WebOS 2.0 - Palm is BACK baby!

[Mercule]

But wouldn't you feel like you're using the step child of the smart phone world? The one no one really cares about? The one where the apps are still severely lacking and new developers are hard to find, and the one that major developers seem to shy away from?

Yes and no. Quantity of apps is irrelevant, so long as the apps I want are available. And those are actually a bit of give and take between the two platforms.

Android brings the official Remember the Milk app, some interesting games, and widgets. Palm has email, contacts, and messaging that are totally out of the league of any app found on Android. Pandora is slightly more reliable on Android than Palm. Netflix is slightly better on Palm. Web browsing is better on Android, as are 3G speeds (I live in a 3G area), but I chalk that to hardware not OS. Reference apps are a toss-up, with Palm winning on some specialized references, like Wikipedia, and Android winning on e-book readers (which I don't want too much of at phone-size, anyway).

Android may have a bigger catalog, but I can't navigate through it with either the base Market app or the AppBrain app. Palm and the WebOSInternals catalogs are slick and efficient. For Palm, I never had to wait for a review or search the web for an app I wanted -- I could just browse the catalog. That's a horrid experience on Android.

What I want out of a smart phone is really PIM, mp3 (and Pandora), and a phone. Music and phone are close enough to be a non-issue, either way. PIM isn't even a competition. If you're looking for a toy, Android might be better. If you want a tool, Palm wins. Except, of course, if you bring hardware into it, which is where Palm is losing.

Honestly, I think the webOS platform delivers such a superior baseline that any app deficiencies would be quickly rectified if the hardware was available to draw people in.

 

[MannyZ28]

I think its a matter of personal choice. I like email on Android better than on the Pre. Contacts seem to be about the same to me, not sure what exactly it is that you prefer so much on webOS as far as those two categories go. And I really don't find the Android Market bad, it has reviews just like the App Catalog, and besides, the Market is getting quite the overhaul shortly.

Android in general sees much faster development that webOS does, with rather dramatic changes. I can still remember how long it took Palm to finally make the light of the center button a message light!!!

For you, a few core Apps maybe enough, but a lot of people just want variety, I would venture out to say that the majority of the people would pick a platform based on how many Apps are available for it just because they feel safer knowing that they bought a product that's actively being supported, not an underdog device like the Pre was.

 

[Mercule]

For you, a few core Apps maybe enough, but a lot of people just want variety

Quite likely, and I understand that. You asked why I would be willing to switch back, though.

 

[jjeffcoat]

Epocrates just ditched webOS! Skyscape abandoned their webOS development! For the medical user, webOS is rapidly circling the drain. (Never thought I'd be saying that).

Big name apps aren't touching webOS because the user base is so small. But the user base isn't likely to grow without the big name apps - a real catch22. The release of new devices with high quality hardware and performance along with effective marketing would certainly help, but no one is seeing this any time soon.

"The coming months" is quickly becoming a tired mantra.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

But wouldn't you feel like you're using the step child of the smart phone world? The one no one really cares about? The one where the apps are still severely lacking and new developers are hard to find, and the one that major developers seem to shy away from?

I never felt that at all while I owned a Pre. I was finding excuses to have my hands on it all day (much to the chagrin of the battery). The only reason I switched to an Epic, like stated by others, is because of the hardware limitations; it eventually burned out because I was pushing it too hard. Now, while I love my Epic and everything I'm able to do with Android, I miss the webOS interface and the capabilities it offered. If the Pre didn't burn itself out right around the time my company stopped offering it, I would have gotten it replaced.

Palm HP have a lot of catching up to do, I for one will not be switching back any time soon.

I agree Palm has catching-up to do, considering they got (back) into the game rather late. The problem is, since having been bought by HP, they are now once again in catch-up mode because they're effectively starting from scratch. I have every reason to believe that the next webOS-based device to come from HP will blow away everything on the market right now in terms of capability. What I hope is that Palm doesn't repeat the same mistakes they made with marketing the first time around and HP can push the device(s) to a wider audience. Thankfully they sorted out issues with development (that was also a debacle from what I heard), so developers shouldn't be complaining about the platform anymore.

 

[kinster02]

Palm is back alright, so far back that no ones sees nor cares about them anymore...as far as OSes are concerned their at the back of the bus.

 

[jjeffcoat]

Palm is back alright, so far back that no ones sees nor cares about them anymore...as far as OSes are concerned their at the back of the bus.

The sad thing is they appear to be doing very little to correct the situation.