[casiouser]

As of two weeks ago, I decided I would get a Android AT&T to go along with my Sprint Pre. By far the way WebOS operating system work its is better. It is more intuitive.
But there is no denying apps are entertaining, productive, useful and can make your smartphone more enjoyable. It has been great to download app after app. I GUARANTEE if webOS had a larger app store webOS customers would use it. I don't think it is unreasonable for people to want webOS to have more apps. The new windows mobile platform has been around for a shorter time and has as many apps.
Overall Android is not bad but it is no WebOS.

[Hobbz]

well first, thank you for not taking that too personally. By no means was that a stab or a flame or anything directed towards you, or anyone specific.

It was just my observation about trends.

No worries. I didn't take it personally at all. Great point about too many sheep getting enamored with sparkly things.

I suddenly remembered the little ole lady from the 80's Wendy's commericals - "where's the beef?" We don't care about the flashy stuff, we need more solid apps.

(Well, maybe you don't but some others do)

[j_grouchy]

Yes! This is the way to do it. If someone isn't satisfied with webOS, they should take a break for a little while and explore the other options (Android, WP7, iOS). There is no reason to stick around and be miserable... Besides, you can always come back when HP eventually gets things moving.

That's what I did. A few months ago, I got myself a HTC HD2 and have been having a lot of fun using Android and WP7. I get to cheer on webOS while not having to deal with the frustrations of being a full-time webOS user. lol. I'll buy another webOS phone eventually... Just need to wait for HP to get things up to speed.

(Oh, and as it turns out, apps DO matter. I never thought they did until I started using Android.)

The further into Spring (and closer to summer) we get, the more I'm thinking this is how it will be. I'm definitely interested in either the Pre3 or this mystery 'slab' device on Sprint, but if it means waiting until the end of the year or having this anemic catalog of apps, I may just go this route and hope to come back to webOS someday when the tide is going their way.

[Bokal]

I'm not a palm user. I am looking at the pre3 as my next phone, and I'm lurking here to see what the community and palm greybeards think about it. I have the only phone that could be said to be worse off than webOS when it comes to apps: the Nokia N900. At last count, it has something more than 1000 apps. Of these, about half are meant for general, non-obscure-or-geeky purposes. There is no essentially no store, only repos. And I don't really care.

The N900 is a very, very complete device out of the box (ridiculously so, in a goldbergesque way sometimes). There's very little that the iphone can do and the N900 can't- and a metric cr@pton that the N900 can do that make the iphone look like a toy. That stands also, I gather, for the pre3. If a device can do pretty much anything with its stock software, do you really need 300.000 apps? After a point it becomes pointless. I can't find anything that webOS lacks, except for bragging rights, really.

tl;dr : The "there's an app for that" mentality is overstated. And it stands only if your phone can't do "that" without an app in the first place.

Hey!

I come from an N900 too, and I feel just like you!

I bought myself a pixi a month ago just to try the platform, and I did not turn on my beloved N900 since then. I even can't believe it.

WebOS is a very enjoyable and complete experience, and apps are... well... some apps like the one by nba.com for iPhone and Android are really cool. But they are just replacements for a good mobile website.
If you take the website replacement apps out, you have some database/todo/pim stuff, that webos has in quite good number.
Then there are games, and well... games are important... to some people.

Most of the problem comes from these very good website replacement apps. They are cool, but that's not the web I want where only some people with certain terminals can access certain information. I really don't like it and will never support it.

[hrminer92]

"I don't care that I can read a Time magazine from a tablet when I need to find a 'real' computer to submit my credit card payment due while out on a business trip. This is functionality which can easily be performed by an app on other types of phones."

You can do this on the Pre. Try using the dial pad. On the back of every credit card there is a phone number to call. They love taking payments over the phone, they've been doing it for years.

I just use the web browser.

[giorgosmit]

Hey!

I come from an N900 too, and I feel just like you!

I bought myself a pixi a month ago just to try the platform, and I did not turn on my beloved N900 since then. I even can't believe it.

WebOS is a very enjoyable and complete experience, and apps are... well... some apps like the one by nba.com for iPhone and Android are really cool. But they are just replacements for a good mobile website.
If you take the website replacement apps out, you have some database/todo/pim stuff, that webos has in quite good number.
Then there are games, and well... games are important... to some people.

