Comments on: Palm Offering a Windows Mobile Developer Contest

Palm has announced a Windows Mobile Treo developer contest. The contest seeks the "hottest new" Windows Mobile applications that run on Treo smartphones. Developers can submit a new freeware, shareware or commercial application, or port an existing software app to the Treo. The entries will be judged on originality, usability, utility and the "Wow" factor of graphical look and feel. All contest entries must be submitted by June 5th 2007 and you can find the full set of details here. Four finalists and one grand prize winner will be chosen on June 7th at Microsoft’s Tech Ed conference in Orlando, Florida. Palm has not yet detailed what the prizes will be.

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You've got to be kidding.

PacManFoo @ 4/25/2007 2:54:39 PM #

Everyday I like Palm as a comapny less and less. Looks like I'll just run my TX until it dies and go back to pen and paper.

PDA's Past and Present:
Palm - IIIxe, Vx, M500, M505, Tungsten T, TX
Handspring - Edge, Platinum, Deluxe
Sony - SJ22
Apple - MP2000, MP2100

RE: You've got to be kidding.

zullnero @ 4/25/2007 3:00:58 PM #

Just because they're holding a contest for developing stuff for their own hardware that happens to run WinMob doesn't mean anything. Companies often try to hype platforms that aren't working out for them, it's a purely pathetic marketing trick to get developers excited to develop for a platform. Microsoft held these things all the time when their platform was limping along early on. It doesn't mean that they're even committed to Windows Mobile at all, they probably just want to gage interest.

Palm III->Palm Vx->Palm m505->Palm m515->Tungsten T->Tapwave Zodiac II->Treo 700p

RE: You've got to be kidding.

ChiA @ 4/25/2007 4:00:13 PM #

Companies often try to hype platforms that aren't working out for them...
.
Microsoft held these things all the time when their platform was limping along...

so therefore either:
a. Palm has bought all the IP rights to Windows Mobile from Microsoft

b. Palm has become a subsidiary of Microsoft

c. Palm has totally lost its sense of priorities or even just lost its senses!

They don't have enough resources to support their own products yet they have resources to plug somebody else's OS!!?? A truly bizarre decision coming so soon after announcing PalmLinux ~~Reheated~~ Reloaded. I guess they had to do it because Microsoft's such a tiny, cashstrapped company offering a brand new OS called Windows Mobile nobody has ever heard of before.

There's no need to offer incentives for developers with PalmLinux Reloaded because everyone and their mother's developing for PalmLinux which has been two years in the ~~rehashing~~ making! Yes it's not Windows Everywhere but PalmLinux Everywhere!

It's time the DEA visit Sunnyvale and seize whatever they're smoking in that boardroom before further mental damage is done.

nice allocation of resources...

joad @ 4/25/2007 5:26:02 PM #

So let me get this straight...

There's not enough time and resources for Palm to figure out a fix for the f'd up bluetooth stack on the 700p in nearly 11 months since release.... *BUT* they have the time and resources for evaluating the "originality, usability, utility and the "Wow" factor of graphical look and feel" of a bunch of other developers' applications?

Sorry for my continued harping here, Palm.... but if you can't even get your *OWN* applications functioning properly then WTF are you expending the time and resources to run a silly contest to judge *OTHER* developers' work?

There was a time I thought we were just "venting" with our amusing ruminations about what intoxicating substances the Palm planners are ingesting daily.... but now I'm beginning to wonder...

RE: nice allocation of resources...

SeldomVisitor @ 4/25/2007 5:46:00 PM #

PALM ===needs=== to generate buzz and ===needs=== to maintain developer interest in ===PALM===.

This silliness may do that.

Makes sense to me given my beliefs on where PALM is and where it's going.

