When companies destined to do big things start losing their way, people react despondently. In the 1990s investors world over were betting Yahoo would become the colossal company Google eventually became and now Palm’s CEO is lamenting letting their ‘smartphone birthright’ slip to Apple, as well as justifying why the HP-Palm merger had to happen.

The pain of loss

Speaking at the Web 2.0 summit Jon Rubenstein, Palm’s CEO and formerly spearhead of iPod operations at Apple, spoke on the company being acquired by HP, as well as reflecting on how the company let their mobile devices first-mover advantage slip. Rubenstein said (via All Things D): ‘Palm created the PDA (personal digital assistant) space with the Pilot and the smartphone space after it with the Treo.’ He continued, saying: ‘So by birthright, Palm should have owned the smartphone market, but it just lost its way. It’s a very similar story to what happened with Apple.’

Giving up control

Yes, but Apple eventually had a comeback of epic proportions as an independent company, releasing three category defining products in that time – the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Rubenstein, on the other hand, let the reigns at Palm go when he put the company on the block, and HP coughed up the money to purchase the company.

The Palm CEO justified the HP-Palm merger, by pointing out how the company needed financial resources to compete effectively. ‘We needed more resources,’ he said, continuing ‘And HP needed a strong mobile strategy.’ In short, the hookup made sense, since Palm had what HP needed – the brilliant webOS mobile OS platform – and HP had what Palm needed – financial resources.

We wait anxiously

When the Palm Pre released, we were absolutely enamored with the mobile OS platform it shipped with, but the phone was too buggy and half-baked for it to reach its full potential. Hopefully when webOS 2 gets the red carpet treatment, the potential baked into the HP Palm product will be fully realised. An improved Palm Pre 2 has since shipped, and it’s well worth a look if you’re in the market for something new.

HP has announced that we can begin expecting HP webOS smartphones early next year. While in the glow of iOS and Google Android, the rigid efficiency of RIM, and the anxious wait surrounding Windows Phone 7, few people may be checking for what HP has in store for us, and we’re very interested in what they could be cooking up.

Early next year

Eric Cador, Senior Vice President at HP, told delegates at a conference in Barcelona that ‘You will see us coming early next year with new phones’. He then spoke briefly on the $1.2 billion Palm acquisition, saying that, ‘More importantly we acquired webOS,’ which was an ‘extremely fundamental’ part of the deal.

All stuff we know, really, outside of that critical launch window. And though ‘early next year’ is technically any time before June, we would venture a guess that he means in the first quarter still.

HP mopping up where Palm slipped?

Photo: Palm

Contrary to what some may think, we thought the Palm Pre was a sleeping giant undone by poor execution on some fronts. The hardware was solid if not great, but it was the software that was eye-opening – easily one of the most polished, most impressive mobile OS platforms anywhere, iOS included. What undid the Pre was the bugs it came with, especially when the challengers – most importantly Apple – were so strong.

What HP brings to the party with their HP webOS smartphones is the economic resources to dedicate more time and effort to making webOS a rock-solid software package. Furthermore, the company’s almost unparalleled hardware understanding, shipping the most PCs and printers worldwide, means the new smartphones could benefit from a manufacturing finish, if you will, that the Palm Pre lacked.

We’re super excited about the HP webOS smartphone, though we’re obviously adamant that the world doesn’t need anymore software mobile OS platforms. Who knows? Perhaps HP can pull an Apple in the mobile OS space. Or not.

In the wake of a terrible year, where the once famous Palm PDA maker’s latest quarterly results exposed how weak the company had become and how poorly the Palm Pre performed, Palm’s long awaited sale is rumoured to be in motion.

Goldman leads the sale

Reuters reports that investment banking firm Goldman Sachs is handling the sale, with Qatalyst partners also on board to help find a buyer – possibly this week, already. Reuters sources say smartphone firm HTC Corp, as well as Chinese computing firm Lenovo are considering purchasing the ailing Palm.

