Is a new Palm device really news?
Been trying to catch up on the latest news this morning. Seems lots of these mobile news sites are reporting “new” Palm devices. Is that really news? Palm hasn’t updated the OS running on those devices in what? Three, four years? Is the hardware really that different? Treo 600’s came out how long ago? Put a Treo 600 next to a Treo 700, or a Treo 750, and what’s changed? They made the buttons a little different? So I guess what I’m asking is, if the OS isn’t that different, and the hardware/form factor isn’t that different, is it really news when a “new” device is announced? If so, why? What additional functionality do you get with the “new” device and why upgrade? Primary difference that I see is internal RAM.
Some may say that the same can be true for Pocket PC phones, but I think if you look at it clearly, Microsoft is trying to fix and enhance their mobile software. Look at the changes between Pocket PC 2002, Pocket PC 2003, Pocket PC 2003SE, and now Windows Mobile 5. If you look at the enhancements planned in Crossbow and Photon, you can see that they are at least looking at features and enhancements. Clearly there are a wide range of form factor differences between Windows Mobile devices as well, like “all shapes and sizes”, anything from a small smartphone device like a mpx 220 or 2125/3125, all the way to a full featured device like the MDA, 6700 or 8125/8525.
So again I ask, is it really news?