SmartPhones based on the Symbian platform are far more capable (simple example - they can run multiple apps at a time without hacking), stable, and sadly - more mature than those based on PalmOS. I've liked Symbian OS for a while, but picked up a Treo650 and was amazed at the limitations of the platform. Heck it doesn't even play MP3s and most ring tone formats without buying third party software. Their J2ME support (which is what most mobile applications are written in) is shameful. Damn thing doesn't even have bluetooth support without hacking around it and using a bluetooth com port. Then I went back to Symbian OS with a Nokia E61 and realized why I loved Symbian OS so much. Plenty of software, actually supports standard APIs that the rest of the industry does, multiple vendor support for device variety, and a platform that is actually advancing. Sometimes it seems that PalmOS is going backwards... but that's really because the OS hasn't improved in ages.
The fact that Palm had to resort to using Windows on the mobile devices was clear indication that not even Palm has faith in PalmOS anymore.
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SmartPhones based on the Symbian platform are far more capable (simple example - they can run multiple apps at a time without hacking), stable, and sadly - more mature than those based on PalmOS. I've liked Symbian OS for a while, but picked up a Treo650 and was amazed at the limitations of the platform. Heck it doesn't even play MP3s and most ring tone formats without buying third party software. Their J2ME support (which is what most mobile applications are written in) is shameful. Damn thing doesn't even have bluetooth support without hacking around it and using a bluetooth com port. Then I went back to Symbian OS with a Nokia E61 and realized why I loved Symbian OS so much. Plenty of software, actually supports standard APIs that the rest of the industry does, multiple vendor support for device variety, and a platform that is actually advancing. Sometimes it seems that PalmOS is going backwards... but that's really because the OS hasn't improved in ages.
The fact that Palm had to resort to using Windows on the mobile devices was clear indication that not even Palm has faith in PalmOS anymore.
Let it die, its time has come.