Rollercoaster equity journey

Photo: Palm

At one point, Palm’s value plummeted by 60 per cent this year, with their quarterly earnings shining a spotlight on the company’s weakened financials. The company’s third quarter losses, which totaled £14.65 million, led some analysts to change the company’s share rating to $0.

Once rumours began swirling that Palm would be put up for sale last week, its share’s surged over 30 per cent.

Things fall apart

Palm, who built their reputation off of their famous Palm PDA, have been struggling to make a dent in the smartphone market, where Apple, RIM and HTC are dominating.

Photo: Palm

Their Palm Pre and Palm Pixie smartphones had disappointing sales, despite quite a bit of media coverage and a huge advertising campaign. The Palm Pre, at the time billed as another in the long line of iPhone killers, was everything but, even though it was a competent phone.

The value in acquisition

The company acquiring Palm would be getting engineering talent and the brand name behind the infamous Palm PDA, which still has value in the US but not much elsewhere. It would make perfect sense for Lenovo if they have intentions of entering the smartphone market, while it would offer HTC (who’ve had a great year) additional distribution channels in the US.

Palm, who came crashing onto the scene a little under two decades ago with their Palm PDA in high demand, is on the verge of collapse – in its current incarnation, at least. With product development stalling, lukewarm sales and widening losses, moderate analysts are calling for a rethink while others’ outlook is even less rosy.

What happened?

Palm, who tasted their first major success on the heels of their PDA the Palm Pilot, grew so fast during the dotcom bubbly that 3Com, their parent company, opted to spin them out as an independent company.

Photo: Palm

While Palm Pilot and Palm PDA sales were strong, the company thrived. But soon, as smartphones began introducing the same features as those found in the PDAs, Palm’s grip on the industry they defined began to slip. In response, Palm began building its Palm-branded range of smartphones, which had moderate market success initially, before beginning to wane rapidly.

Now, in a world where the idea of the stand-alone PDA is absurd, and smartphones developed by Apple and others powered by Google Android, Palm’s lineup has failed to impress, leading to a rapid decline in financial outlook. The 02-carried Palm Pre and the Palm Pixie alike have not had the financial success Palm was banking they would.

Palm, you are worth $0

As a result of this, Palm’s reported third quarter losses of $22 million (£14.65 million) led to the company’s shares nose-diving over 25%. Many analysts changed their Palm share rating to $0.

Is everybody just overanxious?

Photo: Palm

During the earnings call Jon Rubinstein, Palm’s CEO, said the company is preparing for launches with a few carriers, which should hopefully stem the tide, narrow losses, and improve the organisation’s outlook.

What is clear is the day of the Palm PDA and the Palm Pilot are long over, and unless the company can adapt to the times, Palm will continue to be a shadow of its former self.

One of the best touch screen mobile phones ever produced by Sony has been recently launched. The device runs on a Symbian platform which is known as Sony Ericsson Vivaz. This device was previously rumoured to be known as Kurara but it has been officially launched as Sony Ericsson Vivaz. The device is equipped with a very powerful platform which enhances the performance. This device is equipped in a number of colours and you can choose accordingly. The best feature of this mobile phone is the 8 megapixel autofocus camera which offers superior quality moving and still images that will simply take your breath away.

HD video recording

Most other mobile phones are not installed with such high definition camera which makes Sony Ericsson Vivaz a unique product. The device is very compact and sleek, with a different look than most Sony Ericsson phones. This device is capable of recording video at 720 p which is much better than most other mobile phones available in the market. It is fitted with a spectacular 3.2 inch screen which offers a fantastic clarity. The resolution of the main display is around 640 X 360 pixels which is better than most other mobile phones. The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is the only mobile phone which supports 16 million colours.

