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SyncFest 2001 was the first “gathering of Palm-Powered device users” focused on showcasing products from the Palm Economy. You can think of it like a mini-Comdex comprised of companies developing products for the PalmOS platform. A number of my friends and colleagues were at the conference in San Jose that day, including Alexander from Blue Nomad, Flash, Glen, Roger, and Saul from WideRay.

There have been PDA Expos in the past and there’s always the contigent of handheld developers at conferences such as Comdex, PC Expo, and Demo, but I don’t believe that there’s ever been a conference devoted exclusively for the Palm, PalmSource excluded. Although the turnout of developers was not as high as I would have liked, it was nice to see a portion of the Palm Economy come out, along with hundreds of users. Expert and novice users alike were present at SyncFest, learning all about the platform that they choose to use on a daily basis.

Are handhelds mainstream yet, or are they simply gadgets of the technological elite? Handhelds certainly have been getting lots of press lately, but the sales of products from companies such as Palm, Handspring, RIM, and Microsoft are still well below the level of cell phone purchases in the domestic and international marketplace.

I suspect that handhelds just have yet to prove their worth to the user beyond that of an organizer. They must go beyond those features in providing something that users crave and desire. Cell phones are useful because they bring a concept that everyone’s familiar with, calling people, and deliver it in a small, portable, and chic package. The upcoming Handspring Treo communicator has the look of a slick product. It’s one of the first devices that looks like it’s done a good job of merging of the phone with the organizer. Sure, it’s been tried before with the Simon, the Nokia 9000-series, and the VisorPhone, but all of those products suffered greatly from product girth. The next-generation of device are likely going to be much smaller and more portable, like the Treo. Time will tell, but I’m guessing that people are going to want integrated devices instead of two-piece solutions. Just my opinion, of course.

The big attractions at SyncFest were the frequent raffle giveaways. Palm graciously donated a couple of devices, including an m125 and an m505. Other companies provided their wares, but the big draw was definitely for the two devices. I didn’t catch who got the m125, but a lady won the m505 after a number of unclaimed raffle tickets were pulled. Too bad for the people holding those unclaimed stubs (they should have been outside where the raffle was being held!).

Like I said earlier, SyncFest 2001 felt like a sort of mini-Comdex. I suspect that the early Comdex’s were similar to what I saw at SyncFest. There was a homey, nostalgic feel to it. Let’s hope that future SyncFest’s grow in scope and size. It depends greatly on the adoption of these handheld computers with the general public. Be wildly successful and the conference list and attendance will grow. Time will tell.

I covered this event using the D30 with the 50mm, 28-70mm, and the 17-35mm lenses, along with a 420EX flash, which I broke later in the evening when taking some rooftop, night photos. It still works, but the plastic has broken off in some places. Guess it’s time for some super-glue or duct tape. Ah yes, duct tape, the product which binds the universe together! Enjoy the rest of the pictures in the photogallery below! I’m out.