PalmOne Influencing Various Blogs?

Posted
by
Kyle McInnes
on May 6, 2005, at 8:26 AM
in Editorials
.
Comments: 27 responses
27 Comments

Big news has come out regarding RIM surpassing Palm as the number two OS in the world behind Microsoft Windows CE. Well we thought it was big news but various “blog” tech sites like Engadget and Gizmodo do not think so. These blogs are the two biggest websites that report on technology and new gadgets, reaching millions of readers a month. We were surprised that these two sites didn’t pick up on the Gartner report but lesser known sites like Brighthand.com, PalmInfoCenter.com, and dozens of others Palm/PDA related sites did. All the sites that scooped the story had different spins on the report, some focusing on RIM becoming number one most shipped PDA but more focusing on the increase of overall wireless PDA shipments.

So why not these two sites Engadget and Gizmodo? We can’t say for sure but our money is on the fact that Palm is a major sponsor of both of these websites. Visiting both of the websites you will see the same flash banner for the Palm E2 selling for “only $249”. Another Palm sponsored blog Treonuats scoops the article but then tries to disapprove the report because it doesn’t include the Palm Treo or Blackberry 7100. Infact the same report last year where it shows Palm was still number one was scooped up by Gizmodo (Engadget and Treonauts weren’t around early last year).

We know larger blogs like Engadget and Gizmodo with dozens of staff require sponsorship money to run but if Palm buying these sites is indeed true then it’s a bit underhanded. One suggestion to PalmOne, build some quality products then you won’t need to buy these websites to not report on how poorly your company is doing.

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  • http://calacanis.weblogsinc.com/ Jason

    That is just plain stupid.

    The editors at our blogs have nothing to do with advertising, and they are all highly ethical people. The fact that you would even insinuate that they could be bought is insulting.

    In fact, many of our blogs are sold out, so no advertiser has any leverage on us whatsoever. Besides, we would never do something so stupid, unethical and short-term like trade editorial consideration for advertising. Our readers are so smart they would figure that out in two seconds and leave us instantly.

    The reason why Engadget, Autoblog, Joystiq, and many of our other blogs have done so well is because they CAN’T be bought! If we lost all of our advertising we could survive on ad networks like Google AdSense and Tribal Fusion… we would never trade our ethics for a quick buck. It’s absurd for you to say we would.

    This post is pretty clear that there is a problem with Gartner report:
    http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000717042584/

    Really.

    Jason
    CEO, Weblogs, Inc.

  • http://calacanis.weblogsinc.com Jason

    That is just plain stupid.

    The editors at our blogs have nothing to do with advertising, and they are all highly ethical people. The fact that you would even insinuate that they could be bought is insulting.

    In fact, many of our blogs are sold out, so no advertiser has any leverage on us whatsoever. Besides, we would never do something so stupid, unethical and short-term like trade editorial consideration for advertising. Our readers are so smart they would figure that out in two seconds and leave us instantly.

    The reason why Engadget, Autoblog, Joystiq, and many of our other blogs have done so well is because they CAN’T be bought! If we lost all of our advertising we could survive on ad networks like Google AdSense and Tribal Fusion… we would never trade our ethics for a quick buck. It’s absurd for you to say we would.

    This post is pretty clear that there is a problem with Gartner report:
    http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000717042584/

    Really.

    Jason
    CEO, Weblogs, Inc.

  • http://www.treonauts.com/ Andrew

    Thanks for your refreshing comment Jason!

    For the record, Treonauts.com is a completely independent blog that I founded and which is in no way affiliated with palmOne or PalmSource. Additionally, your suggestion that either of these companies (or any other company for that matter) is ‘buying’ us is not only ridiculous but also insulting.

    Cheers,

    Andrew
    Founder & Executive Editor
    Treonauts.com

  • http://www.treonauts.com/ Andrew

    Thanks for your refreshing comment Jason!

    For the record, Treonauts.com is a completely independent blog that I founded and which is in no way affiliated with palmOne or PalmSource. Additionally, your suggestion that either of these companies (or any other company for that matter) is ‘buying’ us is not only ridiculous but also insulting.

