Comments on: Is Palm a Player or Just a Pre-Tender? http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/ Open Source, Open Standards Sat, 05 Oct 2013 13:48:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: hhemken http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/#comment-6584 hhemken Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/#comment-6584 Don't even get me started. Palm's product strategy is below laughable. Go to an electronics store and look at their PDA line. Go on, don't be shy. For $200 you will get a fat klunky device with a few <em>mega</em>bytes of memory. That's right, I said <em>mega</em>. God only knows where they can even <em>buy</em> such small quantities of memory these days. Small screens, too fat to fit in your pocket, vastly overpriced, they single-handedly destroyed the PDA market. I recall seeing analysts say that the public had lost interest in PDAs, and that's why the market shrank. Maybe we stopped buying because the new ones were no better than the old ones. Why buy a new one?<br /> <br /> I have wanted to replace my Palm m500 for years. It is thinner and more pocket friendly than anything they have out now, even in its slim aluminum case. I would buy a Centro, but AT&T forces you into their gratuitously expensive data plan, so I would end up paying well over $600 per year per person in my family, essentially for nothing.<br /> <br /> This is the dark side of our gadget-happy times. Everyone wants to take your money and give you as little as possible in return, all behind an enormous, loud, hysterical curtain of empty hype. Don’t even get me started. Palm’s product strategy is below laughable. Go to an electronics store and look at their PDA line. Go on, don’t be shy. For $200 you will get a fat klunky device with a few megabytes of memory. That’s right, I said mega. God only knows where they can even buy such small quantities of memory these days. Small screens, too fat to fit in your pocket, vastly overpriced, they single-handedly destroyed the PDA market. I recall seeing analysts say that the public had lost interest in PDAs, and that’s why the market shrank. Maybe we stopped buying because the new ones were no better than the old ones. Why buy a new one?

I have wanted to replace my Palm m500 for years. It is thinner and more pocket friendly than anything they have out now, even in its slim aluminum case. I would buy a Centro, but AT&T forces you into their gratuitously expensive data plan, so I would end up paying well over $600 per year per person in my family, essentially for nothing.

This is the dark side of our gadget-happy times. Everyone wants to take your money and give you as little as possible in return, all behind an enormous, loud, hysterical curtain of empty hype.

]]> By: hhemken http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/#comment-6585 hhemken Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/#comment-6585 I made a mistake in the cost estimate. It is over $300, not over $600.<br /> <br /> Sorry! I made a mistake in the cost estimate. It is over $300, not over $600.

Sorry!

]]> By: dbayer http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/#comment-6586 dbayer Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/#comment-6586 IMO, PDAs quit selling in part because of our desire for more gadgets. People wanted a cell phone, a PDA, and perhaps a pager. At the same time, people didn't want the utility belt look as they carried everything around, hence the smartphone. NPR reported last week that now smartphones now outsell regular cell phones despite the price difference. Particularly now that smartphones take the place of yet another gadget (media player), everyone wants that extra functionality, and they want it at home, in the car, in the park, at work, or anywhere else. The same trends have pushed notebook computer sales over desktop sales. Welcome to the mobile world.<br /> <br /> Yes, the service can be expensive, but you get what you pay for (more or less). If you want ubiquitous access to email, and for MS Exchange users unified calendar and contacts as well, you have to pay for the service. This is no different than the switch from dial-up to broadband Internet connections for the home - broadband costs a lot more, but you're getting more too. TANSTAAFL. IMO, PDAs quit selling in part because of our desire for more gadgets. People wanted a cell phone, a PDA, and perhaps a pager. At the same time, people didn’t want the utility belt look as they carried everything around, hence the smartphone. NPR reported last week that now smartphones now outsell regular cell phones despite the price difference. Particularly now that smartphones take the place of yet another gadget (media player), everyone wants that extra functionality, and they want it at home, in the car, in the park, at work, or anywhere else. The same trends have pushed notebook computer sales over desktop sales. Welcome to the mobile world.

Yes, the service can be expensive, but you get what you pay for (more or less). If you want ubiquitous access to email, and for MS Exchange users unified calendar and contacts as well, you have to pay for the service. This is no different than the switch from dial-up to broadband Internet connections for the home – broadband costs a lot more, but you’re getting more too. TANSTAAFL.

]]> By: kimkhan http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/#comment-6587 kimkhan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7385/#comment-6587 <p>The world of PDAs are over for me, atleast for a few years now. I used to have a PDA - I still even have my linux based sharp zaurus sitting somewhere collecting dust. For almost couple of years now, I am using a slick smartphone from Asus which has everything I need to sync with my outlook, a GPS, a 2.0MP camera, Wifi with VOIP softphone/skype, and media player. And it is touchscreen and recognizes nicely my handwritings and you can buy it only for around $150 - $200 from ebay - no need for any dataplan contracts from any provider.</p> <p>This is my everything device. My next device will probably have a better camera and video recording capability then it will replace my camcorder as well.</p> <p>And above all, it is way slicker and fits nicely in my pocket. It is an Asus P527 - check it out. </p> The world of PDAs are over for me, atleast for a few years now. I used to have a PDA – I still even have my linux based sharp zaurus sitting somewhere collecting dust. For almost couple of years now, I am using a slick smartphone from Asus which has everything I need to sync with my outlook, a GPS, a 2.0MP camera, Wifi with VOIP softphone/skype, and media player. And it is touchscreen and recognizes nicely my handwritings and you can buy it only for around $150 – $200 from ebay – no need for any dataplan contracts from any provider.

This is my everything device. My next device will probably have a better camera and video recording capability then it will replace my camcorder as well.

And above all, it is way slicker and fits nicely in my pocket. It is an Asus P527 – check it out.

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