Handspring Names Ed Colligan President

I like that line.

As I sit here staring at my stack of obsolete springboards I find myself asking "who cares?".

>> "Ed Colligan worked with Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky to lead the product marketing and marketing communications efforts for Palm, including the successful positioning, launch, and marketing of the original Palm product family."

I'm sick of reading this rehashed drivel about Palm pioneers and past glories. Does this cover the fact that these people are currently failing? If I have to read another story about "the great" Jeff Hawkins and his little block of wood, I'm going to vomit. Springboard was a flop. Visor couldn't grow the company, and now they have entered a market where it will most assuredly be crushed by incumbent players. Anyone think Handspring will defeat Nokia? Didn't think so.

My day has been going very well so, just to bring myself back to reality, I have come to PIC for a full blown dose of negativity. I respect the fact that some believe that Handsping is done as a company and can even understand why some are waiting for Sony to take over the Palm OS world. However, it amazes me how so many people can find so many negative things to say about a company that has done nothing but make honest attempts at producing innovative products.

It is true that the springboard concept has failed with consumers, however, in the enterprise market it is going strong. This is especially true in healthcare where the Visor ahs become a valuable asset to medical professionals. The Treo, like it or not, is a great product. Will it eventually take down Nokia, absolutely not. However, for a first try at a true "communicator" it is a fine product. Who knows what will come next. Certainly OS 5 should add a great deal to the Treo. Finally, the Treo 90 is a very nice organizer that has the potential to bring many new consumers into the market. I for one hope that HS keeps producing variations of both the Treo Communicators and Organizers as they add a unique product line to the otherwise bland Palm universe.

For those of you about to bash me for being a Handspring apologist let me say two things. One, I do not own stock int he company. Two, while I do own and use a Handspring organizer, I also own a Palm and my wife uses a Sony. Personally I like them all and hope that each company continues to bring good products to market for many years to come.

>> "They're producing one of the smallest PalmOS celphones on the market, they're getting good reviews, and they're actually producing a useful product with good battery life in a small size."

Doesn't make a damn bit of difference. They aren't selling like Handspring had hoped, and it hasn't carried them to profitability. How good a product is has nothing to do with the financial stability of a company.

Foo Fighter:

So am I to assume you think Handspring makes good product (which they do)? If that's the case, should we really be saying "good riddance" to them? If they don't "defeat" Nokia then they're a "flop"? If memory serves, you're an Apple user, right? I guess Apple's a failure then as well and we'd all be better off if they left the market as too? If

I'm sure you ascertained from my username that I'm a Handspring customer. For what it's worth, I've owned 15 PDA's and my Treo is the only Handspring product owned during that time. So while it's my favorite of the lot, I'm hardly a longtime Handspring fanatic. I just don't get why you want to see a company that makes decent product fail?

I have owned a Visor Prism, which I still use along with several Springboard modules that still work just fine. I now own a Treo 90 which is one of the nicest PDA's I have used. It is really designed well and performs flawlessly. Why do people insist on Handspring bashing?
I was upset too when they discontinued the Visor line (Well, at least they are not developing any new ones)but the SD slot seems like a viable alternative. Maybe someday it will be viewed as a sound business decision.

Visit us at www.tdscomputer.com

Obvoiusly consumers were not gobbling up springboard modules as quickly as HS would have liked. They were a bit pricey but some of them were great (Ie. blood glucose monitor...brilliant!) My feeling is that HS would not be is such bad shape if they had kept one or two offerings with the traditional HS PDA form factor. They would still have had the opportunity to grow the Treo line. As it stands now the Treo line is not even being marketed by HS insiders, but rather Gurus from Sprint PCS. (see article on bargainPDA.com) Letting a public utility market your key product is always a bit risky. How many consumers have the 'warm fuzzy's' for the phone company? This is not a negative 'bash peice' just a comment...

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Phew! Whats that smell!?! Did someone Zire in here? Buy Palm stock...it's only a nickle.

Traditionally, the president will undertake larger concepts such as the company's position in the market, kissing the butt of the business community, making statements to press, etc., whereas the CEO will answer more to investors (in the case of a publically held company) and deal with more day-to-day issues surrounding the whole company.

It can sometimes be a distinction without difference. At other times, it can be another pretty face slagged up to the top ranks to give the appearence of management change.

He'll be taken out back and shot...

Hahaha, that was great.

Reminded me of Catch 22.