    Cheers,

    Andrew
    Founder & Executive Editor
    Treonauts.com

  • http://www.treonauts.com/ Andrew

    Thanks for your refreshing comment Jason!

    For the record, Treonauts.com is a completely independent blog that I founded and which is in no way affiliated with palmOne or PalmSource. Additionally, your suggestion that either of these companies (or any other company for that matter) is ‘buying’ us is not only ridiculous but also insulting.

    Cheers,

    Andrew
    Founder & Executive Editor
    Treonauts.com

  • http://www.treonauts.com Andrew

    Thanks for your refreshing comment Jason!

    For the record, Treonauts.com is a completely independent blog that I founded and which is in no way affiliated with palmOne or PalmSource. Additionally, your suggestion that either of these companies (or any other company for that matter) is ‘buying’ us is not only ridiculous but also insulting.

    Cheers,

    Andrew
    Founder & Executive Editor
    Treonauts.com

  • Blackberry Fan

    1. Andrew, you guys titled your article saying “Gartner Says Treo Not Leading… Give me a break…”. Come on guys thats not what Gartner said. They didn’t take the Treos into consideration in the first place. So your title is completely misleading and inaccurate.

    2. Second, Gartner doesn’t include 7100 series as well even though it can perform all the functions of a PDA. So why are you making a big fuss out of it.

    3. Even in the past Gartner has provided such figures using the same metric so why complain now?

    The point is Palm market share is either static or sinking (even if you take Treos into consideration) while the market share of Blackberry is rising rapidly. So no matter which way you see you see it, the trend remains the same. And by the way kudos for bbcool for an execellent article and keep up the goodwork.

  • Blackberry Fan

    1. Andrew, you guys titled your article saying “Gartner Says Treo Not Leading… Give me a break…”. Come on guys thats not what Gartner said. They didn’t take the Treos into consideration in the first place. So your title is completely misleading and inaccurate.

    2. Second, Gartner doesn’t include 7100 series as well even though it can perform all the functions of a PDA. So why are you making a big fuss out of it.

    3. Even in the past Gartner has provided such figures using the same metric so why complain now?

    The point is Palm market share is either static or sinking (even if you take Treos into consideration) while the market share of Blackberry is rising rapidly. So no matter which way you see you see it, the trend remains the same. And by the way kudos for bbcool for an execellent article and keep up the goodwork.

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com/ Gillian

    Jason,

    I read the above post and it still seems that you are trying to spin the report in favor of Palm and it comes off as more propaganda. You mention that the Treo devices were not included but then fail to mention that the Blackberry 7100 models weren’t factored aswell. I even replied to the Engadget entry and agreed that the Gartner report is misleading:

    “Yes I agree with you the Gartner report is misleading but its misleading both ways – for PalmOne and RIM. I doubt Gartner has an ulterior motive, the same time last year Gartner release the same report and Palm was still number 1 with 40.7% of the market. They dropped 20%+, now that definitely spells trouble.”

    I pointed to the fact that the Canalys report released a few days before Gartner’s report shows a better overall picture of the market. This report factors in both the Treo and Palm devices. Palm was still #2(which I agree) and RIM #3, but the numbers showed a 100% growth from the year before and Palm only with 1% — you guys didn’t post the Canalys report either.

    Andrew,

    I have to agree with the above user, your title shows much bias towards the Treo devices. With the title of “Gartner Says Treo Not Leading… Give me a break…” you are indirectly reporting that the Treo is supposed to be the market leader.

    Look fellas, I do appreciate you coming to the site and adding your comments. We’re all tech freaks here with a passion for technology. This entry was in no way to start a Palm versus RIM war. I believe the Treo is a great device, and I’m sure you guys appreciate what the Blackberry has done for wireless email. Let’s put this to rest because I rather not see another version of Playstation versus Xbox.

