Rumor: PalmSource to launch Palm OS Rhinestone

Posted By: PIC Thursday, April 1, 2004 9:19:40 AM

Rumors out of Sunnyvale, California indicate that PalmSource, Inc., provider of Palm OS, a leading operating system powering next generation mobile devices and smarpthones, will soon be introducing a new version of their operating system optimized for the very young consumer (VYC) market. PIC has obtained some possible device pictures and early details about the new OS.

Called Palm OS Rhinestone, the new operating system is a major departure from previous versions of the OS. It appears to be a non-software based operating system designed to run on devices with no memory or CPU.

Key features of Palm OS Rhinestone include:

  1. Vibrant, static user interface
  2. "Magic Slate" write-on-screen technology
  3. Button-activated multimedia frameworks for audio playback
  4. Real smartphone look and feel
  5. Robust compatibility with previous sticker-based applications

The rumor includes pictures of some Palm OS Rhinestone devices that may already be in production. The pictures seem to indicate that PalmSource's new licensees would include Fisher-Price and Imperial. The pictures also show what may be the first true tablet-based Palm OS device with a low-resolution boot screen.


 

PalmInfocenter will have more on this story as it develops...

UPDATE:
Happy April fools! Many thanks goes out to the clever folks at PalmSource that came up with Palm OS Rhinestone!

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Nice, but...

DevPOV @ 4/1/2004 11:01:14 AM #
OS Rhinestone is nice, but I've never quite got the hang of the draw-on-tablet. I prefer MS YPC with it's Etch-A-Sketch interface. I mean, it's so much better to shake-to-erase than drag some lever thing...

RE: Nice, but...
TTrules @ 4/1/2004 11:17:05 AM #
How will a pa1mone magnadoodle be different than a regular magnadoodle?

One Palm to rule them all!
RE: Nice, but...
Fernando @ 4/1/2004 1:00:49 PM #
forget that, will it be pocketable? i won't buy this at all unless it's pocketable... and maybe we should let them work out the kinks in this first, who knows what kind of cheap quality dangerous magnets they'er using.

RE: Nice, but...
DWD @ 4/1/2004 3:52:31 PM #
Speaking of Etch-a-Sketch check out this amazing Etch-a-Sketch art:

http://www.gvetchedintime.com/web/shaking.html

RE: Nice, but...
e_tellurian @ 4/1/2004 3:59:46 PM #
:-(LOL)

Some thoughts have been around for some time and enhanced upon in various ways not always completely understood.

Inspiration comes from many innovative people. People will always be the root of all purpose and wealth of knowledge.

E-T

e-tellurian

completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution

Bluetooth

chinchorrero @ 4/1/2004 11:00:44 AM #
What.
no bluetooth.
Cheers ;)

"Life is Too Short"
Tungsten T3-Sony ericsson T610,HBH-60,SanDisk 256Mb Sd Card
RE: Bluetooth
PalmPrayer @ 4/1/2004 12:37:57 PM #
Shouldn't that be Firsttooth?
RE: Bluetooth
Khris @ 4/1/2004 1:00:19 PM #
I vote BabyTooth....that way they don't have to change all the documentation as it already says "BT" ;)

RE: Bluetooth
e_tellurian @ 4/1/2004 3:51:09 PM #
we-com applications?

Raven working with many birds looking upon Turtle Island may have some thoughtful applications for Bluetooth.

E-T

e-tellurian

completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution

Screen res?!?!?

nrosser @ 4/1/2004 11:04:18 AM #
C'mon - this won't make it without a 360x480 screen!! What was PalmSource (by Marx!) thinking?
dang them.

RE: Screen res?!?!?
nrosser @ 4/1/2004 11:07:35 AM #
and Nagel's probably convening a meeting right now there in Sunnyvale, asking his marketing team for a market strata report on the VYC buying segment. Buying habits, trends, demographics ("who really controls the pocketbook for a 7 yr old"), and demanding why the Rhinestone took so long to bring to market?!? Must have been the graphite and magnet suppliers in China.

RE: Screen res?!?!?
useybird @ 4/1/2004 11:31:51 AM #
Is anybody aware of what today is? April Fools Day. This is a joke. PIC does this every year.

-------------------------------
Microsoft is the root of all evil.
Right, Bill?
RE: Screen res?!?!?
Altema @ 4/1/2004 11:32:38 AM #
Mike is not gonna' like this one... it has a slider!

RE: Screen res?!?!?
nrosser @ 4/1/2004 12:54:23 PM #
(I tried, really I did, but I couldn't resist)
useybird - have you ever heard of wit and sarcasm? of course it's a joke. Please.

RE: Screen res?!?!?
iJITSU @ 4/2/2004 2:57:50 PM #
Did you consider that useybird might be responding in gest as though he didn't get that the story was a joke? Perhaps he is the master of wit and sarcasm here :)

Fools, fools fools

crustyedgeofinnovation @ 4/1/2004 11:12:01 AM #
Fools, all of you.


www.departmentofcomfort.com

RE: Fools, fools fools
Be_True @ 4/1/2004 11:56:11 AM #
The rest of us already knew
that this is an April Fool's joke.

Did you just figure that out,
or did your mommy have to tell you?


Tungsten C, Palm IIIxe, Wizard OZ-9520

"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"

More please

asiayeah @ 4/1/2004 11:14:54 AM #
Can we have more this kind of stories?

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

Radio Flyer now Palm Powered ?

bthornton @ 4/1/2004 11:14:02 AM #
Can we speculate this is why Radio Flyer little red wagon production is being outsourced to China so they can incorporate the new PalmOS?

