There is an interesting read over at Smart Device Central regarding both Palm's future and storied past. After reading through Jamie's commentary I find myself wondering if he is correct in his speculation about the direction that the company is headed. While it is hard to argue with the cold hard facts – Palm's aging, limited OS, questionable decisions and failed products (let's not even get into the whole Foleo debacle) Palm's future is somewhat unwritten at this time. And being an independent company, this leaves their success or demise completely in their, ahem, palms (sorry, couldn't resist).

With the recent entry of the 800w on Sprint, Palm has essentially caught itself up to the competition (at least in this blogger's eyes). Though this may not have been quite the revolutionary device that some may have hoped for, this evolutionary device is definitely a step in the right direction. And with the continued success of the smaller Centro smartphone, Palm has indeed bought itself some time. However, the key here is to remain focused and not make the same mistakes that they seem to make over and over. And while the business-targeted 800w may command a premium price over it's Centro line, it is the consumer sales numbers that will help to continue reclaiming a larger percentage of the smartphone market - keeping the Centro line fresh and exciting will be key. Let's just hope that Palm can deliver on their promises when their new OS finally surfaces, another humiliation like Cobalt and Palm may have indeed just dug its own grave.

[via Smart Device Central]