Next Version Of Palm OS To Debut In 2008

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.betanews.com/article/New_Palm_OS_Delayed_Until_2008/1183399444">http://www.betanews.com/article/New_Palm_OS_Delayed_Until_2008/1183399444</a><br /><br /><i>"Originally slated to debut before the end of 2007, the completely revamped version of Palm OS, which is found in Palm's Treo smartphones and PDAs, has been delayed until sometime next year. The company has reportedly been running into development slowdowns building the new Linux-based platform."</i><br /><br />Actually, I think they are confusing Palm Inc.'s new Palm OS versus ALP from PalmSource/Access. Access did say their ALP would ship in 2007, but I don't know if it will or not, and no one cares anyway. Palm has never built an OS from the ground up, and this new version will be no exception as they will base it on Linux. It is questionable as to whether they have the capability to bring this to market as any meaningful successor to PalmOS 5, if at all. Their last attempt, PalmOS 6, withered and died on PalmSource's servers waiting for some device maker, including Palm itself, to come out with a device.<br /><br />Meanwhile, like it or not, the iPhone has set the bar higher on some functionaity and ease of use that Microsoft and their partners must answer. Anything Palm comes out with will be the least of Microsoft's worries in the next few years.

[Ed@Brighthand]

I think they are confusing Palm Inc.'s new Palm OS versus ALP from PalmSource/Access.
Both Palm, Inc. and Access/PalmSource are developing new Linux-based versions of the Palm OS.

The one being developed by Palm, Inc. has several advantages. One, it will probably be called the Palm OS, as it owns all the rights to the "Palm" brand. And two, it will definitely be used in devices.

This is the OS that was originally planned for a 2007 release but has now been bumped back to 2008.

The future of ALP, Access' Linux-based OS, is much more problematic. It can't be called the Palm OS, and I don't know of any company that's committed to using it.

[PPCRules]

... like it or not, the iPhone ...
Ed, have you posted anywhere your full set of thoughts on the "iPhone"? I'd be interested to hear your take on it.

[unxmully]

... like it or not, the iPhone ...
Ed, have you posted anywhere your full set of thoughts on the "iPhone"? I'd be interested to hear your take on it.
It's probably not selling well enough to make a review worthwhile. Either that or it's another Apple flash-in-the-pan like the iPod. :devilboy:

[Darius Wey]

Ed, have you posted anywhere your full set of thoughts on the "iPhone"? I'd be interested to hear your take on it.

Don't worry, it's coming. Prepare for an interesting read. ;)

[Ed@Brighthand]

Ed, have you posted anywhere your full set of thoughts on the "iPhone"? I'd be interested to hear your take on it.
Brighthand ran a review of it (here (http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13146)), but it wasn't written by me.

With iPhone enjoying such tremendous sales, Apple/AT&amp;T doesn't see much need in loaning review units to sites like Brighthand, and our typical plan when this happens -- buying a unit then selling it on eBay later -- isn't an option in this case. So I haven't even seen one yet.

I'll probably wind up doing what most people do: go down to an AT&amp;T store and play around with one for a while.

[Darren Behan]

Saw a guy using an iPhone in the elevator the other day. First device I've seen in a long, long time my jaw litterally dropped over. Apple has really outdone themselves with this device at least as far as form/UI goes - which is afterall what they do well. It is a device that is drool-worthy in the extreme.

Too early to tell how it works over time though. My memories of Apple are too littered with stories of shoddy proprietary parts (battery debacles with the iPod &amp; their notebooks, notebook motherboard cracking, etc.) and their generally slow/wait until enough people make enough of a stink about it attitude prevents me from being an early adopter.

That said, the UI is so compelling that I very seriously considered leaving behind my PPC for one despite exclusively using PPCs for nearly as long as they've been around. Four things stopped me though:

1) The inability to install 3rd party apps
2) Not knowing what to do with all of my free cash if I didn't have to buy:
a) A new phone every 6 months to get an updated OS (although I'm sure Apple would happily have me spend it on iTunes.) or
b) All of the aforementioned 3rd party apps to get the PPC/Phone to do what the updated operating system should have.
3) Not knowing what to do with all my free time if I didn't have to constantly soft-reset, hard reset, uninstall and reinstall Activesync/WMDC &amp; every other misbehaving app I've come across all while squeezing in a little unnecessary Microsoft bashing.
4) Most importantly, no iPhoneThoughts.com :wink:

Do you cheat on your wife with a super-model if you had the chance? Maybe. Leave your PPC for an iPhone? Never. That would be immoral though perhaps briefly - ecstasy.

db

[heliod]

Actually, I think they are confusing Palm Inc.'s new Palm OS versus ALP from PalmSource/Access. Access did say their ALP would ship in 2007...

