Rubinstein: We Still Have a Plan

About all Palm has at this point is a plan.

That and five dollars will buy you a sandwich.

Me thinks that ET's got too much metal lodged in his brain.

ET, no offense intended, but you need to dial back the frequency of your repetitive posts. It is getting harder to find posts that I want to read among the flotsam and jetsam that you spew out. And reading your aggravating posts makes me want to put my fist through the screen.

Somebody out here needs to step up to the plate and get ET some venture capital. He may work wonders. I'm not talkin' virtual wallet VC either. :-D
Pat Horne

Somebody out here needs to step up to the plate and get ET some venture capital. He may work wonders. I'm not talkin' virtual wallet VC either. :-D- LiveFaith

:-(lol) that would be nice. Though the we-com virtual wallet is very much a part of my thoughts. Plan-et can bring an interactive we-com virtual wallet to market.- E-T

>>>It is getting harder to find posts that I want to read among the flotsam and jetsam that you spew out. And reading your aggravating posts makes me want to put my fist through the screen.

Amen!- mikecane

If all else fails true one can always pray for a solution. Who knows perhaps your prayer will be answered. It is definitely better than crying.- E-T

Me thinks that ET's got too much metal lodged in his brain.

ET, no offense intended, but you need to dial back the frequency of your repetitive posts. It is getting harder to find posts that I want to read among the flotsam and jetsam that you spew out. And reading your aggravating posts makes me want to put my fist through the screen.- BaalthazaaR

No one is forcing you to read my thoughts. May i suggest anger management classes ... no offense taken. -E-T

This is interesting. Social Times has a list of 10 things Palm could do that might help save Palm http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/04/10-things-that-might-help-palm-survive/

No where do I see anything about jewel encrusted buttons with a platinum shell, crystal screen, carbon fiber screws and gold inlays. You should get right on that ET.

I, like you, am shocked that no one would want to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a device like this that would have enough heft to it you'd always know it was with you without having to do the geek gesture of tapping your pockets real quick. It would also be nice to know that years after the OS and innards had been surpassed by newer code and faster technology, your investment was well placed in the technologically ancient device that has more bling than an MTV video from the late 90's.-EdH

The beauty is one can always update the software to keep up with the value of the hardware. It is true we have become a society that is used to throwing away low cost items. It is nice to know some people still want to invest in quality. Perhaps such quality can unlock some of Palms true value.-E-T

About all Palm has at this point is a plan.

That and five dollars will buy you a sandwich.-jca666us

Sounds like a pretty cheap plan? Thats about all we can buy at the current Palm stock price. Perhaps some more thoughts will help unlock more of Palms true value we we can buy more than one sandwich ... sharing is nice-E-T

i am happy to know some people share my enthusiasm for other material than low grade plastic hardware. The hardware would be premium quality such quality that can keep up with the constant updates needed to keep up with the desire of the Palm customer.

Thanks for your thoughts.

E-T
e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

He makes a good point. I think you flamers just don't see it. Let me point to an example. In the early '80s Honda was just gaining traction as a a car manufacturer. When I went the big car sow every year to look at cars I would look at the engine like every other testosterone producer. The Pontiac Fiero had tho old stamped-out sheet metal valve cover with a sticker on it that was placed crookedly by UAW's finest. In contrast, Honda had a cast aluminum valve cover with some machining on it with "Honda" cast into it. Which was better? Probably neither one--it was just a valve cover. Which one looked better? I don't have to say. Another example is machined auto parts in the passenger cabins of high-end cars. Do they work better? No. Do they give you a sense of higher quality and exclusivity? Yes.

So, you don't have to make the thing out of billet aluminum but a small metal trim piece could be made of something nicer to give a feeling of better manufacturing without causing a weight penalty. Maybe a piece of titanium that has a distinctive brown sheen to it.

Products have sailed off into success for lesser reasons.

Tuckermaclain wrote:
He makes a good point. I think you flamers just don't see it.

Tucker, you're right.