WiFi enabled

This mobile phone also provides a number of connectivity options. It is fitted with a standard micro USB jack that allows you to connect various other USB enabled devices with it. On the other hand, Sony Ericsson Vivaz is also equipped with Wi-Fi which enables you to enjoy unlimited internet in a Wi-Fi enabled region. Like most other music phones this device is also equipped with 3.5 mm audio jack which enables you to connect all sorts of headphones with it. The Vivaz phone is also equipped with FM radio so that you can turn to the FM mode whenever you are bored of listening to stored songs.

Internal and microSD storage

The internal memory of the device is 75 MB which can only store limited items but you can increase the memory up to 8 GB by installing a memory card. It supports microSD format of memory card which is easily available at various mobile accessories store. If you want to buy Sony Ericsson Vivaz then you should visit the nearest Sony Ericson dealer and if you are unable to find it at a store then you should search it through a search engine. There are various online stores offering the Sony Ericsson mobile at a reasonable price.

Looks very good and sleek on the outside

The Acer betouch e101 smartphone is available in a stylish black colour and a sleek design which gives it a stylish new appearance that can make heads turn. It supports Quad band frequency and is installed with a very powerful rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery offers a long back up of 400 hours on the standby mode and 5 hours if you are continuously talking on the phone. The Acer Betouch E101 mobile phone is also fitted with a WQVGA display that offers superior clarity that will take your breath away. The resolution of the main display is around 240 X 400 Pixel which quite enough for the display of a mobile phone.

GPS, onboard camera, and Bluetooth

This Acer device is integrated with a camera of 2.0 megapixel which provides high quality moving and still images. It is also installed with MP3 player that allows you to play all sorts of MP3 files. The Acer smartphone supports data transfers through various modes some of which include Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS and GSM. It is a Bluetooth enabled device which allows you to connect it with various other Bluetooth enabled device. Like most other hi-end Acer betouch e101 smartphone is installed with a Global Positioning System. This feature enables you to find your exact location at any point of time.

Decent included storage and SD card compatible

The internal memory of this Acer mobile phone is around 256 MB which is quite enough to store the important data. But if you want to install songs and various other applications then you will have to increase the memory by installing a memory card. The Acer betouch e101 smartphone supports Micro SecureDigital (Micro SD) format of memory card and you can easily find it at a store near your home. A memory card can be easily installed and you can check the user manual for further details. It is installed with a very powerful rechargeable battery which offers a long battery back up.

Lightweight and compact

The Acer betouch e101 smartphone is also fixed with a mini USB port that allows you to transfer data by connecting it directly with a computer. Most of the smart phones available in the market are pretty difficult to carry because they are slightly bigger than a standard mobile phone but Acer betouch e101 smartphone measures around 113 X 56 X 12.8 mm. It weighs around 118 g and you can easily carry it in your pocket. It is a very stylish looking mobile phone from Acer and is available at an affordable price. It is fitted with strong speakers which offer very clear sound.

Quite reliable as well

The Acer betouch e101 smartphone is among the best selling smartphone already. It is provided with high quality headphones which offer superior quality stereo sound. This mobile phone is provided with a warranty which makes it a highly reliable product. The device is provided with a charger which works pretty well. It is highly recommended that you should read the user manual before using the product. It is provided with a stylus which will help you to operate the Acer mobile phone.

The Nautix X5 is fast and powerful and is supercharged via a high-speed 806 MHz Xscale processor, 256 MB RAM and 512 MB Flash memory. The device offers you everything at your fingertips and is easy to use. You can experience the desktop efficiency in the field. The Nautiz X5 runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 OS, just like HTC Touch Pro Raphael smartphone, and  the X5 also sports a full VGA screen with a long lasting battery that can accompany you for the whole day in a single charge. Nautiz X5 does not lack in features. It has got an integrated 3 megapixel autofocus camera along with the options for 1-D laser barcode scanning and 2-D imager. The base model has got a numeric keypad but you can also opt for a QWERTY keyboard. The device also offers a standard GSM/UMTS voice and high speed HSDPA data connectivity, apart from the fast 3G connection. You can also communicate with the help of built-in support for Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and WLAN. GPS functionality is also added to the device and all the expected connectivity ports such as USB and Ethernet are also present.

