Smartphones and Cell Phones

Matthew Miller

Another ending and beginning for Palm

By Matthew Miller | July 1, 2010, 6:45am PDT

Summary: I started using Palm devices in 1997 and today we see Palm end as an independent company when it becomes a division of HP. Many of us have fond memories of Palm so let’s recall some of that and think about the future.

Today marks the final day of Palm as we have known it for some time as it now becomes a division of HP. My friend Dieter put together an enjoyable walk down memory lane as he took a look back on his Palm history and hopes for the future. Palm was the leader in the PDA market and was the first to come out with smartphones that rocked the mobile world and set the bar for some time. I started using Palm devices in 1997 and my online user name of “palmsolo” comes from that long Palm history. Thanks for all the great years Palm and let’s hope that HP continues to develop and improve webOS moving forward.

Palm Computing began in 1996, a division of US Robotics at the time, with Jeff Hawkins, Donna Dubinsky, and Ed Colligan. My first Palm was the Pilot 1000 that had the US Robotics label on it and I was so enamored by the ability to replace my Franklin Planner that I saved up and continued to upgrade through the Palm lineup for years. My Palm devices in those days included the Pilot 1000, Palm III, Palm IIIx with axxPac slot, Palm IIIc (I can still clearly remember how excited I was about color on my PDA), Palm V (an unbeatable form factor at the time), and so on. I own a few of these still today along with a Palm Pre Plus. I stuck with Palm at times when it didn’t make a lot of sense, but there is a special place in my heart for the company that got me hooked on these mobile computers and I hope that we continue to see the Palm name used at HP.

Palm had some interesting times in its history too with the founders leaving Palm Computing, a 3Com subsidy at the time, to start Handspring. We then saw Palm Computing become Palm Inc. and then later merged with Handspring to become palmOne with the software becoming a company known as PalmSource. palmOne then purchased shared rights to PalmSource to become Palm again. PalmSource was aquired by ACCESS Systems, but then Palm, Inc. bought back the Palm OS source code. We then saw the unthinkable happen when Palm started selling the Treoo 700w, a Windows Mobile operating system device. Palm was on the ropes when they rocked the smartphone world with their webOS and Palm Pre announcement at CES in 2009. I still think that webOS is one of the best mobile operating systems and hope that HP can make smartphones running webOS into viable competitors to the iPhone and Android devices.

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Palm Inc., Smart Phones, Palm Pre, Handhelds, PDAs, Cellular Phones, Operating Systems, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Hardware, Software, Matthew Miller

Matthew Miller started using a Pilot 1000 in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since.

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RE: Another ending and beginning for Palm

Yeah, I also have a history of Palm PDA's, Palm OS smartphones from Samsung and Kyocera, a series of Palm Treos, and now a Palm Pre. For me it is not so much about brand name loyalty as about utility. I got my first Palm Pilot so that I could have my calendar, contacts, and various notes wherever I went. From there is has been a continuous upgrade path.
randygrenier
1st Jul 2010
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We are looking forward to brilliantly designed tablets running WebOS

using Arm system-on-a-chip similar to the A4. Of course also next generation smart phones based on WebOS. The backing of HP will for sure be VERY good for the competitive environment in mobile devices!!!!
DonnieBoy
1st Jul 2010
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RE: Another ending and beginning for Palm

Based on statement's by HP's Hurd, I don't think that they grok the true excellence of webOS and the Palm legacy. Hope I'm wrong.
Stan@...
1st Jul 2010
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Hopefully, they are just trying to not show their cards. HP really has no

reason to NOT aggressively pursue the tablet and phone markets. Of course using WebOS for fast boot on laptops, the UI for web connected printers, etc, would be also be brilliant.
DonnieBoy
1st Jul 2010
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RE: Another ending and beginning for Palm

I don't think the smartphone world was especially "rocked" by the WebOS or Palm Pre announcements. By that time it was just sort of a "huh? another iPhone competitor? puh-leeze" reaction more than being "rocked". Palm has been dead for almost 5 years. It just didn't know it.