ET, I apologize. I think that I accidentally read one too many of your posts while tired and in a bad mood resulting in an unfair characterization of your post.

I usually read this site early before having any coffee and late at night after putting in 12-18 hours when I don't have patience for your usual repetitive and convoluted drivel (at least from my perspective at the time). I apologize if my calling that seems offensive. If you spent a little time re-reading your post and editing it for quality before posting it, I'm sure it would make a lot of difference.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Regardless of how good Palms quality is today looking at new premium and ultra premium markets offer Palm new opportunities to satisfy more customers. Perhaps the signature series is a limited number of offerings. A set number of Palm devices that can pay for itself. A premium Palm Classic made from high end plastics such as carbon fiber and premium Palm Classic made from premium metals such as titanium. Then the ultra premium Palm Jewel made from precious metal such as gold, silver and platinum.

The quality of thought is always judged by others. The content is the value added, how it is said helps understanding. Though one can always ask questions for clarity. Content gives the English language purpose. One could write in other languages and include English. The planet is a big sphere of opportunity that encompasses many languages am sure several of the languages would appreciate premium and ultra premium Palm choices.

Perhaps English is an innovative language as a consequence of the people that choose to speak English.

E-T
e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

Tuckermaclain, I don't think trim pieces is what made Honda vehicles successful over the Fiero. First of all, Honda didn't make anything that competed withthe Fiero, so they weren't in direct competition. Second, anyone who knew the first thing about cars knew the Fiero had the suspension from the Chevette. Third, everyone in the 80's knew that anything from GM was going to be lower quality than the stuff out of Japan. I'd argue that is still true today, hence the GM bankruptcy and declining marketshare for the last 4 decades. Fourth, even when the Fiero finally did replace the Chevette suspension with something decent, that was also when they put the 6cyl engine in the back that kept overheating and the Fiero lived up to the image its name gave, a car on fire.

To your point, yes, a device that feels cheap won't do as well as one that feels solid, all other things being equal. WebOS's problem though isn't the device, it is the platform. Developers haven't embraced it. The old Palm faithful haven't embraced it since there isn't any real support for PalmOS. The ads were horrible so the uninformed consumer had no idea what was being advertised, sort of like the 90's Infinity commercials that were about trees and babbling brooks, but never had a car in them.

Adding bling to the device won't save it. The chance for success was last summer when it launched and there was a lot of buzz around the product. Now the only buzz is about how long the company will survive. They missed their chance and few care anymore. I cannot even conceive of a device they could create that would reignite the discussion. WebOS just has a failed taint to it now in my opinion.

The Pre could be made out of kryptonite and powered by dilithium crystals - no one's buying it.

faster CPU along with a larger - and higher resolution display - along with an optimized version of webos and a native sync solution and palm might have a chance!

Thanks.

E-T
e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

*snort*

No.

http://mikecane.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/dl2007065.jpg?w=450

I just changed back to Sprint after buying a bunch of TXs and downloading and getting codes for all my software. I thought I would be happy with the Lotus Elite. Changed it the next day for a Lotus. Changed that the next day for a Pre. I hated that one. Finally settled this week on on a Sprint Centro from EBay...just like wifey has. True story.

Now I have a pile of new old-stock Palms.

4 T2s.
4 TXs. Just started using one of them.
1 m500.
2 CDMA Centros just started using them

My old Palms I still have are a:

Vx
SJ33
2x Zire 71
Zire 72
2 GSM Centros
1 GSM Centro with a broken screen
___________
20 Plams!

I Can't help it when one is a steal on eBay.

Why the snort? I'd gladly take the Centro over the LifeDrive (CF mod or not).

Michael's posting abilities have been reduced to 140 character spurts of diarrhea by TWITter. And he still doesn't realize how tacky it is posting links to his blog here in a desperate attempt to get readership.

