Palm confirms games are in development for Pre, drops a few other tidbits
by Paul Miller 
posted Feb 19th 2009 at 6:50AM
Palm did confirm that games are in development for webOS, and seems a little defensive at accusations that the OS can't handle that stuff -- Palm hasn't changed its stance on app development, of course, there are no "native" apps allowed currently, but they seem more reticent to admit that web-style app development will limit gaming options. Perhaps they're hoping Adobe's Open Screen Project will save them some grief on this front, since Flash will be ready for webOS by the end of the year. Palm's currently working with a small amount of developers in private beta, refining the SDK to their feedback and needs, and will slowly expand that as the phone approaches launch, but we don't expect a full SDK to reach Joe the Coder until very close to before or after the launch. We asked about the potential for a soft keyboard, and they said that there's no reason that developers couldn't build their own -- though we're not sure how that would work. Out of the gate developers won't have super deep access to the OS from what we understand -- they wouldn't be able to do something like Facebook's level of OS-wide contacts integration, for instance -- but Palm hopes to open those APIs up further down the line.
We get the impression that Palm feels version 1.0 of webOS is very feature complete, and that the most surprises we'll get from here to launch will be mostly along the lines of 3rd party development and release details.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jimmy Jones @ Feb 19th 2009 6:56AM
Ahhh... this just keeps getting better. It is like teasing a little kid with candy.... Can we thumbs up folks?
Flashpoint @ Feb 19th 2009 9:23AM
I don't think Palm is gonna survive the lawsuits from Apple.
kuoirad @ Feb 19th 2009 10:32AM
If you don't think Palm has a drawer full of patents of their own they could "go to war" with, you're naive.
It's the current version of MAD, I think...
Mikey @ Feb 19th 2009 12:19PM
Flashpoint, please only speak about things that you actually understand. How patents are used by businesses clearly isn't one of them.
OneLove @ Feb 19th 2009 12:26PM
Sorry PRE, after seeing HTC Touch Pro 2 sexy, who are you again?
Ahmed Alzayani @ Feb 19th 2009 1:47PM
There is no Joe the Coder, any who is a coder is no way a Joe!
iphonerulez @ Feb 19th 2009 3:53PM
They'd better get some games for this over-hyped Pre otherwise it'll end up as another wannabe iPhone contender fighting for third and fourth place smartphone scraps. Palm had better have everything in place when this Pre goes on sale or they'll end up closing shop. The Pre absolutely has to be a hit. It's a nice-looking handset and if it works as hyped, Palm will sell them by the truckloads. It's already 10X better than any WinMo device.
Dave @ Feb 19th 2009 7:01AM
While I currently have to WinMo devices I am totally chomping at the bit to swap one of them out for the Pre. Can't say the same for my two Windows laptops and a Mac.
Jonathan @ Feb 19th 2009 7:12AM
Keep the news coming. This is great. I haven't been so excited for a device that I am actually going to purchase in a very long time.
I'm still hopeful that they'll squeeze in the MicroSD. (Come on Palm... I know you're reading this...)
Cary @ Feb 19th 2009 10:56AM
I just hope these comments go for someone at Palm to hear them. Those that are critical should also make constructive suggestions or keep their comments to themselves. If you have nothing good to say, sniping is not a good solution. It is destructive.
Right now our destructive ways are coming home to roost. We need to be more constructive and supportive of each other and of US companies. Then we might actually turn this country around.
Competition is good and what makes better products. That has happened here. The competition has left palm behind and palm needs to find that competitive spirit and become a leader has it once was all over again.
Aaron @ Feb 19th 2009 7:19AM
While I see the appeal of the Palm Pre, the lack of native applications is a total turn-off for me.
Chuck @ Feb 19th 2009 7:53AM
That really depends on the definition of native. We haven't seen the SDK, we don't know how it's going to operate.
