Palm issues takedown for TealOS

If you're a fan of TealOS (you know, that fairly striking webOS-aping launcher for Palm devices), you're in for some bad news. According to a post on the company's TealTalk support forum, a rep tells users that Palm has issued a takedown of the lookalike. In their words:

I'm sorry to say that at Palm's request, as of this upcoming Monday, March 30, we will no longer be selling or distributing TealOS.

While we can certainly understand the motivations on Palm's part behind wanting to scuttle this copycat, we do find it a little odd. When we met with a Palm rep to retrieve the Pre earlier in the month, he actually had the software installed on his phone and seemed pretty excited about its existence. Our money here is actually on Palm's legal department being a bit hair-trigger, though we hardly think TealOS is posing a threat to the company's bottom line. Bottom line? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[Via PalmInfocenter; Thanks, Herman M.]

[imacmatt09 @ Mar 27th 2009 5:42PM]

Imitation is the sincerest form of copyright infringement...?

[Jason @ Mar 27th 2009 6:11PM]

No, a look-alike |= copyright infringement. It's probably more a trademark issue if it ever came down to anything, but that's moot b/c Teal is tapping out at the letter stage.

[shah.noori @ Mar 27th 2009 5:44PM]

Good Job webOS,
I am not a fan of PALM, but don't like copying (i love torrents though)

[A-T @ Mar 27th 2009 5:46PM]

What's a torrent?

[r3loaded @ Mar 27th 2009 5:56PM]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Torrent

[bill cant fart @ Mar 27th 2009 6:45PM]

So you like stealing?

[trumpton @ Mar 27th 2009 5:45PM]

It's a shame to see the app go as it spruced up my old Centro a treat - and the folks at Teal were really on the ball with updates and betas.

Still, it's given me a good taster of the new webOS and it looks like it's going to be absolutely fantastic. That Pre order is in the bag, so long as Palm can deliver on their promise.

[Luke @ Mar 27th 2009 5:48PM]

the bastards!

[Brian @ Mar 27th 2009 5:51PM]

I doubt this would have happened if TealOS's creator didn't try to distribute this for profit. What on earth did they think the outcome would be?

In a dream-world, it would have been nice to see Palm coming to a different conclusion... like buying the work, licensing it, or allowing it to be distributed only for no charge.

[Preston @ Mar 27th 2009 5:54PM]

imitation? More like improvement on the basically non-existent outdate OS that have been on the palms. At least now they updated the OS

[Rob @ Mar 27th 2009 5:57PM]

I tried this OS skin, and while I thought it was cool at first, I realized it was just window dressing that slowed me down a bit on my 700p. Not sure why Palm cares so much about someone (at least trying) to add features to their hardware... Was it really thievery?

[Jonathan @ Mar 27th 2009 6:01PM]

I put it on the Treo and was probably going to buy it any day now (that nag screen gets even more annoying past 30 days).

[John @ Mar 27th 2009 6:26PM]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, except when it's Apple being imitated, right gang?

[Look_Around_You @ Mar 27th 2009 7:36PM]

No, that's evil.

[mian @ Mar 27th 2009 6:36PM]

The wave bar was all I liked about it anyway.

Still, it's a bad move on Palm's part. If there's no harm, back the frak off and let a loyal, long time developer spruce up the past a little bit. No one's going to be passing up the Pre or webos for this skin, so let it be.

[Loonie @ Mar 27th 2009 6:40PM]

"Facepalm" takes on a whole new meaning.

[Gad Get @ Mar 27th 2009 6:54PM]

I'm going to start a social networking site called Facepalm.

[Serryl @ Mar 27th 2009 6:50PM]

My impressions was that this was a skin for PalmOS, an OS that Palm was supposedly leaving behind to focus on WebOS devices. I fail to see how a skin for the old OS seriously harms the company. I suppose one could argue that customers with PalmOS device would have less reason to upgrade, but this is a rather heavy-handed solution. This is not a WebOS emulator. The cards aren't live. There's no Synergy.

Whenever a company limits my choices in an attempt to force me to buy something new, I usually respond by taking my business elsewhere.

[Gad Get @ Mar 27th 2009 6:56PM]

Every company does that! Where are you gonna go? Apple?

[ds @ Mar 27th 2009 6:55PM]

Teal has been a Palm OS developer for longer than I remember (TealScript, TealDB, etc.), and always made some fantastic things. In fact, if I remember correctly, TealOS was originally their own reskin of Palm OS (before webOS came along, didn't have those features), and was my second favorite (behind SilverScreen, man, this brings back some memories). Hopefully this won't hurt them too badly in the market for the new OS.

