Has Palm Become The Rodney Dangerfield Of Smartphone Makers??

You have to feel badly for Palm. Even when they make some good moves they still can’t get any respect. And today no less than the New York Times took a swipe at them. In the article entitled “Is Palm’s Comeback Losing Steam?” author Saul Hansell notes…

Palm invented the category of a Web-surfing pocket-computer phone with its Treo line in 2002. But more recently it lost its way in the market as some of its rivals developed more innovative phones.

I mean, think about it, how many people are even TALKING about the $99 Pixi that just went on sale? Ask people about the latest smartphone and they will say… “Droid”.

Worse yet for Palm,

“developers have not rushed to write applications for the phone as they have for the iPhone and Android phones.

A lack of traction could prove important. If the market will have room only for a few smartphone standards, Palm, as the smallest company, could well find itself struggling as the perpetual also-ran. “

The numbers say it all-

Apple App Store- 100,000

Android- 10,00

Palm- 300

Ouch!!

Jon Rubinstein, Palm’s chief executive notes-

“We think the Pixi is in the sweet spot of the market now. It was designed for people who are transitioning from feature phones and getting their first smartphone.”

Analysts agree and say the Pixi could be a hit since it combines a new OS with a low priced handset.

That may be so, but analysts don’t always get it right (they LOVED the Pre), and when there is so little buzz about a new handset at the time it is launched… things aren’t looking so great.