From Publishers Weekly
The swift Internet-like alterations in Palm's corporate structure make the company an excellent case study of the late 1990s technology-driven boom and bust. True, Palm was not precisely a dot-com stock, but who can argue that the consumer impulse to drop $500 on a spruced-up date book was anything but high-tech froth? Palm was founded in 1992 with hard-won seed money, just a few years before venture capital rolled across Silicon Valley like a tsunami. It began as the junior partner in an unsuccessful consortium effort to compete with Apple Computer's Newton, the breakthrough handheld device. This failed strategy inspired the software executives to build their own hardware without relying on strategic partnerships, until financing troubles forced them to sell out to a larger firm, modem-maker U.S. Robotics. When USR was acquired by 3Com, Palm became the junior partner in a megamerger. Eventually, Palm was spun out in an IPO during the heady days of early 2000, and employees drooled as the stock price spiked to $165 on the first day of trading. (Today Palm shares trade between $2 and $4.) The authors give detailed portraits of both high-tech product launches and investment banking negotiations without once getting bogged down in the jargon of either world. No doubt readers can thank coauthor Pogue, a New York Times columnist, for the smooth, lucid prose. Former Palm marketing v-p Butter is an unabashed fan of the company's founders technologist Jeff Hawkins, CEO Donna Dubinsky and marketing director Ed Colligan and she makes a compelling case that these three launched the handheld computer industry. (Mar.)Forecast: This title will easily fit into the B-school curriculum on corporate finance or marketing, since it offers insights into both. Hardcore techies should enjoy it, too, because it's filled with colorful portrayals of leading industry figures.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Since Americans love gadgets, they should be interested in this book, which chronicles how Jeff Hawkins had an inspiration that led to the handheld industry, the greatest gadget creator of them all. Former Palm Computing executive Butter and New York Times technology consultant Pogue recount how Hawkins and a few others started Palm Computing, surviving crisis after crisis until it was eventually sold to another company and ultimately spun off in an IPO but not before Hawkins and several of his followers had left to start another handheld company called Handspring. Along the way, we learn that Silicon Valley start-ups are at the mercy of venture capitalists, that the launching of new products is fraught with peril, and that small-tech companies can occasionally compete successfully with larger companies (e.g., Microsoft). But, more tellingly, the authors calculate the human cost of sacrificing one's life in order to realize a dream. There's plenty of drama here, and, given the expertise of the authors, one would have expected a gripping read rather than simply a connecting of the dots. Not so, unfortunately; the book suffers from workmanlike writing. Handheld organizers are here to stay, but their real story remains to be told. For larger business collections only. Richard Drezen, Washington Post News Research, New YorkCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Review
"The story of the two companies [Palm and Handspring] is well told.... If you like Silicon Valley start-up tales or Palm hand-helds (and I must admit I am addicted to both) you will enjoy this lively account." (Financial Times, January 31, 2001) "The authors give detailed portraits of both high-tech product launches and investment banking negotiations without once getting bogged down in the jargon of either world. No doubt readers can thank coauthor Pogue, a New York Times columnist, for the smooth, lucid prose." (Publishers Weekly, February 11, 2002) "It is told well, by Andrea Butter, Palm's former vice-president for