JohnTitor @ Feb 19th 2009 8:20AM
if the mighty Apple can break at the pressure to allow native apps (and make a whole lot of money in the process), so can Palm, just give it time
Derek @ Feb 19th 2009 10:05AM
They'll be there eventually. As Palm has repeatedly said, this is just the beginning, and in the future they do intend to release a C-native SDK.
Greg @ Feb 19th 2009 10:47AM
Derek: I haven't heard that. Can you give me a source? That would be good news if true.
Gibson @ Feb 19th 2009 11:32AM
Aaron: You clearly aren't a web developer.
webOS will be able to do nearly everything iPhone and Android can. Pity that few nerds are tech-savvy enough to realize it.
Adam @ Feb 19th 2009 1:50PM
How is that really a turn off? On the iPhone the only thing that a "native app" lets you do is have slightly fancier graphics. Other than that it is basically a version of a mobile Web site that can't even run in the background. To me the entire concept of a native app is a farce on the iPhone.
Level 5 @ Feb 19th 2009 6:15PM
Good deal. I probably would have been pumped to buy the Pre, but Asurion just replaced my broken Sprint Mogul with a Touch Pro. However, if the Pre really impresses, you'll see a Touch Pro non-contract with an pre-installed Invisible Shield on Ebay.
onurkillinc @ Feb 19th 2009 7:27AM
If something like a "standalone player" for flash can be released then a lot of game can be played which are coded in ActionScript 2.0 - (3.0 maybe). So the games for webOS can be found easier then any platform. There are tons of games already spreading out on the web. If only PALM can hear me, i am a volunteer to make free flash games for the new webOS. Not only me, there would be a lot of people doing this work just for making advertisement of their network.
Freakin Ijit @ Feb 19th 2009 7:31AM
Adobe said they would have Flash for mobiles by the end of the year. =AFTER= that Palm gets it. Palm recently said "This is really an Adobe thing; we're not working on plug-ins very much". As such, I doubt "Flash on Pre by year's end" is correct.
Freakin Ijit @ Feb 19th 2009 7:28AM
Are all applications required to be certified by Palm? Ed Colligan recently addressed from where applicaitons can be obtained for installation on the Pre (anywhere, not just the app store) but did not address whether or not the applications had to be verified by Palm first.
Arnie @ Feb 19th 2009 7:33AM
Yes, it needs to be certified. Check out the first chapter in the upcoming book on developing for the Pre.
http://developer.palm.com/
It does have a very good introduction to the kind of architecture they are launching with.
Freakin Ijit @ Feb 19th 2009 7:38AM
Yeah, I checked that a day or two ago but didn't see the need for certification. However, prompted by your post I checked again - there it vaguely is on page 12.
Thanks.
onurkillinc @ Feb 19th 2009 7:39AM
I don't think flash contents would be signed by Palm first, there is no need for a flash streaming game, video etc... But other contents seems like not be verified too. There will be verification session but for a unsigned program, even if not signed by Palm the user decides whether he/she run or not. At least i hope so. Because microsoft makes the same... PALM team should know this!!
Freakin Ijit @ Feb 19th 2009 7:42AM
This particular comment subthread has to do with general applications, not Flash - that's the subthread above!
Yardboy @ Feb 20th 2009 11:24AM
Note that "certification" for Palm apps is not the same as for Apple. Palm has made it clear they will be checking apps from a security/stability standpoint, but they aren't going to get into the game of what apps "deserve" to be on the platform, like Apple does. The way I've read the comments from execs and the articles, if your app is stable, secure and doesn't break anything, they'll put it into the store.
I also read in one article or thread about the possibility that Palm will allow installation of apps form sources other than the official store, at some point. I can't recall or find that article, unfortunately, but it would be a good move - smart users are more than intelligent enough to make an educated decision about the risk involved with installing an "unsigned" or "unofficial" app, stupid users are going to screw their shit up sooner or later any way and get what they deserve. ;)
And as the millions of "jailbroken" iphones can attest, it doesn't matter if you try to prevent it, someone will figure out how to get around it.