By the way - Fanatical Palm III user here so not just hating on the company. I'll never forget switching from a Velo 500 to the Palm III and noticing that there was no hourglass icon - because the Palm didn't need it. Those were the days.
hawks5999
1st Jul 2010
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Looking back and looking forward

From the original Palm Visor phone to my Palm Pre Plus, I have had a Palm phone in my purse for a lot of years. I switched to Voice Stream (later T-mobile) in order to use that Visor phone. I seldom had any service problems (just an occasional remote location.) Every time a new model came out, I got it. Finally, I bought my Palm 680 directly when it wasn't supported by a telephone company. I stayed GSM because we travel worldwide. I stayed Palm because I liked the interface and owned a lot of useful software applications that I kept upgrading for my current Palm. Finally, with AT&T now my carrier and access to Palm Pre available, I switched from Palm OS to Web OS. Of course, I immediately installed Classic on my new device but I am getting used to the new operating system and applications gradually.

My biggest hope for the future is that HP will stabilize the market for Palms and encourage the developers to continue with some classic applications such as Documents to Go and Worldmate. Oh, and I do miss the precision of my stylus!

There was a time when I could draw a crowd just by pulling out my Palm Treo in an airport waiting area. I don't expect those days to return. I just want to keep updating and upgrading my Palm with a smug smile that I have the best device for my lifestyle.
Palm Pre Plus User
1st Jul 2010
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HP will straighten it out.

HP is a great company that knows how to fix something with it doesn't work. Palm is a lost child. I too had a US Robotics Plam Pilot. Two AAA batteries and it would run for months. What a great device.
LarsDennert
1st Jul 2010
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Likely end for Palm with me

Let's face it, Palm screwed over its customer base TWICE. [Hello? Marketing 101, it is cheaper to sell something new to an existing customer than acquire a new customer.]

First, it was an adamant refusal to provide a USB driver compatible with 64bit versions of Windows (and so far as I know, there are no 3rd party alternatives).

Second, was not providing a smooth upgrade path to WebOS for PalmOS users:
a- $50 for a 3rd party emulator
b- only syncs with Exchange Server linked copies of Outlook (or pay another $50 for a 3rd party app).

In fact, Palm has also failed to provide any significant improvements to its core PalmOS apps. In part that's okay because they are good, but it also provided no encouragement to upgrade my Zire 31 ... folks, I don't play games, the media player was a huge power drain, and I never used the wimpy camera in my cell phone either.

I do manage to still sync my Zire 31 to Outlook on my x64 Win7 notebook - by doing a network sync via an older x86 XP PC on my LAN. It's a kludge, but it works.

I recently upgraded my cell phone (I'm with Verizon) ... Let's add it up. Palm with WebOS, about $150 with 2-year contract, plus $100 to do a smooth upgrade from my PalmOS device, plus a MANDATORY additional $30/month for the data plan. Contrast that with a Zire 31 (fully paid for at about $150), no additional software costs or monthly fees; and a 'non-smart' cell phone with OPTIONAL data plan that was free with a 2-year contract. ... I'll keep my Zire 31 chugging and see if HP offers any olive branches to Palm customers over the next two years.
Jim Johnson
1st Jul 2010
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Too late for me

I also had a history with Palm, all my agendas, contacts and much more were in there, but after years spending money in equipment and software for Palm, I can't feel other then betrayed when Palm never really offered any support or upgrades for previous owners. I'm a big fan of the Palm TX and still use it as my main GPS (TomTom software). I've always hoped they would make the TX a smart phone. I bought the Palm Centro in hope it would give me a upgraded software, only to find out it was using the same OS, with terrible internet browser and poor e-mail application. The new Palm Pre looks great, but why would I go the trouble to go back to Palm when I already move on? If only they were taking care and giving support to old customers.
omelo@...
1st Jul 2010
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RE: Another ending and beginning for Palm

