Gadget rumor sites were busy over the past few days showing off spy shots of a supposed new device from Palm.
Dubbed “Gandolf” (minus the robe, hat and staff), the new device is definitely a departure for Palm in that it looks nothing like a Treo but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Two different versions have been spotted, one of which bears the Palm logo as well as Vodafone branding. The Vodafone branding gives away that there will be a GSM variant of the device and it also appears to be running Windows Mobile Standard.
The new phone looks like it will be thinner than the existing Treos, though the keyboard looks somewhat similar if you ask me.
A second version of the Galdolf (the White?) looks to be running Palm Garnet OS but has a similar shape and design.
Other rumored specs include EV-DO Rev. A data, camera, Bluetooth, MicroSD and a potential release on the Sprint network at a price point near $200.
As much as the mobile enterprise community will welcome a new form factor from Palm, dang, the Gandolf is ugly.
The Garnet OS is also a problem. There were high hopes that Palm’s next generation of devices would run the Linux platform it pitched several months ago.
Let’s hope the Foleo isn’t Palm’s only Linux product this year.
October 11th, 2008
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