Comments on: Apple vs Palm & 3rd Party Apps

It hurts *US* when Palm bundles the apps permanently into the ROM. I actually enjoy getting a few decent apps with the device - but when they're ALL outdated upon release(googlemaps, Docs to Go and Pocketunes on the 755) there's really no point to it. Just put them on a CD and let us install what we will use.

And when they update the applications we're not stuck with a permanently useless apps in ROM and the current version wasting my RAM anyhow (and conflicting at times with the ROM version). Why in the world Palm put version 8.000 of DTG into the 755's ROM is beyond me - version 10 was current on release, and version 8.003 had already been out for a YEAR by then. If it's gonna be in RAM anyhow, there's no reason to put the stuff in ROM other than as "advertising."

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**Another vote for a >100MB RAM Treo**

For example, how much competition really remains in the Palm OS Word/Excel/PPT/PDF department. Basically none.

That's basically wrong:

Quickoffice:
www.quickoffice.com/palmos

MiniOffice:
www.solutionsinhand.com

OfficeSuite Classic 7:
www.mobisystems.com

PalmPDF:
http://www.metaviewsoft.de/en/Software/PalmOS/Freeware/PalmPDF/index.htm

It seems there's still plenty of choice here if you only spend a few minutes to look.

I refuse to believe that 66% of all Treo owners have purchased third-party software.

Well if by "purchase" third-party software, you mean install or get beamed a 3rd party app (regardless of whether it's free or commercial) or install bundled apps as part of the Palm desktop CD, then I might believe that.

Otherwise, I call shenanigans too.

USR Palm Pilot 1000 --> Palm Pilot Professional --> TRG SuperPilot --> Palm IIIc --> Palm V --> Palm M505 --> Palm M515 --> Tungsten T|2 --> Treo 600 --> LifeDrive --> iPhone

If this is true, then why is the Palm OS developer community continually shrinking?

It might have something to do with how many of those 66% are "purchasing" one of the same three "great" apps. Of the "tens of thousands" of third-party Palm apps, there are a limited number that are truly good and useful, and only a percentage of those that would appeal to a large number of users (not simply a very useful niche app, highly valuable to a very small number of people). I'm not saying that the 66% is right, just that I can imagine how it might be and the community of developers is still shrinking.

On the other hand, what statistical evidence is there that the developer community is shrinking? What does "shrinking" even mean in this context? If Billy Smith releases yet another clock app, did the developer community grow? If CES Dewar dropped out the next day, is it a wash because of Billy's clock app? How many apps do Billy and his cousins have to release to balance out a truly great app like DateBk?


Thinking about Vista? Think again: http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt
Want an alternative? Try this: http://www.ubuntu.com/ or http://www.mepis.org/

abosco may be right in that this may be the first year they pass up Palm. However, I was one of those people who changed over from Palm way back when the X30 came out. I've used the X30h ever since, and haven't regretted doing so. But..., when it was starting to die (about 2 months ago), I was considering coming back to Palm. I looked at the different Treo's from Verizon, but I just don't like them. I liked the idea of a converged device that everyone keeps talking about. I just used my pda for PIM, photos, and music. If I could incorporate these things AND add a phone, then so much the better. I ended up getting an iphone that was unlocked off ebay, and bought a pay as you go phone from AT&T and changed out the SIM cards and it works fine for me. The thing is: I don't need a bunch of 3rd party apps on my pda / phone, and I feel that a great many users of pdas / phones don't add a bunch of other software on theirs either. As such, the real deal maker for me then was the quality of the specs and of the device; a few points I feel Palm is really missing the mark on. Here I was, a potential customer who was willing to spend $400+ for a pda/phone device, and their current product line didn't sway me at all. I'm not a developer, I'm certainly NO electronics wiz, but just an ordinary, everyday user.

All good things...

abosco, you should know better.

The Death of the iPod is just around the corner.

Look into the face of death and wimper, lad:

http://www.engadget.com/2005/01/26/the-hello-kitty-mp3-player/

Goddam, can the whiskers on your iPhone light up? Eh, eh?

>Just look at the other MP3 players on the market. They all lack the stylish factor. People will be WEARING these devices, so they need to look cool. Brown Zune? Yeah, the iPod will be on top for a while with competition like that.

MSFT will eventually get it right. I remember when Windows, Office, IE, WinMob, MSN, XBox, etc. were all going to fail.

if there's still money/margins there, they'll be interested.

