Apple's
doing it. RIM's
doing it. Google's
doing it. Heck, even Microsoft
might be doing it. As the peer pressure mounts, Palm has finally decided to cave and introduce its very own applications market place, which is simply being christened Software Store. Oddly, it looks as if Palm farmed out the production of said store to one PocketGear, but we're assured that the app will hum along just fine on over 25 Windows Mobile / Palm OS-based Palm devices. Available for download as we speak, it offers up over 5,000 apps and games, 1,000 of which are completely free. Hmm, we wonder if Palm's keeping a
Nova-compatible version in its back pocket?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: Palm pinged us to say that this is actually the very same software store that has been around, it's just a sweet looking veneer to make accessing it easier.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark @ Dec 16th 2008 9:09AM
How is this new?
wireless.nemo @ Dec 16th 2008 9:30AM
Agreed. I said this on another site that reported on this. All this "app store" is, is an app that takes you to a mobile version of their existing site.
Stupid.
I can't wait to get rid of my Treo.
backbeat @ Dec 16th 2008 12:41PM
Alms ... Alms for Palm ...
Colonel Kernel @ Dec 22nd 2008 2:10PM
This "app store" announcement is an unneeded mis-step by Palm in this period of fragile optimism.
The email announcement clearly says that the "Software Store has GONE mobile" [emphasis mine], indicating that it previously was not mobile, but the Update says this is the "very same software store that has been around."
Further, while their butts are technically covered because the included instructions to "install the free mobile software store" doesn't say that it isn't just an internet shortcut, the intentional implication was that it was it's own application.
Lastly, what a horrible web store it is! Five apps per page means it will take 1,000 clicks + download time just to navigate the 5,000 advertised titles. Good thing the total viewable from my Sprint Centro numbers less than 500.
Creating postive spin on this announcement is embarrasing. The best that could be said is that it shows that the idea is at least on their minds and that they were still working on Nova and their new devices instead of expending effort on this.