Palm OS isn’t going anywhere: CEO

Palm president and CEO Ed Colligan had some explaining to do. In a letter sent to the Palm developer community, he reiterated the company’s commitment to the continuing release of Palm OS products. This affirmation was required because of the uneasiness created by the upcoming release of the Windows Mobile-based Treo smart phone. The letter promises that the company will continue to release Palm OS devices even after the release of the Treo early next year.

This comes at a challenging time for Palm. Developers are frustrated because they have put the time and expense into developing Palm OS applications, but the company is faced with finding a way to remain competitive in a market in which they are slipping. The company has been hurt by the slide in PDA sales and have branched into smartphones. They have embraced the Windows Mobile platform in addition to Palm OS in an attempt to widen their market. “This is not a zero sum game! This [smart phone] market is in its infancy, and if we can expand out opportunities by being a strong cross-platform provider of world-class smartphone products, then we should do so,” said Colligan.

The Treo 600 and 650 are Palm OS based devices which are already released and have been popular with consumers. Colligan hopes that the new phone will appeal to people who would not use the existing Treos because of compatibility issues with their Windows systems.