Joshua Topolsky saved Engadget years ago, I love his writing and his
penetrating focus on detail. Sometimes he's stuck in "the box" though
and his article on Palm advises them to "go faster" doing more of the
same. While he is right that the ads suck I don't remember him being
at all the developer events I've covered. He didn't see the look in
the eyes of the iPhone developers who came to the mojo launch to find
we didn't have access to the accelerometer in the 1st sdk. They gave
us screen rotation. That was it for them. We came out on a weekend and
we love it yes, but no Augmented reality and no games with motion?
Then they hit us with another SDK later. 2? lameness beyond the pale.
All their developers, that they forced to learn a new platform in the
middle of the iPhone heyday and Android Genesis jumped ship at the
second sdk.

They can not right that in this cycle and can never right it with WebOS.

It's clear to the developer world that Palm will not survive the next
wave of Androids unless they spit out a Treo device running Android
and drop the proprietary webos bulls$%t. Beautiful idea, execution
:fail, we love you still, now move on before Elevation goes ape5h1t
about their 400+Million Dollars evaporating.

Android on Palm Hardware. Consumers just need to hear it once to want
it. A resurgence of the street-smart original Newton-killer Palm with
a re-surging Treo brand equipped with the unimaginable power of
Android 2.1 with Flash10 and 15 years of hardware expertise unloading
onto an unsuspecting industry a F$%k-load of [I don't care what I
look like, I put power in the hands of my users no matter what
(PERIOD) ]

I remember the WindowsMobile Treo shocking the hell out of me in 2002.
I remember Steve Jobs' "Hell Froze Over" slide when he officially
decimated all hope the zune ever had by releasing iTunes for Windows.
Disruptors disrupt because no one expects them. Stop playing everyone
elses game and play the game everyone else is playing.

Palm, you make hardware. Your Folio idea was tight. You botched the
OS. It would be awesome with Android. You could sell those for use
with other manufacturers Android phones. Palm was floundering when it
picked up Handspring landing it with the first smartphone. My first
cellphone was a backpack for a Visor Edge. Get over the damn brand
identity trap. Whoever is in charge over at Palm just tell everyone
that you are making the worlds best Android device for release in 4
months. No questions just do it. Put whatever you have to on hold but
get an Android into the market that shows them all how to make a
Smartphone.

Let the name bring up memories of past "darkest hour" victories. Call
it The Palm Edge

If Palm doesn't do this it is likely that in 6-8 months they will
openly discuss collapse as hundreds of thousands of independent flash
developers and design firms rush the mobile world outnumbering
out-designing and out-classing the iPhone App store on an open screen
that Palm developers can't get on without defecting. I have no
endorsement of a proprietary palm failure lasting one day longer when
they can treat their wounded bottom line and produce a great device
with help from the worlds most advanced mobile ecosystem. The OS that
will not be owned and is here to stay. Android.

Here's Engadget's list of suggestions though they pull the punches on
a bleak future:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/19/palm-this-is-your-survival-guide/

Posted via email from The Sid Gabriel Post