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com Gillian

    Jason,

    I read the above post and it still seems that you are trying to spin the report in favor of Palm and it comes off as more propaganda. You mention that the Treo devices were not included but then fail to mention that the Blackberry 7100 models weren’t factored aswell. I even replied to the Engadget entry and agreed that the Gartner report is misleading:

    “Yes I agree with you the Gartner report is misleading but its misleading both ways – for PalmOne and RIM. I doubt Gartner has an ulterior motive, the same time last year Gartner release the same report and Palm was still number 1 with 40.7% of the market. They dropped 20%+, now that definitely spells trouble.”

    I pointed to the fact that the Canalys report released a few days before Gartner’s report shows a better overall picture of the market. This report factors in both the Treo and Palm devices. Palm was still #2(which I agree) and RIM #3, but the numbers showed a 100% growth from the year before and Palm only with 1% — you guys didn’t post the Canalys report either.

    Andrew,

    I have to agree with the above user, your title shows much bias towards the Treo devices. With the title of “Gartner Says Treo Not Leading… Give me a break…” you are indirectly reporting that the Treo is supposed to be the market leader.

    Look fellas, I do appreciate you coming to the site and adding your comments. We’re all tech freaks here with a passion for technology. This entry was in no way to start a Palm versus RIM war. I believe the Treo is a great device, and I’m sure you guys appreciate what the Blackberry has done for wireless email. Let’s put this to rest because I rather not see another version of Playstation versus Xbox.

  • http://www.engadget.com/ Peter Rojas

    This isn’t about RIM vs. palmOne. It’s about you disagreeing with our take on something and making a completely unfounded accusation (which you haven’t apologized for or rescinded) that we’re on the take and have compromised our editorial to please an advertiser. It’s a cheap shot, and one that you should be ashamed of.

  • http://www.engadget.com Peter Rojas

    This isn’t about RIM vs. palmOne. It’s about you disagreeing with our take on something and making a completely unfounded accusation (which you haven’t apologized for or rescinded) that we’re on the take and have compromised our editorial to please an advertiser. It’s a cheap shot, and one that you should be ashamed of.

  • http://nasdaqtrader.blogspot.com/ Roberto Pedone

    I agree with Peter and Andrew 100%.. Oh and Gillian why not do a post about how Microsoft is about to launch the Magneto, or would that be a too negative for RIMM? If you are going to report about RIMM and expect the public to take you serious then you need to report the good and the bad, or I will just assume you’re on the take.

    http://traderslive.com
    http://nasdaqtrader.blogspot.com

  • http://nasdaqtrader.blogspot.com/ Roberto Pedone

    I agree with Peter and Andrew 100%.. Oh and Gillian why not do a post about how Microsoft is about to launch the Magneto, or would that be a too negative for RIMM? If you are going to report about RIMM and expect the public to take you serious then you need to report the good and the bad, or I will just assume you’re on the take.

    http://traderslive.com
    http://nasdaqtrader.blogspot.com

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com/ Gillian

    Actually if you’ve been following the site you would know we are very critical of RIM. We have posted many articles on Good Technology, Visto, SEVEN, and other wireless push-email competitors. We even correspond regulary with Good employees along with RIM employees. As far as competition right now, Good is way more of a threat to RIM’s market share than Microsoft. Regarding Magneto, we broke the story more than a month ago:

    http://www.blackberrycool.com/2005/04/04/00326/

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com Gillian

    Actually if you’ve been following the site you would know we are very critical of RIM. We have posted many articles on Good Technology, Visto, SEVEN, and other wireless push-email competitors. We even correspond regulary with Good employees along with RIM employees. As far as competition right now, Good is way more of a threat to RIM’s market share than Microsoft. Regarding Magneto, we broke the story more than a month ago:

    http://www.blackberrycool.com/2005/04/04/00326/

  • http://www.engadget.com/ Peter Rojas

    Again, why is Blackberry Cool unwilling to apologize for making a completely false accusation? It’s one thing to disagree with us and believe that we are wrong (which is entirely possible, we’re not infallible), but to accuse us of kowtowing to an advertiser without a shred of evidence is completely reprehensible, and so far you seem completely unwilling to address this issue.

