Culture

Palm teases its return with AirPods-looking earbuds

By JC Torres/

Before smartphones that we know and love today came to be, there was already a breed of mobile devices that were already doing wonders in the mobile productivity space. Palm was clearly ahead of that game back then, but it, unfortunately, didn't survive the arrival of these modern-day pocket computers. After changing owners a couple of times and a few failed reboots, Palm has practically vanished from the market. Now it seems ready to make a comeback, but not in the way fans of the brand may have hoped.

It's still both a tragedy and a mystery that Palm failed to capitalize on the nascent smartphone market back then. Perhaps it was due to a bit of pride that it tried to carve its own path with its own mobile operating system that never had a chance to compete against Android and iOS. Ironically, the webOS that it originally created still survives today, but in a completely different form that's designed only for smart TVs.

Palm did attempt to release a few smartphones, first under HP and then under TCL. The Palm phone, or Palm companion phone, was interesting in both concept and design, but the tiny phone's requirement to have a main phone made it an instant deal-breaker for many. The company hasn't launched a new device since then but has worked to remind the social media world that its Palm Phone still exists.

Now it's breaking its relative silence to tease something that's coming, but it won't be a new phone. It isn't very subtle with its hints, and it is clearly setting the stage for its entry into the Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds market. And like many companies trying to break into this already congested market, Palm is trying to appeal to buyers that might be more familiar with the Apple Airpods, specifically the AirPods Pro design.

That will definitely come off as a disappointment to many Palm fans still holding out for the brand. The one sliver of hope here is that Palm won't be coming in completely blind and clueless. It's still backed by TCL, which should give some idea about its quality and, more importantly, its possible price tag.

Recommended