Palm Should Not Reject the Idea of Windows Mobile Handhelds

[Ed Hardy]

In this editorial, Ed Hardy discusses why he thinks Palm's decision to not make Windows Mobile handhelds is a mistake.

Read more at http://www.brighthand.com/article/Pa...inMo_Handhelds

[JK27]

Palm will make Windows Mobile handhelds ... it's just a matter of time. Once they see how many Windows Mobile Treos they can sell, they'll change their tune.

[missplet_name]

Yeah, they will. But to have announced it now would have just added to the Death of POS talk and meant zero sales of their new POS handhelds. This time next year, maybe...

[sojourner753]

Ed couldn't help but emphasize, many times, the multimedia capabilities of the WM platform.

I'm thinking thinking there is a WM LifeDrive in the works as we speak.

If I remember correctly, one of the new features of WM5.0 is hard drive support.

Was this also encouraged by Palm?

Hmmm....

[treynolds]

As someone who has used both platforms, and I suppose most of us here have, I would welcome a Palm handheld running Windows Mobile.

I dont care for the overhead that most Pocket PC's have in their OS; the Palm OS is better suited to my needs, and guessing from the sales of Palm devices over the years, to the needs of hundreds of thousands of others as well.

A Palm port of Windows Mobile 5 might actually be usable. I would certainly welcome the seamless sync with Outlook.

It's a win-win for Palm; they're stupid if they don't do it.

Tony

[dstrauss]

I may be crazier than a loon, but the real reason there won't be a Palm/Windows PDA is because PDA's are becoming the low end commodity market, behind smartphone development. All of the new "hot stuff" is coming first to smartphones. Where will there be significant margins (or continuing user interest) to pay $399-$459 for a high end PDA, when $399 gets you a high end smartphone (granted, after carrier subsidies, but who in the world DOESN'T have a wireless account anymore).

So PDA's will eventually go the way of the blister-pack calculators (you know, the ones you pick up at the end cap as you check out of Target or Walmart), and a cheap Palm OS will do well there.

[pocketfactory]

Palm will roll out Windows Mobile handhelds starting next year, possibly in the spring. Don't bother listening to the PR folks, they have to deny such plans or else they risk creating another M500 fiasco, causing Palm customers to hold back and wait until WM handhelds arrive.

Based on Colligan's remarks, I expect to see WM integrated in high-end line, with PalmOS taking up the low-cost segment of the handheld line.

[treynolds]

Originally posted by dstrauss
I may be crazier than a loon, but the real reason there won't be a Palm/Windows PDA is because PDA's are becoming the low end commodity market, behind smartphone development. All of the new "hot stuff" is coming first to smartphones. Where will there be significant margins (or continuing user interest) to pay $399-$459 for a high end PDA, when $399 gets you a high end smartphone (granted, after carrier subsidies, but who in the world DOESN'T have a wireless account anymore).

I think that the answer is that not everyone wants an all-in-one device. I certainly don't want to be on a call and then tell my caller to hold while I remove my phone from my ear to look up data...

Tony

[dsaroff]

Sorry, Ed. But I think your suggestion is nuts!

For years everyone has said, 'we love the Palm OS, but Palm hardware is inferior to Dell, HP...' So, WinMob on Palm hardware would be a loser. While I love the Palm OS, I agree with the concensus that other's make hardware better (I'd love the new Axim with Palm OS). If Palm dropped POS and went WinMob, it would be slaughtered, bloodbath. Palm would be slueced off into the gutter, 'cause its hardware just isn't on par with those supplied by PPC vendors.

[neuron]

Originally posted by dsaroff
Sorry, Ed. But I think your suggestion is nuts!

For years everyone has said, 'we love the Palm OS, but Palm hardware is inferior to Dell, HP...' So, WinMob on Palm hardware would be a loser. While I love the Palm OS, I agree with the concensus that other's make hardware better (I'd love the new Axim with Palm OS). If Palm dropped POS and went WinMob, it would be slaughtered, bloodbath. Palm would be slueced off into the gutter, 'cause its hardware just isn't on par with those supplied by PPC vendors.

ED's editorial is based on that MS gave Palm more control on the WM5 and future version windows mobile. Otherwise, Palm'S hardwares are almost the lowest grade among all PDAs, such as Dell's, HP's, lOOX or Acer.