PalmOS lives on, Aceeca releasing two devices this year
By Nilay Patel 
posted January 15th 2010 10:19PM
posted January 15th 2010 10:19PM
Sure, all the cool kids might have moved on to webOS these days, but the venerable PalmOS hasn't totally kicked it yet -- a company called Aceeca is actually releasing two Garnet-based devices later this year. If you don't remember the entire sordid saga, the source code for PalmOS actually ended up with Access, which now licenses it out to other companies -- including Palm, as it happens. Confusing? Yes. So is the idea of forking over $199 for the consumer-targeted Aceeca PDA32 Garnet, which packs an unnamed ARM CPU, a QVGA screen, and an SD expansion slot into a case that's "taller than a Palm TX and about twice as thick." Oh, and you'll have to pay extra for "wireless options." Sounds like a winner -- we'd actually advise you to go with the PDA32 CE, which runs Windows CE 5.0 and probably looks a lot like a Samsung Blackjack if you squint just right and drink enough rubbing alcohol. Corporate customers get some dated hardware of their own from Aceeca: the MEZ1500 Garnet, which will run a steep $499 and keeps the QVGA screen but adds a bigger battery, a faster processor, and an expansion bus for various optional barcode scanner, RFID readers, and so forth. You'll have to pay extra for WiFi and Bluetooth on this one too, and you can also get a WinCE 5.0 version, which is apparently some kind of hilarious vaporware no one's been waiting for. Sadly we don't have any pictures of this gear, but we're dying to check it all out -- can you say "iPhone killer?"
iPhone killer.
@iFargle
It won't be but very close as some might say.
I can't stand fanboys can you.
@iFargle
I should add my /sarcasm tag.
@iFargle Only if it comes with a Stylus!
Sounds more like a smart phone killer. Gosh, this makes me want to go back to the days of MS DOS; who needs Windows anyway?
@iFargle
What next! Maybe Nokia will release a phone with Symbian for a bit of old school charm
@iFargle Maybe if you physically throw one of these things at the iPhone, that should do it!
@Thinker totally agree... I went to best buy the other day and some guy tried to convince me I needed more than 640k.. idiots
Will there be an atari emulator?
@Edobe
Not one that runs at full speed...
PDAs! Good times. Handspring, iPaq. The good memories of moving up from the binder dayplanners.
@mailbox01 iPAQs with WM6.5 on them still have quite a bit of life in them...
iPhone killer? No, I think it's a Pre-killer. I really can't stand looking at high resolution screens.
Will it sell better than the Pre?
I am thinking of trading up from my Palm Pre :)
If this thing can run "Need for Speed" in 3D like my Pre, and load webOS, I am sold! ...well, nearly.
lolz, I really enjoyed reading this post.
I want to address something I see alot on these blog posts...
Success is when the phones sell, not when they come out of the factory.
just because there's new WindowsMobile phones doesn't mean people are buying them. Android could have 50 models coming out in 2010, but if people only buy like 2 of them, its not 'taking over'...
this supply side focus leads to alot of confusion.
I'm sure alot of people think Android is a huge deal, just because there's a ton of devices at CES, but will be totally baffled when they look at the marketshare numbers or mobile search numbers, or any ACTUAL measure of Androids popularity (which, by the way, is a free OS, so Google still just makes money off ads).
There's a reason these still exist, and I'll tell you why:
Legacy support.
I know countless companies that still rely on PalmOS devices to this day for everything from inventory to management. Sure, they can migrate to Windows Mobile, Android, or other platforms. But factor in the costs involved with moving not only hardware but an entirely new platform.
Software costs. Possible replacement of the entire company infrastructure. Licensing. Training.
With something like this they can just simply load-and-go, so to speak with their pre-existing infrastructure. Especially with the addons for RFiD and barcode support - this is designed for the industry and not the average consumer.
@dragonfli
Hi there,
You hit the nail right on the head. It is designed for industry. I certainly wouldn't buy one as an entertainment device. I am not sure why anyone would think it was designed to compete with iPods and the like.
Best Regards
Alex.
CEO of Aceeca.
It's a data collector. It's not a phone. There are actually a lot of data collectors out there that still run DOS, seriously. Battery life and brain dead simplicity of the OS is an absolute must for data collectors. Data collectors, on the average, tend to be thicker and more ruggedized. Oh, and since they pretty much don't end up in the average person's pocket, they tend to cost more due to lower volume and specialty of the device. That industry tends to run pretty far behind the curve, which probably surprises and confounds the engadget crowd.
Until iPhoneOS, webOS, and Android can compact down under 20MB and run well on devices with an average battery life of several days, none of the above will be suitable for industrial data collection. Sorry to kill the joke, but it's like a 9 year old making a joke about smoking ganja, when all he's ever had was a sip of his daddy's beer. Kinda sad.
@zullnero I can agree definitely on the "costs more" part and the compact-ness of the OS, and its' reliability.
I own a Telxon PTC-2134 "portable tele-transaction computer" running Windows 95. It fits on a 96MB CompactFlash card, using approximatly 50 MB of the space. Might I add that this was a Telxon-stripped down copy of OSR2.5 with IE? It's reliable as a rock - reliable enough that it keeps spawning the same @#%$@# TlxBtn icon on my desktop every time it boots.
