[sir_mycroft]

Well done, V2P.

[berdinkerdickle]

I don't know... not being locked out is a HUGE deal. I say that's some good info to go on...

That was nice to hear:

Not only will Palm have an app store at launch, they're not locking down the device so you can only install apps from their app store. You'll be able to "side load" apps directly over USB or over the air from any provider. Good news!

[BARYE]

...The most interesting thing to me was Ed's talk about ramping up the design. Any idea of what that might entail?

most likely he's referring to the ramp to manufacturing process --

at some point they need to lock the final feature set, body design, component mix, build process.

Before they throw the switch on the factory stencil they want to make sure all the components are as inexpensively procured as possible, and that everything is as efficiently designed as can be.

Then they want to have the build as streamlined as they can make it -- down to the final assembly and quality control -- before the first widgets are massively spit out.

[eekinsman]

"You'll be able to "side load" apps directly over USB..."

Doesn't this suggest that the Pre's USB connectivity function is much more than a slave drive and that local back-up/data sync is either natively supported or at least very simple and welcome for a 3rd party to develop? I see this as an indication that the supremacy/exclusivity of the Cloud for WebOS was vastly overstated by many in this forum.

[morrie]

according to what i read many of us will have to wait until 2010 before the pre becomes available. i have att and there is no way i can wait that long. correct me if i am wrong.

[pgh1969pa]

"You'll be able to "side load" apps directly over USB..."

Doesn't this suggest that the Pre's USB connectivity function is much more than a slave drive and that local back-up/data sync is either natively supported or at least very simple and welcome for a 3rd party to develop? I see this as an indication that the supremacy/exclusivity of the Cloud for WebOS was vastly overstated by many in this forum.

Not necessarly....WM devices can install applications using a cab file transfered via USB or storage card. You can copy PRC files over to a Palm device or place them on a storage card. There may be a similar construction for Web OS too.

[DavidJ]

So if Ed's talking a 2010 release for other suppliers, that seems to support an end of 2Q for the release of the Pre unless Sprint gets more than a 6 month exclusivity deal...

[palmdoc#AC]

Great news about Epocrates. Heard from another source that it's coming to the Pre.

[scobb]

doesn't that mean similarities w/ WinMO... adding apps from programmers that just throw stuff to a server

This is a huge pluss for many on the corporate IT side. If you want to develop an internal (to your company) application, you can deploy it in-house and not have to give it to Apple to deploy. This has killed all in-house iPhone projects.

To your concern - it means that you may want to check reviews before downloading some random app. To me that's a small price to pay for making it trivial to develop and deploy a small-time or niche application.

[johncc]

....
To your concern - it means that you may want to check reviews before downloading some random app. To me that's a small price to pay for making it trivial to develop and deploy a small-time or niche application.

Yes. And that's the successful way that PalmOS applications have been handled forever. Great news.

[robkurzd]

Yes. And that's the successful way that PalmOS applications have been handled forever. Great news.

And we'll be able to tether.

I guess big news you could pull out is that the software site will be available from Day 1 which had been a topic of discussion for a while

[runagun]

He never specified a date and he won't. Its now about leverage with the other carriers. If this baby skyrockets Att/Vzw will be begging to be exclusive/carry there next releases. Yall are looking at it as if Palm only has this in its Wings.

So if Ed's talking a 2010 release for other suppliers, that seems to support an end of 2Q for the release of the Pre unless Sprint gets more than a 6 month exclusivity deal...

[schnoid]

according to what i read many of us will have to wait until 2010 before the pre becomes available. i have att and there is no way i can wait that long. correct me if i am wrong.

Welcome to my world... For the last 2 years this little company called apple decided to have a ridiculously exclusive contract with ATT. Guess what, those of us on sprint still don't have the iphone! Now I guess you have to ask yourself the same question I've had for the last 2 years... "is this phone worth switching carriers?" I'm happy to say that the iphone definitely was not worth it to me (mostly thanks to the lack of keyboard) and I'm thrilled that us loyal sprint customers will finally be rewarded for our patience!

Honestly, i think it would be better for the developer community and the selection of 3rd party apps for phones to stop having exclusive contracts, but I guess thats business.

[marcol]

This is a huge pluss for many on the corporate IT side. If you want to develop an internal (to your company) application, you can deploy it in-house and not have to give it to Apple to deploy. This has killed all in-house iPhone projects.

Actually, I don't think that's true:

Apple’s iPhone app distribution plan a winner for IT | Macworld
iPhone Developer Program

[marcol]

Not only will Palm have an app store at launch, they're not locking down the device so you can only install apps from their app store. You'll be able to "side load" apps directly over USB or over the air from any provider. Good news!

While I thoroughly dislike some of Apple's policies for allowing apps into the app store it does provide (with the exception of in-house and ad-hoc apps noted in the links in my post above) a one-stop shop for applications. Although Palm's decision to allow 'side loading' seems good on the face of it I think it could backfire and produce the traditional PalmOS/WM/Symbian-type fragmentary, gotta-search-the-web application mess we're used to. That would happen if a significant number of developers choose not to use Palm's store.

[marcol]

I didn't listen to the webcast. Am I right in thinking that there was no mention of unlocked phone availability?

[anon(45821)]

Although Palm's decision to allow 'side loading' seems good on the face of it I think it could backfire and produce the traditional PalmOS/WM/Symbian-type fragmentary, gotta-search-the-web application mess we're used to. That would happen if a significant number of developers choose not to use Palm's store.

I have no problem with this.

[scobb]

While I thoroughly dislike some of Apple's policies for allowing apps into the app store it does provide (with the exception of in-house and ad-hoc apps noted in the links in my post above) a one-stop shop for applications. Although Palm's decision to allow 'side loading' seems good on the face of it I think it could backfire and produce the traditional PalmOS/WM/Symbian-type fragmentary, gotta-search-the-web application mess we're used to. That would happen if a significant number of developers choose not to use Palm's store.

Thanks for the info on loading through iTunes - though that seems a bit problematic - and requiring submitting the ID of every phone that is allowed to run the app. That, and you need Macs to develop the apps. I would guess that most (don't have any numbers) IT departments tend to be Windows only (as silly as that is). It is just another barrier to entry.

Regarding fragmentation, that could be an issue; however, unless Palm has some weird policies or extreme fees, it seems like most developers would start there. I guess that we will see.

Cheers