RIM should've bought Palm, if they could've

[grahamf]

Imagine this:

A device similar to the Pre3
but with a much improved keyboard
Slight hardware tweaks (more Blackberry style and performance)
QNX core
WebOS interface
BBM and Blackberry email/security

thoughts?

Of course, RIM can just copy GUI elements from the deceased WebOS's interface in intergrate it into the QNX devices. May be easier than porting WebOS to QNX

[Wretch 64]

WebOS interface was horrible - BlackBerry's interface has always been amazing.

[grahamf]

Oh?

You know that the playbook os has many similarities to WebOS 1.0, right?

I'm just saying that rim should intergrate the best of both platforms.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Arcturos]

Originally Posted by Wretch 64

WebOS interface was horrible - BlackBerry's interface has always been amazing.

webOS > QNX right now. Traditional BB OS isnt even is the same game.
I understand that this is a personal opinion, but as an owner of both a playbook and a touchpad, webos is the better and more intuitive software.

obviously QNX should and probably will end up better than webos unless HP licenses it or sells it, but its not there yet. Maybe version 2.0 will bring the improvements needed to QNX.

Don't take this as a knock on QNX, but Webos is an amazing system and if they could just get decent hardware and support for that system it would be hugely popular.

[caitlinhenry]

I don't think WebOS is a successful One.

[4Q2]

There could only have been one justification for buying Palm and that horrible WebOS product and that would have been to acquire Palm's parent portfolio. I have no idea what Palm had in there but I guess that a number of companies must have evaluated that little treasure and RIM must have decided not to buy.

The old adage of "Every dog has its day." is very true and imo, Palm/WebOs was a dog by the time it came up for sale and it had had its day.

[MetalxAssassinx]

They already have QNX !
but i guess WebOS is better than BBOS7 :P
Like WebOS Core with the same interface of Blackberry Would be Much much Powerful
but it is not a good idea buying it .. :P

[dkingsf]

Originally Posted by 4Q2

There could only have been one justification for buying Palm and that horrible WebOS product and that would have been to acquire Palm's patent portfolio. I have no idea what Palm had in there but I guess that a number of companies must have evaluated that little treasure and RIM must have decided not to buy.

The old adage of "Every dog has its day." is very true and imo, Palm/WebOs was a dog by the time it came up for sale and it had had its day.

Agreed~!

[grahamf]

Originally Posted by 4Q2

There could only have been one justification for buying Palm and that horrible WebOS product and that would have been to acquire Palm's parent portfolio. I have no idea what Palm had in there but I guess that a number of companies must have evaluated that little treasure and RIM must have decided not to buy.

The old adage of "Every dog has its day." is very true and imo, Palm/WebOs was a dog by the time it came up for sale and it had had its day.

Aside from the hardware, what was so wrong with webOS?

[mustangv8]

Why not have the Canadian govt buy Palm? Since they tend to block any acquisitions that don't financially benefit them and nobody else. Funny how one sided this is for Canadian based companies, not like they care about the shareholders who actually have vested cash and ownership.

[southlander]

Originally Posted by grahamf

Aside from the hardware, what was so wrong with webOS?

Unlike QNX, webOS would bring "0" revenue to RIM off the bat. QNX has an installed base that RIM immediately got licensing revenue from on day one.

[grahamf]

Originally Posted by southlander

Unlike QNX, webOS would bring "0" revenue to RIM off the bat. QNX has an installed base that RIM immediately got licensing revenue from on day one.

...that's the only thing you can come up with?

[southlander]

Originally Posted by grahamf

...that's the only thing you can come up with?

No. QNX is also a real time OS, while webOS is not. QNX naturally scales well with multi-core, etc. It also has tie ins to existing industries such as automotive electronics. It certainly has a lot more going for it than webOS does. Neither is setting the world on fire on the consumer side of things.

[grahamf]

Originally Posted by southlander

No. QNX is also a real time OS, while webOS is not. QNX naturally scales well with multi-core, etc. It also has tie ins to existing industries such as automotive electronics. It certainly has a lot more going for it than webOS does. Neither is setting the world on fire on the consumer side of things.

You still haven't argued my original point, which was the interface.

Look back at the OP and you'll see that I was referring to QNX with the WebOS interface ported onto it.

[sf49ers]

The webOS is all glossy on top but innards suck and that's why even 1.2Ghz Dual core on Touchpad couldn't make it run smoothly. All that glitters is not gold. WebOS doesn't have hardware accelerated graphics nor support SMP (symmetric multi-processing ) unlike QNX which supports both and hence the performance and transitions are as smooth as IOS on the playbook and also Adobe Flash on playbook is the best we have seen on a mobile device because it is hardware accelerated like the desktop versions.

Now RIM made a very strategic move by not buying the Palm, infact RIM was highest bidder for Palm intially and then lowered their bid and in the end gone with QNX for $200 million which infact is heck of a deal. The problem with WebOS is that it got to a point and then it became difficult for Palm folks to refine it's innards.

Here's an analysis on how much the WebOS underlying OS suck

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4658/i...touchpad-myths