PalmSource Introduces Palm OS Cobalt 6.1 For The Smartphone Market

[Kris Kumar]

http://palmsource.com/press/2004/092804_cobalt.html

"PalmSource, Inc. provider of Palm OS, a leading operating system powering next generation mobile devices and smartphones, today introduced Palm OS Cobalt 6.1, an enhanced version of Palm OS Cobalt. Designed to accelerate the development of next-generation Palm Powered smartphones and wireless devices, Palm OS Cobalt 6.1 builds on the foundation of Palm OS Cobalt and provides integrated telephony features, support for WiFi and Bluetooth and enhancements to the user interface. Palm OS Cobalt 6.1 offers new functionality aimed at Palm OS licensees looking to participate in the growing wireless market, while maintaining the flexibility, ease-of-use and compatibility that are the hallmarks of Palm Powered wireless devices."

PalmSource the maker of Palm OS for the handhelds has decided that it's time to get serious about the smartphone market. Looks like the competitor to Microsoft in the mobile arena, has learnt from it's past mistakes. Palm OS lost a huge chunk of the handheld market when it failed to realize the importance of the features offered on the Pocket PC devices, features as basic as color screens, SDIO, Bluetooth and WiFi. PalmSource with the release of Cobalt 6.1, now has an OS that is on par with Windows Mobile for Smartphones. The update does not seem to offer any revolutionary features but is supposed to help the device manufacturers quickly put together a Palm OS based smartphone. It will be interesting to see how the battle for the smartphone throne unfolds.

[Kris Kumar]

http://palmsource.com/press/2004/092804_cobalt.html

"PalmSource, Inc. provider of Palm OS, a leading operating system powering next generation mobile devices and smartphones, today introduced Palm OS Cobalt 6.1, an enhanced version of Palm OS Cobalt. Designed to accelerate the development of next-generation Palm Powered smartphones and wireless devices, Palm OS Cobalt 6.1 builds on the foundation of Palm OS Cobalt and provides integrated telephony features, support for WiFi and Bluetooth and enhancements to the user interface. Palm OS Cobalt 6.1 offers new functionality aimed at Palm OS licensees looking to participate in the growing wireless market, while maintaining the flexibility, ease-of-use and compatibility that are the hallmarks of Palm Powered wireless devices."

PalmSource the maker of Palm OS for the handhelds has decided that it's time to get serious about the smartphone market. Looks like the competitor to Microsoft in the mobile arena, has learnt from it's past mistakes. Palm OS lost a huge chunk of the handheld market when it failed to realize the importance of the features offered on the Pocket PC devices, features as basic as color screens, SDIO, Bluetooth and WiFi. PalmSource with the release of Cobalt 6.1, now has an OS that is on par with Windows Mobile for Smartphones. The update does not seem to offer any revolutionary features but is supposed to help the device manufacturers quickly put together a Palm OS based smartphone. It will be interesting to see how the battle for the smartphone throne unfolds.

[bdegroodt]

In the same vein, I noted that RIM/Palm have made progress on an API for email/calendar/BES functionality. I read that it's an add-in and it made me believe it would be something any Palm user with internet connectivity could use. I wonder if the RIM/PPC API will be like this. I haven't heard or seen anything from anybody ever since Dell and RIM announced their licensing deal. Anyone know anything more?

[Kris Kumar]

Motorola has licensing deal with RIM for BlackBerry Connect (add on software). Also the recently announced T-Mobile SDA will be getting it.

[Kris Kumar]

Glad that you mentioned RIM. I forgot to add in my front page post the link to this story.

RIM Sees Palm as Prime Enterprise Smartphone Platform
Makes me wonder what RIM and PalmSource are up to? Or maybe this was just a make-you-feel-happy kind of statement issued by RIM.

BlackBerry vendor Research In Motion (RIM) has deemed Palm the operating system of choice for enterprise smartphone users, despite the ongoing stand-off between Microsoft and Symbian in the mobile software market.

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by Kris Kumar

RIM Sees Palm as Prime Enterprise Smartphone Platform
Makes me wonder what RIM and PalmSource are up to? Or maybe this was just a make-you-feel-happy kind of statement issued by RIM.

Sounds like some off-handed comment that a reporter took the wrong way. I haven't heard of any Palm manufacturers that have licensed RIM technology. I think an official statement would be something more neutral as to avoid offending a partner/potential licensee.

[Kris Kumar]

Originally Posted by Mike Temporale

Sounds like some off-handed comment that a reporter took the wrong way. I haven't heard of any Palm manufacturers that have licensed RIM technology. I think an official statement would be something more neutral as to avoid offending a partner/potential licensee.

The reason why the remark caught my attention is because unlike other deals that RIM has for BlackBerry Connect, this one is directly with the OS manufacturer i.e PalmSource. All its other deals are with device manufacturers like Nokia, SE, Motorola etc. Does this mean that there is no way Microsoft or Symbian will not be baking in the BB Connect software into the OS in the future? RIM knows it better than us?

Palm OS has had good success with smartphones in the US with the Treo product line. And I am sure RIM knows that it will not have much of a future in smartphone "device" market. Because of availability of BlackBerry Connect on Microsoft and Symbian devices makes BlackBerries less attractive. So it has to sign more BB Connect contracts or earn royalty from the sales of devices with BB Connect.

And Palm does have a lot of potential as the next BlackBerry because of
- form factor
- integrated keyboard
- rich OS (the only OS that can provide the richness of Microsoft's Mobile offering)

Nokia only recently managed to shrink the size of its Communicator series. Even then it is not that small.

Microsoft Smartphones don't have keyboards. PPC Phone Editions like the new HP are bulky.

Not sure if I am making any sense. But there are some points that lead to RIM-Palm bonding.

[bdegroodt]

I concur. There seems to be (sadly) a far more receptive marketplace for the Palm powered devices at this time, and RIM is smartly covering their bets via Palm (though others are licensed).

Speaking of RIM not making it in the smartphone marketplace, I just went and put hands on the new 7100t. Very cheap feeling. One of the best parts about the regular/hybrid BBs is that you can throw them across a street and they stand up to the abuse. This new 7100t (while not designed for corporate abuse) feels like one drop on the ground and it's all over. Plus the speaker for the speakerphone is really poorly designed aesthetically.