Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Can HP/Palm make a comeback in mobile?

Apr 28, 2010 10:08PM PDT

Dear Buzz Gang and Crew,
I am sure that most of you have read or heard that HP has indicated its intentions of buying Palm. The bigger question is: Can HP/Palm make a comeback in mobile?

My Answer is: Too little, too late. HP/Palm cannot make a comeback in mobile.

HP: Outside of printers and personal computers, HP has no real retail presents for their products.
HP: Has no real consumer oriented products that are identifiable other than printers.
HP: Mobile is a fast paced, fast changing industry. HP has no history of such quick footed innovative
HP: Although they have a strong corporate customer base, if HP were to approach corporate customers for wireless services, they bump up against RIM which has a stronghold in the corporate market.

PALM: Has lost marketshare to Apple, RIM, Android
PALM: Has yet to create compelling products and services to retain existing customers & developers
PALM: Has reinvented itself several times over and has failed, what else can they do?
PALM: Consumer perception of Palm has been damaged severely. Simply having a new owner will not change that perception.

Conclusion:
HP will probably integrate Palm into their product lines as a tool for specialty businesses and services but Palm will not regain their consumer product dominance they once had.

What are your thoughts?

Later People.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/technology/29palm.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/28/MN351D6D4P.DTL
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/with-palm-buy-hewlett-packard-dives-into-hot-wireless-market/19458148/

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Let me add why we didn't pick them (WebOS).
Apr 28, 2010 10:15PM PDT

After a decade of PalmOS use we had to dismiss WebOS for one missing feature. It was Bluetooth Serial Port Profile (BT SPP).

This is one of those non-negotiable items that means we can't use a device that doesn't have this. iPhone doesn't have this either.

We did use Palm's Windows Mobile devices but Palm dropped those.
Bob

- Collapse -
some theories...
Apr 29, 2010 12:06AM PDT

With CEO Hurd for HP - it seems promising...that just seems to know how to get it done. But then again, he's ultimately concerned with the bottom line for the company. So either HP has a niche market(s) that they want to exploit with Palm (maybe in the commercial instead of consumer territory) or they're acting like a private equity firm (buy'em cheap, improve'em, sell'em for a profit). Those are my theories so far...

--S

- Collapse -
Well...
Apr 29, 2010 3:23AM PDT

At least now they can call themselves "Hewlett-Palm" and still keep the HP abbreviation.

- Collapse -
Can HP/Palm make a comeback in mobile?
Apr 29, 2010 7:23AM PDT

Yep if they put the Web OS on a tablet which I think that they will do

- Collapse -
Much better idea than a Windows 7 tablet
May 3, 2010 12:15PM PDT

How do you think the iPad is so thin, light and high in battery life? It's ARM based. Dramatically lower in power and size compares to x86. Even compared to the Atom. Additionally an OS made from the ground up for touch, is a leas clougy solution.

- Collapse -
WebOS had potential
Apr 29, 2010 11:10AM PDT

The card UI was genius. I think it was held back by a lack of apps. Which you can blame on the SDK being in a closed beta for a long time. Maybe HP can revive it with a bunch of WebOS tablets and phones.
The iPaq is still around, HP phones are doing even worse than Palm. At least they now have something solid to build on.

- Collapse -
meh.
Apr 30, 2010 3:34AM PDT

What you have listed may be true, but I don't think that neccessarily says anything about their prospective future...

IMHO Palm failed because of crappy ad campaign and non-compelling phones. I think HP is pretty good at advertising, and knows how to make slick laptops, so they might be able to do something, might.

you absolutely could be right tho, i guess well just have to wait and see?

- Collapse -
Huh..."Smart dust" - Mobile telephony link?...
May 3, 2010 1:56AM PDT

If HP wants to use Palm for something different...it may be this:

'Smart dust' aims to monitor everything
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/05/03/smart.dust.sensors/index.html?hpt=C2
*****
The latest news comes from the computer and printing company Hewlett-Packard, which recently announced it's working on a project it calls the "Central Nervous System for the Earth." [...]

The wireless devices would check to see if ecosystems are healthy, detect earthquakes more rapidly, predict traffic patterns and monitor energy use. The idea is that accidents could be prevented and energy could be saved if people knew more about the world in real time, instead of when workers check on these issues only occasionally.

[...] The company has made plans with Royal Dutch Shell to install 1 million matchbook-size monitors to aid in oil exploration by measuring rock vibrations and movement, he said.
*****