Ed Colligan, Palm's CEO, also declared some months ago that they were developping a Linux-based new OS that would be released before the end of 2007.

[Docwiz]

Saw a guy using an iPhone in the elevator the other day. First device I've seen in a long, long time my jaw litterally dropped over. Apple has really outdone themselves with this device at least as far as form/UI goes - which is afterall what they do well. It is a device that is drool-worthy in the extreme.

Too early to tell how it works over time though. My memories of Apple are too littered with stories of shoddy proprietary parts (battery debacles with the iPod &amp; their notebooks, notebook motherboard cracking, etc.) and their generally slow/wait until enough people make enough of a stink about it attitude prevents me from being an early adopter.

That said, the UI is so compelling that I very seriously considered leaving behind my PPC for one despite exclusively using PPCs for nearly as long as they've been around. Four things stopped me though:

1) The inability to install 3rd party apps
2) Not knowing what to do with all of my free cash if I didn't have to buy:
a) A new phone every 6 months to get an updated OS (although I'm sure Apple would happily have me spend it on iTunes.) or
b) All of the aforementioned 3rd party apps to get the PPC/Phone to do what the updated operating system should have.
3) Not knowing what to do with all my free time if I didn't have to constantly soft-reset, hard reset, uninstall and reinstall Activesync/WMDC &amp; every other misbehaving app I've come across all while squeezing in a little unnecessary Microsoft bashing.
4) Most importantly, no iPhoneThoughts.com :wink:

Do you cheat on your wife with a super-model if you had the chance? Maybe. Leave your PPC for an iPhone? Never. That would be immoral though perhaps briefly - ecstasy.

db

You can already have the same interface on a pocket PC using the same method to access the iphone already.

If you want a browser like in iphone you can always use deepfish.

If you can already put the same interface on iphone and pretty much do the same thing then whey do you need an iphone?

[Dyvim]

If you want a browser like in iphone you can always use deepfish.

If you can already put the same interface on iphone and pretty much do the same thing then whey do you need an iphone?

Deepfish compared to iPhone safari is pretty much as lame as the hacked iPhone look-alike interface is to the real thing. I wanted so much to like Deepfish, but it seriously has a long way to go.

If you really want an iPhone interface, I'd recommend getting an iPhone. Otherwise, I'd say love your Windows Mobile UI (as boring and utilitarian as it is).

[Janak Parekh]

Ed, have you posted anywhere your full set of thoughts on the "iPhone"? I'd be interested to hear your take on it.
We've been generally avoiding iPhone news on Pocket PC Thoughts because every other freaking site seems to be covering it, and it's nice to have a little iPhone-free haven out here. :)

That said, I do have one in my possession now, and if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I'm not quite convinced Pocket PC Thoughts needs to be yet another site that does an iPhone review, though...

--janak

[unxmully]

Ed, have you posted anywhere your full set of thoughts on the "iPhone"? I'd be interested to hear your take on it.
We've been generally avoiding iPhone news on Pocket PC Thoughts because every other freaking site seems to be covering it, and it's nice to have a little iPhone-free haven out here. :)

That said, I do have one in my possession now, and if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I'm not quite convinced Pocket PC Thoughts needs to be yet another site that does an iPhone review, though...

--janak
Might be interesting to see a comparison between the two though - a Windows Mobile smartphone and an iPhone.

[Janak Parekh]

Might be interesting to see a comparison between the two though - a Windows Mobile smartphone and an iPhone.
Perhaps -- I'm debating it -- although the two are really different classes of devices. While they do loosely fall into the "smartphone" category, they're clearly oriented towards two different user groups -- the iPhone is oriented towards the consumer/multimedia market, while the Pocket PC is geared for the business/power user market. (At least, given the way it is now, with the iPhone a closed platform.)

--janak

[Twain]

Janak,

I disagree with the notion that we need an iPhone-free haven:

We've been generally avoiding iPhone news on Pocket PC Thoughts because every other freaking site seems to be covering it, and it's nice to have a little iPhone-free haven out here. ... I'm not quite convinced Pocket PC Thoughts needs to be yet another site that does an iPhone review, though...

In fact, Pocket PC Thoughts readers are very much looking forward to a review of the iPhone. While it's true others are providing reviews, we look to Pocket PC Thoughts editors to apply their particular brand of expertise to writing reviews of new products. We understand that this site is focused principally on Microsoft's mobile operating systems and products, however, it's useful to step back, survey the surrounding landscape and see what else is out there -- if for no other reason than to goad Microsoft (and independent software developers) into upping their game with operating system upgrades and applications that are competitive with iPhone.

I say, do the review and let readers know what upgrades will need to appear in a future version of Windows Mobile!

