There's surely no hope left for Palm now, is there?

[FridgeMagnet]

Meh.

 

[editor]

Engadget is frothing about it (from the live updates I read earlier) and there's certainly some interesting stuff in there too...

 

[editor]

Wireless charger too.... Nice.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Wireless charger too.... Nice.

Yeah I was gonna ask er how does this work without electricuted yourself?!

 

[Crispy]

magnetic induction

 

[Kid_Eternity]

magnetic induction

You what?

 

[Sunray]

I still think that they could pull the rabbit from a hat because the phones they are selling are starting to become main stream. Apple marketed the iPhone to death showing people what phones can do and people are starting to take an interest in their phone being more of a phone but perhaps not willing to spend as much as Apple want to charge.

CPU/battery power has reached a point where it can do pretty much everything people would expect, in a snappy responsive manner. I still think its a new market yet to be totally dominated and with their new OS it could do well, their seems to be enough good will for the ball to be picked up again.

*smug*

 

[editor]

*smug*

You certainly weren't as doom-laden as me, but I don't think anyone expected Palm to serve up th killer phone seen today!

Even long term Apple fanboy sites like Engadget and Gizmodo are frothing over it, with suggestions that it even surpasses the mighty iPhone.

It's certainly put my Android-buying on hold and if it comes out within the next 3 months or so, I'm almost certainly in unless it comes on a silly deal. It's a sensational phone.

Oh, and I guess I should close this thread seeing as there's a new one here:
http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=276021

 

[Crispy]

You what?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging

Like an electric toothbrush

 

[editor]

This techie bloke on thestreet.com thinks that Palm have bigger plans for their webOS.

I'm not convinced, but it certainly seems a very capable platform to launch from....

It seems obvious, in light of Google's Chrome operating system initiative, that Palm's plans for its WebOS software are much bigger than the Pre phone.

# Here are three reasons Palm will push into the netbook market: Laptops are shrinking to the size of, well, Palm tops.
# Palm has dipped a toe here before with the ill-fated Foleo.
# Smartphones and mini-notebooks are almost the same and, it's where all the action is.

The market for software to run next-generation mobile computing devices is surprisingly wide open. Microsoft, Apple, now Google and eventually Palm are leading the race to this space. And while the opportunity is huge, developing the right system, one that's light enough to run for nine hours but muscular enough to hoist several programs at one time, is the big challenge.

Tech giants are approaching the target from different angles. Microsoft and Apple have to scale down computer operating systems, while Google and Palm have to beef up smartphone software.

Linux software seems to fit the specs. The cheap, open-source, developer-friendly system is at the core of Google's Chrome plan, and it is the code inside Palm's WebOS.

Analysts like Trip Chowdhry with Global Equities Research have proposed that Palm will make netbooks. And numerous bloggers have speculated that Palm will take another stab at the Foleo, a failed early netbook effort designed puzzlingly as a smartphone accessory.

Palm was early and wrong the first time. But now it has a former Apple engineer heading the company and a budding success with a new WebOS operating system.

You can probably expect Palm to be a force in this emerging smartbook trend.

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/sto...-palm.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

Another persistent rumour is that Microsoft will abandon their WM platform and buy out Palm. I can see the logic in that - unlike their hideously clunky WM platform, Palm has an exciting, fresh new OS that is easily capable of offering a viable alternative to the iPhone - but it would be a huge volte-face for Microsoft to give up on their mobile platform now. I'd say it's pretty unlikely, myself.

David Carnoy of CNET comes in with a nice roundup of the latest set of analysts talking about a Palm takeover, this time by Microsoft.

Personally, I think a Microsoft-Palm marriage would be a win-win for both companies and that it should happen sooner rather than later. But as it stands, we'll likely have to wait a year or more for things to shake out and for a clearer picture to develop. Toward the end of this year, we may see a beta of Windows Mobile 7, Microsoft will release the Zune HD (some Zune user interface elements may me integrated into WM7 or vice versa), and we'll see what new handsets and carrier relationships Palm has up its sleeve.

David Coursey of PCWorld thinks Microsoft should do it for sure, as does Farhad Majoo of Slate. All three make excellent points, but the bottom line is that there are a few gigantic roadblocks to this deal.

http://www.precentral.net/palm-not-sale

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/169489/microsoft_should_buy_palm_now.html

 

[jæd]

This techie bloke on thestreet.com thinks that Palm have bigger plans for their webOS.

That's some badly written, lets string some possibly related buzz-words together in search of a story but skimp on the analysis, punditry...

Sounds unlikely, given the cash strapped-ness of Palm.

IMO, unless they get a second device out by Q4 or Q1 2010, they won't make it to 2011.

Another persistent rumour is that Microsoft will abandon their WM platform and buy out Palm. I can see the logic in that - unlike their hideously clunky WM platform, Palm has an exciting, fresh new OS that is easily capable of offering a viable alternative to the iPhone - but it would be a huge volte-face for Microsoft to give up on their mobile platform now. I'd say it's pretty unlikely, myself.

Incredibly unlikely. It would be a 180 turn on Microsoft's Linux is Bad, m'kay, FUD campaign.

 

[Crispy]

MS has WM well embedded in their ecosystem - it's how they sell it to business. Never in 1m years will they buy webOS

a webOS netbook makes as much sense as an android or linux one. "why doesn't it work like my home computer?" "sorry sir, would you like to exchange for the windows version?"

 

[grit]

a webOS netbook makes as much sense as an android or linux one. "why doesn't it work like my home computer?" "sorry sir, would you like to exchange for the windows version?"

Totally, everyone thought that the netbook would finally bring Linux to the desktop, and it totally failed. People know and are comfortable with windows, its what they want.

 

[jæd]

Totally, everyone thought that the netbook would finally bring Linux to the desktop, and it totally failed. People know and are comfortable with windows, its what they want.

People want to stick with what they know. Even though Linux based Netbooks would be fine for the basic tasks most people use them for...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Palm would be mad to do anything other than focus on milking the Pre and phones until we're out of the recession and they're back in the cash...

MS buying out Palm I could see although with the recent Yahoo thing can't see it happening any time soon...