palm - Gizmodo

posts about #palm more →
Palm Gives Pre Developers a Stupid-Simple Tool to Make Stupid-Simple Apps
Remainders - Stuff We Didn't Post (and Why)
Apple and Palm: The iTunes Syncing Fight Is Officially Dumb
How Palm Lost (Like Apple in the '80s)
Behold, the Unkillable Palm Pre
Palm Pixi Lands on Sprint November 15th, For $100
Verizon Officially Confirms They Will Have the Palm Pre “Early Next Year”
The App Store Effect: Are iPhone Apps Headed for Oblivion?
The JD Power Smartphone Satisfaction Ratings Give Apple a Win, Motorola a Big Lose
Dealzmodo: 20% Off Palm Pre Accessories

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weatherman
11/06/09

In reply to Palm Gives Pre Developers a Stupid-Simple Tool to Make Stupid-Simple Apps
Palm may well be dead by the end of the year, or at least well on its way. It's a shame really -- I don't feel bad for Palm as a company or Palm's management, but I do feel bad for all the folks who put so much work in to something that turned out so well but just came at precisely the wrong time with horrible leadership. #aressdk
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Pookiewood
11/06/09

@weatherman: LOL Doubt that seriously. They are about to release the Pre in Europe if they haven't already. #aressdk
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alfredoraraujo
11/06/09

@weatherman: I can not agree more with you. Just when it all started to clear up for Palm, Droid comes in.
However, just for the sake of discussion, what do you reckon might happen if Palm builds their WebOS on top of Android? Could it be possible?
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weatherman promoted this comment alfredoraraujo was starred alfredoraraujo was unstarred

weatherman
11/06/09

@Pookiewood: things are going to be even rougher for Palm in Europe, I think. They're up against Symbian and Nokia there in a way that they aren't in the US. #aressdk
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OCEntertainment
11/06/09

In reply to Palm Gives Pre Developers a Stupid-Simple Tool to Make Stupid-Simple Apps
"Come develop for Palm! Where it's dead simple to make an app that a very small percentage of the population will ever use! Remember, fewer users means less bug reports for you to deal with!" #aressdk
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AmishJohn
11/06/09

@OCEntertainment: They're just reducing the time it'll take to surpass the App Store's total of flashlight apps and tip calculators. #aressdk
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chefgon
11/06/09

In reply to Palm Gives Pre Developers a Stupid-Simple Tool to Make Stupid-Simple Apps
Palm is a bunch of idiots with this Web Developer strategy. Web Developers develop for the web. They should be catering to device developers, who develop for devices. I just don't understand where they expect this strategy to go.

It's like building a racecar that can only be driven by old ladies with vision problems. It might be impressive in a way, but it's not the correct strategy to win races because none of the experienced drivers can operate it.

Not that web developers are old ladies or anything, but they're just not the people who are going to make the next great handheld app. Their skills are tuned for a different kind of experience completely.
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elementary promoted this comment Edited by chefgon at 11/06/09 9:41 AM chefgon was starred chefgon was unstarred

elementary
11/06/09

@chefgon: I think the "Web" part is throwing you off a bit. It's not so much a half-hearted attempt to get people to develop for the Pre that otherwise wouldn't or couldn't, it's really the next logical step forward in programming. There are two ways to go about it. The traditional way is to have unique set of programming tools and guidelines for a narrow range of hardware. Apple is the prime example. Now Google is going at it from the other angle (I realize Google has nothing to do with the Pre, but they are the biggest ones pushing this model). The idea is, a framework is developed, and the programing is done for the framework, not the hardware. The framework itself has to be uniquely worked onto multiple hardware platforms, but any further software development can be done from within the framework. Anyone familiar with it can develop for any device that uses it. Obviously, given the myriad of hardware platforms, this is particularly appealing to cell phone programming, but in the new world of information, quality comes from quantity, and using a framework that allows a programer to develop for many more devices than he'd otherwise be able to will result in ideas and innovations that otherwise would not have happened. Just not on the Pre. Your TV will have apps. Your car will have apps. Your refrigerator will have apps. No one is going to learn a unique programming toolset to program for my refrigerator, and they won't have to. But my refrigerator will do amazing things. Don't stand in the way of progress, this is the way of future! #aressdk
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OCEntertainment
11/06/09

@elementary: Quoting directly from the Java Evangelism Guidebook, circa 1992. #aressdk
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skierpage
11/09/09

@chefgon: "Web technologies" is just another framework to write applications for a device, just like Android's Java classes or Apple's Cocoa. Just like any other framework Palm has to be smart about exposing device features.

