LG Picks PalmOS for Future Smartphone Efforts

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.softpedia.com/news/LG-Electronics-Goes-With-Palm-OS-For-Future-Smart-Phones-4441.shtml' target='_blank'>http://news.softpedia.com/news/LG-Electronics-Goes-With-Palm-OS-For-Future-Smart-Phones-4441.shtml</a><br /><br /></div><i>"LG Electronics, Inc., and PalmSource Inc., provider of Palm OS, a leading operating system powering next generation phones and mobile devices today announced that LG Electronics has signed an agreement to license Palm OS worldwide. Under terms of the agreement, LG Electronics can develop and market smartphones based on Palm OS."</i><br /><br />It's a shame LG has decided on Palm for it's smartphones. I generally like the look of the LG phones, although I have to admit that I have never used one, so I can't comment on the quality. Ultimately this may prove, to be a poor decision for LG. Especially given all the talk about the future or lack there of, the PalmOS. (Two notable articles: <a href="http://www.pocketfactory.com/archives/2005/07/palmos_is_dead_2.php">Pocket Factory</a> and <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,41356">Pocket PC Thoughts</a>) Too bad, better luck next time LG.

[creepypaleboy]

Well, for better or worse, LG has picked up the Palm OS. Palm has been under some stress recently with the exiting of Sony from the handheld (read PalmOS licensee) market last year. I suppose I ought to be more specific here becuase I'm talking about Palm Source, not those guys that make treos and the tungsten line and such.

LG, as the new major Palm OS licensee, is actually helping to create a future for Palm Source. Also of note is that Palm Source has recently announced their focus shift to a Linux based operating system, which should have all the funcionality and them some of their current iteration of the OS. Competition for mobile devices is good, not just on the manufacturer level, but also on the mobile OS level. I own a Clie TH-55 (Palm OS 5) which I love, but I also recently purchased an Audiovox SMT 5600, which I also love. The capabilities of both platforms, in my experience, are quite impressive.

Anyhow, I suppose my point is that I wanted to offer another point of view than just "the Palm OS has no future, and its too bad that LG picked them up".

Are there others out there with similar opinions? How about others that own multiple mobile devices with different operating systems (e.g., Symbian OS, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, etc.) :?: