| New Palms on horizon? |
May 09, 2008
 According to TamsPPC -- the PocketPC Blog, Palm is rallying software partners for a Q3 launch of two new smartphones. The blog reported an insider tip on two Palm smartphones code-named "Zeppelin" and "Skywriter," which have been rumored to run Windows Mobile and/or Linux.
TamsPPC printed a document that it claims to be an email from a Palm developer program that was seeking developers to ready their applications for two new Palm devices called Zeppelin and Skywriter. The deadline for application was said to be May 30th, with the launches set for the third quarter. The reprinted email points potential applicants to the Designed for Palm Products (DFPP) compatibility testing page. The blog also passed along an "unconfirmed" assertion from "a Palm insider" that a "Centro-like Windows Mobile device" was sighted. This was speculated to be a Windows Mobile 6.1 version of the Treo 500, seen above.
According to some circulating rumors, Zepplin and Skywriter are merely two versions of the same device. One would be based on Windows Mobile, while the other would be based on Palm's upcoming Linux distribution, said to be called "Nova." Other rumors suggest that one of the devices will be the low-end, Centro-like device, while the other will be a high-end phone that adds WiFi, GPS, and EVDO Rev. A cellular communications. The latter will be sold by Sprint as the Treo 800, some sources believe.
After the split-up of Palm into hardware (Palm) and software (PalmSource) companies several years ago, Palm has sold a variety of handhelds and smartphones based on Palm OS and Windows Mobile, including the Centro and the Treo lines. In September 2005, Access, now a major purveyor of Linux-based mobile phone stacks, acquired PalmSource, and by January 2007 had renamed Palm OS, calling it "Garnet OS."
 With or without Linux, the rumored devices would fill significant holes in Palm's product line. At the low end, for example, the Garnet OS-based Centro has been Palm's best-seller, offered by various carriers for around $100. It is now under pressure from similarly priced Windows Mobile-based devices, such as Motorola's MOTO Q9c. While Palm has offered low-cost Windows Mobile devices, the Treo 500v (right) and Treo 500, in Europe, it has not provided U.S. customers with any equivalent.
At the high end, Palm has offered versions of its Treo 750 smartphone, now typically selling for around $250 after carrier rebates. While popular with business customers, these phones do not include WiFi, hence the need for a "Treo 800."
The full TamsPPC story should be available here.
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