Cost-wise? For a "serial/keyboard cable" I need, it'd be close to $99 from some random retail supply company. A frickin' PS/2 cable and a 9-pin serial port on some specialized MDSM (Micro D-Subminiature) connector.
And what I'm doing with it? Equipping it with an older-model Sierra AirCard that has voice-enable capabilities to turn it into an uber-smartphone to show just how modern smartphones have evolved from giant grey bricks with barcode scanners.
@dragonfli Indeed. My university's package room uses monochrome Palm OS devices to scan packages. They upgraded them just this past summer, and the new ones look nearly identical. I think they even still use 160x160 monochrome screens.
@zullnero
Hi,
Nice reply - good to see someone understands that there is life outside of consumer devices.....................you know the boring old stuff that makes the money so we can buy our toys.
Best Regards
Alex
CEO Aceeca
Sounds kinda like they're bringing back a reincarnated version of the Handspring Visor, what with barcode scanner expansion and such.....
This reminds me of when I buy a car, pay extra for alloy wheels, extra for air con, extra for this and that. I have better units than that sitting in draws from years past
I want a bloody Mc Happy meal when I get a phone/pda.
@Wesscoast You do know this isn't a phone right? This is a non-smartphone PDA running an OS that hasn't been updated since the Palm Centro came out. Hell Palm's last PDA, the TX (which I still have and it is a very nice device) came out in 2005.
Am I right in thinking this is intended for commercial use in factories and such? The device description sounds like the PDA+attachment devices used at auto service centers to input customer data and scan the car's barcode.
@superstar
Actually palm stopped updating Palm OS in 2002, everything since has only been minor tweaks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_OS
there sarcasm makes me mad. i am actually a little happy to see palm os live on. it was really what started the mobile revolution
I still use my Palm TX everyday. Hell...I even read Engadget on it.
+1. LifeDrive with CF mod here.
What bothers me is that people doesn't understand that PalmOS is NOT an entertainment/home OS like the iPhone's or WinMo, it's a _working_ OS (though it can stop working if you look at it some days) without eye candy, without internet (you don't need the internet in a work environment, just local network), without the multimedia flashiness.
With PalmOS (Garnet) it just gets done, absolutely no distractions. The same can not be said about most modern OSes (mobile or otherwise) which are all meant for more personal uses.
@Blacklight
Agreed, Palm E2 user here for many years.
@Blacklight
Thanks for the clarification - let me know if you want a job in our marketing dept if one comes up, we can always use someone with basic common sense. Palm OS - or Garnet as we now call it is a fantastic piece of software for what it was designed to do and way less complicated to work with than the others. Plus we will be making it even better! The biggest problem was always the lack of appropriate commercial hardware.
Best Regards
Alex
CEO Aceeca
P.S - The job would be at our head office is in New Zealand
@atopschij
Question about where you said "Plus we will be making it even better! The biggest problem was always the lack of appropriate commercial hardware."
Will you be making it better by using newer hardware? or will there be actual OS improvements?
@baalthazaar
Hi,
There will be both new hardware and improvements to the OS - full details will be advised in the official press release.
Cheers
Alex.
Hilarious! Used to love Palm but now the iPod Touch more than meets my needs. Too little, too late Aceeca.
The happy days are coming back.
I like that palm OS lives on, I used to love my TX. I was still using it around the time the iphone came out, and I could do so much more on my TX then anyone with an iphone could do (at the time).
@zsmorr : Palm OS was the bomb. Hey..does the Pre have an emulator??
I still have my TX!
I was using my TX at home for quick checking of email and some browsing up until I got my Pre.
But... Why?
For a consumer that is, these don't seem much better then a Palm TX. Just get one off of eBay. It kinda makes sense I guess for a business though. But still...
@Jon Rubinstein
Your grammar is fail. Payed?
I still have my Sony CLIE TG50. It was awesome, QWERTY keyboard, 320x320 screen, games, homework management... I miss those days. It is probably as thin as your iPhone, ha.
Bhajis Loops, man, Bhajis Loops. Still nothing better for composing on the go.
OMG. Palm OS will forever stalk the Earth. A wandering horror of primordial undead OS anachronisms.
Please, somebody create a Palm OS killer!!! A sharpened stick rubbed with garlic just might do it!!!
Capacitive screen? :D
I don't mind Palm OS, but come on, at that price? Looks like they're just trying to gouge companies/businesses that are still dependent on Palm OS devices.
@pika2000
Hi there,
Actually if you look at our pricing compared to other commercial devices, price gouging is the last thing you would accuse us of. We are the lowest cost provider in the commercial market and proud of it. The PDA32 is not targeted at the consumer market, for one thing it is too bulky due to its huge 2600mAh battery and internal cast metal bracing frame. There will be a lot more information released over the next few weeks that will explain what we are doing.
Best Regards
Alex
CEO Aceeca.
@Jon Rubinstein No wonder the CEO of PALM does not know how to spell iPhone!
Do you take screenshots of Engadget from your PC and then put them on your Palm device through USB cable?