Most of the problem comes from these very good website replacement apps. They are cool, but that's not the web I want where only some people with certain terminals can access certain information. I really don't like it and will never support it.

I agree with you on the web-front apps. It seems quite ridiculous to have stand-alone apps to access a particular datastream from a website, now that we have phones that can easily access the web proper. In the dark days of WAP and phones that had maybe a java browser on the side, it would make sense, but these things appeared with the first current-generation smartphones.

And as for the apps... the apps you mention are exactly what I need! More productivity stuff that works with less hassle than what we have at maemo (and maybe some more hackerish, tweaky stuff; old habits die hard). I don't really care about games or time-waster apps. I plan to keep my N900 until it's held together by gapher tape, spit and prayers and then buy the pre3...but who knows, maybe I won't resist that long :P

[VaccPalm]

I didnt get rid of the Pre . Still in usage Its still in use by my son. who hates it (becasue the apps stink) but thats what he has until I get him a android phone. (hes 10 so I come here to learn whats up with his phone) But you dont have to have a webos phone to be here..Been a memeber here and Palmcentral for 10 years and aint going anywhere.

Can you please explain to me why then you're even on a webOS forum? If all you want is Apps and Apps are the biggest things for phones and webOS is starting a mile behind when it comes to app support? That means there is nothing HP or Palm can do to win your business. If you just want access to a ton of apps you need an Android or iOS device. If you want a phone with a better operating experience and a good group of core apps that are expanding then webOS can compete for your business. What is your purpose of posting on this forum then?

[Thead]

I don't know how true this is in the grand scheme of things. Most people with phones don't even know about the app experience (non-smart phone users). If their first smart phone was a Pre or Pixi and they didn't know any better they would probably be amazed at the app selection. Then there are those polls (that I can't cite) that say something like 50% of smartphone users don't even download apps. I think there is a certain percent (and most likely a decent one) of smart phone users who value apps more than anything else about their phone. But it's definitely a minority.

[VaccPalm]

I work for a mobile phone company (sub of Motorola) and I really dont think its a minority. Every company or individual we deal to sell mobile phones and devices atleast mentions apps. Its become a big deal in a way .they dont want standard phones anymore or Crapberrys. We actually still use Palm os where I work ( along with Windows mobile) but we are looking to move everyone over to Android or Ios because of the lack of apps on windows mobile and Palm os ( and Palm os being obsolete) Belive it or not we still have hundreds of clients using Palm os. using in scanners for mailroom departments. Yahoo is one of our clients and I believe there devices are Palm os.

My 90 year old grandma is getting a android phone becasue she wants apps and she doesnt even have a PC. As someone in the business trust me , Apps rule. They have become super important.

[Thead]

I work for a mobile phone company (sub of Motorola) and I really dont think its a minority.

I'm using semantics as an argument here which I don't like to do, but you really think that more than 50% of all consumers who will purchase a phone in the future will have app count as one of their highest priorities?

[VaccPalm]

If you asked me that a year ago I would have said no but (and this is not scientific) it seems everyone wants apps. Facebook apps. Twitter apps. Angry Birds. Maps. Fruit Ninja . Apps to do this and do that etc. And this is no knock on WEb os as most of these apps are on Webos. Again this is only my opinion based on what i see. Polls and other things may dispiute that and maybe I am incorrect but its just what I see.

I'm using semantics as an argument here which I don't like to do, but you really think that more than 50% of all consumers who will purchase a phone in the future will have app count as one of their highest priorities?

[Hobbz]

Couple things to add....

I did explain in the original post that I'm speaking more about the need for useful, productive apps and not just having a gazillion of useless ones. Some people did read that while others only read what they wanted and missed a key point of the post.


Second - I tried searching for a reliable survey about this topic. Most of what I saw was ancient.

The most current survey I found was 9 months old and had some interesting information. It said that 82% of Americans have cell phones and only 35% of Americans had apps. The way I read it, that's 35% of all Americans, not of just cell phone users (which made no sense to me). Another was that 85% of users did use apps "several times a week" or more. Take it for what it's worth, I suppose.

I agree with VaccPalm - It does seem like interest in useful apps has grown considerably in recent months, based on seeing what's available.

[augustofretes]

While apps are cool, and many are great (Carbon, for example) most of them are either pointless low quality games (in terms of gameplay) or just websites with a little more eye candy. Don't get me wrong, there are many great apps on all platforms, but the sheer number is irrelevant, 99.9% (if not more of them) are garbage.

