(Click for larger view of a Chevy "no va.")The rumors appear to have started in Dec., when Palm CEO Ed Colligan confirmed in an earnings call that the "Nova" OS had been distributed to wireless carriers and software developers. Then, a Saturday story by the
San Francisco Chronicle's Ryan Kim re-kindled interest in the stack.
Kim called the stack Palm's "last gasp," suggesting that if it fails to generate significant buzz, it could spell doom for Palm, which this winter has
cut staff and restructured. Kim noted that Palm shipped only about 700 thousand phones during a quarter where Apple and RIM shipped 6.9 and 6.7 million, respectively.
Palm's Treo Pro
(Click image to enlarge) |
Palm's single-tasking PalmOS is considerably far behind modern smartphone stacks such as Android or the iPhone, and while the company has shipped several Windows Mobile versions of its flagship Treo smartphone line, it has seen production delays with Windows-based models. Palm this summer ended a year-long draught of Windows Mobile Treo models when it finally shipped the
800w. A few months later, it delivered the unlocked
Treo Pro (right), though the device was nearly identical under the skin to the earlier 800w.
Palm previously used Linux in a
Foleo mobile companion product that was
scrapped after a high-profile launch at LinuxWorld. And, Palm has been
rumored to be at work on an in-house Linux stack for phones for
several years. CEO Ed Colligan
confirmed Linux Treo plans earlier this year, but the company has not managed to market such a device.
Several years ago, Palm tried to
re-absorb PalmSource, its OS spinout, which had
adopted Linux. However,
along with Motorola, it was outbid by
Japanese phone software vendor Access.
A long-time leader of the PDA market, Palm was also an early leader of the smartphone market. Equipped with tiny QWERTY hardware keyboards, Palm's Treo devices were the iconic smartphone in the early days of the market. The company today employs about 1,050, according to reports. The
Chronicle story about "Nova" can be found
here.
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