Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

Doesn't to me either. $2 billion for Palm sounds like drinking financial Kool-Aid to me.

But you have a point...a survival strategy? Or trying to induce an idiot's bidding war to maximize the selling price? Much stranger things have happened with companies struggling to stay afloat. For example, anyone remember the photos of John DeLorean dealing drugs from a suitcase to raise cash to keep DeLorean Motors in business?

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

When I heard the rumor I instantly thought about Nokia's "E" series phones that have basically stalled after the really popular E71. Maybe buying Palm will get Nokia E-series a jolt to take over as the best business devices.

Symbian for mass market (x-series etc), Maemo for power multimedia (N-series), and a Nokia-customized Web OS for Business (E-series). All with Nokia's great harware.

Obviously mindshare, patents, expertise, etc...But its impossible for me to put a price on that, obviously, I don't know what the right price or even if its a good move.

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

Orb does this pretty successfully in a webpage!

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

It requires Java Websphere which I think Palm has the rights to.

So basically I'm stuck using VNCViewer from my home computer to have this displayed on the tablet.

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

Ten years of loyal (mostly American) Palm users lookin for somewhere secure to go!! Their loved applications all available in S60 or Maemo via Qt!! All those applications available to Maemo users in a flash where there are presently few!!! Sounds like a reasonable proposition in the long run to me!..... not to mention webOS and its potential....or Palms close intergration with OS X

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

No offnse, but if every Palm user - past and present - bought a new high-end phone from Nokia, it wouldn't put a dent in a $1-2 billion investment.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see what's so cool about WebOS. I haven't had a N900 or Maemo tablet in my hands yet but I have spent a little time with a Pre. WebOS is ok, I guess, generally better than an iPhone or Android. But going by all the N900 videos I've seen Maemo seems to me to have a better UI. And since Maemo is a real Linux distro-on-a-phone - WebOS is not - Maemo should have more overall potential.

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

None taken...but 29,000 palm apps made available to Nokia users = a readymade app store! Something Maemo definately lacks & S40 & S60 could benefit from also, think Ovi.

Also, over their 10 yr lifespan palm have sold about 100 models to their fiercely loyal and geekish customers. ? no. of units...but this equals around 3% of the total Smartphone market globally http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone, as a percentage of the US market (where Nokia are focussing their energy) this number would be considerably higher. But granted $2b isalotta cash!

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

I hope I'm not representative, but as a current Palm Centro owner, I suppose I count as part of that vast army of Palm users. I am not interested in Palm software based on my experience. Most of it seems to me to be obsolete. Sure, there is some Pre stuff that may be ok...

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

Those applications (and I'm fond of many of them and still use the most important ones) can only run in a PalmOS environment, they cannot run directly under Linux. To do that Nokia would have to transform our Maemo Linux platform to a Garmin Virtual Machine, and Access has already done that -- it's not something Palm can provide, this hasn't been on their table. The way to go to get more use of those 29,000 apps would be to improve the Access GVM experience/integration. To pay 2 billion for Palm wouldn't gain anything.

Re: Why would Nokia want Palm?
 

I guess we'll find out in about two weeks once our current Garnet VM trial version expires.

I'm hoping for the best on this! :)