Twain

[Janak Parekh]

I say, do the review and let readers know what upgrades will need to appear in a future version of Windows Mobile!
Okay, thanks for the feedback. :) A review of the iPhone is actually pretty challenging, as there are no built-in mechanisms to take screenshots, necessitating a lot of camerawork. After a few weeks of daily use, I'll see if it's feasible and will chat with Jason about how we'd go about such a thing...

thanks,

--janak

[Deslock]

A bunch of users here have expressed interest in (or curiosity about) the iPhone from the Pocket PC perspective. I know you guys really want an official site review, but for now here's one from a long-time handheld-computer and Pocket-PC user (a little off topic in this thread, but most of the posts are already about the iPhone anyway).

Until this year, I avoided smartphones as they were large and heavy, or had tiny screens, or lacked various features the were important to me. Recently a bunch of really cool devices have come out (or been announced) such as the Nokia N95, Helio Ocean, and HTC Kaiser. None of them are ideal, but rather than go through each of their pros and cons, I'll write about the iPhone's (from which it should be clear as to why I didn't go with a different device).

It's long winded, but whatever... if you're not interested in the iPhone, don't read it.

Starting with the iPhone's numerous deficiencies that I've come across in the week I've owned it:
While the EDGE network can be reasonably quick, it's sometimes excruciatingly slow
There is no voice recorder
No video recorder
No GPS
No included chat program (but there are webapp solutions)
No installable apps
No non-webapp games
No SSH client (though there are webapp solutions - that you can setup on your own server or use someone else's if trust them)
No Terminal Services (Remote Desktop) client
No expandable memory
No swappable battery (though its life is excellent)
You can't send/receive data through BT
You can't mount it as a drive
You have to use iTunes to manage all the media (not that I mind iTunes, but having options is always nice)
The camera resolution isn't the best and it has significant shutter lag (worse than many "cheap" cell phones)
Push email options are limited
There are still questions about how it'll work with Exchange
You can only view Office documents
Audio and video formats are limited
No flash or java support in Safari
Mapping and web-apps require an EDGE connection or wifi
No search functionality in the PIM apps... WTF!?!
You can't copy/paste (this one is especially perplexing)
It's a closed system with both the hardware and software controlled by a single vendor
That's quite a list, eh? Anyway, clearly the iPhone isn't for everyone. However, despite all that, I still decided it meets my needs better than the competition. Here's why:

[1] OS X Platform

I don't have a lot of experience with recent flavors of Symbian, so I can't comment on it. But my years with Windows Mobile and its predecessors haven't always been rosy. It's often temperamental and sluggish, has a mediocre interface, intermittent syncing issues, wretched browsers (yeah, I tried many), and unreliable alarms (WTF). I also found that I had to routinely reset all my PPC/WM2003/WM5 devices because of weird behavior.

Just so I'm not accused of being biased against Microsoft, let me say that Palm has its problems as well... it was great for simple PIM back in the day, but fell short once multimedia and Internet-connectivity was added; it's crash-prone in its current incarnation and also lacks a decent browser. Not to mention that its task-switching model is limited.

In contrast, the iPhone has been rock solid. It's very responsive... there is no lag whatsoever. For anything. I've seen a few Safari crashes, but nothing that's taken down the OS or caused problems in other apps.

[2] Form Factor

I went through two VGA Windows Mobile devices before going back to a lowly iPaq rx1955 because I want something with wifi that was pocketable enough to always carry. Like the rx1955, the iPhone is small, thin, lightweight, and ergonomic (the curves make it even more comfortable and pocketable than the dimensions indicate). Except for the N95, all the smartphone alternatives I considered are larger and heavier than the iPhone (and have small screens).

[3] Web browser

Despite lacking video on most sites and flash, Safari on the iPhone still blows away every other mobile browser I've used. It starts and renders quickly and accurately, and the intelligent zooming and rotating is fast. It remembers where you were if does crash.

To be fair, I haven't tried the recent betas of Deepfish or Opera mini 4, but the reviews I've read didn't inspire confidence.

[4] Media Playback

640x480 h.264 video was also silk smooth on my HP rx4700 and Axim X50v (with 3rd party software). However, the playback interfaces on those devices was mediocre-at-best. And battery life lasted only a couple hours when watching a movie while I get 6+ hours of real world playback on the iPhone.

As far as audio goes, the iPhone's album-view is not only pretty but is actually quite effective since recognizing music by pictures can be done so quickly. And sometimes seeing an album cover will jog my memory about a song and prompt me to play it (more-so than an album title would). It's not a terribly important feature and I classify it as mostly eye-candy, but it's still nifty.

