Motorola Droid hurts Palm

[danDroid]

Palm posted a net lost of $22million today and the outlook for the company appears to be just as grim. During the conference call Jon Rubinstein, Palm's chairman and CEO suggested that the Motorola Droid was a major ingredient for Palm's disappointed sales.

We had an arrangement with Sprint that when we launched with Sprint that they would invest in marketing and carry the product and for that they would get an exclusive for a period of time. That really determined when we could do our launch at Verizon. I agree with your premise that if we could have launched at Verizon earlier, prior to Droid, that we would have gotten the attention that the Droid got and since I believe that we have a better product, I think we would have even done better.

Gizmodo reported a rumor that Palm could become an acquistion target for Google. Not necessarily for the current hardware or software but strictly for Palms' patents.

There are a myriad of other reasons too why it makes sense for Google to buy Palm and this looming patent war with Apple simply adds impetus to such a decision. Think about all of the good things that Google would get out of buying Palm. Google gets every tool which it currently lacks but needs to successfully try to compete with Apple in the smartphone and other post-PC businesses over the long haul.

First and foremost, Google gets all of Palm's patents and we know their patent pool is both large and effective. Palm has been at this for nearly twenty years, giving them lots of patents including some older patents which nicely counter any patent claims Apple could make. It could be very likely that the reason we've never seen any direct patent battles yet between Palm and Apple is because Apple's legal folks looked over the Palm portfolio and decided that Apple infringed on as many Palm patents as Palm did on Apple patents so that a patent war with Palm wasn't really a good idea.

{Source: Engadget Gizmodo}

 

[TekHawk]

I would love to see Google buy Palm or them change platforms to Android

 

[Cyberdemon]

I've used a palm PDA (m500 model) to the Tungsten E to the Treo 700p and finally ended with the Palm Centro. I don't know how palm could possibly compete with what Motorola has produced with the Droid interface. Droid is far more advance then the palm could ever be in my opinion.

 

[Darkseider]

I've used a palm PDA (m500 model) to the Tungsten E to the Treo 700p and finally ended with the Palm Centro. I don't know how palm could possibly compete with what Motorola has produced with the Droid interface. Droid is far more advance then the palm could ever be in my opinion.

Apparently you have never used a Palm Pre. WebOS is a VERY slick OS and if you didn't know it was a Palm you would swear it was Android.

 

[unix.punkx]

webOS is the best Mobile OS hands down, I cant deny that. If Google bought Palm and merged Android with webOS it would be AMAZING

 

[Darkseider]

...If Google bought Palm and merged Android with webOS it would be AMAZING

One could only hope...

 

[Sweettooth]

Google aims to conquer all. We'll have to start calling them GoogleSoft when they buy everyone out and create their own substitutes, thus monopolizing the market as well. No laws will be able to stop them though; they'll have a patent on the software that was used to write the laws.

 

[sarreq]

if palm is going to get bought out, I hope google does it before apple gets the same idea

 

[Krish]

Wow it would be amazing if Google bought palm lol. The palm pre was a really awesome phone. The WebOS was so smooth and lag free but it lacked support or devs to work on it so i switch to Droid but would be cool if Google bought Palm, then apple, then the world blahhahahah. :icon_ banana:

 

[QuickSilver98]

Palm has been TERMINATED. Next Target: Apple iPhone

 

[shiccy]

I used a Treo back in the day (loved it!), used a palm T|X for work in healthcare, and then came to my senses ...

Palm's not kept up with the Jones', they thought they were safe because people have been using their O/S for things such as in hospitals, portable POS's in restaurants, etc. They've not been working all that hard to make their OS top of the line, and looking at their UI compared to iPhone, Android, and (yes) even BB have ALL surpassed them by far. Their newest UI/OS finally is semi-appealing, but unfortunately for them came much too late.

Bad business was done by Palm, and while they had a HUGE market monopoly in years past, they get to live with their non-creativity.

 

[Dusty]

If Google purchased Palm Apple lawyers would erupt from the sewers and attack Google's headquarters en masse. You see... Apple doesn't like competition.

 

[meepstone]

oh really?

The Palm CEO believes they have a better product?

Now thats shocking. Don't understand why company rep's always just talk to talk and don't say anything of substance. Instead of being a company that advertises saying we are the best or number one at this or that or the first that did it. How about you actually go out and accomplish it instead of saying it. That would actually be productive than trying to make yourselves out as something your not.

 

[wuyanks]

PALM's stock is plunging too... that's too bad

 

[Dusty]

Palm has been TERMINATED. Next Target: Apple iPhone

Hate to break it to you... Ain't gonna happen. There are far too many people who would buy a turd with a twist tie stuck in it as an antenna if it had an Apple logo on it.

What would be interesting is if Google released Chrome OS and everyone decided they were sick and tired of Apple's s***. Microsoft, Adobe, & Google could cripple Apple bigtime. Microsoft wouldn't have to live in fear of being a monopoly because Google would be the other OS choice for consumers.

Just saying.