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Will Asia see Palm's return to glory?

By John Chan
Jul 10, 2009

Palm was the leader when it came to dedicated PDA years back. Its operating system, Palm OS, was easy to use and found its way into the pockets of those who wanted PIM (personal information management) functions done electronically. The huge network of developers which created third-party applications was also proof of its popularity. The Treo line of smartphones bought over from Handspring further bolstered Palm's success as PDAs started to integrate with mobile phones. That's where things started to go downhill as the company was unable to create a new operating system that would give its Treos features such as 3G and Wi-Fi. Not only was its updated "Cobalt" operating system canned at a very late stage, other platforms like Windows Mobile were able to fill the void.

This is why its new operating system, webOS, is so important. This was reworked from the ground up for smartphones, so from being stuck in 2G land on the Palm OS Treos, the new platform promises full and easy access to all aspects of one's Internet life. Not only can you surf the Web, social-networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter are integrated directly into the core UI of the phone.



The Competition

At this point, the closest competitors to webOS are Apple's OS X on the iPhone and Google Android. Like Palm's software, they were built from scratch for this Internet age. You may argue that smartphone platforms like the Symbian S60 5th Edition, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry OS are also moving in that direction and can do everything the other three can. But they all possess a fatal flaw--legacy. In hanging on to old methods of performing tasks and compatibility for third-party apps, these operating systems carry a legacy burden that prevents them from achieving the ease of use possible on OS X, Android and webOS for Internet-dependent operations.

Comparing webOS with OS X and Android, the former seems to have an advantage when it comes to integration. Sure, you can do Twitter, Facebook, email and read Wikipedia on all three platforms, but only webOS does it as part of the core OS so far. That advantage is quickly eroding though. HTC's upcoming handset, the Hero, has a custom Sense UI that puts all your contacts' social-networking updates and even Flickr photos in one place. The Hero will soon be available in Europe and Asia and the Sense UI may even make its way into current phones like the HTC Magic.
The iPhone may not have that feature, but that hardly matters. It's well-designed and comes with Apple's famed user-friendliness, selling millions all over the world since its launch. And without a doubt, OS X's App Store is second to none for third-party applications. It contains thousands of utilities and games, and some even consider it a game platform to be reckoned with, mentioned in the same breath with giants such as Sony and Nintendo.

The Palm Pre and Asia

The webOS-toting Palm Pre is already available in the US and a GSM version for Europe is expected out in October. Officially, nothing has been said for Asia, but that's to be expected as this region is usually last in the pecking order when it comes to mobile phones from US companies. Given the best-case scenario, the Pre will make its way here only in about three months. Will consumers in Asia still bite when it does arrive given the other options?

Palm's presence in many Asian countries is now limited to support for its current, outdated lineup through distributors. Just click through the individual local Palm Web sites and you'll notice that the only mention of a regional office is in China. With the company's fortunes reportedly taking a turn for the better, Palm is clearly focusing first on the US and Europe, where the markets are larger. But if it is willing to throw its weight behind the Pre in Asia, there's a good chance it will do well here, too.

Think about it, the iPhone has just been refreshed with the 3GS and certain perceived basics such as multitasking are still missing. Apple won't be making another smartphone for some time to come, and the Pre, even if it arrives here in October, can still fill that gap. Android, on the other hand, has its fans but still has that techie image to shed. More users are switching from dumb phones to smartphones, and even if the Pre doesn't eat into Apple and HTC's market share, there are surely users out there who feel the latter two lack features that the Pre has.

Developers, Developers, Developers

A good library of third-party software is critical for any smartphone's success, particularly in today's market, and clearly, many old Palm OS developers have already moved on to other platforms. An Ovum analyst even ranked the platform at the bottom compared with all the earlier-mentioned operating systems. However, it's still too early to say. There may be limited apps in its catalog so far, but that's because the SDK is still not publicly available. Furthermore, some enterprising developers have gone so far as to hack into the Pre and create homebrewed apps using a leaked copy of the SDK. Isolated incidents do not a developer base make, that we know--but there is definitely interest out there. The video below show the game Doom running on a Pre.

Additionally, like Apple, Palm has the advantage of full control over the software and hardware. All the other mobile platforms must deal with many different products, each one with different specifications. This factor could make it easier and faster for a developer to create apps that work well, something the iPhone has proved with its massive App Store catalog.

Will Asia Bite?

One thing has to happen first, and that is the need for great operator deals. In the past, consumers in Asia were perfectly happy with paying the full price for smartphones sans operator contracts. But given the example of the iPhone and the large handset discounts that operators are able to offer these days, subsidies are the way to go. If Palm, together with carriers, can provide the Pre at a great price that matches or betters the Apple mobile's, there's a good chance this Palm will make its way into many pockets that would have originally been filled with iPhones or Heroes. If instead it's left to the distributors, they will probably price the Pre at about US$800. Unfortunately, there simply aren't as many people who will drop so much money on a handset these days.

Thanks to its new OS, Palm has leapfrogged in certain areas established platforms like Windows Mobile and BlackBerry OS. There's still a lot to do if Palm is to be restored to its former glory, and we hope Asia will be strongly factored into that plan. Its fanbase has not died completely. Just look at the still-existent PUGs (Palm user groups) all over the region--they are all ready for the Pre, awaiting this second coming of Palm.


Tags: Smart Phone, Apple iPhone, Google Android, Palm Inc., Palm Pre

 

 

    Talkback
nanonano says...
I have doubts about this. Their products are no longer that well known. They're also quite expensive.

Jul 10, 2009 20:58
 
 
kcslchin says...
People used to, but people won't pay premium for "Palm" brand anymore.

Jul 10, 2009 23:57
 
 
linus112 says...
I hope Palm dont use window base, i have try many windows base PDA & it give me bad experience. It should use back their own OS which maybe more powerful. Maybe it could the limited memory causing this problem, who knows.

Jul 13, 2009 21:00
 
 
zorkor says...
I am sure that Palm Pre will be a hit in Asia as its way better than iPhone. It has a full Qwerty keyboard, doesnt look it was built for kids and has a business look to it.
An instant hit in my category.

Jul 13, 2009 23:52
 
 
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