Josiah @ Feb 19th 2009 7:30AM
Yes complete; I'm sure that's what Apple thought too until it was utterly and mercilessly jail broken a few months after release. I wouldn't be surprised if there will bountiful amounts of glitches and such which really urks me... Companies are way too confident in their OS's and I am just putting it out there that Palm will not be the first to overestimate itself *coughMicrosoftVISTAcough*.
Dizzybee @ Feb 19th 2009 8:15AM
Lets hope some developers will release some iPhone games onto the Palm Pre since the touch-screen technology is very similar.
RattyUK @ Feb 19th 2009 1:44PM
Why would we?
urandom @ Feb 19th 2009 9:11AM
There's absolutely nothing stopping Palm from exposing any kind of API through Javascript. If they so desire, they expose OpenGL ES, or their own thing on top of that for developers to write games or anything else. Really, just because the preferred language is Javascript, that does not mean that developers will be restricted to a browser.
Kris @ Feb 19th 2009 7:11PM
Correct. The only problem is JavaScript is interpreted at run-time as everything is run on WebKit so that will slow down processing quite a bit. That's the biggest hurdle, in my opinion. If they have a way to somehow compile their applications then it'll work much better even with an OpenGL JavaScript API.
Btw, I hate JavaScript.
nxp3 @ Feb 19th 2009 9:28AM
When I first heard of the pre I thought, great another crappy palm device, but the demo looks really promising. The only bad thing is, I can't use any apps out there. There's nothing available. Not knowing what kind of apps it will support and how much it cost for them I don't know if I would buy one. I don't know if I can wait that long to get a new device. My current palm 650 from sprint is a piece of crap. I hope this "pre" works a lot better than previous palm devices. I've hurled this thing accross the room before for being the crap that it is...locking up at the worst time, unresponsive, annoying alerts. The only good thing I can say about it is the keyboard, it's probably the best out there. It's small but because of the shape you can type without hitting the other keys.
Plum Loco @ Feb 19th 2009 10:57AM
While I too am not one to become the guinea pig for new devices, I think I'm going to break my own rule on this. I also had the 650 and I agree it was a total brick. After the 3rd replacement I ended up getting a normal (free) flip phone and foregoing a lot of the comforts that come with a smartphone.
Now, I'm pretty stoked about this. Do I expect it to be smooth sailing from the get-go? Absolutely not, but as a web developer it's just too enticing. I think there is a lot of potential, but like any new device, the remarkable won't happen for awhile after release.
superhobo @ Feb 19th 2009 9:53AM
Oh yeah!
Jim @ Feb 19th 2009 10:19AM
Sprint just lost 1.3 million subscribers. They must be pushing Palm to release the Pre already. Let's also not set the Pre up to be something its not. The Blackerry Storm was a major disappointment, for example, as it was over-hyped and is a version 1 device for RIM (as a touch screen). The Pre looks as though it has the right DNA and design approach but it is bound to be a struggle for this device. Give it some space to evolve and don't set impossible expectations for a small company like Palm.
Freakin Ijit @ Feb 19th 2009 10:42AM
I'd humbly suggest the Palm Pre is a version 1 device, too.
At best.
house @ Feb 20th 2009 11:29AM
Agree with your comments, but the few friends I have with Storms absolutely love them, so all it takes is commitment, right?
christian @ Feb 21st 2009 12:13PM
I agree that that this is a "Version 1" Pre. That part of the reason I'm so excited about the Pre is that it seems to have done some very important things right - Synergy just seems killer, and webOS has both sexy, easy and "developable" going for it. iPhone had a similar experience going from original to 3G - great basic structure that needed improvement. I've never been more excited for a mobile device before. I'm going to go bonkers at "Version 2" (I'm crossing my fingers that we find Micro SD or vastly larger built-in memory or that one).
After watching the success of Apple's App Store, I think the development aspect is extremely important. I'm a little concerned about Palm wanting to certify all of the apps - micromanagement just seems to stifle innovation.
