Ok, so we totally weren't expecting this one, but Palm's CEO Ed Colligan publicly responded to our
open letter to Palm. He's brief, but he cuts to the quick: "I forwarded it to our entire executive staff and many others at Palm have read it. ...We are attacking almost every challenge you noted, so stay tuned." Wow, um, alright, we'll do just that. Granted, we'd prefer it if Ed would engage us in a chat about the future of Palm -- you name the time and place, Ed, we're totally there! (It's probably worth noting that he's turned down multiple interview requests with us in the past, so you'll all know right quick if that whole transparency thing changes any.)
Read - Our open letter to Palm
Read - Ed Colligan's response
posted August 23rd 2007 9:06PM
That's the best news I've read all year. I hope they continue with what looks to be the start of an amazing 180.
I have been a palm user since the original Pilot, due to constant problems with my 700P Sprint sent me a 700WX as a replacement. WM5 is so much more advanced than PalmOS and much more stable. Now that I have transitioned it makes my long time loyalty to palm less important, it would be very easy now to move to any other companies WM handheld.
I feel the same way, except about their non-smartphone line of PDAs. Could use a little more forward-thinking there for sure.
While it's nice that he responded to the letter I can't say that I'm confident yet that Palm 'gets it'. There was a time when they did innovate, stood for 1 device in an elegant form factor that did everything asked. Part of that innovation died with their OS. The rest when they made more change in organizational structure and naming than in product. Rather than innovate the complained about the challenges and said that it could not be done. Others, not just Apple, have. Time to man up or close your doors.
I've been a loyal customer for 11 years (pilot and various treos) but I'm not going to wait for them to turn it around before I buy again. My next window is next May. The clock is ticking the real response is what product can you get out the door by then.
Colligan says "Let’s remember that it is very early in the evolution of the smartphone". Who is he kidding?!? The cell companies and the manufacturers have been re-hashing mostly the same old lackluster re-designs for years with no concern as to what users actually want (oh how we ALL love tiny screens with useless keyboards). Hooray for iPhone, it has lots of flaws (that I bet get fixed quickly) but I hope it buries the competition!
We've heard the talk. Time for action Ed.
You guys are WAY too forgiving. The CEO responds with vaporish comments, says nothing, proves nothing, clearly states he doesn't understand the market (e.g. "Let’s remember that it is very early in the evolution of the smartphone" - what planet does this guy live on? Smart Phones have been around for years - Palm used to make good ones, remember the 600 when it first came out years and years ago?).
Folks - lets wait and see what they produce, instead of fawning over a simple PR response. My money is on complete and utter failure for Palm - (because they dropped the ball and their response is going to be way way way too little and way to late).
I'm with vonskippy on this. He said NOTHING, other than "message received".
Had he wanted (been able) to prove they are actually working on these things, he could have tossed us a bone and mentioned ONE thing that's changed. We're all waiting anxiously -- any little crumb of information would have been gratefully accepted as proof.
All we know now is that they read it. To me, nothing's changed, and they only have a few months before I move on to something else.
IF the Engadget plea turns into a smartphone, I'd buy it. My blackberry was free for me, provided by the company. But I love me some palm and would spend a good $500 on the Palm Treo EE. Thats Engadget edition.
$600 is too much for a phone and iPhone owners wouldn't understand a smartphone anyway.
What if Palm adopted a model that is the complete opposite of Apple?
Why don't they create an open discussion forum, requesting feedback from YOU, the ultimate end user. Take notes, create polls to solve discrepancy, conduct a lot of real market research based on the information they have gathered.
The next step, create a design competition, where everyone out there can submit what they think the phone should look like. Work the features into the design that gets ultimately picked by user votes.
Open source the software, create an emulator for the software long before its release so developers can get a head start on creating the software that'll power this thing.
And through it all, set realistic deadlines, MEET the deadlines and publish your progress.
Imagine a phone, made from the recommendations of hundreds of gadget junkies. I'd buy it.
I was heartened to read the Open Letter to Palm blog-post whose good fortune it was to have been concisely written and published on the mighty EnGadget, thus forcing a response from Palm.