I too am a big fan of WebOS. It is the MOST intuitive smartphone OS available. I think the web browsing is better than iPhone. Nobody does notifications as well as WebOS. However, after having my Palm Pre for a year (I waited in line to get mine from the Sprint store the first day), I've moved on to an Android powered Evo 4G. Why? Because the PalmPre hardware is not good enough for the OS. My original Palm Pre has 256mb of Ram, which was not enough for certain advertisement heavy websites, like www.cyclingnews.com. Also, just a few months after getting the PalmPre, it began to shutdown randomly. It turns out that this is a common problem. The slider mechanism in the original PalmPre was the issue. Both of these issues were rectified with the Palm Pre Plus, but I'm a Sprint guy and Sprint doesn't carry the Plus. As for the Evo 4G, it is a nice phone; very fast. However, Android, as good as it is, is not anywhere near as good as WebOS. I dearly hope that HP pushes forward with WebOS as a mobile platform and that they deliver great hardware; the kind of hardware WebOS deserves.
emurmur
1st Jul 2010
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RE: Another ending and beginning for Palm

@emurmur

Have to agree 100 percent EXCEPT that I *knock on wood* have not experienced any of the afore-mentioned issues with my Sprint Pre EXCEPT for the occasional request to close cards due to the RAM limitation. I find that after the iOS, Palm's WebOS was by FAR the best phone OS out there.

Unfortunately, the support just isn't there and the hardware isn't keeping pace. After 10 months with my Palm Pre it is time to move on. And much as it will pain me to leave my absolutely fantastic Sprint service and pricing plan, I placed my order for an iPhone 4 a few days ago. I look forward to seeing what HP does with the WebOS platform but honestly, I don't hold out much hope.
Playdrv4me
4th Jul 2010
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Yup, for a history - but what future?

Likewise, I have a history with Palm: III, C, T3, and now Treo x2 (T3 still works fine but cannot sync as noted above) which I bought for PDA use (compared W vs P) and not phone use. I am about to put my 755P onto Verizon since I cannot see comparable PDA functionality in any of the Droids, and their phone functionality sounds to be worst! But I held my breath too long, too often with Palm, and from first reports HP does NOT intend to pursue those markets. A quarter-step backwards for a Pre Plus, or wait for a better Droid or iPhone on Verizon?
cfkirkwood@...
1st Jul 2010
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RE: Another ending and beginning for Palm

I'm an ex-Palm user. I used Palm for years. I started with the Palm III, then the Tungston, then the T3. I was about to upgrade to the Lifedrive when I noticed that Palm was changing. For some reason, I thought that HP's pocket PC would be better, but it wasn't much better. Palm was the best for the PDA market. I'll never understand why it had to change and go away. I will miss Palm. HP most likely will not try to ressurect Palm's glory days. HP did a crapy job on their own PDAs and I'm not looking for them to work any magic on Palm.
Gadget Girl
7th Jul 2010
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Terribly disappointed in Palm past and future

I purchased my first Palm Pilot on August 8, 1996. I remember because it was the afternoon of my first hole-in-one. I've had two more since then, and many more Palms than that. I've moved through the upgrades of Palms, Zires, Centros, and now the Palm Pre Plus. Nearly 15 years of digitized personal info is still possible to store on the Palm Pre, but it's a sloth, and the balky, cumbersome, quirky and murky WebOS system has me about ready to pitch it all and completely start over. Where have most of the Palm OS users gone? What device have they reliably switched to? I'm not the techie that many are here, just an everyday professional who has come to depend on the basics of Datebook/Memo/ToDo/Contacts. Is it the Droid, the Palm Pre, the iPhone or something else that best handles the cornerstones of the PalmOS?
tvgolfboy2010
8th Jul 2010
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