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July 2, 2007 2:06 PM PDT

Next Palm OS not until 2008

by Tom Krazit

Palm won't be able to put out its Linux-based version of the Palm OS until next year, the company said last week.

This is a slip from earlier expectations that it would be out later this year, according to Brighthand. Palm announced in April that it was developing its own Linux-based version of the Palm OS despite a similar project from Access, the company formerly known as Palmsource.

Palm OS, which is actually now known as Garnet OS, has been looking older and older next to newer mobile operating systems such as Windows Mobile, as well as that iPhone thing you might have heard about. Palm wants to migrate Garnet OS to a Linux core while maintaining support for older Palm OS applications, but the project will apparently take longer than expected.

That means that Palm will continue to compete against the iPhone and other challengers with Garnet OS, which hasn't been updated in years, and Windows Mobile Palm has freely admitted that it's worried about the iPhone, warning investors last week that it might post a loss next quarter because of the iPhone mania. The company recently cut an equity deal with Elevation Partners and is under fire to come up with its next big thing. I'm not too sure that will be the Foleo.

Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom.
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2008?
by shane--2008 July 2, 2007 3:46 PM PDT
by then the iPhone will have 75% of the "smart phone" market all
wrapped up.

good luck palm, you are going to need it. RIM will have 24% and i
am sure you can have the leftovers.....
Reply to this comment
It's not "Palm" anymore
by caywen123 July 2, 2007 3:48 PM PDT
It's Access. Palm no longer exists, AFAIK.
Reply to this comment
Ummm...
by ps_martin July 2, 2007 4:19 PM PDT
http://www.palm.com/us/
View reply
wow
by Mr-P July 2, 2007 8:24 PM PDT
thats a huge estimate 75% by iphone in 1 year... Do you really think that 75% of all phone users worldwide will only use Iphones?
Reply to this comment
Not at the price the iPhone sells at
by Orion Blastar July 3, 2007 12:41 AM PDT
it won't reach 75%.

Nokia is popular because it is an inexpensive cell phone which is why it has one of the largest user bases of any cell phone company.
75% of smart phones
by Olu070 July 3, 2007 1:11 PM PDT
I think they meant 75% of smart-phone users. If rumors that Apple sold 700,000 iPhones in the 1st 3 days is even remotely close, that won't be too difficult a goal.
iPhone will have 75% of the market share?
by rblevitt July 4, 2007 2:32 AM PDT
Given that the least expensive variant of the iPhone is $499, I don't
think so.
iDon't Bother-Palm=Relic from the Past
by NRecob July 2, 2007 8:36 PM PDT
Palm/Garnet/whatever you want to call it is HISTORY ;)
Even the latest Treos seem VERY dated next to Blackberrys and
iPhones ;)
Reply to this comment
Which is why Palm is converting to Linux
by Orion Blastar July 3, 2007 12:44 AM PDT
because Linux has the power to beat the Mac OSX based iPhone. PalmOS/GarnetOS is too old and it cost a lot of money to develop new features.

It is cheaper to convert to Linux, IBM learned that when OS/2 cost them billions so they converted their applications over to Linux and eventually gave up OS/2 to eComStation.

Even Novell has converted the core of their Netware operating system to run under Linux.
View reply
Palm's foolish outlook of the future
by sandman619 July 3, 2007 12:02 AM PDT
Palm's President has shown where Palm's future is headed when
his statement that Apple would be foolish to enter the mobile
market. Looks like he is eating crow for dinners now. Palm's
answer to the iPhone was a $400 device that does little to make
any Palm device relevant.
Reply to this comment
I assume you meant the Palm Treo
by Orion Blastar July 3, 2007 12:31 AM PDT
http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo680/

I think the Treo series was out before the iPhone, and the iPhone is a copycat of the Treo, minus the keyboard of course.

Apple yet again is a Johnny Come Lately with the iPhone, Nokia, Palm, and many others had iPhone like products already on the market before Apple decided to get into the smartphone market.

Apple's idea of a PDA was the Newton, a miserable failure. The Palm Pilot won out over that.
View reply
Palm = good hardware, old software, and no updates
by edsoliz July 5, 2007 5:51 AM PDT
Palm's hardware is great, (removable batteries nonwithstanding) but their OS and software is stuck in 1998. It would also be nice if they provided software updates like just about every _other_ company on the planet. I like my T|X, it does lots of things, but I can't help but think that it could do more.
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