Several months ago, I mentioned the possibility of Palm joining the UMPC fray based on several handtop-flavored patents and some other information. Then last week, the company announced that it’s been working on an exclusive Linux-based mobile platform for years. Also last week, a Merrill Lynch analyst spoke about the possibility of Palm launching a new product as early as next month. "Given Palm’s traditional expertise in mobile computing," the analyst said, "we believe the new product could be an Ultra Mobile PC – essentially a small ultra-portable laptop with wireless capability." And then of course there’s yesterday’s news about Intel’s upcoming Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), which can be loosely defined as Linux-based UMPCs.
Whether Palm is actually among the first to launch a UMPC/MID remains to be seen, but it sure seems (as the title suggests) more likely than ever.
UPDATE: Palm announced the Foleo (not a UMPC or MID) on May 30, 2007.
Off topic: Follow this tutorial to make your own G2 Tux.
[Palm Infocenter]