He is incapable of answering your question, so he just pretends to be flippant and runs off and hides under the pizza boxes in his apartment. We saw the same thing recently when the abosco child utterly DESTROYED him here. Michael embarassed himself thoroughly (again) and resorted to a string of ad hominem attacks, never once responding to the points that abosco had made.

Michael lacks the skills and knowledge needed to debate his superiors with anything other than hyperactive, incoherent "Tweets". How sad.

FJH

When did I "destroy" abosco? What brain damage has bubbled up in your pinhead this time?

Michael, evidently TWITter has also killed whaever limited reading skills you once possessed.

Read this S L O W L Y, in front of a mirror:

"We saw the same thing recently when the abosco child utterly DESTROYED him here. Michael embarassed himself thoroughly (again) and resorted to a string of ad hominem attacks, never once responding to the points that abosco had made."

YOU were the one that was destroyed. Evidently you're too clueless to realize it. Sounds like you've done more "inhaling" than what's left of
your brain can handle.

http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/6521/#159062

As usual, you run and hide when someone slaps you around like the partially-anatomically-correct blow-up doll you keep in your closet.

By the way, your last post was over 140 characters and failed to link to one of your incoherent blog posts. Are you feeling OK? Looks like you should stick with TWITter and blogging - where no one will bother pointing out the BS you spew.

Don't post while high on your "medical marijuana", Michael. You're embarassing yourself.

FJH

Michael Cane:
"abosco, go to a frikkin business school or read some damned business books or get some *real* frikkin work. Your crap doesn't need refutation. Your crap is ignorance. And *education* and *experience* cures it, not debate."

abosco:
"Once again, nothing but insults. You have given nothing in response to anything I've said."

Sure, Michael. You REALLY did destroy abosco there, actually. Really. You did. If that's what you need to believe to get you through the days.

Keep up with the TWITter length posts, Michael. That's about all your remaining neuron can produce these days. It's a shame that penicillin wasn't available for you back in the day. One shot could have saved you from your tabes dorsalis and the syphilitic snuffles.

FJH

"How to survive the death of Palm"

It's really easy, just forget about them and move on.

Centro's a cute little phone but app development for Palm OS is pretty much over and the hardware is obsolete.

If you want a 'state of the art' ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_the_art )
phone or pda they are available from Apple. iPod, iPhone, iPad. You don't have to be a Steve fanboy, these products were developed by some of the best hardware & software people on the planet regardless of who the boss is.

Palm/HP will probably give it a good try but the fact is they will always be playing catch up plus it's still a big question... Will people accept the Cloud of webOS?

Most mobile app developers know where to put their efforts,you need a user base or it's a waste of time. a Million iPads sold in a month, compatible with 200000 apps written for 75 million iPhones & iPod Touch plus 5000 iPad specific apps in the first month!

It's easy to switch... after all, x Apple people are pulling the strings at Palm now ;-)

Gary

Tech Center Labs

Question though, can two companies which have failed repeatedly in the mobile space (HP & Palm) finally produce a hit?

In addition to playing catchup with both Apple & Google, HP needs to surpass Apple & Google's best efforts.

1) HP has the resources to stick it out year after year and wait for webOS to catch on, like Microsoft did with Windows Mobile, Zune, XBox,etc.

2) HP should realize that webOS failed because it came on crappy hardware, was buggy + slow, and was poorly marketed. They should easily be able to bring out a smartphone with iPhone or HTC EVO quality hardware before the end of the year. They already have the tablet that webOS can be loaded onto. The bugs are being fixed and now Palm will have additional resources to adequately finish development of webOS + fix any new "issues" quickly. HP has massive marketing resources, in addition to significant Brick & Mortar presence. Running promotions like giving away/heavily discounting a webOS phone with every high end desktop or laptop package could be used to buy marketshare and get webOS back in the public eye.