marketing, and tech journalist David Pogue. Much of the tale is well-known to followers of the industry, but Pogue and Butter add welcome detail." (Business Week, March 11, 2002) Since Americans love gadgets, they should be interested in this book, which chronicles how Jeff Hawkins had an inspiration that led to the handheld industry, the greatest gadget creator of them all. Former Palm Computing executive Butter and New York Times technology consultant Pogue recount how Hawkins and a few others started Palm Computing, surviving crisis after crisis until it was eventually sold to another company and ultimately spun off in an IPO-but not before Hawkins and several of his followers had left to start another handheld company called Handspring. Along the way, we learn that Silicon Valley start-ups are at the mercy of venture capitalists, that the launching of new products is fraught with peril, and that small-tech companies can occasionally compete successfully with larger companies (e.g., Microsoft). But, more tellingly, the authors calculate the human cost of sacrificing one's life in order to realize a dream. There's plenty of drama here, and, given the expertise of the authors, one would have expected a gripping read rather than simply a connecting of the dots. Not so, unfortunately; the book suffers from workmanlike writing. Handheld organizers are here to stay, but their real story remains to be told. For larger business collections only. —Richard Drezen, Washington Post News Research, New York (Library Journal, March 15) Tracing the career of Jeff Hawkins, "the father of handheld computing," "Piloting Palm" tracks the ingenious ideas and eventual compromises that turned simple electronic organizers into a billion-dollar industry. In 1991, Hawkins predicted that computers would become small, mobile and powerful. He started Palm Computing and allied with Casio and Tandy to produce an electronic organizer called Zoomer. The device featured several innovative features - including clever handwriting-recognition software- but the two partners pushed Hawkins to cram in features that users would recognize from their desktop computers. The product failed. Hawkins discovered that customers wanted one device that could do a few organizational tasks instead of a home computer that fit in their pockets. First roughed out of balsa wood in Hawkins's garage, the Pilot would eventually cost less than $299, could fit in a man's shirt pocket and could synchronize with a home computer. The quick, simple Pilot was an instant hit, but a new parent company reintroduced the same kind of meddling that Palm faced with Casio and Tandy. "Piloting Palm," written by Andrea Butter, the former marketing director at Palm, and David Pogue, who contributes the State of the Art column to the Circuits section of The Times, discusses dozens of threats faced by the company over the next several years: a disastrous acquisition by the network giant 3Com, an envious Microsoft and the defection of the original Palm team, including Hawkins, to start a competing company, Handspring. Butter and Pogue's thorough reporting follows every turn without losing track of the characters who make the story so readable. But their admiration for Hawkins feels similar to the hype that inflated and then punctured the stock of both Palm and Handspring. "Piloting Palm" is best when it strips away the dollar signs and focuses on the power of simplicity. —JEFF STARK (New York Times Book Review, April 7, 2002) "...entertaining and readable. I'd recommend it to not only fellow Palm enthusiasts, but to anyone who's interested in either Silicon Valley specifically or business start-up's in general." (Supply Management, 14 March 2002) "...rather excellent book...a great book..." (M2 Communications, 26 April 2002) "...entertainingly recounted..an enjoyable read..." (Information Age, May 2002) "...a fantastic account of the foundation of Palm Computing..." (www.tomhume.org, 3 July 2002)


