Farewell to my Palm, My Friend

by iMedicalApps Team
on 05/12/10

Preface: As many of our readers remember, Palm was a pioneer in mobile computing that captured the attention of many physicians with applications like Epocrates almost a decade ago, long before Apple’s iPhone was even conceived. It subsequently faltered and, despite a short lived renaissance with the Palm Pre with its highly regarded WebOS mobile operating system, Palm fell too far behind to survive as an independent company and was recently sold to HP.

In this post, guest blogger Dr. Saria Saccocio humorously reminisces about the loyalty many early adopters had for Palm and the disappointment that followed it. Saria Saccocio M.D. is Associate Director of the Family Medicine residency program at Floyd Medical Center in Georgia.

I will miss you Palm, my very best friend in medical school. You made me look so smart hanging out in my white coat pocket, giving me all the answers for medication choices, their adverse effects, contraindications, and cost to my patients. Gone were the days of overflowing white coat pockets with books for everything from medical calculations to ECG guides. You were my first peripheral brain, with everything I needed in one heavy pocket.

But I must say goodbye…with regret but no remorse. I tried to keep you, but instead of growing together, we just could not find a way to adapt enough to make it work. Sure you tried, but of late, every attempt you made just appeared desperate. I’m sorry Palm, you just couldn’t keep up. I tried, and you tried, but in the end the temptation was too great and my looking turned into a hands-on love affair.

I have found someone new. Palm Tungsten, meet “i” – yes, as in iPhone.

“i” understands me better than I understand myself. It’s amazing how “i” anticipates my every need. When I need it, and just can’t wait…”i” is ready for me. At the end of the day when I just want to relax, “i” is there and somehow knows exactly what I want.

Sometimes we just listen to music and chill. Other nights,” i” senses I need more and recommends the best rated restaurants in town and isn’t afraid to lead me there. And when I’ve had a rough day and I want to veg out in my jammies, we get take-out, plug in, and watch a movie together.

Now, I truly feel connected. I have found my soul mate. “i” even helps me connect with others. Remember when my friends and family just didn’t understand? I think it was the lack of communication. “i” is my go-between. I can call Mom, text friends, and share information like never before. But “i” is also loyal, we have our secret code. If provoked, instead of giving in and giving out my “stuff”, “i” shuts down and waits for me to turn him on again, like only I can do.

So you see “T”, it’s time to say goodbye.

Really, it’s me…it’s not you. I just need more, I want more, and I get more with “i”. Yes, I did notice that you are trying to make a comeback. You’ve lost some weight and changed your look. Maybe the new kids will be interested. I wish you good luck and I will always remember you…my first.

From time to time, iMedicalApps will invite developers, IT specialists and physicians to comment as guest writers. We feel that a diversity of opinions benefits all of us but remind our readers that the opinions expressed herein belong to the author and do not necessarily represent those of the iMedicalApps editorial team.

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Comments:

  • I don't think you should feel too guilty. Your beloved Palm, Inc. left you high and dry a long time ago. First, by only offering you smartphone upgrades with small screens - Treo and Centro. Of course, you were free to keep your beloved Tungsten so long as you were comfortable being the last person in the neighborhood to still be using a PDA. It was clear that they wouldn't be making any more.

    Those of use who wanted to make the move into the smartphone world were relegated to the Treo with its 1.74" X 1.74" screen or the Centro's 1.56" x 1.56" screen. Palm was definitely making a statement here. The phone is more important than the PDA. Those of us who wanted to consume content with increasingly presbyopic eyes were simply out of luck. It wasn't until the iPhone came along that the smartphone world rediscovered larger screens. While these were clearly targeted at multimedia, gaming, and browsing users, physicians grabbed these up from the very beginning.

    Finally, Palm left you behind by letting Palm OS stagnate for two years before finally putting it to rest about a year ago. As the previous owner of probably a dozen Palm devices starting from the original Palm Pilot, and the developer of an equal number of original Palm OS apps, I can say that I'm glad to have moved on with no regrets.

    Among the innovations that the iPhone platform has brought is the process of purchasing and installing apps directly onto the device - something that Palm never got around to doing in all those years of the Treo and the Centro. In fact, the whole idea of third party apps festered during that era. I'm pretty sure most Centro users never downloaded any. If you use an iPhone or an iPad, you know that it's all about the apps these days.

    So, so-long, Palm, it's been real.
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