Unless HP is clueless or Palm runs into some showstopping bugs/deficiencies in the webOS architecture it's hard to envision a scenario where webOS will fail to grab a decent marketshare. Hopefully HP will expand the sync abilities to allow users to create their own server that webOS devices can sync to. Still, the current Pre and Pixi are lame duck devices. I doubt many people are going to seriously consider a webOS device until HP produces the first post-Palm hardware. How quickly HP can release some quality hardware will decide how much more of a lead they are willing to give Apple and Google before they try to claw back marketshare. Whatever HP does, they need to make sure that every webOS device that is released is of VERY high quality, with as few bugs as possible from Day 1. Apple and the Google minions have the marketshare, mindshare and momentum. Releasing a string of crappy webOS hardware could doom webOS - even despite HP's resources.

It's pathetic how Apple just delivered, while for 10 years Palm's various so-called "leaders" sat still and made excuses year after year, while its marketshare dwindled. WTF were they thinking?

FJH
Foleo Father, new HP employee

Gary;

I also must respectfully disagree. My little Centro has more built-in functionality than a new Android device OR a new WebOS device. Now, take a Centro, load it up with apps, and compre it to a Pre or Android phone (or anything else cloud-centric) that has had its service terminated or is off the grid. They are practically useless!

In short, all of the new generation of devices are for FINDING & SHARING data. I don't particularly WANT to find or share stuff. I like to ORGANIZE my OWN data in the manner I see fit and Palm OS did that *perfectly*. No other current smartphone OS does that very well, but iPhone probably does the best of the lot but it loses about a gazillion points in my book by not support drag & drop USB mass storage functionality. Of course, Palm OS equally shows its age with the non-esistant capabilities of Blazer, a small square screen, and very weak telephone performance. Let me go on a rant and give you a few examples:

-Lame-brain Android doesn't even support sorting contacts by last name, first name.

And if I enter a phone number as, for example)

Work: 111-123-5555 (Main office)
Work: 222-333-5555 (New York Office)
Home: 333-444-5555 (Main house)
Home 333-444-6666 (Beach house)

the braindead Android contacts app will try to dial the "Main office" or "New York" office as numeric digits! So if I want to fully distinguish between each number have to create separate entries for person X's home office, their secondary office, and both of their residences. It's either that or have a lot of ambiguous "other" fields that you cannot assign anything other than a pre-determined name to! Dumb, dumb, dumb!

All of the modern smartphones' PIM capabilities were seemingly designed by a group of brain-dead, halfway illiterate hipster 20-somethings who don't make voice calls, use landlines, send snail mail or faxes. And they certainly don't have the patience to faithfully maintain a contacts list of 1,400+ entires for well over a dozen years!

Here's another example: my Droid, despite several hard resets, 2 OS updates, a new SD card + several reformats still chokes at trying to index more than 200 thumbnails on a microSDHC card in its newly dumbed-down "3G" Cooliris photo gallery app. This is absolutely apalling and unforgivable on a "modern" smartphone. My m505 did this process perfectly with SplashPhoto 8 or 9 years ago! And when playing back videos, the Android media player will frequently crash as it cannot cope with the demands of playing a locally stored video whilst (presumably) indexing thumbnails in the background. Please tell me I don't need to buy a Class 6 microSDHC card just to index my photos in less than an hour! If you ask me, Google might even be trying to borrow a page from Palm and make their newly-crippled devices even more dependent on the cloud. I'm glad to see HTC making widescale changes to the most feeble aspects of Android but it's still not enough.

So, I will stick to my assertion that all smartphone OSes are STILL shit other than iPhone. And iPhone is not for me because of no CDMA, no memory card support, no physical keyboard, mandatory iTunes integration and no removable battery.

The only reason I continue to stick it out with the Droid is because of the superb (free) Google turn by turn Navigation, the screen size/res/quality and the browser. And the fact that I've already paid for the damn thing and there are simply no other alternatives out there! Please, HP, hurry it up with that WebOS overhaul!!
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->Verizon Moto Droid + Verizon Palm Centro

>>>still chokes at trying to index more than 200 thumbnails on a microSDHC card in its newly dumbed-down "3G" Cooliris photo gallery app

Dear freaking god! That's appalling!