Palm and Handspring's Long And Winding Road

[Steve]

Author Thomas Wolfe said that you can't go home again. Well, seems Mr. Wolfe was wrong -- at least when it comes to Palm's founders, Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky.



Read Brighthand founder Steve Bush's thoughts on the Palm-Handspring merger at http://www.brighthand.com/article/Pa...spring_History

[Mike Cane]

Excellent summary, Steve.

[imported_DJulz]

Nicely done Steve. As a LOOOOOOONG time Palm user, I cant help but be nostalgic about this latest twist in the Palm story. I throught Handspring's Treo were the best convergence device running the Palm OS, and now it seems Palm agrees - this was a very smart move by Palm.

Now if only they could step back and let Jeff and Donna (and team ) have the lead the creative process, Palm could get back to market dominance and my stocks would be able to pay for more than my daughter's first semester in Junior College!

[pocketfactory]

Originally posted by DJulz
...Palm could get back to market dominance...

Get back? They never lost it.

[gfunkmagic]

IMO, the justification of this merger will depend on the ultimate success of the Treo 600. If this explodes in the market, then PSG will have made a one of the best business decisions in years b/c they would effectivel become an important player in the mobile market. I hope it comes true...

[rsc1000]

As one who is quick to nit-pick your articles, i must say this is well written and brings refreshing perspective to this merger. Its going to make the coming months and years interesting to watch this merger unfold.

[Steve]

There are also a number of other excellent articles about the merger beginning to appear around the web. Here are a few:

From the San Francisco Chronicle - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...&type=business

From SmartMoney - http://yahoo.smartmoney.com/onedaywo...0604&afl=yahoo

From Financial Times - http://biz.yahoo.com/ft/030604/1054416412576_2.html

[treynolds]

An excellent story on what must have been inevitable. I wish them the best, though there'll be less competition, which is always better for the consumer and for innovation.

It would be nice to see the competition between Palm and Sony ratcheted up a few notches to prod both companies to break out of the molds they seem to have cats for themselves. Palm seems to have started down this path.

I'm glad, in a way, that Palm bought Handspring rather than Sony. It's a more fitting, though ironic twist...

Tony

[doctor_mouse]

I think there's a simpler explanation for all these moves of the Palm cofounders: money. Not bureaucracy, not intellectual persecution, just plain ol' money.