Justin joked

I really think that an application like this is going to be a huge hit (if it is implemented properly), especially since Palm has said that they plan on making tools that will transfer data over from a Palm OS device to the Pre running Classic.  There are a ton of medical databases that were made for the Palm OS that are still being supported.  This will allow these programs to be available to use on the Pre as soon as it is released.

Is this a long term solution?  Of course not.  But it will make a lot of users very happy that they can use some of the Palm apps that they have been using for years (and years and years and years…) until their favorite developers start making native applications for WebOS.

And honestly, one of the most played games on my Nintendo Wii is Mario Kart 64.  Some things just never get old.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

If you do, then you might be using a Palm OS device right now.  Palm has been slowly dying for a couple of years now.  I guess the good thing is that they have realized it, but did they realize it too late?  To plug some holes in their business, they licensed Windows Mobile.  So now they just confused their customers.  I work as a support technician, and I constantly see people that are trying to buy Palm software for their Treo 800W or Treo Pro because it has the Palm name on it.  Now Palm is going to confuse their customers even more when they find out that there is (at this point) no upgrade path to allow all of their Palm OS programs to run on their new WebOS software.

As a developer, do you want to throw your support behind a company like Palm?

Well…there are a few things to consider.  One of the big reasons that I think developers should really be looking at the WebOS and Palm Pre is because Palm cannot really afford to fail.  Palm has to put everything they have into WebOS.  They have already declared the Palm OS dead, so they do not need to spend any time there anymore.  Don’t let the Gartner numbers fool you…the main reason they saw growth in 2008 was because they sold the Centros for dirt cheap on almost every major carrier.  They do not really need to spend much time on their Treo line because they are all going to be running Windows Mobile, so that will be Microsoft’s problem.  All they are going to have on the OS front is WebOS. 

The Palm Pre, the first device with WebOS, is supposed to be released in the first half of 2009.  Palm has given a select few developers access to their Mojo SDK, but it has not been released to the public yet.  They have given some glimpses into what programming will be like on WebOS by releasing the “rough cut” to the first 2 chapters of their WebOS book.  While I believe this is a very good sign, it would still be nice to see the SDK available with enough time for plenty of developers to release fart apps quality apps when the Pre is released.

WebOS is based on web standards that are supposed to tie into the hardware using the Mojo SDK.  I think everyone should be excited about this because they are really going to make it easy for new developers that have a web development background to get into WebOS.  These are not going to be web applications like we saw for the first beta year of the iPhone.  Palm has stated that these applications are going to reside on the device and are able to store data using HTML5 standards.  I hope everyone can agree that web standards are good.  So think of what Google has done with Gears, throw in some Palm style, and let the developers run wild.

Recommendation:  If you know HTML/CSS/Javascript…start thinking of app ideas.  If you do not…learn…and start thinking of app ideas.  You might also want to start saving up for a shiny new Pre when it comes out…if you can deal with having Sprint as your carrier.

One more thing…if your app ideas have anything to do with bodily functions or noises…ignore this post and go download the iPhone SDK, kthxbye.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

A lot of people are bashing Palm for putting all of their eggs in Sprint’s basket by making them the exclusive carrier for the upcoming Palm Pre in the U.S.  It makes sense since we keep seeing the fact that Sprint is bleeding away customers more and more each quarter.  AT&T has the iPhone, Verizon has the Blackberry Storm, and up until the Palm Pre, the phone that Sprint has been pushing was the Instinct.  Two smartphones vs. a dumbphone…albeit a well received dumbphone.  Now, Sprint has landed them what is probably the most anticipated phone of the year.  A phone that many analysts say will make or break Palm for sure, and maybe even Sprint.

Is there something that Palm knows that the rest of us don’t?

While Verizon has been consistent in their quality of service, Sprint has not always been known as the reliable choice.  Personally, I switched from Sprint to AT&T (well, Cingular at the time) because Sprint’s customer service was terrible and I had dropped calls constantly.  Maybe Sprint is about to start turning things around.  J.D. Power and Associates released that Sprint actually tied Verizon for the best call service in the West region.

Exerpt from J.D. Power and Associates:

For a ninth consecutive reporting period, Verizon Wireless ranks highest in both the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions and achieves fewer customer-reported problems in dropped calls, initial connections and late text notifications, compared with the regional averages. Verizon Wireless also leads in the Southwest region and ties with Sprint Nextel to rank highest in the West region. Sprint Nextel customers, in particular, report fewer problems regarding echoes compared with the region average.

So, has Sprint started cleaning up their act and were they able to get Palm to buy into their plan?  Did Palm get stuck with Sprint because Verizon and AT&T already had their super phones?  Or is it just too early in the morning to try to think about these things?  Let us know in the comments.

[ via J. D. Power ]

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.