Next-gen Palm OS phones due in "first half" of '09

The lengthy wait for handsets running on Palm's new, Linux-based OS just got a little longer, according to Palm execs. Think 2009, June-ish.

Register Hardware reports that the code for Palm OS II, a.k.a. "Nova," is "on track" for delivery by the end of the year, although we probably won't see Palm OS II-powered smartphones until the "first half" of 2009. Translation? Probably no earlier than May or June of next year, CNET guesses.

That would make it a solid two years since Palm CEO Ed Colligan first announced the new, Linux-based OS—and as Register Hardware notes, Colligan originally hinted that Palm OS II/Nova handsets could be on sale by the end of 2007. As the months wore on, the date got pushed back to 2008, then early 2009—and now, it appears we're looking at summer '09.

Of course, delays and OS launches go together like ... well, eggs and bacon. (Just ask Microsoft and Apple.) Unfortunately, the clock is ticking for Palm on a couple of fronts.

On the one hand, the once-innovative smartphone maker is being squeezed by a flurry of competitors, including BlackBerry (you've heard of the Bold, right?), Google (which is unveiling its first Android handset on Tuesday), and, of course, Apple and its red-hot iPhone. Meanwhile, the overall look and feel of the current Palm OS (which powers the sub-$100 Centro) has been frozen in carbonite since 2004 or so—and looks it.

Then there's the Palm Inc. balance sheet, which is looking particularly shaky; the company's stock price took a beating last week after it reported declining earnings for its second fiscal quarter.

Personally, I'm confident that Palm will hang on long enough to see its "Nova"-powered handsets land—at long last—on store shelves. And as as a long-time Treo and Palm OS fan, I'm chomping at the bit to see what a Nova phone (or whatever they end up calling it) looks and plays like.

Check that—I'm confident, but concerned. Very concerned.

What do you think: Will Palm OS II handsets see the light of day, and will they bring Treo/Centro smartphones back to the forefront? Or will it be too little, too late?

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Palm OS II-based smartphones now due H2 2009 [Register Hardware]