>>>MSFT will eventually get it right. I remember when Windows, Office, IE, WinMob, MSN, XBox, etc. were all going to fail.

You really want that to happen, Gekko? God, you're not a fool. You're a tool!

http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2007/09/17/what-a-world-run-by-windows-looks-like/

Gekko, that band was MADE for you:

Boo F**king Hoo

Boo Boo F**king Hoo

Get Sally Struthers off of my TV,
I need a cup of coffee to stimulate my greed,
My fifty-nine cents won’t go to fuel,
Third-world dictators under Commie rule.

Don’t ask for change, please don’t you plead,
My heart’s made of platinum and it’s not gonna bleed,
Save your sad stories for another Joe,
I’m saving my pennies for a bag of blow.

Boo Boo F**king Hoo

So sorry baby time for divorce,
You out to pasture like a hobbled racehorse,
Better get a job, you won’t get half,
Deuce’ll carve up your lawyer like a tender veal calf.

Excuse me Cratchit, you want a raise,
How bout a ham with a nice honey glaze,
Don’t look at me, I know Tim’s sick,
You can’t squeeze a dime from a Yuppie Prick.

WTF is THIS?!!? *I* didn't post this, so why the eff is it under MY NAME?

====================

RE: Why the iPod can be conquered
mikecane @ 10/10/2007 12:13:55 PM #

Gekko, that band was MADE for you:

Boo F**king Hoo

Boo Boo F**king Hoo

Get Sally Struthers off of my TV,
I need a cup of coffee to stimulate my greed,
My fifty-nine cents won't go to fuel,
Third-world dictators under Commie rule.

Don't ask for change, please don't you plead,
My heart's made of platinum and it's not gonna bleed,
Save your sad stories for another Joe,
I'm saving my pennies for a bag of blow.

Boo Boo F**king Hoo

So sorry baby time for divorce,
You out to pasture like a hobbled racehorse,
Better get a job, you won't get half,
Deuce'll carve up your lawyer like a tender veal calf.

Excuse me Cratchit, you want a raise,
How bout a ham with a nice honey glaze,
Don't look at me, I know Tim's sick,
You can't squeeze a dime from a Yuppie Prick.

======================

I'm changing my frikkin password. Also emailing Ryan. Some bad shit is up here.

that post is almost two years old and now you comment? likely the daily diet of microwave pizza plastic has leeched into and addled your brain and affected your memory?

Some bad shit is up here.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, assuming that one actually had one in the first place. Shame on you for hacking into your own account.

haha! Moment of severe confusion! Made a slow news day a little better. Sucks when you realize someday you could drive miles down the road with your turn signal on.

>>>A mind is a terrible thing to waste, assuming that one actually had one in the first place. Shame on you for hacking into your own account.

It must be awfully crowded in yours. You should give into that voice that keeps shouting JUMP! JUMP! when you're at the edge of the train platform.

In your opinion will we see an emulator for the Pre and if yes how soon and from whom?

Not from Palm, apparently: they view it as a "third-party opportunity", I gather.

All other things being equal, yeah, I'd assume you'd see some sort of Garnet emulation on the Pre (assuming the Pre comes out, is actually worth buying, is actually bought, etc.); a lot would depend on what sort of programming models/environments are available, and that seems to be entirely unclear.

Could you write a Garnet emulator in Javascript...? Dunno.

...you're a poster child for clean mental health there...

Brave words from a guy whose chief contribution is urging other people to commit suicide....

Oh come on! You of all people should understand WHY people are devving the hell out of iPhone. Fifteen MILLION potential customers. As you'd say: MONEY TALKS.

>Oh come on! You of all people should understand WHY people are devving the hell out of iPhone. Fifteen MILLION potential customers. As you'd say: MONEY TALKS.

success breeds success. it's no accident. positive spiral feedback loop. chicken or egg argument - apple is winning because they have done a lot of things right.

i am trying to dumb down my posts so that it is easier to communicate with you.

where is this palm webos app catalog you speak of? how many apps are available now? how long will it take for 1,000 or more apps available? how many webos developers are working on something right now? how many intend to?

^^ What am I, an astrologer? :P

Answers: on the unreleased Pre, none (see "unreleased"), approximately 7 months 12 days four hours thirty-six minutes and forty-eight seconds, whichever ones got access to SDK which is not publicly available yet, and any who have brains.

You want more, you're going to have to call my $10-a-minute-hotline.