“According to one analyst, Palm finally seems prepared to launch its next-generation operating system in January, at the Consumer Electronics Show. On Wednesday, Palm sent out an invitation to journalists. “Come to CES to see all the Palm New-ness you’ve been waiting for,” the invitation read. According to one analyst, CES could prove to be the launch venue for Palm’s next-generation operating system, which the company has promised since October 2007, and again in January, to appear in early 2009. The new OS would replace Palm OS 5, now more than six years old. “With Palm management reiterating in recent months that the new Palm OS would be completed by calendar year-end 2008, speculation is likely to be that this will be the venue for the formal introduction of the new next gen OS,” wrote Avi Cohen of Avian Securities, in a research note on Thursday. “Given the timing of the event and the scale of the venue (CES), we would agree with this notion.” Palm representatives did not immediately return requests for comment. Cohen speculated that Palm could also preannounce its next smartphone at the show, which Palm expects to launch during the first half of 2009. “Working backwards, we believe this requires that the device enter carrier testing sometime between now and late February at the latest,” Cohen wrote. “We believe the roll-out of the new smartphone will follow a similar pattern to that of the Centro, with initial carrier exclusivity in the U.S. (~3 months) before rolling out to other U.S. and international carriers,” Cohen added. The question is whether current economic conditions, as well as Palm’s own health, will allow the launch to go forward as scheduled. On Dec. 1, Palm announced that its revenue during its second fiscal quarter ended Nov. 30 would be between $190 million to $195 million, a massive drop from its first fiscal quarter, when Palm reported a loss of $41.9 million on revenue of $366.9 million. Palm’s revised second-quarter numbers predict a quarter-to-quarter revenue decline of between 88 and 93 percent. In its Dec. 1 announcement, Palm also said it would reduce its U.S. work force, consolidate its European operations, and shift Asian-Pacific sales to its U.S. offices – all typical code words for layoffs. ” via tech.yahoo.com