The Nautiz X5 is rugged enough to be used under harsh conditions. It can survive in a dusty or humid atmosphere. It can also endure bumps and drops and adheres to the IP6X and IPX5 standards for dealing with sand and water.

Due to such benefits and worldwide popularity the PDAs will now be introduced in workshops also. The after sales software developer arm of Manheim Retail in the UK, Real Time Communication (RTC) has developed a new handheld PDA to increase the efficiency of the after sales inspection system in the workshops. It will enable the wireless transmission of the recorded data to RTC’s vehicle health check module. This will eliminate the need for service advisors to re-enter the data that has already been recorded by the technician. It’s very simple to use the new PDA. This demonstrates how other PDAs, like the Hewlett-Packard HP iPAQ 214, can also be put to good use in an after sales environment, and not just in the office. Once the workshop technician is through with the vehicle health check, the necessary information can be downloaded wirelessly to the health check module of the RTC PDA. From thereon, the workshop controller can simple perform his task of costing and authorisation. Moreover, any deferred task is automatically entered into the RTC’s vehicle check module.

Tim Baumfield, Managing Director of RTC commented, “Adapting existing PDA technology to the aftersales environment, replacing paper-based systems and minimising the risk of human error have all been the key objectives in the development of this new product. The end result is significant process improvements and productivity efficiencies at a time when dealers are looking to sweat their assets and generate revenue wherever they can.”

]]> http://www.mobile-computing-news.co.uk/pda-news/911/pda-technology-is-enhancing-workshop-operations.html/feed 0 http://www.mobile-computing-news.co.uk/pda-news/832/dolphin-7850-an-all-new-pda-from-honeywell.html http://www.mobile-computing-news.co.uk/pda-news/832/dolphin-7850-an-all-new-pda-from-honeywell.html#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:10:18 +0000 James http://www.mobile-computing-news.co.uk/?p=832 Honeywell has recently rolled out the latest version of the Dolphin 7850 mobile device. It’s a fully fledged Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) which offers high performance and a compact form factor. It has Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 installed as the operating system and supports Wi-Fi communication. A real time session can be established between the mobile worker and the enterprise using the Dolphin 7850.

Coming to the form factor, the Dolphin 7850 is sleek and easy to carry. It is protected by a lightweight casing which can endure water, dust and shocks. The display too is now very much enhanced. This PDA renders true to life colours and allows the users to adjust the screen as per their convenience. They can angle the screen upwards so that they can easily view the data while resting backwards. The main upgrade in the device is its three long-range laser scanning options that are integrated to make the barcode scanning easy. Using this PDA you can easily scan the hard to reach barcodes. It has also got an integrated pistol grip for easy grip.

The three new barcode scanning options are high performance, long range and advanced long range that can be used to scan the barcodes that are five to thirty feet away, typically in warehouses and distribution environments where the barcodes are located at high shelves, pallets and loading docks. With other products like Honeywell 3870 Barcode Hand Scanner, it is no surprise that the company shows expertise in this field. Using the ShiftPLUS power management, the Dolphin 7850 can operate for ten hours on a single charge.

The seminar in question will be of great assistance to a large number of healthcare professionals, as it will familiarise them with the powers of this new mobile clinical assistant. The professionals will be then able to judiciously use the device and enhance their productivity.

Bill Presler, managing partner at DataSource Mobility said, “Healthcare demands durability and nothing is more reliable and durable than a Toughbook. The Panasonic Toughbook H1 is such a compelling new device for healthcare and it has the features that caregivers require. These seminars will provide caregivers, IT professionals and C-level decision makers a way to really understand how this product can change the way people think about point-of-care computing. If you are in the healthcare business, we hope you’ll join us during our educational sessions.”