MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Poll: Is Palm still interesting and relevant?

mogui · 05-30-2007, 09:19 PM

Very good questions, Bob. You brought focus to my unease.

The first time I saw the Palm, I was able to borrow one for a few days. I was underwhelmed. There wasn't anything I absolutely had to have it for. When I finally bought one a few months later it was after I had gained an appreciation for all the great apps that were available and, best of all, I could read books!

They say the spreadsheet made the Apple ][ a market success. There has always been that key application that makes a device a must have. Is the large-screen extension of the Treo (by the Foleo) this kind of killer app? I don't have a smartphone, so I don't have a feeling for this question.

There might be other ways to extend the user interface of the Treo and its ilk. Maybe a projector screen with a surface-projected keyboard. Maybe voice control. Maybe VR glasses.

I am still excited about Palm because I think the future of mobile computing will fit in a shirt pocket (or less), contain vast amounts of memory, have good connectivity, and bring us user-interface innovations that perhaps we have not yet envisioned. I also believe in Hawkins. If there is a mobile computing pied piper, it is him.

05-30-2007, 09:19 PM	#3
mogui eNigma Posts: 503 Karma: 1335 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Philippines Device: HTC G1 Android FBReader	Good questions Very good questions, Bob. You brought focus to my unease. The first time I saw the Palm, I was able to borrow one for a few days. I was underwhelmed. There wasn't anything I absolutely had to have it for. When I finally bought one a few months later it was after I had gained an appreciation for all the great apps that were available and, best of all, I could read books! They say the spreadsheet made the Apple ][ a market success. There has always been that key application that makes a device a must have. Is the large-screen extension of the Treo (by the Foleo) this kind of killer app? I don't have a smartphone, so I don't have a feeling for this question. There might be other ways to extend the user interface of the Treo and its ilk. Maybe a projector screen with a surface-projected keyboard. Maybe voice control. Maybe VR glasses. I am still excited about Palm because I think the future of mobile computing will fit in a shirt pocket (or less), contain vast amounts of memory, have good connectivity, and bring us user-interface innovations that perhaps we have not yet envisioned. I also believe in Hawkins. If there is a mobile computing pied piper, it is him. Last edited by mogui; 05-30-2007 at 09:28 PM.