling my life to Google.

So, I just hope that my arthritic Treo/TX combo survives until Android v2 and then I'm gone.

IIIe -> m505 -> T3 -> Treo650 -> Treo680

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
SeldomVisitor @ 9/19/2008 2:52:13 AM # Q
>> I don't need a smartphone.
>>
>> I need a phone...
>
>yes, but -
>
> a. you're an old fart...

Oopsie! My apologies. I keep forgetting that old farts don't count!

> ...b. you're not normal.

I know this is also silly of me but someone being a fanboy of a phone, of all things, doesn't quite smack of "normality" to me, either...

Giggle.

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
bbtkd @ 9/19/2008 3:56:56 AM # Q
The pathetic thing is that so far, no competing platform thinks that POS is prevalent enough to build an applet to ingest POS PIM. If Android offered me a way to easily convert my POS PIM, it would make that transition way more attractive. For me, my next platform must have similar PIM capability, must have a usable physical QWERTY keyboard, and must have touch screen. While converting my PIM would be nice, to be honest I could do that manually in a day.

What do you mean IF PALM GOES BUST? Haven't they?

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/19/2008 6:03:27 AM # Q

1. otter - what is GTD?

2. dukat - what is the ghost headset problem?

3. i think i'd buy a WINMOB device. as far as PIM, it comes the closest to PalmOS IMO and will obviously sync well with Outlook. and for me, PIM is the #1 factor. also, it will play relatively well with Excel/Word.


RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/19/2008 6:06:28 AM # Q

not much exciting here -


7 new smartphones for the smart set

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0809/gallery.new_smartphones.fortune/index.html



RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/19/2008 6:09:39 AM # Q

>Oopsie! My apologies. I keep forgetting that old farts don't count!
I know this is also silly of me but someone being a fanboy of a phone, of all things, doesn't quite smack of "normality" to me, either...
Giggle.


come on, you don't even believe in NAV/GPS!


RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
PacManFoo @ 9/19/2008 6:14:43 AM # Q
Not sure what I will buy. Don't want a "smartphone". I like separate devices. When my TX dies I suppose I will go to the iPod Touch. Not because I like it more but because it's about the only game in town anymore. It's quite a shame really, the TX is the device I want, the GUI just needs a new coat of paint and faster WiFi. I've recently slimmed down the TX, getting rid of a third party launcher and font smoother. I've noticed overall improvement in it's stability and am happier with it then I have been in a long time.

The last known classic PDA user.
I've recently upgraded from a PLAM TX to a Newton MP2000!
http://newtonpda.googlepages.com
RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
SeldomVisitor @ 9/19/2008 7:27:40 AM # Q
> ...come on, you don't even believe in NAV/GPS!
True - it has little but amusement utility for thegenral population for MOST fo the time (not ALL of the time).

BTW, I think pretty much the exact same sort of thoughts about 4-function-calculator capability in a phone.


BTW - you've seen the Nokia answesr to the Centro, right?
SeldomVisitor @ 9/19/2008 8:13:48 AM # Q
RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
mikecane @ 9/19/2008 9:03:43 AM # Q
>>>1. otter - what is GTD?

It's that frikkin cult. Worse than Moonies, Scientologists, and RepublicanoChristo Palinistas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done

I've never met ANYONE who actually got ANYTHING done using GTD other than PRIORITIZING what they were SUPPOSED to be doing.

Wankers.

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
nastebu @ 9/19/2008 9:52:53 AM # Q
I switched to the iPhone too, and I'm actually quite impressed with the PIM applications. iCal and the contacts are solid and sync very well over MobileMe. I bought a third party application (Things) to deal with todos. It syncs over wifi whenever it is on the same network with my laptop. All in all quite elegant.

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
mikecane @ 9/19/2008 2:00:57 PM # Q
nastebu: OUT! They don't want to read GOOD things about the iPhone.

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Ronin @ 9/19/2008 8:29:09 PM # Q
As soon as the Blackberry Bold is released in the US, I am moving on. After 10 years with the Palm OS, I'm melancholy about it but I need a device that works.

In the Spirit of Umoja,
Ronin
RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
dukat @ 9/21/2008 11:14:53 AM # Q
Hey Mikecane. I'm one of those GTD wanking zealots, and GTD just works for me! Actually, that's the reason why I so heavenly depend now on on my Treo. You should try it one day, either the wanking or GTD. Both have their strengths ;-)

@gekko: look here for the headset problem: http://treotricks.blogspot.com/2006/01/treo-650-audio-jack-fix-part-1.html . Happens on all Treos. Very annoying ...


