Palm Getting Ready for Something New.....

I think that many of us have been predicting the fall of Palm for some time now. But a few sources are exclaiming that Palm is not quite done yet. Palm has apparently been working quietly on its new linux operating system NOVA. Additionally, they have had a very influential person in the design team for at least a year now. The designer of the Helio/Sidekick, Matias Duarte has been on board and is thought to have been brought over by Jon Rubinstein, the co inventor of the iPod.

This is very important news, because it means that Palm is betting the farm on NOVA. If this thing doesn't work, it could be lights out. It remains to be seen whether they will make a clean break or land in the world of Microsoft's Windows Mobile problem - trying to support legacy software. But for those of us sitting on the sidelines wondering whether we should jump ship to the Apple camp, this could be the twig that makes us sit up and take notice.

Again, for those of you not excited by this, this is big news. It means a complete overhaul of the Palm computing platform and more importantly a radical shift in the User Interface - maybe keyboards that can actually fit a real person, mmgh. I would say that if Palm can just keep on schedule, we may be looking at one of the greatest comebacks in the technology field. (Remember Palm ---- Lots of onboard memory, multitasking, wifi, gigabytes of extended memory and you'll do alright).



Resources:

Engadget.
Electronista.
Matias Duarte's blog.
Matias's Resume (pdf file).

Pictures: The Helio - Top Left.
The Sidekick - Bottom Right.


LDD.

More waiting for Linux

I just received an email from a programmer stating that Palm Inc. is expected to release a Linux based OS code named NOVA. We can expect the first devices running Nova in the first quarter of 2009. Unil then, Palm will be pushing the Centro. According to this source, Access will continue to work on ALP Linux, but there is no certainty as to who will be building the devices in question for the ALP system.

In terms of compatibility, this appears to be a major hold up, in that both are working on backwards compatibility of software. To me, I think that they need to make a clean break, but I guess Palm's base is still entrenched in the old software.

Although most of this information has been out since January, I am only now starting to believe it due to the programmer discussing this with me. Additionally, I think that Palm may indeed pull out all of the stops in January or perhaps surprise us with a 3rd quarter release or announcement - just like the old days. Additionally, NS Basic appears to be one of the first companies to line up with Palm for the new Linux based machines. Good to hear.

Following my discussion with my programming friend, I scoured the internet for stories on this. The most interesting one came from PalmInfocenter's January posting. They have gone on to state that the next generation OS is currently being tested internally on a yet to be released product code-named Zeppelin.

More information, although this appears to be rumor (from mytreo.net) supports the probability that this new device will have wifi and may come under the Treo name (800's). Again this paragraph is all rumor. I stand by the paragraphs preceding this one.


LDD.

Why the Google "i-link" will be a good thing and tinkering with OS X?

I recently had the opportunity to try out the iMac and I must say that I have been quite impressed by the operating system. It reminds me of the old Unix days and my slight delving into Linux. This system is so flawless and so natural that I had to pinch myself several times to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. It was so unobtrusive.

So, one of the things that I had to do with this great device was to find a spare Lifedrive hanging around - a friend just happened to have one that he hated, but would not give up - therefore sitting on a shelf gathering dust. So I thought, wouldn't it be great to see how this device works with The Precious.

Well, my friend told me that there was no need for the Palm Desktop software for the Mac, simply because it was just useless ( I hinted that he may actually like his Lifedrive a bit more if he followed the directions of Palm once in a while). He preferred to use a program called i-sync that comes standard with the iMac. Well, the program itself was quite nice. It boasted immediate synchronization with a number of phones, including my Nokia. Access via bluetooth or USB was very simple and it appeared to link the iCal (the calendar program on the mac) quite nicely, not to mention the address book.

Mac's iCal
Absolutely amazing calendar program

So, would it work on the Lifedrive? Well, I did the set up on the imac, introducing the machine to the Lifedrive and it appeared to recognize it without problems.

I then loaded up my friends Lifedrive with a number of addresses and a few calendar dates. He already had a full cache of addresses, appointments etc. in his iCal and address book in the mac. So the sync process would be easy to see.