The Storm was a cool phone, but I've used it, and I think it's distractingly slow. I'm crossing my fingers that the Pre really can handle all the task management it's supposed to and do it very quickly.
Okapi @ Feb 19th 2009 10:25AM
i have a treo 755p. it crashed just about every couple of days. palm finally addressed the stability issues almost with a frimware update almost 2 years after the phone came out.
Dorv @ Feb 19th 2009 10:35AM
I had a 755p and it was probably the most complete phone I've ever owned. I love my iPhone, but thought my 755p was pretty damn good too.
Now that I dropped my iPhone 3G into a pool this weekend, I'm seriously considering moving back to Sprint for the Pre and cheaper plan.
Miguel @ Feb 19th 2009 11:33AM
I agree with you. Ive been a Sprint Customer for 10 Years now. Yet i dont see how people can Justify an I-Phone over this when the Plans for an iphone are $40 more PLUS you cant even have unlimited everything with it.
I dont get why they have 2 different plans. Nobody else does that. When it comes to a plan Sprint wins that Argument hands down. Unless people want to justify paying more @ At&t
iKurt Mark III @ Feb 19th 2009 11:31AM
iPhones sold by Apple: 1 000 000+
Pres sold by Palm: 0
Case closed.
Gibson @ Feb 19th 2009 11:33AM
Fool
TavisJohn @ Feb 19th 2009 12:32PM
Yea there you go! Compare a device sales of a device that has been out for a few years with one that has not even been released.
Someone is feeling their fan boy roots today!
Dorv @ Feb 19th 2009 12:56PM
Thank you once again for giving Apple fans a bad name. We really appreciate your efforts to ostracize us from the rest of society.
Yuri @ Feb 19th 2009 12:15PM
lummox
Weezy F Baby @ Feb 19th 2009 12:42PM
wouldnt that be crazy if sprint make a plan just for the pre or they wouldnt allow users to use the everything plan that would really suck
neodorian @ Feb 19th 2009 2:31PM
I seriously doubt that as they are trying to get people on the "everything" plans. Currently I pay about $55 for 200 daytime minutes (do most of my talking at night/on the weekends), 500 texts, and unlimited 3G data. I wouldn't mind bumping up to a $70, 450 daytime/unlimited everything else plan for this device as it is still relatively inexpensive compared to the competition but the extra minutes are not needed and I would rather keep my primarily-data plan. I will most likely get a pair of these for my gf and I and then split a shared plan.
Joseph Mama @ Feb 19th 2009 12:42PM
From Wall Street Journal, today:
Sprint Nextel Corp. posted a $1.62 billion fourth-quarter loss as it wrote off the remaining value of its Nextel purchase and continued to lose wireless subscribers.
The Overland Park, Kan., wireless carrier lost 1.3 million subscribers in the fourth quarter -- still an alarmingly high rate -- but suggested the declines were stabilizing as predicted. The subscriber losses were equal to the third quarter, and left Sprint with 49.3 million customers.
[...]
The number of Sprint customers who sign long-term contracts -- the most profitable segment -- dropped 1.1 million in the fourth quarter, putting the total decline in the past five quarters at more than five million.
By contrast, rival AT&T added 2.1 million subscribers during the fourth quarter and Verizon Wireless added 1.2 million.
The only way this phone is going to succeed is if Sprint can get their current customers to upgrade to this phone and pay extra for a data plan that they may not have. Just because internet geeks are swooning over this phone doesn't mean they're going to switch to Sprint. I expect this phone to be successful if and when it is released on the AT&T or VZW network.
Freakin Ijit @ Feb 19th 2009 1:25PM
Did you see this?
>>> "...To attract customers, Sprint hopes to launch the new
>>> Palm Pre phone in the second half of 2009..."
http://www.salon.com/tech/giga_om/tech_insider/2009/02/19/sprint_loses_less_money_more_subscribers/