Review
"The story of the two companies [Palm and Handspring] is well told...If you like Silicon Valley start-up tales or Palm hand-helds (and I must admit I am addicted to both) you will enjoy this lively account." (Financial Times, January 31, 2001)

"It is told well, by Andrea Butter, Palm's former vice-president for marketing, and tech journalist David Pogue. Much of the tale is well-known to followers of the industry, but Pogue and Butter add welcome detail." (Business Week, March 11, 2002)

"Butter and Pogue's thorough reporting follows every turn without losing track of the characters who make the story so readable." (The New York Times Book Review, April 7, 2002)

"...entertaining and readable. I'd recommend it to not only fellow Palm enthusiasts, but to anyone who's interested in either Silicon Valley specifically or business start-up's in general." (Supply Management, 14 March 2002)

"...rather excellent book...a great book..." (M2 Communications, 26 April 2002)

"...entertainingly recounted..an enjoyable read..."(Information Age, May 2002)

"...a fantastic account of the foundation of Palm Computing..." (www.tomhume.org, 3 July 2002)


Business Week, March 11, 2002
"It is told well, by Andrea Butter, Palm's former vice-president for marketing, and tech journalist David Pogue. Much of the tale is well-known to followers of the industry, but Pogue and Butter add welcome detail."


Review
"The Palm is so ubiquitous, it's easy to forget what life was like BP (before Palm). If you want the inside Vscoop on the product that changed your life--and how it got here--this is the place to start." —Seth Godin, Author Survival is Not Enough "Even though I've been a user of every version of the Palm and am waiting breathlessly for the Handspring Treo Communicator, I never knew how Jeff Hawkins came up with the original design of the Palm Pilot. Now I do. Piloting Palm is informative, well written and a good read!" —Stewart Alsop, General Partner, New Enterprise Associates, Fortune Magazine columnist


Supply Management, 14 March 2002
"...entertaining and readable. I'd recommend it to not only fellow Palm enthusiasts, but to anyone who's interested in either Silicon Valley specifically or business start-up's in general."


M2 Communications, 26 April 2002
"...rather excellent book...a great book..."


Information Age, May 2002
"...entertainingly recounted..an enjoyable read..."


tomhume.org, 3 July 2002
"...a fantastic account of the foundation of Palm Computing..."


Book Description
The definitive behind-the-scenes story of the visionary team that launched the handheld industry.

Palm insider Andrea Butter and New York Times columnist David Pogue -- with full, exclusive cooperation of the company's founders and more than fifty key Palm and Handspring executives -- tell the riveting tale of the start of an industry constantly in the headlines. The origins of this volatile industry began with the tiny team who beat staggering odds to turn the PalmPilot into a billion-dollar market and later took their ultimate vision to Handspring, now Palm's most powerful rival.

Many of today's current events relating to the competition in this industry are forecasted in this important business drama. The authors take an unprecedented look at how the visionary founders of the industry led one of the most successful startups in history to succeed against all odds-including a shoestring budget, shortsighted corporate partners, and competition from Microsoft. The roller-coaster ride is full of insight into the bungles of venture capitalists, the allure and pitfalls of partnerships with giant corporations, and the steely determination needed to maintain entrepreneurial and visionary independence. With gripping accounts of the last-minute crises that almost torpedoed the PalmPilot on the eve of its unveiling, and the triumphant, unprecedented reception of Palm in the marketplace, as well as the glimpses into the future of this industry, this book is as entertaining as it is instructional. Key revelations include:

* The principles of business, economy, and product design that led Palm to succeed where billion-dollar corporations like Apple, Motorola, and Casio had failed.
* Important moments in technological development of the handheld such as the secret "Easter egg," a software surprise planted in the Palm software that nearly sank launch plans.
* Unique insight into the showdown with Microsoft, and 3Com's tragic decision not to make Palm independent that led Palm's founder Jeff Hanwkins and CEO Donna Dubinsky to take their vision elsewhere.
* The ongoing competition between Palm and Handspring. The new rivals to contend with including Sony.


Book Info
The definitive behind-the-scenes story of the visionary team that launched the handheld industry.


From the Publisher
"The Palm is so ubiquitous, it's easy to forget what life was like BP (before Palm). If you want the inside Vscoop on the product that changed your life--and how it got here--this is the place to start." --Seth Godin, Author Survival is Not Enough"Even though I've been a user of every version of the Palm and am waiting breathlessly for the Handspring Treo Communicator, I never knew how Jeff Hawkins came up with the original design of the Palm Pilot. Now I do. Piloting Palm is informative, well written and a good read!" --Stewart Alsop, General Partner, New Enterprise Associates, Fortune Magazine columnist