The results unfortunately were not so stellar. Yes, I was amazed that the program actually worked with the Lifedrive. Essentially, any innovative program that works with the Lifedrive is cause for celebration. However there were a number of problems.

Google Calendar
Notice the similarities with Apple's iCal

First, the iCal format is essentially the same as Google's format. You can place several calendars together to form one calendar, with color codes to separate individual appointments. For example, if Jill has a calendar with her appointments and Sam has a calendar with his appointments, you can superimpose the two or separate them with the click of a button. The result on the Palm is no separation of the meetings. So Jill's meetings coincide with Sam's. In addition, the contacts in the address folder are under the title "other," instead of being separated into their respected folders. The system broke down a few times during the syncing process, hanging for a while. Thus, I would say that this was extremely unreliable and not the best for the Lifedrive. But for the Nokia, a totally different kettle of fish.

Now, there is possibly a solution with another Mac program called Missing Sync, but I have not tried this out yet. It is said to be a bit more stable and more intuitive when it comes to separating Contacts and iCal synchronicity.

For what it's worth, I understand that another solution may be around the corner. See the title for further information. This solution would probably be the answer to many Mac owners who have had trouble using the Palm with the iMac and Palms' less than adequate support for the Mac, choosing to stay the Windows route.

Windows Vista Calendar
Notice the resemblance to Google and Mac's iCal

However, even Palm may run into trouble at the end of the month when Vista comes out. Why? Well, if you take a look at the beta version or corporate edition of Windows Vista, you will notice a very interesting thing. The entire calendar program resembles iCal !!!! In addition, the website touts the iCal protocol interoperability (" Using Windows Calendar, you can subscribe to calendars hosted on websites in the .iCalendar format, and then view those calendars alongside your own..."). Thus, a solution for multiple calendars must be found by Palm in their next rendition of Garnet. It is also the reason why the company that has chosen to follow Apple's way of doing Calendars -Google- (Open source people harken that I pay homage to you first - since the Mac and now Windows players emulated your original designs), may end up leading the calendar wars and leaving everyone in the dust. It would appear that they have found a way to synchronize all of the devices, across the board, including Palm and Windows Mobile, using the iCal and open Calendar format. We know that it can be done, because CompanionLink Software appeared to be one of the first commercial companies to do this.

There are others working on this project, albeit more quietly. One programmer who was at one time posting on PalmAddicts (Shawn Grimes) had a project named Syncplicity (Syncplicity.com), but apparently ran into problems with this. His last post on his web site was June 13, 2006 on the subject. Obviously, we all applaud Open source projects, but I think that everyone is awaiting the Google conduit. It won't answer all of the Apple questions, but it should benefit both Mac OS X and Vista owners. One problem for Mac owners remains the dearth of software compatible with Mac for transferring to the Lifedrive directly. But you need to have back up software in the event that everything crashes. This is particularly true for mission critical applications -- Splash ID, OB and Internal Medicine textbooks, ie. The Washington Manual.

But the most important non-third party application is the calendar. It is what Palms do! The idea of being able to synchronize this with any computer or through the air is mind boggling and makes this an essential piece of software. I do not derive inspiration for appointments or calendar events while sitting in front of my computer. It is usually when sitting in front of another computer, walking down a hallway, conversing with someone else or just opening my Lifedrive. This is a conduit that must happen and I am happy to say that we are not too far from its final release.


LDD.

Addendum: No Lifedrives were harmed during the writing of this article :).


Images and quotes taken from Google.com, Apple.com, Microsoft.com and

Could Khertan Know About the Lifedrive Replacement?

Palm Developer, Khertan republished an interesting article from his website, khertan.net on PalmAddicts, bringing one to question what exactly is in store for us from Palm this year.

He harkens back to a prior interview that Jeff Hawkins gave, stating that Palm had essentially three divisions that catered to new products. Essentially, there is a division that does not even get mentioned (Secret Stuff :)). It is this - and not the other two - that is stirring the pot of speculation.

Like Apple Computers, Palm is as secretive as it can be and Khertan is suggesting that with the advent of new processors, namely the Marvell PXA320, the Mother of all Palm products could be announced in June of this year.