RE: nice allocation of resources...

rmhurdman @ 4/25/2007 6:06:55 PM #

What resources? They didn't even announce prizes. (And if the prize delivery timeline is anything like the timeline for delivery of the 700p fix...) So it's a smart(?) way to get developers to port their apps or write new apps (unlikely) for the WinMob Treo. It'll give Palm some nice marketing fodder ("more add-on apps than any other mobile phone!") at an extremely low cost.

It just shows that they really haven't learned and they still take their "developer community" for a bunch of morons. I can tell you, I won't be porting anything.

Put $1,000,000 on 11... Oh my f-ing Gawd... Nooooooo!!!!!!

The_Voice_of_Reason @ 4/26/2007 12:31:45 AM #

PALM ===needs=== to generate buzz and ===needs=== to maintain developer interest in ===PALM===.
This silliness may do that.

Makes sense to me given my beliefs on where PALM is and where it's going.

Kinda hard to find someone willing to buy your company if your company is considered to be moribund. Contests like this will have the similar positive effects that the giveaways have at Palminfocenter: none. The people that count aren't swayed by trinkets.

REAL developers know Palm's historical actions speak louder than words. Palm doesn't give a rat's a$$ about its oft-touted "developer community". If Palm cared about developers they wouldn't have continually treated them like crap over the years. Forcing developers to reverse engineer Palm's ever-changing, buggy-as-Hell OS just to try to get their apps to stop crashing badly is NOT a good way to generate a lot of goodwill amongst developers.

And guess what? Once Palm announces its new strategy (where PALM provides most of the apps that a typical user will run) do you think there'll be any incentive for developers to remain with the platform fighting for the scraps that fall off Palm's table? (For people with an IQ like Mike Cane, please note that was a rhetorical question)

TVoR

P.S.

I would have been a lot more impressed had Palm spent a few dollars and bought Mike Waldron's BackupMan and rolled it into the ROM. Or dumped VersaMail 2 years ago and licensed Chatteremail. Or included a CD with every PDA/smartphone that had trial/full versions of the top 1000 or so PalmOS apps arranged by category and complete with screenshots. Those would have been practical ways for Palm to spend its dwindling resources...

RE: nice allocation of resources...

hkklife @ 4/26/2007 1:23:22 AM #

OR...

Palm could've done SOMETHING to modernize & update the Palm Desktop software (aside from adding Vista compatibility, of COURSE):

Have a (able to be togged on & off, naturally) little browser window and/or splash screen that is updated weekly--think of Valve's fantastic Steam client for PCs--with "hot" new Palm OS software and easy one-click download/hotsync functionality.

Palm could easily partner with PalmGear/Handango et al. to integrate this feature. I guarantee it'd get a lot of the novice users at least clicking out of curiosity to download trail versions of apps if they think it's from a reoutable site and has been "blessed" by Palm. And what better way to facilitate this than by integrating it right into Palm Desktop? Of course they could also have features like automatic app version checkers & updaters etc.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: nice allocation of resources...

freakout @ 4/26/2007 3:43:51 AM #

^^ Amen, brother!

The device itself is only one half of a great mobile experience. Syncing with your desktop is the other, and Palm Desktop is woefully outdated.

WM contest

VampireLestat @ 4/25/2007 8:07:28 PM #

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

RE: WM contest

VampireLestat @ 4/25/2007 8:08:45 PM #

* shaking head in disbelief *

Down the tubes they go...

mmaederer @ 4/26/2007 12:51:08 PM #

Its so sad to see the whole thing fall apart. I'm fairly disgusted with anything having to do with Palm, as you can see by my signature line. Can't wait till June...

IIIe-->m105-->m105-->T5-->T3-->iPhone!

Its an anti-IPhone anti WM competition move.

Surur @ 4/26/2007 7:08:46 PM #

The are obviously looking for apps to bundle with their WM devices, to differentiate then from the other WM clones, and to add some visual pizazz ala IPhone.

Nothing to see here.. move along...

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...
Hey!! I made associate writer at PDA247. Come see my nattering over there!!
www.clieuk.co.uk/wm.shtml