From the Inside Flap
piloting palm "This really is the inside story of a groundbreaking project. The Palm device and its offspring have millions of adherents, and all would enjoy this impeccably told–– and sometimes harrowing–– origintale." ––Steven Levy, author, Hacker Chief Technology Writer, Newsweek The most stunningly successful new product launch of the information age . . . the creation of a billion-dollar industry virtually overnight . . . an intense, behind-the-scenes struggle for control of a powerful young company . . . these are just a few highlights from the incredible story of Palm Computing, its visionary founders, their creation of the rival Handspring, and a volatile new industry whose future is still up for grabs. In Piloting Palm, Palm Computing insider Andrea Butter and New York Times columnist David Pogue reveal how the company’s visionary founder Jeff Hawkins and former CEO Donna Dubinsky created the most successful start-up in computing history and revolutionized the way the world does business. Piloting Palm re-creates the company’s product development phase, its desperate attempts to raise capital, and the dizzying final weeks before the PalmPilot launch. The only book written with the full cooperation of Hawkins, Dubinsky, and scores of Palm and Handspring executives, it also reveals the strategies behind the PalmPilot’s success in the marketplace and relives Palm’s intense battles with Microsoft. The authors recount how, after winning big in the marketplace, Hawkins and Dubinsky lost the battle of the boardroom, failing in their attempts to resist assimilation by corporate behemoth 3Com. They examine their painful decision to leave Palm and unveil the secrets behind the success of their new venture, Handspring, which quickly lapped up a good portion of the handheld market. The authors go behind the scenes to reveal how tactical mistakes, a softening economy, and the threat from Microsoft pit Palm and Handspring against each other in a fight for their very survival. This unforgettable true story combines the inspirational power of the ultimate business success story with the twists and turns of a classic drama. From behind-the-scenes glimpses of corporate powerbrokers in action to compelling portraits of the idealistic people behind the most successful start-up in computing history, Piloting Palm tells an authentic tale of vision, venture capital, and the indomitable entrepreneurial spirit.


Back Cover Copy
The buzz on PILOTING PALM "Thorough, intelligent, and inspiring, Piloting Palm tells one of the most remarkable stories in the history of American business–– the birth of the handheld industry. There are important lessons for entrepreneurs and managers in almost every chapter. A fascinating book!" –– Emanuel Rosen, author, The Anatomy of Buzz "The Palm is so ubiquitous, it’s easy to forget what life was like BP (before Palm). If you want the inside scoop on the product that changed your life –– and how it got here–– this is the place to start." –– Seth Godin, author, Survival is Not Enough "Even though I’ve been a user of every version of the Palm and am waiting breathlessly for the Handspring Treo Communicator, I never knew how Jeff Hawkins came up with the original design of the PalmPilot. Now I do. Piloting Palm is informative, well written, and a good read!" –– Stewart Alsop, General Partner, New Enterprise Associates columnist, Fortune magazine "Piloting Palm is a fascinating blow-by-blow of the company that made the handheld revolution possible. Butter and Pogue have written a highly readable, insightful, and compelling history of the business strategies and the people who have redefined many of our lives." –– David B. Yoffie, Harvard Business School professor author of Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors’ Strength to Your Advantage "Piloting Palm is a compelling and engaging read. The story conveys the drama, heartbreak, and joy of building a Silicon Valley start-up. Both Dubinsky and Hawkins set an example of how to realize a vision and then build a team that can turn it into reality. This was definitely a book I could not put down." –– Bruce Chizen, President and CEO, Adobe Systems Inc. "An incredible insight on the first successful handhelds ever! I thought I pretty much knew the entire history behind Jeff and Palm, but this book filled in all the details and nuances I never knew existed! My regards to Jeff and Donna for persevering!" –– Kenny West, President, PalmGear.com "This book is a gripping (no pun intended) history of Palm and Handspring. Above all, it’s a great story about stubborn entrepreneurs who overcame conventional wisdom, corporate calcification –– and Microsoft." –– Guy Kawasaki, CEO, Garage Technology Ventures