Some application developers will love working in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Some web *SITE* developers will move their programming skills to writing applications. Web technologies are the most popular in the world, both in terms of users and developers, so both groups are potentially huge.

Palm's strategy is fine, and makes the most sense for a small competitor. #aressdk
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Benguin
11/05/09

In reply to Remainders - Stuff We Didn't Post (and Why)
If you punch that kid in the stomach does the top bar decrease?

Really though, I had no idea what those were supposed to be until you told me. #gizmodoremainders
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clak
11/04/09

In reply to Remainders - Stuff We Didn't Post (and Why)
Palm's stock dropped by 40 percent in just two weeks. #gizmodoremainders
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Rosa Golijan promoted this comment clak was starred clak was unstarred

Jack_Burton
10/30/09

In reply to How Palm Lost (Like Apple in the '80s)
Palm hasn't lost, but it's still easy to say that, because people are so used to hearing it. *NIX with HTML, Javascript, CSS is the state-of-the-art in terms of features, flexibility, value and ease of development, and WebOS has this in common with Android and the iPhone.

Sprint isn't going away anytime soon, either, even though they've lost some marketshare. Sprint owns a hell of a lot of fiber and towers, not leases, owns. They are a backbone carrier from which others lease bandwidth.

People fetishize the shit out of their phones, or phones they wish they had, and don't pay attention to real-world specifications, behaviors, and costs.
Why would I say this? I worked for a platform-agnostic wireless software developer back in 2000, and the tech press, the popular press, and armchair experts (consumers) have been getting it wrong for a long time, as far as these types of death-knell pronouncements go.

/rant #palmpre
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Joe
10/30/09

In reply to How Palm Lost (Like Apple in the '80s)
i'm a very happy pre user, but i really enjoyed this article. your points are all valid, and i have heard most of them in webos forums before, coming from the keyboards of palm fanboys themselves. although your criticisms offer a roadmap for palm to turn things around with the right leadership and funding, i'm not sure they will ever get those things. i don't think they have lost yet, though. they need to learn from Android's rise and iPhone's continued dominance. They need to build on their unique take on what a mobile OS should be, and they need to throw the doors of development wide open, including access to native apis and "bullpen" (with a strong warning) where developers can toss unreviewed apps. right now, this happens in the homebrew catalogs maintained by the likes of precentral.net, but it needs to be an in-house operation. #palmpre
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froggy
10/30/09

@Joe: they way for Palm to come out of their slump is to give up on WebOS. sorry. they don't have the resources to compete. At least try they can try to focus on their core business - which is phones. #palmpre
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Lizard_King promoted this comment froggy was starred froggy was unstarred

Lizard_King
10/30/09

@froggy: I disagree. For a year, T-Mobile was the only place to get an Android phone, and it's only now, with the new phones from Motorola, the new carriers and an OS revision that it is really taking off. WebOS and Palm are in the same situation. With the Verizon Pre, and possibly some more carriers on the way, Palm may succeed.

I know the whole "but the iPhone has been out for two years" BS is played out, and really you have to look at the offerings right now, as they are marketed, but WebOS is nice. I love my Pre, I'm hoping Palm plays the card right on this one. #palmpre
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cuchanu
10/30/09

@Lizard_King: I don't love my Pre. I feel that I was misled by Palm at the very least and paid way too much for a phone that doesn't really do too much. Shit, what kind of smartphone makes you jump through hoops to sync data? #palmpre
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Lizard_King promoted this comment cuchanu was starred cuchanu was unstarred

Lizard_King
10/30/09

@cuchanu: Sounds like a case of not-enough-research. I'm having no problems syncing my contacts and calendar, for documents I just use drag-and-drop, and the Calendar automatically syncs with Google calendar. Of course, this was all fairly flexible on my end, I have no need for Outlook, Lotus Notes, etc.