IIIe -> m505 -> T3 -> Treo650 -> Treo680

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
hotpaw4 @ 9/22/2008 7:24:02 AM # Q
Any news about StyleTap on Android? That might be the platform forward for PalmOS PIM/GTD app users if Palm goes bust.

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
twrock @ 9/24/2008 10:51:19 AM # Q
(A sweet vacation has kept me offline for a while, but I couldn't help but consider this question when I saw it.)

If my TX died (and couldn't be replaced), I'd use my Zod2. If that died, I'd use my Handera 330c. If that died, I'd be up a creek.

Definitely no Windows Mobile for me.

Nokia's plans for Symbian make it look much more attractive than it used to, but I'd prefer not to go there since I wouldn't plan on "staying" there anyway.

Android isn't ready on a device I want/can get today, otherwise I'd probably go there.

Blackberry is meaningless where I operate, and it has the same issues for me as Symbian (and some others as well).

Nova is not here to even consider.

That leaves me with the iPhone/iPod Touch. That's where I'd probably end up at this point. At least those are already a known quantity and are nice hardware as well. Probably the Touch though; I don't mind separate devices and still find that combination very functional.


"twrock is infamous around these parts"
(from my profile over at Brighthand due to my negative 62 rep points rating)

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Tuckermaclain @ 9/24/2008 11:38:19 PM # Q
Ever since OS4 I have made copies of my SD cards throughout all the upgrades. I can pick one of 10 Palms in mint condition from my Vx to T2 and use it for what I need really fast with the SD backups. I sometimes consider going back to the m500 with an old version of Action Names (not Agendus) to do my basic PIM stuff. The 500 has a nice form factor and with PowerRun/PiDirect/McFile is pretty functional. You can still get old Palms from "new" old stock on ebay. I'm not really interested in having the internet on my phone. I'm set for a looong time.

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/25/2008 5:46:50 AM # Q

nice. do you back up all of your elton john albums on cassette tapes too, just in case?

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Tuckermaclain @ 9/30/2008 11:55:58 AM # Q
You know, that's a good idea. I could then take the old records and shove them right up your ass.

RE: What would you buy if Palm goes bust?
Gekko @ 9/30/2008 12:09:17 PM # Q

between you and cane, there's a lot of ass-play talk on this site. very disturbing.

Reply to this comment

Did he slip?

mikecane @ 9/18/2008 6:00:39 PM # Q
"Developers looking at - towards..."

Which is it? Devs are actually looking *at* pieces of Nova NOW, or just (in his frikkin imagination!) gazing wistfully towards the Plam Promized Land?

RE: Did he slip?
PacManFoo @ 9/18/2008 6:32:21 PM # Q
Handheld sales continued to rapidly evaporate as the company has not issued new PDA products since October 2005. 166,000 handhelds were sold during the quarter, which represents a 49% decline from the same period last year. Handheld revenue was a paltry $33.1 million. Palm CFO Andy Brown commented that he expects this trend to continue.

No Sh*t. That Andy is brilliant.

The last known classic PDA user.
I've recently upgraded from a PLAM TX to a Newton MP2000!
http://newtonpda.googlepages.com

RE: Did he slip?
SeldomVisitor @ 9/19/2008 3:06:09 AM # Q
The successful secrecy surrounding the Fooleo development suggests Palm could be successfully keeping secret developer development around Nova.

Reply to this comment

Just what is going to be 'ready' by end of year with Nova?

SeldomVisitor @ 9/19/2008 5:19:52 AM # Q
Colligan says they're going to release pieces of it at different points in time.

Brown said last time that Nova was going to be ready but we weren't going to =see= it by end of year.

I think these (among other weak datapoints like UI-people hiring timepoints) strongly suggest the kernel is what's coming by end of year.

Reply to this comment

Call Transcript

Ryan @ 9/19/2008 9:40:54 AM # Q
RE: Call Transcript
hkklife @ 9/19/2008 12:41:01 PM # Q
I came up with some interesting translations of some key parts of the transcript for those not familiar with the intricacies of Palm-speak:


Ed C: Sure. On the Centro, I think the big thing is both maturing in the sense of the existing product was sitting on the marketplace so we have plans to make sure that we refresh those products and are bringing that out and we'll do that in both promotional ways and other ways. And so that's some of our planning that's going into this season and through this quarter.

Translation: We have many, many new Centro colors in the works. And we'll also release a few exciting new Centro cases in several funky fresh color schemes. And of course we will continue to ride the Centro long past it has become a sad also-ran relative to our increasingly fierce competition.