[Carl Vitullo @ Mar 27th 2009 7:29PM]

Quick! Someone make a torrent!

[redleader158 @ Mar 28th 2009 12:24AM]

no need.
http://www.pda4x.com/read.php?tid=86183

[jjcitron @ Mar 27th 2009 7:37PM]

i tried it, and after about 5 days of the wowees, i uninstalled it. too damm slow. i use a 3rd party launcher called treo lnchr that lets me have 4 columns and type the name of the app to launch it. while Teal os is pretty, it slows me down, which makes it useless.

If palm were smart, they would buy it up, integrate it into the garnet rom (quicker perhaps?) and release it as a free 'loyalty upgrade' for centro/680/700p etc owners.

ive had my 680 for years now with almost no updates, all because i cant find a smart phone with a keyboard i like that has the intuitivy of the palm os UI.

the pre looks to be the one i want, but then again its on fracking sprint.

[redleader158 @ Mar 28th 2009 12:28AM]

use a dynamic memory hack that takes your ROM and turns it to RAM. theres a good one called UMDH

[decypher44 @ Mar 27th 2009 7:44PM]

I knew it was going to happen. Glad I got in when I did. I absolutely LOVE TealOS on my Centro. Seeing as how the Pre most likely won't be available to me (on my SERO account), I won't be getting the Pre. TealOS is honestly the next best thing.

[Brian @ Mar 28th 2009 1:01AM]

Why would Pre not be available on SERO? Unless you've grand-fathered in a plan from 1994, that statement is non-sense.

[neodorian @ Mar 30th 2009 1:59PM]

As SERO has been largely abused they are phasing it out for the most part. Luckily, their other plans are still cheaper than the competition and if I'm lucky I will try to get a Pre on my old plan with $29 voice plan and $15 unlimited data. I hate paying for hundreds of daytime voice minutes that I won't use. I love having a low-voice, data-centric plan for $50.

[midiwall @ Mar 27th 2009 7:58PM]

Purchased and installed. Very nice.

[str1f3 @ Mar 27th 2009 9:17PM]

So when does Apple issue a takedown notice to Papm?

[pedxxing @ Mar 27th 2009 10:33PM]

has it not been established legally at this point that "look & feel" are NOT enforceable as copyright, trademark, or otherwise? (we have skinning applications that completely emulate operating system behaviors at the UI level, and linux distributions that copycat other operating systems, but this has all previously been settled) Of course Palm will issue a cease and desist because they want to be the only game in town, and they want to sell new hardware and new phone contracts for their carriers, but legally it holds no weight.

(IMNAL so take that with a grain of salt)

[TavisJohn @ Mar 28th 2009 12:03AM]

The new beta (v1.45) is much smoother and better than the first release (v1.03).

Although that could also be because I recently replace the 4gig microdrive in my LifeDrive with a 16gig 120x CF Card...

However there are other improvements that makes it one of the better launchers out there.

[F. C. @ Mar 28th 2009 12:55AM]

Maybe Palm is trying to avoid confusion in the weeks/months leading up to the Pre. Techies are straight on the Palm OS/Web OS difference but the average Joe may not at this point. TealOS, a Web OS skin running on top of Palm OS, may be too much for some to handle w/o smoking at the ears. Hence Palms decision.

But the Palm, Inc. rep really had this installed on a Treo? Lol

[Steven M @ Mar 28th 2009 11:36AM]

Palm had to do something to protect its IP. If they make no effort toward TealOS than other people can take their patents...of which I'm sure they have some governing the WebOS UI...

[Dane @ Mar 28th 2009 7:46PM]

Their patents? How could they have any since they haven't produced anything new in years? All of their patents should have expired by now (that is sarcasm). I've owned Palm devices for about 8 years. I am jumping ship. They suck. The last Palm purchase I have and ever will make was the 700p. I never knew a tech company could produce an unsupported product. No updates in 3 years? Oh, thats right, there was the one update Treo700p 1.10-VZW that hosed thousands of phones. How could they get that wrong since they were NOT busy producing any other updates? Needless to say I agree with one of the above posts; seems they want to find any reason to force you to update to the Pre. The iPre (iphone rip off) may be a great product when released, I just don't trust their record on device support. Watch out, they'll be threatening Opera Mini next. I will be thrilled when Palm.com reads "at Apple's request, we will no longer be selling or distributing Palm Pre."