Palm, Vertu are back from the dead

Halloween is just around the corner and as if on cue, two old mobile phone companies have come back from the grave. Palm has announced a new mobile device, while Vertu has sent out invites for an event. While there is little information about Vertu’s new device, Palm’s device is a little interesting as it’s not a full-fledged smartphone, but rather a “companion device.” Palm’s device is simply called ‘Palm’ and it lives up to its name by being about the size of your hand. 

The device looks the same as suggested in a leak, from back in August, with a compact 3.3-inch display. It also features a single 12MP camera on the back, and an 8MP camera on the front. However, this is meant to be a companion device to your phone. 

So you pair it with your smartphone and the idea is that users can leave their larger phone behind, and carry around the tiny device with them when the situation demands it. In its press release, Palm describes these situations as when the user is out for a run or if they are going for a night out and don’t have space in their outfit for a large phone.  

The Palm device syncs with Android and iOS devices and is IP68 certified. It also comes with a ‘Life Mode’ that lets users customise the notifications they get. It also silences incoming calls and notifications every time the screen is turned off unless the user is on a call, streaming music or is using GPS. These notifications are then enabled when the screen is turned on. 

Palm says that this is so that customers “stay connected without being consumed.” Coming to Vertu, the company hasn’t yet revealed a new smartphone, but Chinese website ithome.com has posted photos of an event invite, scheduled to be held in Beijing today. Funnily enough, the invite seems to follow a theme of “Live or Die” which seems to perfectly encapsulate the company's position right now. 

The invite also reads, “Made in England” which suggests that the company will continue to offer exquisite mobile phones that are out of reach for most buyers unless they have very deep pockets. However, it might face competition from the likes of Apple, whose top of the line iPhone XS Max will set buyers back by Rs 1.5 lakh in India unless Vertu decides to price its devices even higher in order to be ‘competitive’. Considering the fact that one of its last phones was priced at Rs. 2.32 crore, that shouldn’t be a problem.  To recall, Palm went out of business way back in 2010, when it was bought by HP for $1.2 Billion.  

Vertu was a more recent casualty, with the luxury phone maker shutting its doors just last year. Will these two companies will end up shambling about like zombies, just to end up dead again, or will they return to successful ways? Only time will tell.