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[Hurricane_Chris]

Today Sony totally exited the PDA market. They left the USA, Europe, and Asian markets last year but kept supporting their domestic Japanese market. The Clie is now dead in all markets. I've owned a couple of Clies, the latest being the Japanese Red TH55...For the longest Sony dragged Palm kicking and screaming into building devices with modern features. Rest in Peace Clie brand, you will be missed.

[Link Here]

On a related note, what's up with Palm now anyways? Palm shipped OS6 (Cobalt) to licensees over a year ago but no one had introduced a device. Not even Palm themselves...WTF is going on?

Will the PDA as we know it die to be replaced my "smartphones" as a stopgap? Will mobile desktop and laptop CPUs, coupled with fast wireless capability, desktop OSes that resume from sleep in < 1 second, and shrinking power requirements eventually replace those smartphone devices so that our mobile devices are the same level as our notebooks and desktops?

Or will some new class of device possibly DS and PSP, or devices using the DS and PSP chipsets step in as a low cost mainstream mobile computing solution?

 

[aoi tsuki]

OMG JUSS LIKE PSP!!1! HAW HAW HAW!! [/troll]

It really sucks, because i hoped they'd at least jump ship to Pocket PC. Sony always managed to push the OS further than other companies, while also pushing the frustration of users with non-standard button configurations and unintuitive software. It's a love/hate situation with them, but as an owner of two Clies, i'm sad to see them go.

On a related note, what's up with Palm now anyways? Palm shipped OS6 (Cobalt) to licensees over a year ago but no one had introduced a device. Not even Palm themselves...WTF is going on?

Will the PDA as we know it die to be replaced my "smartphones" as a stopgap? Will mobile desktop and laptop CPUs, coupled with fast wireless capability, desktop OSes that resume from sleep in < 1 second, and shrinking power requirements eventually replace those smartphone devices so that our mobile devices are the same level as our notebooks and desktops?

As best i can understand, Linux would be the OS, but unlike the way it's implemented on computers, it would be completely invisible to the user. Palm OS would run on top of Linux, similar to how OSX runs on a version of FreeBSD. Everything functions the same for the user.

i think that smartphones sales will eventually overtake PDA sales, especially if Linux Cobalt takes off. There'll always be a need for PDAs in the forseeable future, i just hope it's not relegated to corporate and vertical markets. i'm a little wary of using a device with as much personal info on it as a smartphone that could conceivably be connected to the network without my knowledge. And current smartphones try to strike a balance between PDA functionality with a small form factor. i'd rather have a kickass PDA and a small Bluetooth cell.

My NX70 is probably the last Palm device I'll own. It was my fifth Palm device, and fourth Clie. It was a nice run, but I think PalmSource's slow as molasses pace of innovation in the last couple of years has done them in.

i think it all comes down to Linux Cobalt. Linux gives them faster implementation with new hardware. With them focusing on the market in China, they've already got huge potential for growth. If they continually lost ground in North America, i could see them cutting the fat here with their PDAs, focusing on the Treo.

But they've really got their work cut out for them. And as much as i'd like to see them retake the market, or at least split it with Windows Mobile, i don't think it'll happen. But i'll wait and see. My UX-50 takes care of my needs... for the moment.

 

[Shogmaster]

My NX70 is probably the last Palm device I'll own. It was my fifth Palm device, and fourth Clie. It was a nice run, but I think PalmSource's slow as molasses pace of innovation in the last couple of years has done them in.

 

[mashoutposse]

PDAs are boring now. I can do all the fun stuff on my phone and PSP.

I loved my NR/NX series Clies, though.

 

[maharg]

"Palm OS would run on top of Linux, similar to how OSX runs on a version of FreeBSD"

A version of Mach, which was basically a 4.4BSD kernel replacement. Note, not FreeBSD4.4. They're different things. OSX and FreeBSD share parents, and OSX has adopted much of FBSD's higher level layers as well as from the other *BSDs (because Mach and 4.4BSD are over 20 years old, a little modernization catchup was needed), but that OSX is a version of freebsd is an unfortunate and confusing misconception.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Somehow, i knew that would come back to bite me in the ass.

 

[maharg]

Sorry, I'm in a nitpicky mood today.

 

[DarienA]

I had an old Clie for years... it's sitting in my office in the retired electronics pile... it served me well over the years... but a Zire 72 had to replace it this past holiday.... The king is dead! Love live the king!

 

[The Bookerman]

psp is the new clie....


Seriously.

 

[Fowler]

Never thought I'd find myself agreeing with Shogmaster, but guess what? I agree with Shogmaster. I have a Clie UX50 and I like the UX50, but Palm just stopped moving. I remember thinking "Damn I bet another cooler Clie is just around the corner that'll make me look stupid for buying a UX50", but in many ways what actually transpired was much worse -- they just didn't do anything. At all.

 

[DarienA]

Never thought I'd find myself agreeing with Shogmaster, but guess what? I agree with Shogmaster. I have a Clie UX50 and I like the UX50, but Palm just stopped moving. I remember thinking "Damn I bet another cooler Clie is just around the corner that'll make me look stupid for buying a UX50", but in many ways what actually transpired was much worse -- they just didn't do anything. At all.

I have conceded to myself that my next PDA device is probably going to have to be a PocketPC... I'm seeing too many apps(website to PC remote control and GPS), that are more and more turning up Pocket PC only.... plus I'm guessing the PocketPC version of IE is probably more compatible with some of the secure websites that I use to allow me full access(banking, maybe gmail, etc..).. <sigh>

Let me enjoy my Zire 72 as long as I can.....

 

[aoi tsuki]

psp is the new clie....


Seriously.

It possible. It's missing basic PIM functions and productivity software to continue the Clie (communication, link, information, entertainment) name. i'd really like to see this happen, but i'd like to see apps downloadable/installable directly to the MS Duo, not the UMD. UMD licensing isn't very friendly to smaller developers who develop PDA software, which probably isn't a priority with SCE anyways.

In a couple of years, i could see myself occasionally leaving my Clie at home in lieu of my PSP, if i meant i could listen to MP3s while typing an email using an IR keyboard.

I'm seeing too many apps(website to PC remote control and GPS), that are more and more turning up Pocket PC only.... plus I'm guessing the PocketPC version of IE is probably more compatible with some of the secure websites that I use to allow me full access(banking, maybe gmail, etc..)..

Doesn't the Zire 72 come with a POP3 mail client? You should be able to set that up for GMail POP3 access, assuming you don't already have a POP3 account in use with it.