PalmAddicts
August 24, 2008 in bulls96, Associate Writer Permalink
http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2008/08/cloud-computi-2.html
With all the mystery (and doubt) surrounding Palm's next generation Palm Operating System, there is one thing we know for sure about it... that it will be based heavily on the Web. Quoting Colligan from an interview some months back, it's a "next-generation operating system with much more capabilities, driven around the Internet and Web-based applications". He has also mentioned rewriting the HotSync concept and applying it to the Web, most probably syncing your PIM data to the Cloud instead of the desktop.
While this was not exactly a revolutionary concept, it definitely makes sense for this beleaguered company. They have licensed the Garnet OS from ACCESS, but they have lost their right over the Palm Desktop and the entire Hotsync system. Syncing with the Web will definitely be a nice cost-cutting move to continue with their syncing ways, leveraging the internet much like the they are leveraging the open-source Linux OS to create their own operating system. I was very hopeful that Palm will be able to offer this service and start a whole new age of Personal Information Data management.
And then came Apple with the MobileMe service earlier this year, and then i said to myself, oh no, Palm got beat again. Here is the Cupertino giant introducing the very concept Palm was trying to develop on their own. Once again, Palm will be left behind a technology they were actually pioneering. Much like the smartphone and netbook businesses.
But call it another stroke of luck for our Palm Inc. MobileMe has hardly taken off, and has been plagued by numerous complaints and bugs. As it turns out, their service is not ready for primetime yet, even Steve Jobs admitted to this. Again, just as Palm's coffin is about to be laid to rest, they have dodged another nail, and a glimmer of hope once again appears.
Maybe, just like Palm was able to solve the problem of making our computing tasks mobile with the Palm Pilot many years ago as other companies have failed, Palm will once again solve this problem of Cloud Computing. No one has gotten it right yet. And it is still a wide open race. I don't know how they are going to figure out how to make this Cloud Computing experience seamless and effortless, but I believe Palm has the tradition of creating simple and easy-to-use solutions for everything mobile computing. It's who they are. It's what makes Palm the Zen of Palm. I will continue to light my candle for Palm, and with a million other more, the future of their business should not be so gloomy at all.
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