Ed C: We also see additional pricing actions happening from both our competitors and through carrier-focus on some other products that are coming out that certainly gives us pause as to what's going to happen going forward and makes us think hard about exactly what the opportunity and ongoing sell-through of Centro will be and whether we can maintain that consistent momentum.

Translation: We're stunned that people would rather pay $199 for an iPhone than $99 for a Centro. It appears that Centro sales have peaked and not even a slew of new colors can reinvigorate it. That said, we will continue to peddle the Centro as long as there are poor schmucks desperate for one final Palm OS-based device out there to buy it.


Ed C: So we're obviously going to do everything we can to maintain that and work with our carrier partners as aggressively as possible to make sure that we keep the momentum going but we are planning for some impact there.

Translation: We have many new Centro colors in the pipeline and will make sure that various hot colors are distributed equally through our carrier partners. By offering colors a rainbow of various colors to suit their mood, we are hoping customers will begin buying multiple Centros for each day of the week. With enough colors on the market, we can easily trump those bland silver & black smartphones on the market that our competitors are releasing.


Ed C: On the new products, with regard to carriers - well, we're not out showing it around to a bunch of carriers because of, of course, the confidentiality that's related to but we do have some key partners that we have communicated with and I would say that generally the response has been overwhelmingly positive, so we're excited about what we are working on.

Translation: The indifference shown by AT&T to the Treo Pro is just the tip of the iceberg. When the market is cluttered with $99 (or less) smartphones in a few months, no one will want a Centro, much less an overpriced, small-screen GSM Treo, even though the Pro is the best piece of hardware we have produced in years. We also really dropped the ball by choosing to release the hideous 800w instead of a CDMA Treo Pro. Fortunately, our faithful partners Dataviz, Astraware and Normsoft have cooked up some superb versions of DocsToGo, PocketTunes and Solitaire and Bejeweled that run under Nova. They're chomping at the bit to get burned again like they did with the Fooleo last year.


Ed C: And with respect to the next-gen product launches, I think we are just basically giving a window of time. We didn't say Q1 or Q2, we said first-half and that's what we are doing right now. These products are incredibly complex to put together, to design and develop a whole entire platform and the application suite and the hardware and everything else that goes around it, and I think allowing ourselves a little flexibility around that is exactly what we are doing right now. We don't want to over-promise and under-deliver - we want to do the opposite, and so we're just giving a window there that we think makes sense at this time

Translation: Nova has been quietly EOL'd, so please stop bugging us about it until we make the official announcement 6 months from now.

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

RE: Call Transcript
SeldomVisitor @ 9/19/2008 1:04:30 PM # Q
You are evil.

Giggle.

RE: Call Transcript
hkklife @ 9/19/2008 1:15:39 PM # Q
Giggle.


And--mind you-I am an active, long-time user who is an avid fan of the Palm OS/UI & PIM apps. Lest someone accuse of anything otherwise, I intend to remain as such until I am compelled/forced to change platforms for some reason.

Being a fan of the fundamental aspects of the "Palm platform" (the zen, the tap counter, Graffiti 1 etc) is an entirely entirely different thing than being a fan of the obsolete "Palm OS Garnet 5.x" or of the products/actions of "Palm Inc."

But imagine how an Apple/RIM/M$ fanboy would interpret the Palm spin!



Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

RE: Call Transcript
BaalthazaaR @ 9/19/2008 1:45:29 PM # Q
Please... you need a KEYBOARD ALERT when you translate Colligspeak into reality even though we all know that it all means "Colors! Colors! Colors!" I should have expected it, but I had to clean my keyboard all the same.
RE: Call Transcript
mikecane @ 9/19/2008 2:05:19 PM # Q
You overmisunderestimate Colligan.

Plam's plan is to KEEP the same colors but RENAME them.

Retarded Red
Puke Green
Death Star Black (ooh, a Star Wars tie-in!)

et cetera


RE: Call Transcript
Poopie @ 9/19/2008 8:00:53 PM # Q
Ed C: These products are incredibly complex to put together, to design and develop a whole entire platform and the application suite and the hardware and everything else that goes around it, and I think allowing ourselves a little flexibility around that is exactly what we are doing right now.

My Translation: Our color engineering teams are working on keyboard designs, packaging, background screens, and application icons... to make our Android device look different from everyone else's Android device.


