Desperate Palm To Make One Last Attempt At CES

Palm who are desperate to get back into the Smartphone business up against Apple and their iPhone, the Blackberry and new Google Android phone are set to make a major announcement at this year’s CES show in Las Vegas however analysts are tipping that they will struggle.

A Palm spokesperson claimed that the struggling Company is set to make a “significant announcement” at CES, however they have refused to elaborate. Analysts claim that the new phone offering is critical to the Companies future success and that if it does not “stack up against the competition it could be the end for Palm”.

Australian journalists attending the CES have been told that they are not a high priority and that to attend the press conference they will have to go onto a standby list.

Late last year the Company it would unveil the Nova platform at the end of 2008 however this did not eventuate. The platform which is expected to combine a Linux-based core with elements of Palm’s long-serving Palm OS Garnet is set to compete in a brutal phone environment up against new offerings from Google and their Android offering and the Apple iPhone as well as the struggling Windows Mobile operating system.

Last year Palm has said that Microsoft’s Windows Mobile was its platform of choice for business smart phones however this operating system is struggling as the world’s largest Windows Mobile manufacturer switches its efforts to the new Google Android offering.

Late last month Palm reported wider losses in revenues and profits for the period ending November 30, while promising a “breakthough” smart phone in the first half next year”.

Revenue fell to US $192 million for the quarter, from $350 million for the same quarter last year. The company was also hit by a one time tax charge of $397 million, contributing to a net loss for the period of $506 million compared to a net loss of $9 million last year.

Operating expenses for the quarter fell to $116 million from $146 million a year ago.