Just so you don't think I've gone native (I do publish the two widest-read Palm-related magazines, after all), I'd like to introduce you to a few others (besides, of course, UBS Warburg, above, who rated Palm as a "strong buy") who are a bit bullish about Palm's prospects.

Tim Bajarin, the very well respected President of Creative Strategies had this to say:

I believe the cancelled deal with ESI has a silver lining. I do not see it as being a hindrance to Palm's success in the enterprise. In fact, Palm's strength could well be in partnering with many others for maximum reach into the enterprise globally--including using ESI, PumaTech, Synchrologic, and others.

Kevin Burden, Program Manager for Smart Handheld Devices (and Enterprise) at IDC has a more measured assessment:

I believe Palm does need more enterprise selling experience and talent in-house. However, economic conditions are affecting every company right now--all are making budget cuts and many are pushing back purchase plans for a PDA platform. Still, PDAs are part of the mobile strategies of many enterprises, but timetables are being pushed back to 2002 with hopes that the softening economy rebounds. So Palm still has some time to build-up its enterprise team. Not acquiring Extended Systems robs Palm of a head start as a one-stop shop for devices and mobile software, but Palm can still be successful in the current market with good strategic partnerships.

An article in TheStreet.com (at http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/tech/hardware/1438347.html) has this to say:

ABN Amro analyst Rob Cihra argues that the Pocket PC operating system is too clumsy to unseat Palm in the enterprise in all but the staunchest Windows-loving accounts. He is unfazed by Palm's recent abandoned acquisition of enterprise-application player Extended Systems. "We look at the enterprise as Palm's single-greatest and most untapped opportunity over the next several years," Cihra says. "Palm is the go-to choice. All other vendors have to prove why they should be in there instead of Palm. Although Palm's not buying Extended Systems, the enterprise is still its greatest opportunity. Backing away from the deal doesn't mean it's backing away from the market."

The net-net-net of all of this is Palm's a solid ship, riding securely on slightly choppy waves. Go ahead and continue to factor Palm into your plans. They're healthy, they're on the right path, and they have solid tools that can help your business.

I'll give you one more suggestion if you want proof that Palm's got great solutions and is going to be fine. Come back month after month and read the stories in this magazine. Each month, we profile some exceptional solutions and partners and provide powerful tactics, tips, and strategies that can help you make your adoption of Palm devices in your enterprise as successful as it's been in so many others.