If this were to be the case, we would be looking at a device that would make the Lifedrive look like a Nano! It would have to be larger than usual and that could pose a problem for those of us looking for a small solution. Additionally, with the advent of Microsoft's Ultra Mobile PC, would Palm just be following the leader? Or would this be a continuation of the link with Microsoft, producing a Palm UMPC and a Microsoft UMPC?

In effect, if Palm - as Khertan suggests - continues to use a modified version of Garnet to run this device, instead of going with Linux or the long awaited OS, would this be another example of what the Palm CEO stated in an off the cuff moment during an analyst interview - The Lifedrive was an experiment!

Perfection of this experiment - a disk based Palm device - would be seen as what Khertan describes as "A compromise between an UMPC and a PDA." Obviously we all hope that this device will be much smaller than a UMPC.

It's a great read and appears to be a legitimate contender for first rumor of the year on the device front.


LDD.

Google to Release PDA Calendar Program.

Greetings friends,

I am not one to spread rumors, but I have just found out today from a very reliable source that Google plans to release a PDA conduit to their calendar program. My source did not clarify in regards to timing, but that it was coming soon and will be compatible with the Desktop that we are currently using now.

I would assume that it will also work with the Treo, since this is the leading Palm device, but it would appear that the yelling and screaming from the folks at PalmAddicts has had some effect.

Looking forward to this soon.

LDD.

Dr. Bikshandi allegedly creates a new lean PDA.

Akin to the Origami mystique discussion a few months ago, a physician in India claims to have created the first lean PDA for medicine. The device is apparently centered around preexisting hardware and is devoid of the bulky applications and proprietary restrictions that have closed the doors on progress thus far.

The article, published in India's Healthcare Management Express , would seem to be someone's reach for the spotlight if it were not for a few important facts. Dr. Bikshandi is a well respected Trauma Critical Care Specialist. Secondly, he actually presented a working model of the device to the Royal Society of Medicine in London! That's right, no vaporware here! A real, dedicated device. One would think that a picture or two would have evolved from this meeting, but alas, there are no pictures, but a lot of questions. According to HME, the device has the following characteristics:

1. Basic PDA functions: Calendar, Contact/Address book, meeting alerts and e-mail.
2. Wireless connectivity.

When asked if the device can be applied to different operating systems, Dr. Bikshandi replied,

"...I configured a basic palm based hand-held device to run important clinical applications by performing minor tweaks. The configured device is currently operational and capable of synchronising over the internet and even checking e-mail. I have also conceived the idea of providing a SPIX (single point information exchange), which is a blueprint for an elementary network using the built-in infra-red port provided with many hand-helds in a hospital/clinic set up. The design can network doctors and other healthcare professionals in an institutional setting with no specialised hardware requirement or huge investment."



Obviously, until we see a working example, it will be difficult to comment on it. But it is nice to see some innovation still finding its way into the standalone PDA market. The recommended price in June was about Rs 10,000 (Rupees), which was about $220.00 at the time. There is a possibility that the price will be decreased if demand is increased. This could be interesting if it ever comes to life.

(Originally written in June, 2006).

LDD.

Dr. Bikshandi creates a lean PDA.

Akin to the Origami mystique discussion, a physician in India claims to have created the first lean PDA for medicine. The device is apparently centered around preexisting hardware and is devoid of the bulky applications and proprietary restrictions that have closed the doors on progress thus far.

The article, published in India's Healthcare Management Express , would seem to be someone's reach for the spotlight if it were not for a few important facts. Dr. Bikshandi is a well respected Trauma Critical Care Specialist. Secondly, he actually presented a working model of the device to the Royal Society of Medicine in London! That's right, no vaporware here! A real, dedicated device. One would think that a picture or two would have evolved from this meeting, but alas, there are no pictures, but a lot of questions. According to HME, the device has the following characteristics:

1. Basic PDA functions: Calendar, Contact/Address book, meeting alerts and e-mail.

Obviously, until we see a working example, it will be difficult to comment on it. But it is nice to see some innovation still finding its way into the standalone PDA.

(Originally written in June, 2006).