LAPUG Notes:
Note the date extended to 2002 for O/S 5! This is either a joke or a misprint. 2002? We are in 2000 and they are putting off the release until almost 2 years away? Tough to explain.
Ted spoke and took questions on a variety of topics in the Palm and
hand held organizer environment. Ted mentioned that Palm is getting
back to their user base and wanted to thank them for their work in
supporting the Palm community. Part of this was spurred on by the
Microsoft meeting with Palm followers in Redmond. Palm is not
concerned about Microsoft "buying" loyalty away from Palm followers,
but rather the improvement ideas that are passed back to MS in this
meeting, giving Microsoft the fuel to actually focus on the customer
needs and design a useful device "within 4 to 5 years". Palm will be
setting up portal communities on the www.palm.com website to allow
PUGs to communicate with other members, other PUGs, and hopefully the
Palm employees themselves so that meeting and speaking engagements
can be organized, new information can be quickly disseminated and
users with problems can get quick help from the true experts, and
evangelists themselves, the PUG users. Mr. Ladd also described all
of the PUG members as evangelists themselves, due to their devotion,
capability and openness in sharing knowledge about and developing for
the Palm platform.
Questions and comments included:
-Palm is concentrating on the "casual non-power user" of the devices
with the capabilities for third party expansion so that everyone can
get the most out of the devices in the manner that best fits each
individual user.
-Color screen are the future of all devices starting next year, as is
wireless capabilities for all devices. This means that all devices
will in one form or another have the CAPACITY to connect to the net
via either integrated modems (a la Palm VIIx), third party
attachments (a la OmniSky) or via existing cell phones with a
software package to be released by the end of the year.
-Questions regarding faster processors and higher resolution screens
were answered with a variety of explanations included limitations in
the OS (the OS is be completely rewritten for the 5th generation of
Palms planned for release in 2002) and the trade-off of cost and
battery life along with the fact that Palm is following along the
basic philosophy of "Less is more" rather than the Microsoft
philosophy of the everything you need already built in design.
- A discussion regarding OS 3.5 and it's release began. Points made
include:
It is likely that OS 3.5 will be released as part of the Palm
Interconectivity Kit (see above) in December. The release of OS
Updates are now something Palm wants to avoid due to the difficulties
encountered in the past.
Points made against the sale rather than free distribution of OS
3.5 by members included:
Palm Vx owners are now factioned into 2 group of 3.3 and 3.5 users,
where one side would have to pay for something that the other group
received for that same initial cost.
Palm's attempt to keep from segmenting the Palm community with
hardware changes is actually segmenting it with the different OS'es
and dividing or deterring developers from writing for the platform
because of the inconsistencies between the two OS'es. The fact that
2 versions of most software would be needed most developer will opt
to only write for one and isolate a larger users base of older Palm
owners.
- Bluetooth and it's future integration into the Palms was
discussed. The intention is not to have all Palms hardwired with
Bluetooth, but in most models have it as an add-on option (again as
in the most used functions "less is more" paradigm).
- SD ports (Secure Digital cards nee MMC) are in the future for all
Palms allowing the storage of data in a removable format as well as
giving the Palm an additional port for expansion devices, including
the aforementioned Bluetooth and such. |
