X-bit labs

Palm Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary.

Category: Mobile

by Anton Shilov

[ 03/29/2006 | 11:56 PM ]

Ten years ago, Palm, a part of U.S. Robotics, uveiled its first Pilot connected organizer, a mighty 5.7-ounce combination of calendar, contacts, to-do lists and notes. Today, having shipped more than 34 million mobile-computing products, the company continues to believe that the future of computing is mobile computing.

The original Pilot organizer, which sold for $299, owed its success largely to two breakthrough features: its ability to synchronize easily with a computer and its unprecedented ease of use. As time went on, Palm stayed true to its design philosophy while continuing to innovate, adding numerous new functions such as email and wireless and multimedia capabilities, from images to music. Today’s top-of-the-line product is the Treo smartphone, which combines the best of a handheld computer with a great phone and email experience on some of the world’s largest carrier networks.

Over the past decade, Palm products have collected data in space, survived a Mount Everest climb, closed million-dollar deals, entertained young and old, and won the hearts of customers around the globe. From doctors and real estate agents to students, celebrities and chief executives, people have grown to rely on Palm products in work and play.

Today, while Palm continues to offer a wide range of mobile-computing products, from simple and inviting $99 organizers to powerful mobile computers with wireless capabilities, it is focusing its investment in smartphones. These phones let customers check email, access personal information such as contacts and calendar, listen to music and take and share photos, plus, with additional software, watch live television, listen to podcasts or post to personal blogs.