I think the Windows route was right for Palm at the time - it brought them a lot of market share they otherwise wouldn't have achieved in the Smartphone sector, and they're being fairly pragmatic by continuing this route as some customers want/need Windows Mobile (for corporate reasons) and others are happy with regular Palm OS. Palm caters to both groups.

What I can't believe is how many twists and turns Palm has taken over the last 4 or 5 years, or how they succeeded in selling their OS to Access under the pre-text they would licence it back once Access had ported it to Linux.

Not only did Palm recently negotiate a very generous licence with Access for their old OS (Garnet) for a fraction of what they sold it, but they have now announced they have been developing a new Linux-based OS "for a few years" and will not be using the Access developed OS! Access must be furious and they're looking like total mugs - they've been sold a lemon of an operating system and Palm has now left them without any future custom. If I were Access I'd sue their @rses over this recent announcement.