[5] Application Integration

All the apps work very well together on the iPhone. One example is how the browser identifies untagged phone numbers and prompts to call when I tap on them. Overall, everything is tightly integrated.

[6] Interface

It's as smooth and responsive as the ads make it out the be and is extremely well designed. It's not the pizzaz that I'm referring to... yeah it's all very pretty, but the real value is its functionality. Not only is everything intuitive and easy to find, but it effectively uses the limited pixels of the HVGA screen. When you scroll down in Safari, the header scrolls off the screen. There are few borders in the applications. Scroll bars only appear when you're scrolling (and they're proportional and translucent, which is a nice touch). The accelerometer works flawlessly, quickly switching from portrait to landscape in the browser, photo, and iPod apps.

And everything happens instantly. It really makes using other devices feel cumbersome.

[7] Large vibrant screen

The 3.5" 3:2 HVGA widescreen is vibrant. Before this, getting a screen that size and resolution meant using a larger, heavier smartphone. A buddy of mine has an HP hw6945, which is packed with awesome features but crippled by a 240x240 pixel screen. Many other cool smartphones aren't quite that bad, but still only have smaller QVGA screens or are significantly larger and heavier (Toshiba G900). The other approach is to get a N800 or Palm Foleo, but neither are pocketable and both lack a cell phone and media playback.

[8] Battery Life

At first, I was concerned about not being able to swap it, but battery life is far better than any color-PDA I've used before. Even with wifi enabled and the bright screen, I still get a full day's worth of video and browsing. Being able to charge through USB is also handy. Obviously, this has to be weighed against the disadvantage of not being able to swap in a spare (personally, ever since I misplaced one for my X50v, I decided I don't like juggling batteries).

[9] Visual Voice Mail

Voice mail doesn't suck anymore. Finally. This is an underrated feature that you don't appreciate until you've tried it.

[10] Multi-touch

While most demos I've seen involve the photo viewer, it's actually most handy in the browser and mapping app. It'll be interesting to see how this approach is developed and expanded upon over the next few years.

[11] Capacitance touch-screen

Everyone goes on about multi-touch, and it is very cool and useful. But also significant is the capacitance touch-screen. It's very responsive and -while it's not impervious- is much more durable and scratch resistant than a traditional pressure-sensitive screen. Before this, I've had to use protective cases/covers on my PDAs (they're inconvenient and add thickness and weight). It's also nice to not worry about needing a screen protector, which I'd been using on my PDAs for years (since the first few times some particle wedged under the stylus, resulting in the plastic screen getting carved up... most of you have probably experienced that sinking feeling when it happens).

[12] Wifi management and performance

Another feature I don't see mentioned often: the iPhone connects to wifi quickly, effortlessly, and reliably. With all of my Windows Mobile devices, connecting to wifi took forever. Setting up and managing wifi was a PITA. And it was unreliable... sometimes it'd connect and sometimes it wouldn't and because it took so long when it did work, troubleshooting problems was time consuming and frustrating.

[13] Synchronization

Activesync usually worked OK, but it was slow and occasionally problematic. I tried 3rd party programs too, and they were aggravating as well. The iPhone syncs quickly and I've had no issues yet.

[14] Mapping

The mapping app is fast, simple, and effective. The interface for search results is well-thought out. Same goes for routing. Sure, being integrated with a GPS would be that much better, but I don't see this as a huge omission for few a couple reasons: It's only useful when you're able to maintain line-of-sight to the satellites and it takes a while to acquire a lock. Still, Apple would be smart to support connecting to an external BT GPS and include related functionality in the mapping app.

[15] Included Memory

Whenever I added external memory to my PDAs, battery life suffered significantly (especially when I watched movies on CF... I was looking at less than a couple hours). Also, running apps off of external cards often resulted in significant lag. And I'd occasionally have mounting issues. So it's nice to have 8GB without having to worry about those sorts of problems.

Conclusion

Some dismiss the iPhone as offering nothing new, but the reality is that not only is its feature-set unique, but it's the only smartphone with visual voice mail, a capacitance touch screen, and multi-touch. It has the best battery life of any wifi smartphone that I'm aware of. It's arguably got the best web browser of any smartphone. It also has the largest hi-resolution screen and video playback of any small, lightweight smartphone. Beyond that, its features aren't new so much as enhancements to interface, usability, and reliability vs competing devices. But even those features are worth something.

However, there are many things it can't do... in fact, some may say it shouldn't be called a smartphone. I disagree with that, though its limitations are definitely significant. But no device is perfect and you gotta measure the tradeoffs against your needs and priorities when figuring out which tool is appropriate.

Even if you hate Steve Jobs or Apple, be happy that the iPhone will prompt other companies to improve their products. I'm platform agnostic and I look forward to Microsoft's and Nokia's responses.