PalmIs Palm Dying or Set to Thrive: Two Points of View - NYT & Fast CompanyThere's always two sides to every story (as the saying goes). So, which side are you on? The New York Times' Saul Hansell says: Is Palm's Comeback Losing Steam? Fast Company's Chris Dannen says: Why the Times is Wrong to Be Bearish on Palm Both writers make interesting points. So, let's just take a look at a few numbers...PALM (Palm's stock ticker) went from a 52-week low of $1.14 per share and then shot up to around $8 per share after its initial announcement. It kept going up to $18 per share by late September (quite an amazing run up) before settling in to around $12 per share where it now hovers. Yahoo! Finance's information says its profit margin is -195.37% (you read that right) with an operating margin of -79.14%. Year-over-year quarterly revenue growth was -81.5% (again, note that "minus" sign). Palm has $211.78 million in cash. In September Silicon Beat noted that Palm had used $45 million in "operating activities" for the then previous quarter. Palm's Uncertain Future And Its Accounting Change If this operating burn rate remains flat, you can do the math on how long the remaining cash will last. Palm needs to move beyond selling its phones only through Sprint in the U.S. in order to start looking healthy in 2010. Or, they need to sell a bazillion Pixi's at $99 each (subsidized). Official Facebook App for webOS Gets a "Meh" From Engadget MobileI find it interesting that the Twitter mobile app world is a free-for-all while there needs to be the one single official Facebook app for each major smartphone platform. The iPhone got the first one. Windows Mobile has one, and so does Android (a weak one, btw). Now there's a webOS official Facebook app... Facebook finally comes to webOS, not with a bang but a whimper And, EngadgetMobile says: it's about as barebones as they can get. I've never understood Facebook's appeal. So, I don't have strong feelings about any of these "official" Facebook apps. I am surprised it is so hard to create a somewhat uniform experience across the smartphone platforms though. webOS 1.3.1 Update Brings Yahoo! Sync to Palm PreOK, Palm Pre fans, you now have... ...update goodness. Here's what's new... - Backup: Includes browser cookies. No longer saves online account passwords Will the Palm Pixi Keep Palm (the company) Alive?
Palm's webOS based Pre hasn't set the smartphone world on fire or saved Sprint. But, it has developed a fan base. And, I've seen several "civilians" (non-techies -- regular people) carrying these things around "in the wild". Now, Palm and Sprint are launching another webOS based smartphone: The Palm Pixi. The Pixi has the winning form factor of the Palm's Treo with a non-sliding keyboard under the screen (much like RIM's BlackBerry). Its small size, small price ($99 for new customers - with reports of it being available for as low as $29.99) and color touch screen should appeal to a different (and perhaps larger) customer base than the Pre. Engadget's... ...combines a number of good close-up Pixi photos with a detailed hands-on review. I'm not planning on getting a Pre or Pixi to provide first-hand coverage of the platform. But, I will continue to note interesting reviews and developments here on MobileContentToday. Palm Makes Grand Gestures to Pre Open Source Developers: Free as in Freedom or Desperation?Hmm... The Free Software movement founder, Richard Stallman, makes the distinction between "free as in freedom" and "free as in beer" when talking about Free Software (he doesn't like the label "Open Source"). So, what is Palm up to with this? Palm: Free Apps For The Web, Free Development For Open Source, And Free Phones! (TechCrunch) - Apps can be distributed over the web through a direct URL (web address) This all sounds like good news for Pre developers. And, it sounds like a friendly gesture to Open Source developers (sorry, Mr. S.) that is especially appropriate given the Pre's webOS Linux roots. But, would Palm have made such grand gestures if the Pre were selling in large numbers? Or, is this a desperate attempt to build an app library? webOS 1.2.1 Restores iTunes Sync & Fixes Exchange Server Sync - Can iTunes 9.0.2 Be Far Behind?Well, this didn't take very long... Palm webOS 1.2.1 now available What am I talking about? One of the two compatibility issues this minor point-dot release addresses: 1. iTunes sync working again Other issues resolves includes: - Sync photo albums while maintaining album structure My guess is that Apple will release iTunes 9.0.2 to remove webOS syncing within two weeks (maybe sooner). webOS 1.2 Update Provides a Couple of Nice EnhancementsFrom "The Official Palm Blog"... Here's what's new: - Adds LinkedIn contact syncing Looks like Palm Pre owners have a very nice set of enhancements as the OTA (Over The Air) updates reach them. I wonder what the state of the "sync with iTunes" issue is with the recent iTunes update and this webOS update coming so close together. Via Engadget No Palm Pre at Verizon?The most anticipated smartphone move is the long hoped for availability of an iPhone from