Palm launching Linux smartphone in October?

The Palm rumor du jour calls for Palm to deliver its first, Linux-based smartphone in an October release. According to the DigiTimes source, the new OS will be based on Wind River System's flavor of Linux already in use (and buggy) in Palm's forthcoming Foleo folly. That's right, Wind River, not ALP. Really, we don't care whose OS it is, just as long as we never have to see Garnet rolled out on a new device ever, ever again. Of course, it makes sense for Palm to standardize on a low-risk, OEM-grade Linux platform so we'll play along with the rumor for now. Oh, and make it ultra-thin with WiMax, please... pretty please, with sugar? We'll even move to Baltimore if you do. Well...

[Rich @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:12AM]

They should have done this three years ago when Palm were still relevant.

[webon @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:39AM]

ok... wich phone? Gandalf? no thanks!

[waiownsyou @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:44AM]

As long as it's not a Foleo again, we're all good

[Jeff Lewis @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:53AM]

I don't mean to seem cruel but - does anyone really care what Palm does anymore? I mean - they have a WiMo phone now... Even THEY aren't exclusively PalmOS. It doesn't even run on their Foleo - and there's another 'who cares' product.

Guys - Elvis has left the building - get over it.

[DT @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:22AM]

Based on the replies to "Palm, it's time for an intervention", there are LOTS of people who still care about Palm, and hope that they can finally get out of the funk they are in. Competition is good for the marketplace, and no one wants to see a 100% MS smartphone market. If Palm can recapture some of the spark of their old days, they can be a viable competitor.

[Rich @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:59AM]

There's plenty of other competition though, with much more money to throw around - Nokia (Symbian), Apple, RIM, other Linux initiatives...

I think it's too late to save Palm. Even if they turned it around today, they wouldn't see the results for 2 years.

[Herman Manfred @ Aug 23rd 2007 6:23AM]

Since PALM has repeatedly said "No Linux smartphones til 2008" this would be a real surprise.

Unless it's a dumbphone.

No, that would be a real surprise, too.

[freakmarket @ Aug 23rd 2007 7:11AM]

Palm is outdated at this point ... no one cares ... especially after the Foleo announcement ... the accessory for your smartphone that costs TWICE as much as your phone so you can read email from your phone.

I know Palm ... when they do get their Linux o/s on a phone it's going to be Garnet ... but running on a Linux platform.

All i know is i'm glad i don't have any money invested with Palm.

[tartis @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:50AM]

It's about time. My patience with my Treo 650 is wearing thin. I hope that Palm can hit a home run with the Linux platform. I have been trying to stay away from the buggy/slow Windows mobile platform.

[scyber @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:39AM]

Give me the treo 680 form factor w/ 3g, BT voicedialing, & a longer batter life and I will be happy. Very happy as a matter of fact.

[Randy @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:59AM]

How about, Not. While I agree they need a 3G (as in, non VZW) The Treo Form factor needs to lose some weight and fast.

[scyber @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:34PM]

As a 650 owner, the 680 is a much smaller phone. No antenna & slimmer. The heft doesn't really bother me much. Especially if it had BT voice dialing, since I would not need to pull out the treo to use the phone.

[db26 @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:56AM]

If it actually looks like a 2007-8 phone (THIN!) and is _completely_open_, I'd be very interested in this. If it's running on Linux but closed... Not so much. Openness is one of the most important things to me in a new phone, and also about the rarest in available phones.

[Churn @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:29PM]

Perhaps you guys don't care, but I do. I have gone through quite a few Palm PDAs but have never gotten into Treos because I haven't found any of them appealing enough to me - they're thick and have a square screen. I love my T|X's big screen.

I don't quite agree with this "get over it" sentiment. I love Palm's UI, old or not. It plays videos and audio well. I don't use Exchange. I love it's simplicity, with the power when I need it.

Do old apps get useless over time? Do they somehow degrade over time? I don't think so.

Quit telling us who love it do shove it.