Palm planning to offer both Windows and Linux handhelds and smartphones?
posted August 26th 2005 5:37PM
It's an open secret now that Palm is prepping a Windows Mobile-powered version of the Treo (aka the Treo 670), but what's been a little less clear is the strength of the company's commitment to the Palm OS. It's not totally inconceivable that Palm could adopt a dual-OS strategy and offer both Palm and Windows Mobile handhelds and smartphones, and Brighthand reports that there are some encouraging signs that Palm is going to eventually adopt the new Linux-based version of the Palm OS that PalmSource is developing (and it'd probably have to be the Linux version, since even PalmSource has abandoned development of Cobalt). It's not a lot to go on, but apparently Palm has listings for a bunch of different Linux-related jobs, including a "Linux Engineer, Mobile Devices" who will, "play a key role in the architecture, design and implementation of enabling technologies for a new generation of Palm devices." The big question, then, is when these first Linux-powered Palm devices might start showing up. Seems unlikely it'd be any earlier than the middle of next year or so; PalmSource itself says that the new OS won't be ready until around then.
What a remarkably stupid strategy.
Hopefully Palm know what they're doing. Using Windows Mobile may be the easier route in getting a feature rich convergence solution, but they're joining all other lemmings that use WM5.
Having a Treo running Linux or WM5 will confuse the consumer when they want buy/install applications...making sure its compatible with their version.
Bo --
I think that this might be Palm's best decision that they've made lately. The company is really just selling hardware, this is what they make their money from. Software licenses just aren't making them much money. If the cost of licensing the WindowsMobile OS is greater than the amount of money that they'd make selling WindowsMobile devices, then they need to rethink their strategy...
try running on both, maybe it can double the fun
There are a lot of Palm types, like me, who want an alternative to Windows on smart phones. I wonder if PalmSource will make beta copies of their Linux based OS available to the public. Waiting all the way until next summer for it to be completely done is too long.
The beauty of the 650 is the design and its integration with the OS. If Palm can shoehorn Windows Mobile into that design and make it feel seamless (like the 650 now) then they will sell a lotta units.
Most WM phones right now just feel stupid. Good luck Palm; I still love my Cli?.
devdanke, there's no way that PalmSource could or would release a beta of their OS--there would be nothing to run it on. A handheld OS doesn't work the same way as a desktop. It has to be custom-fitted for a given device.
open secret? no shit. i beleive it when i see it. till then it's propaganda.
as a 2-gen treo user and samsung palm smartphone prior to that I gotta say that I'd have switched off palm OS already had there been a viable option. If this is serious I agree with those that believe Palm will sell a lot of units. . . many coporations will be moving to MS active directory and that will make this device super desirable. I would be among the first in line
For some, a Treo running WM might seem like a good idea. But the Treo 670 is out-done Hardware-wise by many other devices. The Samsung i730 is about the same size, has a 240x320 screen, 520Mhz processor, EV-DO support, slide-down keyboard and built-in WiFi. Verizon has been selling it for two months already. Why wait for a WM Treo, when a better Phone exists now?
Palm has always been able to compete with WM with higher spec'd hardware because of the efficiency the PalmOS and of the variety of applications available for PalmOS. They lose that advantage with WM and their devices are starting from sort of the middle of the pack rather than being in the front.
So will a WM smartphone from Palm mean a new Market for them? Or just reduce more of their marketshare, now that they are playing on the same level as everyone else? Not to mention confuse and annoy (maybe even anger) their current loyal customers.