News: Palm to focus 100 percent on webOS devices moving forward

chris · 09-17-2009, 05:02 PM

During a conference call discussing last quarter’s fiscal results, Jon Rubinstein indicated that Palm will commit 100% of their resources to webOS. Going forward, the company will only ship webOS devices. This effectively puts an end to the Palm Treo and Palm Centro products. While many expected that Palm OS devices would likely end with the Centro, Palm discontinuing Windows Mobile phones is surprising.

During the Q&A Rubinstein said that Palm would be “focusing all of our effort building webOS products” and that all future engineering efforts will on developing webOS devices.

News:Palm to focus 100 percent on webOS devices moving forward

PapaNoHair · 09-17-2009, 07:21 PM

Thanks for the news - surprised it took them this long.

AKITAYO · 09-17-2009, 09:03 PM

IMO thats why MS is running to sell WM to Korean phones mfgs and some of it, like LG are starting to launch with WM . Palm has made a right decision.

fr4nk1yn · 09-17-2009, 09:24 PM

After the Pixie and maybe after another flagship, they need to get to selling WebOS licensing.
HTC will totally rock it. IT they can dress up Windows imagine what they could do with WebOS, if they actually stated using some decent hardware that is.

tamole · 11-04-2009, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by chris

During a conference call discussing last quarter’s fiscal results, Jon Rubinstein indicated that Palm will commit 100% of their resources to webOS. Going forward, the company will only ship webOS devices. This effectively puts an end to the Palm Treo and Palm Centro products. While many expected that Palm OS devices would likely end with the Centro, Palm discontinuing Windows Mobile phones is surprising.

During the Q&A Rubinstein said that Palm would be “focusing all of our effort building webOS products” and that all future engineering efforts will on developing webOS devices.

News:Palm to focus 100 percent on webOS devices moving forward

Palm will no longer make devices with the Access OS, but I’m asking them to reconsider. Well, begging, really.

My first Palm was a Handspring. It had the touch screen that everyone now seems to think Apple invented. It had simple icons on the screen to access programs. (Sound familiar?) It was in many ways ahead of its time and the most popular PDA in the market. Handspring even had a device you could plug in to it that turned it into a phone.

Then Palm came up with a smartphone that was both PDA and phone, again wowing the masses. (For you Windows Mobile fans, I don’t mention it here because of its awkward, non-intuitive interface.) Palm continued to come up with new phones, but the OS stayed the same. I liked it but also wanted a better browser, faster internet access, better multi-media and some just-plain-fun stuff.

So, I waited. And waited. And waited.

While waiting, I gave in to the hype about the iPhone, which I kept only for one day, mostly because it didn’t have my favorite apps. It does now. But I wanted to switch from AT&T to Verizon for its better coverage, so I ruled out the iPhone.

I wandered into Sprint to check out the new Palm Pre. It looked like fun, but it didn’t have some of my favorite apps. Still doesn’t. I’m also not crazy about hanging the personal confidential data on my phone on some cloud. Where is the “cloud?” How secure is the “cloud?” Who has access to the “cloud?”

So, I waited some more. When Blackberry released the new Storm 2, I pounced. I can still sync all my data with my computer, where I know it’s nice and safe. Is it perfect? No. But, I’m out of options. I like the phone well enough, so I’ll keep it. It has fun stuff, multimedia and great browser. But it still doesn’t do some things as well as old Palm OS.

Overall, Palm’s OS was very easy to learn. The app icons were clear and accessible all at once or by category. The Blackberry interface is confusing. I’ve been playing with it for a week now and I’m still wandering all over the place to find where things are. If I had time to do nothing but, I’m sure I would have mastered it by now. Seriously, though, shouldn’t it be much easier?

The Palm email had a select all option to deleted with one click. With the Storm, you can select all the emails on the screen by using two fingers and sliding down, pushing the menu button, selecting delete and then OK. If you have a lot of emails, you will have to repeat this action until all the screens are emptied. Most annoying is that there is no way to silence the phone with clicking through several screens.

There are many more things I miss about my old Palm, too many to list here. I went through several generations of Palm and loved every one. Why can’t they upgrade some of the features on the old OS, and give us old time loyalists the phone we really want? A better, faster, familiar old friend.

AKITAYO · 11-04-2009, 05:34 PM

tamole
I am with you on all about Palm OS and how robust until the last Treo device was made.
I still run my Treo 680 GSM unlocked waiting for my Pre maybe version 2 for the time when a GSM unlocked version will come directly from Palm store.

But we have to remember a little that to have a solid/robust Treo were 2 years between the Treo 180g GSM and the Treo 650 GSM/CDMA that IMHO was when the Palm OS Treos started to show with finest OS and apps , that we miss now.

You can browse on this site, just to remember the Treo history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treo

I am impatient like you awating eveything you said and need, as other Treo users there that actually have a Pre and maybe more Treo users waiting for a more robust unit.

Suggest to give 2 years (one year and half left) for new brand good looking/performance webos device with better features, apps, and a faster OS with great new processor maybe not the A9 ARM but a new faster one for then.

joek71 · 11-04-2009, 05:57 PM

bigger screen, dual core or quad core cpu, more ram, more hard drive space like 32-64gigs or more, get more companines involved in developing 3rd parties software.
they should team up with AMD/ATI and let this company develop the hardware for them.

Otsdev · 11-17-2009, 05:36 AM

I Love my Pre BUT I have an Ipod Touch originally to just listen to audio books (converted from cd's at library to mp3

) but have used the email and it runs rings around the Pre. Long wait for the actual email content to come up on Pre - iTouch is almost instantanious, yes the ITouch lacks synergy but I can go through all of my email on the Itouch almost in the time it takes the Pre to open one.

As far as Apps, thats a no brainer, but I'm surprised that there arn't more BUSINESS apps for the Pre, it's a Palm and am still hoping to replace my Palm Tungsten but am finding the apps I need for my Business are available for the ITouch but still little or nothing for the Pre.

Not giving up, I know it's new, and I Love my Pre, just wish the Business apps would start coming (moble DB, Timewerks, and SYNCING!!!!!) Shouldn't have to copy data in usb, even the Itouch syncs it's apps via local network WiFi quick and easy but have to buy apps for the pre to sync and many still use usb file transfers and I really didn't expect to loose one of the basic features that most palm apps use even when running under Classic.

Still Love my Pre, waited 6 months to get it, and now waiting to get some Serious Business aps for it, someday I'll be able to go back to just listening to good books on the ITouch and use the Palm Pre for what I bought it for.

PapaNoHair · 11-17-2009, 12:07 PM

Looks like they are putting all their eggs in one basket - let's hope financially they make it.