A good move for the Palm community I suspect, as Palm continues to grow and embed it's OS into to additional devices, appliances and vehicles.

-b

Those pics are totally fake!

cgarrett1974 @ 4/1/2004 11:30:23 AM #
It is an etch-a-sketch! It is April 1st guys...

"A Multitasking Pocket PC that doesn't lock up???... have ya tried a Palm?"
RE: Those pics are totally fake!
Khris @ 4/1/2004 1:05:44 PM #
We're all just sharp as a tack today aren't we? :)

RE: Those pics are totally fake!
DevPOV @ 4/1/2004 2:52:43 PM #
And it's a MagnaDoodle not an etch-a-sketch (which, btw, runs MS YPC OS)...

RE: Those pics are totally fake!
Strider_mt2k @ 4/1/2004 5:31:41 PM #
Don't forget the killer array of tiny magnetic core memory! :D



RE: Those pics are totally fake!
Altema @ 4/2/2004 4:35:33 PM #
The etch-a-sketch has a much better screen resoultion, but we could expect that on lower end devices. Any word on a screen protector?

Yeah, but what a price!

mtc111 @ 4/1/2004 11:38:28 AM #
Did you notice? Less than $5! I hope that forces a price drop across the board. Mattel watch out!

RE: Yeah, but what a price!
Token User @ 4/1/2004 12:39:48 PM #
Actually, the was a report in the WSJ that Mattel and Microsoft where almost complete in their negotiations to introduce a new product range. Barbie and Hotwheels themed PDAs where mentioned, but the inside scoop was the TALK TO BARBIE SmartPhone being introduced as part of a collaboration between LG, Mattel, and MS.

I wish them luck, Nokia tried this with their Symbian based TALK TO HEIDI phone last year released by Lego.

~ "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed." - DV ~

RE: Yeah, but what a price!
DevPOV @ 4/1/2004 2:54:15 PM #
No wonder I was disappointed in TALK TO HEIDI -- I thought it was one of those, um, adult services...

New Leather Cases???

JCroft @ 4/1/2004 12:06:48 PM #
Hmmmmm.... I wonder how long before you can get a beautiful, leather case with a belt clip for these new models? 8-)

Are YOU in God's "palm"?
John 10:28-30
RE: New Leather Cases???
dona83 @ 4/1/2004 12:13:14 PM #
Hey where's the news story about the Zire 31 and Tungsten E2 now on the palmOne site! Check it out!

RE: New Leather Cases???
viqsi @ 4/1/2004 1:15:53 PM #
Darn it, I thought that would be Palm making the April Fool's joke.

Oh well, managed to last half the day. :) *grumblemuttergrumbleE2mutter*

Will Palm Offer An Upgrade?

4s @ 4/1/2004 1:08:16 PM #
I hope I can put this on my T3, but don't know if it will fit in my available flash memory. I so hope Palm is offering an upgrade to us T3 users.

<><

New g3 interface?

alanh @ 4/1/2004 2:21:34 PM #
I was a beta tester, and am surprised they didn't incorporate the new Graffiti 3 interface

http://www.alanhoyle.com/tmp/g3.jpeg

-alan

Yeah, but....

cnegrad @ 4/1/2004 2:34:04 PM #
Yeah sure, but is PalmSource going to discontinue Macintosh support for it? If so, will K-Tel or Tyco come up with a third party conduit for it?

-cnegrad

No wifi?

volcanopele @ 4/1/2004 2:58:50 PM #
I would consider purchasing a Palm OS Rhinestone device for my 18 month old niece for her 2nd birthday but with out a 16-bit hi-res+ screen, wifi and bluetooth, and a built-in MP3 player, I am afraid that this will be a downgrade for her compared to her current Tungsten T3.

RE: No wifi?
TTrules @ 4/4/2004 9:33:42 PM #
You got your 18-month old a T3? You're joking, right?

One Palm to rule them all!

Not bad for v.1 releases...

wendo @ 4/1/2004 3:30:38 PM #
But, I'll probably wait for the next release. That way, all the bugs will be worked out and, hopefully, WiFi will be added.

However, they need to fix the colors post haste! Silver, black, or something. No way I"m going to carry around pastel colored electronics.

WTG PalmOne, at least you keep innovating!


-----

Pilot 5000, Palm IIIc, Clie N710c, Clie NR70v, Tungsten T, Tungsten T2, Tungsten T3, ???

RE: Not bad for v.1 releases...
ander80 @ 4/1/2004 5:10:56 PM #
we r such a geeks

Ander Zabala, MSc Student
RE: Not bad for v.1 releases...
swinginjonny @ 4/1/2004 5:19:18 PM #
I bet that the pink cable on the tablet version is an optional GPRS antenna! I think PalmOne has a winner! I talked to my nephew this morning, he said all his collegues are drooling!

(Self-confessed Palm Geek)

It has No FILESYSTEM!!

mikecane @ 4/1/2004 5:54:43 PM #
Dammit!! Yet *another* version of Palm OS *WITHOUT A FEKKIN FILESYSTEM*!!

This is all a plot by PalmSource's Slotkin to propagandize youth into sloppy storage habits!

I'm writing my Congressman to stop this. I suggest you do too!

And don't forget to put today's date on the letter!

RE: It has No FILESYSTEM!!
Altema @ 4/2/2004 4:39:23 PM #
But Mike, it has a GREAT stylus! To top it off, you could snort iron powder, then pull out your boogers with the magnetic tip...

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