Did he really just say that?
September 20th, 2007
Ed Hardy at Brighthand says that Palm should drop all plans for a Linux-based Palm OS II, and should instead shift the company's focus to Windows Mobile devices.
Palm already makes several smartphones that don't have the problems I mentioned earlier: the Treo 700w/wx, the Treo 750, and the soon-to-be-released Treo 500. But they don't run the Palm OS; they run Windows Mobile. And that's the direction Palm has to go.
The company should give up on spending a year or so on Palm OS II, and go with something that works now.
Setting aside the whole Micro$oft evil empire thingy, it's really difficult to argue with Hardy's logic. 2009 is a long ways down the road to bring out the new Palm OS.
As for the Foleo, Hardy writes
And this move wouldn't even have to mean the end of the Foleo II. HTC has demonstrated how well Windows Mobile adapts to laptop-like devices.
One nice thing about a Windows Mobile-based Foleo is that there would be no problem with software. And WinMob is certainly a better OS for mobile devices than Vista is.
Hmm…
September 20th, 2007 at 9:54 am
But if they become just another Windows company, they have nothing to distinguish themselves from the other ones. The Palm OS is what makes them special.
I won’t buy a Windows mobile Treo. Ever.
September 20th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
If they go all-Windows across their product line, then why should anyone buy a Palm device? The Windows-based Treos really aren’t that spectacular, are they? Palm needs to concentrate on differentiating themselves and on creating something that forces Microsoft to actually compete, as opposed to constantly playing catch-up to the other Windows Mobile device manufacturers.
September 20th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
funny that these comments (above) are the same things people were saying back when everyone was speculating on whether Palm would make a Windows Mobile Treo to begin with.
Not sure why that’s funny. Just is.
September 20th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
I have mixed emotions on Ed’s commentary. As an enterprise user, I have become accustomed to using a Windows Mobile smartphone (Sprint Palm-700wx), and I feel that since Palm is planning to continue making Windows Mobile devices, it could be a a good business decision for them to consolidate onto a single platform.
However, I remember a comment that Jeff Hawkins made when he introduced the Foleo at the D5 Conference about making the Foleo operate with “Palm simplicity.” One of the things that made Palm products successful from an early stage was the simple user interface and OS. You lose some of that simplicity if you go all Windows Mobile.
It looks like Palm needs to make a decision: either they want to build their own operating platform and be late to market… or be at the table early with an operating system that may not provide the user experience that they want.
I would rather they choose coming to market quickly with WM, but that may just be because I want my FoleoII now… not next year (or heaven forbid: 2009).
September 20th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Oh this is soooo funny. Especially coming from Hardy!
Editorial: Why the Palm OS Is the Inevitable Winner
Yep, that’s Ed writing that. Even at the time I emailed him a WTF? about it.
I’d rather have a Foleo without email sync than any WinCE device. The Foleo kicks the sh*t out of the HTC Advantage.
September 21st, 2007 at 4:22 pm
No way Palm is going to drop the OS development. No way.
September 28th, 2007 at 6:28 am
But I can already buy lots of WinMob phones. Why would I want Palm if not for the speedy-n-simple OS?