Finished Piloting Palm last night. Great book. Well-written and fascinating. Most of the time, I make a point of reading non-business-related books when I go to bed in order to fall asleep. Otherwise, the brain just keeps going. I broke that rule this week and suffered many late nights. But it was enjoyable—and inspiring.
Though I've had a couple Palms and never used them consistently, I'm certainly tempted to get one again, after reading this book. Or, rather, a Handspring, since that's where the heros of our story—and the real soul behind the Palm phenomenon—now reside. I'm very curious about the Treo, since the book ends with that possibly being the Next Big Thing.
One funny anecdote:
Accused of stealing ideas, Bill Gates angrily defended Mirosoft's actions at a roundtable with reporters in San Jose, California, and repeated Microsoft's public line: Palm PC was merely descriptive; it wouldn't confuse anyone. Any suggestion to the contrary was "beyond bizarre." (After his appearance, Gates left the room—and accidentally left behind his palmtop. To the amusement of the assembled media, Gates's assistant rushed back into the room, saying that she had to retrieve "Bill's PalmPilot.")
If you're interested in Silicon Valley workings, starting companies, inventing things, or tech gadgets, highly recommended.