The Pre was exactly what I had expected and more. My wife now has one and feels the same way. We both tried out iPhones and the G1, I preferred the iPhone, but hated the G1 (the "chin" bar was too uncomfortable to type over). For me, it came down to the fact that work pays for a Sprint bill, and for her it was the hard keyboard, Sprint coverage (AT&T sucks here) and the cost. #palmpre
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froggy
10/30/09

@Lizard_King: I'm not saying the WebOS is not nice. I'm sure it is. (haven't played with it enough to have an opinion). My point is - and i think it was very well argued in the article - that WebOS is a little too late to the party, and as such it has little chance of surviving in the long run. If I was to make decisions for the Pre, I would worry about whether it makes sense to sink money in WebOS development or move those resources to something else. There are all sorts of good ideas out there, that does not mean they will make it into business. Sometimes, it is about economies of scale... and sometimes, the best business decision is to cut your loses. #palmpre
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cuchanu
11/02/09

@Lizard_King: I'm specifically talking about Outlook syncing. I know it's possible, but it's not a matter of plug-in and sync like it should be unless you have exchange.
Yes, media syncing is easy, that much I like about it. #palmpre
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Identity (Metric)
10/30/09

In reply to How Palm Lost (Like Apple in the '80s)
I like my Pre. And it is still alive. :)

But it was a good article. I hope Palm does well, because it will add that much more competition. #palmpre
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clevin
10/29/09

In reply to How Palm Lost (Like Apple in the '80s)
gizmodo is crazy, thats your downfall right there.

Droid is good? sure, but hey, if they can only make a f*king smartphone as large as a netbook, try puting it in your pocket first. duh. #palmpre
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LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M promoted this comment clevin was starred clevin was unstarred

LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M
10/30/09

@clevin:
gizmodo is crazy

Yes but in an AWESOME way. Who approved this troll that said that "Gizmodo is crazy, that is your downfall right there"?

Phew. Guys, can we get a Demote button please? #palmpre
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trs
10/30/09

@LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M: Who knows, but I do know who just promoted his comment. ;) #palmpre
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LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M promoted this comment trs was starred trs was unstarred

LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M
10/30/09

@trs: When you REPLY to a comment you AUTOMATICALLY PROMOTE IT. You shall know this if and when you have a Star. #palmpre
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trs
10/31/09

@LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M: right. That was the point I was making. #palmpre
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frigg
10/29/09

In reply to Apple and Palm: The iTunes Syncing Fight Is Officially Dumb
I don't think Apple cares about syncing per se as much as crushing Palm by making it look small and the Pre unattractive by tossing it around like a mouse. Apple's the cat, right? #palmpreitunes
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MDIFILM
10/29/09

In reply to Apple and Palm: The iTunes Syncing Fight Is Officially Dumb
how is this different from iphone vs dev team? #palmpreitunes
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Chroma3000
10/29/09

@MDIFILM: Nice triple post. #palmpreitunes
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AmishJohn promoted this comment Chroma3000 was starred Chroma3000 was unstarred

AmishJohn
10/29/09

@Chroma3000: Probably not his fault; Gawker's 'improvements' are often... suboptimal in their execution. #palmpreitunes
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Thangka
10/29/09

In reply to Apple and Palm: The iTunes Syncing Fight Is Officially Dumb
The irony for me is that one of the primary reasons I got the Pre over the iPhone was specifically that I don't, won't use iTunes. #palmpreitunes
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Evangelion promoted this comment Thangka was starred Thangka was unstarred

MrBlahBlah
10/29/09

In reply to How Palm Lost (Like Apple in the '80s)
You have several valid points, but I will tell you, even after using the Verizon Droid handset for several days now, Android 2.0 still feels to me rough around the edges. The functionality is there, but it feels nowhere near as polished as WebOS and the iPhone. It is clear that a group of engineers designed the interface - it is powerful, yet unrefined from a design point of view. I just surrendered the phone, and while there were aspects I loved about it (the notification bar <3), I felt a sense of comfort going back to my iPhone...it was so fast, so smooth. Even with the fast processor, moving between homescreens wasn't buttery smooth.