Reply to this comment

What's keeping me with Palm

jptx @ 9/19/2008 12:27:44 PM # Q
WHat's Keeping me with Palm
1. The PIM
2. Good synch with Outlook
3. IR port- noviiremote
4. The Core Pocket Media Player
5. Lots of freeware

What's making me want to leave:
Instability
Blazer is weak


Where I may land

Android-
If it has IR and a remote program, I'll be gone!!!

Not Windoze CE

PALM NOVA????

RE: What's keeping me with Palm
hkklife @ 9/19/2008 5:39:45 PM # Q
What keeps me with Palm?


1. The PIMs

2. The clean, still-fairly-response-despite-NVFS-lag UI

3. A dozen years of accuulated PIM data

4. A dozen years of accumulated/registered apps & freeware, many of which are irreplacable (but many, many of those have been jettisoned or abandoned by their developers over the years or barely work on a FrankenGarnet device if at all)

5. PIC & the PIC faithful

6. The various inadequacies of WinMob, RIM, & Apple

7. Again, the PIMs

8. Ability to have a stylus AND a removable storage card (Apple & RIM still don't get this and likely never will).


What makes me want to leave?

EVERYTHING else, primarily everything done & said by Palm Inc. over the past 5 years (aside from various tweaks to the PIM apps).

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

RE: What's keeping me with Palm
PacManFoo @ 9/20/2008 6:23:18 PM # Q
What keeps me with Palm?

1) The ability to move items on and off the device by way of the SD Card.

2) The ability to drop a text file on that SD card and read it and vice versa to the Computer.

3) I detest WindowsMobile/PocketPC

4) It's the last PDA

5) I'm getting cheap in my old age and after 10 years of buying PDA after PDA I just don't feel like plopping more money down on yet another device.

6) My TX is still alive and kickn', My Tunsten T2 is still alive and kickn', My Tungsten T1 is still alive and kickn', My Palm M500, Visor Neo, Visor Deluxe, Visor, Palm IIIxe are all still alive and kickn'

The last known classic PDA user.
I've recently upgraded from a PLAM TX to a Newton MP2000!
http://newtonpda.googlepages.com

RE: What's keeping me with Palm
SeldomVisitor @ 9/21/2008 4:22:04 AM # Q
> ...6) My TX is still alive and kickn', My Tunsten T2 is still alive
< and kickn', My Tungsten T1 is still alive and kickn', My Palm M500,
> Visor Neo, Visor Deluxe, Visor, Palm IIIxe are all still alive and kickn'

Obviously, Palo Alto didn't learn about "planned obsolescence" from the Detroit guys, huh?



RE: What's keeping me with Palm
BaalthazaaR @ 9/22/2008 2:12:45 PM # Q
Obviously, Palo Alto didn't learn about "planned obsolescence" from the Detroit guys, huh?

I think they did... the TX had the poorest build quality of all the PDAs I've ever owned. My Plam V is still going strong even though it just sits in a drawer. I used to carry it in my equipment bag back when I still played sports.

RE: What's keeping me with Palm
DrBopp @ 10/1/2008 8:23:18 PM # Q
What's keeping me with Palm?

1)My Zire71 is good......My first love and first PDA.
2)Palm III, which someone gave me when I washed my Zire71 in the washer(inside my bathrobe pocket)
3)the way you can move PIM functions across different device platforms.
4)My LifeDrive, which is helping me delay buying a new laptop ( economics reasons)
5)My Tungsten E2 that backs up my LifeDrive.
6)My Treo 650.....Gives me freedom to roam.

I love the Palm OS platform!

What's making me want to leave........Nothing I can think of.

RE: What's keeping me with Palm
hkklife @ 10/2/2008 1:21:57 PM # Q
IMO the T5 was the poorest-built Palm PDA ever, with the entire T|T line running a very close 2nd. EVERY T|T variant I had crapped out within a few months of moderate usage, usually afflicted by digitizer drift and/or a wobbly or sticky slider.

The T5 creaked & groaned terribly and its power button caved in on me within 3 months. Come to think of it, the original Pilots & Palm Pilots were shoddily built as well. They flexed like crazy and they had a pretty widespread problem with thin slivers of plastic peeling & breaking off from around the stylus silo. The domed app buttons were also quite fragile on those early units. The Palm III really beefed things up, fortunately. And as superb as the Palm V was, its buttons construction (power & app) left a lot to be desired as well.


While I haven't fondled a Treo Pro in person yet, I do find it ironic that Palm's best-built device ever was the LifeDrive...but that was also its buggiest, bulkiest, and poorest-executed device ever released.

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

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