iPhone developer revolt brewing, what can Palm learn?
Charles Wolf, of Needham & Co., recently described the iPhone App Store as a “wasteland of mediocre applications” and that it was taking “its place alongside YouTube, where poor taste is the defining metric.” And now, following Apple’s killing of various Google Voice applications for ‘duplicating features’ of the iPhone (possibly at AT&T’s bidding), developers are beginning to question the logic of developing applications for the iPhone platform. Even Michael Arrington, noted lover of all things Apple, and editor of TechCrunch, is dumping his iPhone (and would have picked up a Pre if there was a webOS Google Voice app, somebody tell that guy about Homebrew!).
Mr. Rubinstein, I sincerely hope you’re watching what’s going on here as Palm moves towards finalizing its own App Catalog. While Apple may have led the way into a place we didn’t know we needed to go (the land of the application store), they’ve since gotten lost and wandered into an ever-darkening corner. Palm, we’ve got some helpful pointers, some of which you're doing, some we want to make sure you do.
Palm OS HotSync coming to Classic
If there’s an old Palm OS app that you absolutely must have, and thusly need Classic for it to work on your Pre, then there’s probably one very distinct feature you’re tired of Classic not having: HotSync. Have no fear, for MotionApps has heard your desperate cries for a solution and is hard at work getting HotSync to work, as seen to the right.
HotSync comes with a variety of built-in benefits, including getting your calendars and contacts into Classic, data migration from your old Palm apps, easy installation of new-old Palm OS apps, and - of course - local back-up of your Palm OS files.
MotionApps doesn’t have an ETA for the HotSync capability, but it will be added to a future update of Classic at no cost to current owners. Now, this will require WiFi or Bluetooth on your computer, as the sync will be a network HotSync, but that’s better than nothing. MotionApps is confident that HotSync will work without fail whatever your applications and is currently testing third-party conduits (e.g. Documents To Go) to ensure full compatibility.