While this might not compare with some of the points you raised above, I can guarantee you that the UI design is one of the firs things regular consumers will notice. #palmpre
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OGHowie
10/29/09

@MrBlahBlah:

Yeah, Google definitely isn't known for their UI. #palmpre
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MrBlahBlah promoted this comment OGHowie was starred OGHowie was unstarred

unjoelievable
10/30/09

@MrBlahBlah:
Use widgets on the iphone and see if it is buttery smooth...oh wait YOU CANT because you cannot multitask

Dont judge something before fully understanding it, even my g1 is as fast as any iphone with a few tweaks. So, I think everything you said is biased beyond belief

Go and enjoy your iphone #palmpre
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MrBlahBlah promoted this comment unjoelievable was starred unjoelievable was unstarred

Millah
10/30/09

@unjoelievable: And like arguing for multitasking or widgets ISN'T biased beyond belief? You sound quite a bit more biased than the person you responded to. You know, the iPhone does technically multitask out of the box. Apple allows only Safari, iPod, Phone, and Mail to all run in the background, so they are still running after you close them out, and yet the iPhone still runs "buttery smooth" with those 4 apps running in the background. And jailbroken users will also tell you that the iPhone easily handles multitasking while remaining smooth.

Do you think the majority of consumers care about multitasking, let alone even consider it? Or do you think the more pleasing and polished looking interface design, fluid eye candy, and applications is what they care about?

I'd put my money on the latter. Nerds, tech blog fanboys, and maybe business users are the only ones who care about multitasking. Despite that, iPhone is still number one in consumer choice among business users. You do understand that you techblog fanboys only make up a small percentage of the consumer market right?
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MrBlahBlah promoted this comment Edited by Millah at 10/30/09 10:36 AM Millah was starred Millah was unstarred

unjoelievable
11/04/09

@Millah:
You done sucking on Job's dick yet?

1) "apple ALLOWS only safari, ipod, phone, and mail"

You killed it when I read allows, because apple will only ever give what they think is best. But, moreover about the multitasking on the iphone...the little numbers on emails, messages, and etc, are the cheapest excuses for widgets i have ever seen on a phone. To me that is not multitasking, thats bitchtasking. I run about 8 or 9 apps at once most of the day on my rooted g1 and its faster than any iphone. You say jailbroken iphones are great at multitasking....WRONG, i have plenty of friends who have jailbroken their iphones and for 1 it still doesnt let you multitask legitimately, and 2 the phone would restart when they tried to force it to run for example a game and music. So dont just go make up shit to make a point

2) More polished design you say? Lets see you customize ANYTHING besides the lockscreen wallpaper on a damn iphone, hows that for your illogical "polish" argument

3)THE ONLY REASON WHY the iphone is still #1 IS BC OF PPL LIKE YOU!...who refuse to think that anything can compare to the now average iphone that you are paying 100 bucks a month for! The only thing keeping apple on top is HYPE....which really pisses me off because it doesnt give any other companies a chance, even tho other companies phones are great. which is whats going on w/android...

So you know what FUCK APPLE... #palmpre
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nutbastard
10/29/09

In reply to Apple and Palm: The iTunes Syncing Fight Is Officially Dumb
If i were apple i'd allow it, and every time the user plugs in a pre they have to sit through an iPhone ad and perhaps get a special deal offer on one. #palmpreitunes
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nutbastard
10/29/09

In reply to Apple and Palm: The iTunes Syncing Fight Is Officially Dumb
... So don't update your iTunes, people. I mean, the same could be said about the jailbreakers and Apple's incessant patching, which keeps me stuck on 8.0.2 - dickish indeed. But 8 is fine, since it's just getting more and more bloated anyways. #palmpreitunes
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