Maker of Palm Software to Unveil Operating System for Smart Phones

magellan

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/27/technology/27wireless.html


PARIS - PalmSource, the maker of the Palm operating system for hand-held devices, plans to announce tomorrow its first operating system designed specifically for smart phones - mobile phones that can run programs more typically found on desktop computers.

The operating system will include more cellphone-related technology as part of PalmSource's new strategy to focus more on phones. For example, Bluetooth wireless technology can already be used with the Palm operating system, but device manufacturers have to do a certain amount of technical work to make it function on a phone； now, Bluetooth is built in.

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"We are reinventing the company," said David Nagel, PalmSource's chief executive, in an interview during a recent European tour. The company is betting that the same ease of use that made the Palm a popular hand-held organizer will draw people to phones using the software.

PalmOne, the separate company that makes Palm hardware, already makes a mobile device called the Treo 600 that combines a phone with a full keyboard and e-mail software.

But PalmSource wants its operating system to be the brains behind a variety of smart phones, not only Treos. It is planning to add features like the popular BlackBerry e-mail software created by Research In Motion； new Java technology for downloading games； a new browser that will make it easier to view Web sites on a mobile phone screen； and the ability to connect to several kinds of wireless networks, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Wi-Max.

PalmSource said its software would soon be available in 11 smart phones, but it would not identify the manufacturers.

Analysts say that about 70 percent of all smart phones sold are powered by an operating system from Symbian, which is owned by several major cellphone makers. And Microsoft is making a big push into the market with its own software.

Palm faces an uphill battle, said Lars Vestergaard, an analyst at the market research company IDC. "Palm missed the train on wireless," he said. "Its competitive advantage now has to be gained."

Research In Motion, another company better known for data devices than phones, just introduced new BlackBerry models that look more like phones than previous BlackBerrys. They include a system that merges a phone keypad and a computer keyboard, with two letters per key instead of the three on other phones, reducing the number of key taps needed to send text messages.

But the system is still too awkward for people who regularly need to reply to e-mail messages on the go, said Ben Wood, an analyst in London for the technology consulting company Gartner.

Those people are better off with a more computerlike keyboard, he said. An array of smart phones, including Nokia's Communicator family； Sony Ericsson's P910, which use Symbian software； Motorola's MPx, which runs Microsoft's operating system； and the Siemens SK65 now offer complete - if small - keyboards.

Several analysts pointed out that because BlackBerry e-mail software is now being added to smart phones that use Symbian's operating system, consumers may be less motivated to buy a RIM smart phone.

As smart phones get better at data functions, the appeal of data-only devices is eroding. In Europe, three times as many smart phones were sold in the first half of 2004 as hand-held devices without voice capabilities, said Chris Jones, an analyst at Canalys in Reading, England.

However, many people use their smart phones only for voice conversations, Mr. Vestergaard said, adding that people would "have to be trained and educated to use phones for things beyond pure voice."




可惜我看不出palmos在手机上会有什么优势~


[ Last edited by magellan on 2004-9-28 at 03:25 ]

小酒蟲

Originally posted by magellan at 2004-9-27 12:21:
可惜我看不出palmos在手机上有什么优

那倒過來問，你認為它有什麼不足的地方？

magellan

看上去像是用了Windows Mobile-based Smartphones的理念，应该没有触摸屏，分辨率也会很奇怪，使用起来的感觉会和现有的palm都不一样，不知道会对什么样的人有吸引力~~~和windows smartphone比起来，在multimedia和IM方面，PalmOs更是完全处于下风~~

[ Last edited by magellan on 2004-9-28 at 07:36 ]

Ruronimomo

奇怪，報導裡面並沒有說 Palm 新的 smartphone 會沒有 touchscreen，也沒有提到解析度多少，您是有其他的消息來源嗎?