This sounds all too familiar. Like Helio's inability to turn a profit despite increasing their cash inflow, Palm has posted their Q4 earnings to disappointing effect. Palm highlighted the fact that their revenue was up 29%, based on smartphones sales of 968,000 units totaling $296.2 million. But, it wasn't enough to hide the fact that the [...]

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for the embattled manufacturer of the Palm “Treo email phone” (what, it’s not a smartphone anymore?). Palm is now predicting even greater losses than they had previously forecasted, based on those unforeseen warranty repairs and the delay of Verizon Wireless’s Palm Treo 755p . The lowered forecast is blamed on ever increasing defections from the Palm Treo to BlackBerry smartphones and the Apple iPhone. And, to make the bad news even worse, it seems Palm will stop forecasting sales and profits - apparently the management at Palm has no idea just how bad this is going to get. Needless to say, this is incredibly bad for Palm. They seem to have no plan to get back on track, and like a deer stuck staring at the headlights of an oncoming slaughter, Palm is frozen in its tracks, unable to even fathom what their next move should be. Ed Colligan, CEO of Palm, said that, “We did not execute as well as we need to,”  and that the company would undergo a “fundamental transformation” to get back to being profitable. A fundamental transformation should include a changing of the guard over at Palm, but it’s up to the management to decide just who gets the ax. That is, in addition to all of those employees that will be getting the pink slip this holiday season. Good luck, Palm. You were an innovator once, and we expected great things from you. We sincerely hope you get your act together and stop milking that damn Treo line. It’s dying, and dying fast. Get some new ideas and you might have a chance at re-capturing your once-glory. [Via: Bloomberg ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Palm's profits go down the drain - posts huge 1Q lossPalm stock dives on news of Q4 2007 shortfallsSomething has to be done - Palm posts 43% drop in profitPalm snubs holiday cheer and lays off employees?Palm Centro coming to AT&T?

The ailing manufacturer of the Palm Treo lineup has taken yet another hit to its market-stance. After having pulled development of the Flop-eo (sorry, that’s Foleo), Palm seems to be navigating rougher waters. Palm’s shares took a dive today after an announcement that a shipping delay, coupled with “unforeseen” warranty repairs, would cause Palm to see a Q4 2007 loss. Palm has already seen a 35% loss since closing their deal with Elevation Partners , and has just dropped another 18% to trade at $5.41 in early-hours trading. Stiff competition from RIM and Apple were cited to be largely contributing to the company’s loss of market share, and by extension, losses on the stock market. The Palm Treo has seen a declining market share while RIM’s BlackBerry lineup has been booming - and Apple’s iPhone has presented another major detractor to Palm’s marketshare. Hopefully the new OS will help boost Palm’s lagging position on the smartphone front. If it ever arrives, that is. Palm might do well to consider selling another bunk-stake in the company in exchange for another cash-infusion? It wouldn’t be a good deal for the investor, but Palm needs the money. Any charity investors out there? [Via: MarketWatch ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:The power of speculation - Google stock breaks $700 on Google Phone rumorsDeal (or not): Palm T|X with wireless keyboard for $199, E2 with hard case for $149!Qualcomm's Q4 profits spike, NASDAQ shares dropPalm Treo 750 to get Windows Mobile 6 upgrade next weekPalm to be sold tomorrow!?