Palm OS Running On Top Of Windows Mobile?

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2006/12/palm-gets-its-os-back.html">http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2006/12/palm-gets-its-os-back.html</a><br /><br />No, I am not talking about the StyleTap program that runs some PalmOS apps on your Windows Mobile, I am talking about Palm, Inc. actually taking Palm OS5, also known as Garnet, and putting it on top of Windows Mobile, or at least Windows CE. There are at least two reasons Palm might want to consider this. First of all, they have never written an operating system from the ground up. The original OS in the mid 1990's was sitting on top of a kernel written by a real time operating system company <a href="http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1400.htm">called Kadak</a>. More recently, PalmSource has been working on a newer version called ALP that will be on top of Linux. Why should Palm, Inc. start over when they already have ties to Microsoft's embedded mobile operating system? Second, OS5 simply cannot handle 3G networks. You need true multitasking to do that and PalmOS just doesn't support it, so let Windows Mobile do all of the heavy lifting.<br /><br />Anyway, head over to Michael Mace's blog to see his thoughts about it. He is the former Chief Competitive Officer of Palm before the platform and hardware companies were split up, so he may have some unique insights on Garnet's future now that Palm, Inc. has licensed it back.

[inteller]

the only reason to do this is to protect the existing installed app base. And I think any commercial vendor who wants to stay in business has already migrated to WM. So file this one as pointless.

[IpaqMan2]

You are absolutely incorrect. Palm based Treos still sell a significant number of devices. In fact, if it weren't for corporate America needing a more secure and robust OS on a PDA, I'd dare say that most NON-GEEK, Sidekick users and so forth would actually like the Palm GUI interface over the standard Windows Mobile interface. Again, How do I know this? I use to work with Good Technology, besides the IT staff that was responsible for implementing the Good Servers from their paying customers, I'd say about 90% of all their end users (which were not geek minded) preferred and want the Palm OS interface because it was simple and easy to use. Working with Good technology may not represent all PDA/Smart phone users, but it represent how it was in corporate business with most companies - which was their company needed their employees to get their email in real time while away from their desk. Most of their End users wouldn't buy a smart phone for themselves, but used what the company gave - and when speaking with many of their IT staff, they claimed they had less support issues with the Palm OS when working with their end users. Dice it and slice it anyway you want, I think Palm on CE is a great idea. It would expand the development of CE and offer another choice of user experience besides a "start button".


Anyway....I can honestly say the idea of Palm on windows CE has been around at least before the article this thread points too above (See my blog:)
http://mypdacorner.blogspot.com/2006/12/palm-word-to-wise-stick-with-windows-ce.html