Verizon Wireless. Though, perhaps, less anticipated, the availability of the Palm Pre from Verizon Wireless would probably be much more important to Palm than iPhone availability would be to Apple. It would seem reasonable to guess that selling the Pre to the gigantic Verizon customer base could only help Palm's bottom line. If Palm was depending on this (and they have never said anything about partnering with Verizon), this TheStreet.com story must be a huge disappointment... Exclusive: Verizon Snubs Palm Pre One commenter on TheStreet.com offered the theory that the Pre's strong sales for Sprint PCS prompted Sprint to extend the exclusive sales of the Pre beyond 2009. Interesting theory. But, have the Pre's sales really been "strong" so far? I have to admit that I have seen a lot more Pre-s "in the wild" than I expected. But, is it big enough for Sprint to puruse additional exclusivity? We'll find out for sure early next year. Rumor: Nokia Buying Palm? I Don't Think SoBuyout and merger speculations are always fun to watch from the outside (not usually as much fun from the inside). This week's big rumor appears to be (from Reuters)... Palm shares rise on short covering, Nokia talk Palm's entire future currently depends on the success of the Pre (ok, but not explosive so far) and Pixi. Palm probably has a year or so of cash reserves to burn through. A white knight rescuer probably looks pretty good to them right now. Personally, I think it is just talk. But, here's some pros and cons that come to mind... PROS CONS Untrained Eye POV-Palm Fiscal Year 2010 Q1 Results: Do They Have Enough Cash to Last Until the end of 2010?Sprint and Palm bet the farm on the Palm Pre to shake up the cell phone world and give the iPhone some real competition. The Pre didn't turn out to be an iPhone-killer. It seems to be doing well. But, is it doing enough to save the farm? Let's take a quick look at... Palm Reports Q1 FY 2010 Results ...with an average guy untrained financial eye (mine). - 823,000 smartphone units sold during the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 (which ended on Aug. 28, 2009). That doesn't sound like a lot of phones to me - net loss applicable to common stockholders for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 was $(164.5) million This, apparently, is less of a loss than analysts expected. But, it still doesn't look good to my untrained eye - The company's cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments balance was $211.8 million at the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2010. Cash used in operations for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 was $45.1 million. So, they burned through $45.1 million during the last quarter and have $211.8 million in cash (or its equivalent). What does this mean? In the unlikely event that their burn rate is linear, they have enough cash to last through the Fall of 2010. It looks to me like Palm needs a huge holiday sales period to remain healthy enough to get to the end of calendar year (not fiscal year) 2010. PreviouslyPalm Dumps Windows Mobile Treos: Microsoft Should Build Their Own Windows Mobile Phone to Succeed Palm Pixi: Nice Design, But Lack of WiFi is Deal Breaker Accidental webOS 1.2 Update Reveals a Handfull of New Features New Palm Pre Models on the Way to Sprint? C40 & P120 Palm Almost Ready to Start App Catalog Beta: Wait! Almost? Beta? When Will Pre Apps be Available? Palm Admits They Are Tracking Pre Users - States They Can be Trusted webOS 1.1 Restores Ability to Sync Palm Pre with iTunes Palm Stock Up Nearly 400% This Year, Sprint Up Near 150% AP Mobile Video Graphics: Slideshow Explanations for the iPhone and Palm Pre webOS 1.1 Update Will Give the Palm Pre More Business Appeal Palm Pre Users Say That Just Having a Physical Keyboard is Not Enough Demo of Jailbroken Palm Pre Running a PlayStation 1 Emulator Palm Pre App Store on Track to 1/60th of 1st Month iPhone App Downloads? Palm Pre iTunes Compatibility: Yeah, Good Luck With That! Sprint Says Discussing Pre Tethering is a No No Evernote App for Palm Pre Available BillShrink Calculates TCO for iPhone 3G S, Palm Pre & T-Mobile G1 Intuit GoPayment Adds Palm Pre to List of Phones That Can Accept Credit Card Payments iFixit Tore Apart a Brand New Palm Pre & Touchstone Charger for Your Entertainment & Education Google Provides Search, Maps & YouTube for Palm Pre Tech Pundits Say Palm Pre is a Loser/Best Thing Ever??? Palm Describes More webOS Features Before D-Day Launch: Media Sync, Twitter Search, App Catalog No Visual Voicemail for Palm Pre Owners Palm Pre Released on June 6 ; New iPhone on July 17? Palm Pre Accessory Sort-of-kind-of in Amazon Catalog (After Reading About Best Buy Listing) TechCrunch Says: Palm Mini-Pre in Development Hand-e Free Palm OS Emulator for Microsoft Windows Inside Sprint Now Provides Answers to Burning Palm Pre Questions MobileCrunch's Palm Pre Tip: Screenshots Looking for Somewhere to Win a Free Palm Pre? If You Win One, Will it be Delivered by Mid-May? Sprint Launched its Palm Pre Portal |
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