This is in stark contrast to the stock response of "none-at-all" to past presentations of essentially the same points in other more palm product-specific fora.
I am left wondering if fewer stockholders, boardmembers and stakeholders would feel blindsided when articles such as this appear were they to follow the dedicated Palm community blogs and boards listed on Palm's own blogsite [Note: these are purportedly read by Palm, and include EnGadget].
Perhaps they would feel the need to telephone Palm Corporate demanding a response earlier in the process...
Say, When the timing really is "very early in the evolution of the smartphone and there is enormous opportunity for us [Palm] to innovate."
Unfortunately, what we saw was just a lovely bunch of fragrant flowers falling from the virtual keyboard of Mr. Colligan's iPhone...
-JohnCarter
Ed's response is typical "I feel your pain" corporate-speak. Regardless of whether or not Palm takes these suggestions seriously (which I doubt), they're obviously following a different path. Where's 3G PalmOS functionality? Smaller form factor? They're already *years* behind the competition.
Deeds, not words.
Colligan supplied the CEO version of -
"Thank you for your call. Your business is important to us. We are currently experiencing higher than normal call requests. Please continue to hold and we will get to you in calling sequence or visit our website for further information" - followed by muzak, loops of the same message and, eventually, a disconnect.
In replying, Colligan did the very least possible to appear as if the Company cares without actually doing anything.
And for him to suggest that his passing on this article to others within Palm means that they are taking the article seriously either implies that they think we are idiots (we've all seen where many of these sort of memos get 'filed' in many, more successful, companies) or that they are suddenly taking an interest in their users - something they haven't done in years.
The Centro and Foleo are distractions from the core product line that used to be Palm's domain entirely and which corporate ennui has whittled away to a near embarrassment now. Now they're lagging (with both hardware and software) behind MS Mobile, RIM, Symbian and - heaven help us - Apple. Before they start to create a whole new product line they need to fix the one they've got.
Meanwhile, Corrigan deigning to raise his head over the parapet doesn't mean he's interested in the view...
I would agree somewhat, but then again, you never know, maybe they'll surprise us all. However, he says he doesn't agree with everything Engadget wrote, and who knows what that means, exactly?
He also says "...it is very early in the evolution of the smartphone and there is enormous opportunity for us to innovate". Um, sorry Ed, but no. It's not very early. Smartphones and connected handhelds have been around for years and in this industry, that's an eternity.
He affords a very leisurely, if not overly optimistic, attitude in regard to how much opportunity they have to change things, but doesn't seem to understand that they're racing a clock here. The window of opportunity is not huge, nor is it going to remain open for them indefinitely or for as long as they wish. They're just a piece in a big puzzle, and time is also their enemy. They're not an island unto themselves, free to play by whatever rules they see fit. They're going to have to move, and move swiftly, otherwise the few who are left who would even bother to care but for a moment, no longer will - they'll just move on to something else, forget all about Palm and their futile efforts, and never look back, as so many of us already have. And while they daydream with a smile on their faces, other market players continue to gain more and more of a foothold.
Unless Palm has something phenomenal, which would not be possible without implementing what Engadget suggested, what makes them think that they could ever sway people away from all the other innovative choices out there, that have been and continue to root themselves in the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of those who make use of those products?
They're also going to have to seriously consider integrating GPS, as well. Because that's where everything is headed, and by the time they roll something out that would ever be construed as worthwhile, if they don't have this technology, they won't be able to compete.
It's going to take an enormous effort on Palm's part to do what they need to do, and acknowledgment is half the battle. Quite frankly - and I realize some people will disagree - I don't think they have it in them. I say this only because I don't think Ed is truly connected with what needs to take place. Naturally, I could be wrong about that, but it's just what I pick up.
Once again, maybe they'll surprise us. Like all things, time will tell.
Bravo Ed. A Palm user since the Pilot 500 waaay back, on my 7th palm now, a treo 700p.
Amen to engadget, I would love to be side toting a new power palm device.
- Knaf
Palm needs to keep the dpad the same. no innovation is necessary here. Its perfect for game playing.. the dpad on the new centro is horrid looking.