About the Author
ANDREA BUTTER worked as director of marketing at Palm Computing beginning in 1993. She managed every product launch, including the revolutionary Pilot Organizer in 1996, and became the companys vice president of marketing in 1998. Currently a marketing strategy consultant, she lives in Menlo Park, California. DAVID POGUE is the personal technology columnist for the New York Times. He is also the author of twenty computerbooks, including the bestselling PalmPilot: The Ultimate Guide. He has spoken at events such as Comdex, PC Expo, and Macworld Expo.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Now standard gear for many executives, Palm devices are the result of one of the most successful consumer-oriented product launches ever. In this fast-paced and well-written book, Andrea Butter, a former marketing executive at Palm, and David Pogue, a highly respected computer science author, narrate the history of the handheld device from its birth in Silicon Valley to its present-day status as one of the essentials of life. The Palm story makes for a compelling look at how business operates; one of the virtues of the book is that the authors place you inside meetings and strategy discussions as the creation of the device -- a signal event in the mobile technology revolution -- is occurring.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The most stunningly successful new product launch of the information age . . . the creation of a billion-dollar industry virtually overnight . . . an intense, behind-the-scenes struggle for control of a powerful young company . . . these are just a few highlights from the incredible story of Palm Computing, its visionary founders, their creation of the rival Handspring, and a volatile new industry whose future is still up for grabs.

In Piloting Palm, Palm Computing insider Andrea Butter and New York Times columnist David Pogue reveal how the company's visionary founder Jeff Hawkins and former CEO Donna Dubinsky created the most successful start-up in computing history and revolutionized the way the world does business.

Piloting Palm re-creates the company's product development phase, its desperate attempts to raise capital, and the dizzying final weeks before the PalmPilot launch. The only book written with the full cooperation of Hawkins, Dubinsky, and scores of Palm and Handspring executives, it also reveals the strategies behind the PalmPilot's success in the marketplace and relives Palm's intense battles with Microsoft.

The authors recount how, after winning big in the marketplace, Hawkins and Dubinsky lost the battle of the boardroom, failing in their attempts to resist assimilation by corporate behemoth 3Com. They examine their painful decision to leave Palm and unveil the secrets behind the success of their new venture, Handspring, which quickly lapped up a good portion of the handheld market. The authors go behind the scenes to reveal how tactical mistakes, a softening economy, and the threat from Microsoft pit Palm and Handspring against each other in a fight for their very survival.

This unforgettable true story combines the inspirational power of the ultimate business success story with the twists and turns of a classic drama. From behind-the-scenes glimpses of corporate powerbrokers in action to compelling portraits of the idealistic people behind the most successful start-up in computing history, Piloting Palm tells an authentic tale of vision, venture capital, and the indomitable entrepreneurial spirit.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The swift Internet-like alterations in Palm's corporate structure make the company an excellent case study of the late 1990s technology-driven boom and bust. True, Palm was not precisely a dot-com stock, but who can argue that the consumer impulse to drop $500 on a spruced-up date book was anything but high-tech froth? Palm was founded in 1992 with hard-won seed money, just a few years before venture capital rolled across Silicon Valley like a tsunami. It began as the junior partner in an unsuccessful consortium effort to compete with Apple Computer's Newton, the breakthrough handheld device. This failed strategy inspired the software executives to build their own hardware without relying on strategic partnerships, until financing troubles forced them to sell out to a larger firm, modem-maker U.S. Robotics. When USR was acquired by 3Com, Palm became the junior partner in a megamerger. Eventually, Palm was spun out in an IPO during the heady days of early 2000, and employees drooled as the stock price spiked to $165 on the first day of trading. (Today Palm shares trade between $2 and $4.) The authors give detailed portraits of both high-tech product launches and investment banking negotiations without once getting bogged down in the jargon of either world. No doubt readers can thank coauthor Pogue, a New York Times columnist, for the smooth, lucid prose. Former Palm marketing v-p Butter is an unabashed fan of the company's founders technologist Jeff Hawkins, CEO Donna Dubinsky and marketing director Ed Colligan and she makes a compelling case that these three launched the handheld computer industry. (Mar.) Forecast: This title will easily fit into the B-school curriculum on corporate finance or marketing, since it offers insights into both. Hardcore techies should enjoy it, too, because it's filled with colorful portrayals of leading industry figures. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal