It was the Buzz. The Buzz was deafening. From hushed discussions of spin-off preparations, to confident discussions overheard between PalmSource executives and press, to rising choruses of innovation being trumpeted by third party developers, to flashy, splashy, downright "kewl" devices being shown behind closed doors to refrains of Ooooo's and Aahhhh's uttered by blessed insiders, it was evident that there has been plenty happening just behind the veil during the past eight quiescent months since PalmSource's 2002 namesake conference.

Outside the beautiful new PalmSource digs in Sunnyvale, rumours were flying without benefit of wings. The rumors were bolstered, in part, by the wind which wreaked havoc on the tabletop displays of the Tealpoint Software troupe, and also by the pressure-cooker atmosphere preceding formal announcements of a new delicious spread of tasty Palm OS 5 devices that the attendees half-expected to appear on our dessert trolley at any moment.

No such luck; the crème brulee never arrived. Sony America's Chris Gulliver, Senior Business Planning Manager for handhelds, remained tight-lipped, quipping, "I know nothing," while his eyes twinkled knowingly. Representatives from the Palm, Inc. Solutions Group, the device manufacturing half of the company, played hide and seek with would-be questioners. They smiled at pointed questions and disappeared magically as inquirers turned their heads to rescue yet another strawberry from certain doom in the chocolate fountain flowing in the cafeteria. Guy Waitley, curator of Garmin's still-private Palm OS (will it be version 5?) device, moved in and out of the crowd with aplomb-deflecting press inquiries like an enlightened Neo toying with inferior drones, safe and protected within his own full knowledge of the as yet undiscovered Garmin Product Matrix.

Despite the many leaked documents (at http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2002Sep/bpd20020926016509.htm), pictures (at http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=4231), and specifications (at http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=4214), the official words were never spoken publicly that day. Sure, eyes danced and confident body language screamed, but never did the guardians of the OS let any secrets slip from their lips. I suspect some of the attendees must have certainly tasted of the forbidden fruits and found them delectable.