  • http://www.engadget.com Peter Rojas

    Again, why is Blackberry Cool unwilling to apologize for making a completely false accusation? It’s one thing to disagree with us and believe that we are wrong (which is entirely possible, we’re not infallible), but to accuse us of kowtowing to an advertiser without a shred of evidence is completely reprehensible, and so far you seem completely unwilling to address this issue.

  • Steven Bush

    I agree with Jason and Peter that an apology is very much in order for your unfounded claim. Engadget and Gizmodo are two highly respected sites and the implication that either would jeopardize its integrity for advertising dollars is ludicrous. If you had contacted anyone from either of these websites I’m sure you would have received an explanation as to why they chose not to report it. Also, if you had contacted me for comment I would have told you that Brighthand derives significant revenue from palmOne, both in advertising dollars and writing services we provide for palmOne. We also host public and private discussion forums for palmOne. However, we keep this relationship totally separate from our editorial content and as publisher of Brighthand I exert no influence over reviews and editorials of palmOne and its products. I leave that to our editor-in-chief Ed Hardy. I’m sure that Engadget and Gizmodo do the same when it comes to advertising and editorial.

    Bottomline, I totally agree with Peter that your accusation is reprehensible and demands a full apology.

  • http://Brighthand Steven Bush

    I agree with Jason and Peter that an apology is very much in order for your unfounded claim. Engadget and Gizmodo are two highly respected sites and the implication that either would jeopardize its integrity for advertising dollars is ludicrous. If you had contacted anyone from either of these websites I’m sure you would have received an explanation as to why they chose not to report it. Also, if you had contacted me for comment I would have told you that Brighthand derives significant revenue from palmOne, both in advertising dollars and writing services we provide for palmOne. We also host public and private discussion forums for palmOne. However, we keep this relationship totally separate from our editorial content and as publisher of Brighthand I exert no influence over reviews and editorials of palmOne and its products. I leave that to our editor-in-chief Ed Hardy. I’m sure that Engadget and Gizmodo do the same when it comes to advertising and editorial.

    Bottomline, I totally agree with Peter that your accusation is reprehensible and demands a full apology.

  • Cullen

    How can you even say some shit like that, ive written stuff for various places and i know how it is – if you accuse someone of doing this its like.
    i dont know how to explain it. its incredibly bold and retarded. I totally expect to see an apology and I dont write for anyone, just do a lot of reading.

    I see a bigass RIM ad on top of your page, jackass. I assume you are on the take as well? i read your shit. it seems AWFULLY blackberry tilted. how fucking dare you.

    for whatever reason this pisses me off. youve really got no right at all :p

  • http://- Cullen

    How can you even say some shit like that, ive written stuff for various places and i know how it is – if you accuse someone of doing this its like.
    i dont know how to explain it. its incredibly bold and retarded. I totally expect to see an apology and I dont write for anyone, just do a lot of reading.

    I see a bigass RIM ad on top of your page, jackass. I assume you are on the take as well? i read your shit. it seems AWFULLY blackberry tilted. how fucking dare you.

    for whatever reason this pisses me off. youve really got no right at all :p

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  • http://www.blackberryunlocking.com Gary Cheers

    Hi!

    We just launched our really easy to use site at:-
    blackberryunlocking.com

    I really like your site and would be really interested in a link exchange.
    We’re still working on our link directory but would you be prepared to put a link up from our site to yours in exchange for one back?

    I would also be prepared to offer you 3 free unlock codes for you to give away or do what you like with in exchange for a written article if this is of interest to you.

    Ideally we would want you to write about your positive experience using our site but because it is new, we are still tweaking it and hope that you can forgive some of the minor nuances.
    For the most part, everything works really nicely.

    I may even be prepared to offer you 1-2 more unlock codes for a critique of the new site. (If you find anything wrong with it, or anything you think we should change)

    I look forward to hearing back from you.

    Regards

    Gary Cheers
    unlockingonline.com