[fwinst]

WebOS is a great OS. I know that. Most of the people on this site know that. Unfortunately, we make up about 1% of the smartphone market. If webOS is to survive, it will need apps. You can poo poo apps all you want. If HP can't get the apps, people will buy devices that can get the apps, and it will no longer be financially viable to produce/support ANY WebOS devices. Economics are a bit@h.

[augustofretes]

WebOS is a great OS. I know that. Most of the people on this site know that. Unfortunately, we make up about 1% of the smartphone market. If webOS is to survive, it will need apps. You can poo poo apps all you want. If HP can't get the apps, people will buy devices that can get the apps, and it will no longer be financially viable to produce/support ANY WebOS devices. Economics are a bit@h.

I agree, it isn't actually relevant if apps are a mark of a quality, or usability, or anything, but rather "if people want them, HP needs them".

[barkerja]

While apps are cool, and many are great (Carbon, for example) most of them are either pointless low quality games (in terms of gameplay) or just websites with a little more eye candy. Don't get me wrong, there are many great apps on all platforms, but the sheer number is irrelevant, 99.9% (if not more of them) are garbage.

I guess it depends on what you value. For me, I love applications like these:

http://voxer.com
instagr.am
Path
Kik Messenger | Free real-time texting for all
Instapaper: Save interesting web pages for reading later
Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology: Kindle Store
Dropbox - Simplify your life
Starbucks Card Mobile App | Starbucks Coffee Company

That's about 25% of what I use on a daily basis, none of which provide a mobile experience through a browser.

And numbers matter. The 30 - 50 applications that I like and enjoy may not be the same 30 - 50 applications that you like or enjoy.

[augustofretes]

I guess it depends on what you value. For me, I love applications like these:

Voxer
instagr.am
Path
Kik Messenger | Free real-time texting for all
Instapaper: Save interesting web pages for reading later
Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology: Kindle Store
Dropbox - Simplify your life
Starbucks Card Mobile App | Starbucks Coffee Company

That's about 25% of what I use on a daily basis, none of which provide a mobile experience through a browser.

And numbers matter. The 30 - 50 applications that I like and enjoy may not be the same 30 - 50 applications that you like or enjoy.

I think is nice you found some apps that you think can't be covered with the web browser, however, they do not represent the majority of any app catalog, in fact, I exaggerated a bit, but out of those +350,000 in apple's store I would be surprised if 3,500 were good (1%).

[johnnygewitter]

To the poster above: 3500 quality apps is already a huge number even if it's only 1%. How many high-quality apps does webOS have?
But I agree that apps do not matter that much if the OS already has everything (IM is a good example, I love the fact that I do not need a separate IM app with webOS).
Still, apps are key. Especially games, maybe not for us geek types, but almost every normal person would be very disappointed when finding out their shiny new Veer has almost no games. It's a classic catch33, no apps no customers, no customers no dev-interest. But this has been debated at length before. I only hope we get at least some more big name apps, like Skype (please including front-cam using video calls like on my N900 - quite a few N900 users here ) and personally I'd like last.fm.

[augustofretes]

To the poster above: 3500 quality apps is already a huge number even if it's only 1%. How many high-quality apps does webOS have?

Certainly less, It wasn't my intention to even suggest that WebOS was on a better, or remotely as good, condition.

But I agree that apps do not matter that much if the OS already has everything (IM is a good example, I love the fact that I do not need a separate IM app with webOS).
Still, apps are key. Especially games, maybe not for us geek types, but almost every normal person would be very disappointed when finding out their shiny new Veer has almost no games. It's a classic catch33, no apps no customers, no customers no dev-interest. But this has been debated at length before. I only hope we get at least some more big name apps, like Skype (please including front-cam using video calls like on my N900 - quite a few N900 users here ) and personally I'd like last.fm.

I completely agree, I also said it two posts ago "if people want them [apps], HP needs them".

[kulf]

I don't want apps for things that a simple mobile web page could accomplish. But it hurts to see that nowadays you can buy an A/V Home entertainment receiver that comes with iOS remote control "for free", but will never ever support webOS.
Bought a Synology Diskstation the other day. Synology has apps for photo browsing and music streaming for.... iOS and Android. Great. I pay for a product that cannot be used to its full potential without the "right" phone... Sad.