PCMag.com - Dear Palm, Please Get It Together

[sorli]

For those who have not had a chance to check out PCMag.com's - Dear Palm, Please Get It Together, it is an interesting read.

As I referenced on their website, Palm has come a long way and they should not be taken lightly when it comes to mobile technology.

I have been using Palm products for years and thankfully I moved to the Palm Pre on Sprint last year, which has been a huge blessing and webOS has brought back the pleasant smile that many of us have been missing for sometime.

It’s amazing how media treats groups like Apple and Microsoft as if they can and have made no mistakes. Both groups are coming out with new devices like the iPad and Windows Mobile Phone 7 missing options like multitasking that simply tie developers hands. Yes Palm has also had too limit developers with webOS being so new and have also been playing catch-up for some time, but it is my opinion and many in the industry that webOS is the Best Mobile Operating System online.

I agree with Lynn that you missed a bunch of key moments where Palm stepped up their game and are beginning to see moves in a positive direction when it comes to developers, sales, or otherwise. The last 3 months have seen significant increase of prime time developers like EA and Gameloft, but what she did not mention is the fact that Palm app catalog has grown two-fold in the last couple of months now 2000+ and growing exponentially as more developers come on board.

Also not mentioned was the Game Developers Conference last week where palm released their PDK (plug-in developer kit) tech that allows direct access using standard C and C++ to access hardware and build projects using widely used SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) and OpenGL graphics in their applications. This technology alone is a HUGE advancement allowing developers the opportunity to convert their projects written for other platforms like the iPhone providing a vehicle to migrate their old and new projects over to webOS. Epic Games just recently took advantage of this and ported their Unreal Engine 3 that powers games like Unreal Tournament 3 and Bioshock. Thankfully Palm and Epic Games are beginning to see and open doors to these advantages paving the road for future webOS opportunities.

Palm has made huge strides and if you believe as I do that Palm webOS is the premier platform and OS for mobile tech, head over to PCMag.com and let everyone know. Sorli...

[Eject_Porkins]

Agree with everything in your post. Unfortunatley, even if webOS was considered to be the best intenvention in history, if consumers don't buy the end product, it's not going to succeed. Let's hope things turn around!!

[sorli]

True...so true. Thankfully I'm doing my part recommending, passing on the good news, and thankfully one of my clients just upgraded to his first Smartphone the Pre Plus on Verizon. Nice upgrade and makes me kinda jealous, but then June is just around the corner.

To be honest it hard for me to see using anything else (iphone nope, adroid...not quite, windows 7 yikes it is scary how many options are coming and only one of those provides native multitasking), but you never know when it comes to Palm and I'm also hopeful that they pull a "Rabbit out of the Hat" trick in the coming months.

New hardware would easily provide more motivation when it comes to recommending webOS devices. My Pre's usefulness will take care of things for now. Sorli...

[TreoRock]

Consumers don't care much about the OS as some of us who are more tech savvy, they care about the hardware. I love WebOS and I think it is the best mobile OS ever made too. However, the hardware sucks big time. I'm sorry Palm, but the Palm Pre needs some serious hardware redesign to compete with the big dogs like the iPhone and Android. Let's hope Palm is listening and the next WebOS that comes out has a better hardware.

[darkspider2042]

....

[darkspider2042]

so true but it might be to late for palm

[voodoochild]

Did anyone notice the first comment after this article:

"Even so, I assumed that once the WebOS Mojo SDK arrived, things would change—rapidly. As we all know now, they didn't. The SDK arrived last summer, and, as of now, there are still only about 1,000 apps and not a barn-burner among them."
Lance,
I 'm a big fan, and of course you're entitled to your opinion about what may have gotten Palm into our current situation, but the above quoted paragraph is simply wrong. Palm webOS offers well over 2,000 apps in its catalog, including some of the most beloved apps people have used on other platforms–Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, Pandora, Gowalla, Foursquare and many, many more. We also have an incredibly robust gaming platform on our hands, with several 3D games from EA (including "Need For Speed"), Gameloft and Laminar Research, among others. As a matter of fact, Self Aware Games, makers of three FREE webOS games, make $50,000 per MONTH through sales of virtual goods on webOS alone,, far outperforming iPhone, Android and Facebook.
I just had to get that in there, Lance. Again, I'm a fan, but you need to check some facts before pivoting your claim on whether or not we have good apps.
Lynn Fox
VP, Corporate Communications
Palm

I get the feeling that they are probably putting more effort into stopping the spread of bad rumors going around on the internet since the financial reports were released on thursday. Good for palm, maybe they finally are taking matters into their own hands.

[RJKinsman]

I believe one of Palm's biggest mistakes, maybe the fatal one, is that they forgot their roots, PIM (Personal Information Management) - Calendar, contacts, tasks, notes, e-mail. I think there are two types of smartphone users -- the PIM users, whose priority is the PIM, but really like the other stuff too -- web browsing, music playing, game playing, book reading. The other type are those who go for all the other stuff, and PIM really a secondary consideration.

I came to WebOS with a history of PalmOS devices and simply took it for granted that since it had the Palm logo, of course, it would excel at PIM. I think there are a lot of people like me. Sadly, with WebOS, they've lost their way. Don't get me wrong -- I love the UI and the browser. But I'm really disappointed in the PIM apps.
I think Palm needs to win back their base, the PIM users, but continue to gain followers of the other type, for whom the PIM is a secondary consideration.

I don't think it's too late for Palm. But they need to get back to their core -- PIM. I want to see WebOS version 2 have a truly integrated PIM system--Calendar, contacts, tasks, notes, e-mail. And revise the SDK to support it, so developers can build on it.

Note, I posted the above comment on that article, and I have posted it in several threads on this site. (sorry if you've already seen it -- isn't copy/paste wonderful?)

[cardfan]

Palm Pre (Sprint) - At A Glance - Reviews by PC Magazine

Apparently PCMag thought the Pre was a great phone. Got an editor's choice. So much for his theory that the Pre was a hail mary. Surely PCMag wouldn't give an editor's choice award to something "rushed out the door" right?