Palm Opens Up Mojo SDK to All App Developers

[MacRumors]

Palm today announced that it has released the Mojo Software Development Kit to all interested developers, opening the door for a broader offering of applications for the Palm App Catalog.

The initial response to Palm webOS apps -- from both developers and customers -- has been enthusiastic. Even in its initial beta stage, over 1.8 million apps have been downloaded from the beta App Catalog since Palm Pre was released less than six weeks ago. Thousands of developers have participated in the Mojo SDK early access program since it began in early April. New applications are in the pipeline for the Palm App Catalog, and the App Catalog submission process will be opened to all developers beginning this fall.

Expanding on the early access program begun in April, Palm is now providing all interested developers with the tools necessary to create their own applications for Palm's webOS, which is currently offered only on the Palm Pre but will be expanded to additional smartphones in the future.

Article Link: Palm Opens Up Mojo SDK to All App Developers

[armoguy94]

1.8 million apps already, from a company like Palm? This looks like huge competition.. Palm needs to have great and intuitive developers to catch up to Apple.

[cameronjpu]

Originally Posted by armoguy94

1.8 million apps already, from a company like Palm? This looks like huge competition.. Palm needs to have great and intuitive developers to catch up to Apple.

You think? 1.8 million, aren't we assuming that they sold at least a million phones by now? If that's the case that's not even two per phone....

[Michael73]

My sense is that there are A LOT of really good apps out there that are hidden gems. Just this morning I wanted to spray some weeds in my backyard and wanted a way to identify them along with some other vegetation. I found myself doing an app store look to see if there is a plant identification app. Lo and behold there are several out there. Sure there are only a couple hundred downloads but in general they are well reviewed apps, just very niche. That's not to say there is a ton of crap as well. It's unfortunately that the really dumb ones get so much press when there really is a ton of goodness out there.

[slakr007]

Does anyone know what kind of apps are possible on the Pre? Having never been able to play with one, I have no idea what they can do.

Can you write programs like eWallet, iSSH, Google Earth, FAA Test Prep, Crayon Physics, Enigmo, AutoStitch, Brushes?

[changb]

Originally Posted by Michael73

My sense is that there are A LOT of really good apps out there that are hidden gems. Just this morning I wanted to spray some weeds in my backyard and wanted a way to identify them along with some other vegetation. I found myself doing an app store look to see if there is a plant identification app. Lo and behold there are several out there. Sure there are only a couple hundred downloads but in general they are well reviewed apps, just very niche. That's not to say there is a ton of crap as well. It's unfortunately that the really dumb ones get so much press when there really is a ton of goodness out there.

Amazing, there were friends sitting in Batam , Indoneasian island off Singapore and they were bothered by mosquitoes and someone pulled out an app that buzzed off the little critters. Really amazing
changb

[pdjudd]

Originally Posted by changb

Amazing, there were friends sitting in Batam , Indoneasian island off Singapore and they were bothered by mosquitoes and someone pulled out an app that buzzed off the little critters. Really amazing
changb

How is that possible? Female Mosquitos (the ones that bite you) are deaf (see myth number 5) so it couldn;t have been related to sound. Exactly what could an iPhone do that repelled the mosquitoes?

[mj6252]

Originally Posted by cameronjpu

You think? 1.8 million, aren't we assuming that they sold at least a million phones by now? If that's the case that's not even two per phone....

MacWorld Article says...

Gold and Keilhack noted that the Pre has sold more than 300,000 units, putting it on track to sell 2 million units in a year.

1.8M apps / 300,000 units sold = 6 apps/user

not bad is it?

(I have that much form camera app alone... they have apps/down load to go.)

[CrazyAfrican]

Originally Posted by armoguy94

1.8 million apps already, from a company like Palm? This looks like huge competition.. Palm needs to have great and intuitive developers to catch up to Apple.

Palm needs a powerful OS for their Pre. It is not terrible, but you cannot compare it to the power of the iPhone OS. Their building blocks are pretty much Legos when compare to the iPhone building blocks.

Then there is also the "multi-touch" issue. Apple was awarded the patents on multi-touch. Palm said they could defend their technology, but I bet that will be coming soon. Palm Pre just lost compatibility with iTunes with the 8.2.1 release that is already out. Palm Pre is going to have to act like jail-broken iPhones, waiting for a new hack before they can again sync with iTunes. Palm will likely be slapped with a lawsuit, but not right away. I am pretty sure that Palm knows it is coming and they probably know that they will lose.

In summary, the Palm Pre is not a serious competitor to the iPhone. That doesn't mean that developers will not try to make some money of the Pre people.

[LethalWolfe]

Originally Posted by genovelle

Try instead, making a call and while on the call going on line and loading a web page. The current sprint network G3 technology does not support this, but will with their G4 network which they are just starting to roll out. It will be next year before it is to be complete.

mkubal was responding to someone who said if you are on the internet on the Pre all incoming calls will go to voice mail which is false.

Originally Posted by CrazyAfrican

Then there is also the "multi-touch" issue. Apple was awarded the patents on multi-touch.

The patents weren't for multi-touch in general they were for very specific specific aspects of multi-touch. Kinda like how Bridgestone has patents on specific tire compounds but they don't have a patent on tires in general.


Lethal

[Groves]

only 50,000 more apps to go...

[benwillis0612]

Originally Posted by Groves

only 50,000 more apps to go...

Too what?

[talkingfuture]

looks like we'll see soon how much of a challenger Palm and its apps are going to be for the iPhone. I think it will do well but not get too close to the app store.

[mobilehavoc]

As a previous iPhone owner/user and now a Pre owner, I find it amusing that MacRumors posts all Palm Pre related news. If that's not an acknowledgment of a true iPhone competitor...I don't know what is

Btw...this whole argument of more apps is better is stupid. You can have 50,000 apps of which 49,000 are complete garbage or you can have 5,000 quality apps. I'd rather have the latter. Makes it less of a nightmare to find the good stuff. Let's see how things pan out but people need to get over the # of apps on iPhone. Means nothing.

[honestfool84]

Originally Posted by mobilehavoc

As a previous iPhone owner/user and now a Pre owner, I find it amusing that MacRumors posts all Palm Pre related news. If that's not an acknowledgment of a true iPhone competitor...I don't know what is

Btw...this whole argument of more apps is better is stupid. You can have 50,000 apps of which 49,000 are complete garbage or you can have 5,000 quality apps. I'd rather have the latter. Makes it less of a nightmare to find the good stuff. Let's see how things pan out but people need to get over the # of apps on iPhone. Means nothing.

im an avid iphone user..but i totally agree with you.

there is a TOP of CRAP in the app store.

who gives a crap if there is 49,000+ crappy apps...
wait, apparently apple fanboys do!

(fyi, i love products, and use them all the time...but i don't like fanboys)

[honestfool84]

Originally Posted by honestfool84

im an avid iphone user..but i totally agree with you.

there is a TOP of CRAP in the app store.

who gives a crap if there is 49,000+ crappy apps...
wait, apparently apple fanboys do!

(fyi, i love products, and use them all the time...but i don't like fanboys)

i think i kinda came across strong in my first macrumors post...

[i.mac]

Originally Posted by honestfool84

...

(fyi, i love products, and use them all the time...but i don't like fanboys)

... and this explains why you hang around this site?

[mdriftmeyer]

Originally Posted by honestfool84

im an avid iphone user..but i totally agree with you.

there is a TOP of CRAP in the app store.

who gives a crap if there is 49,000+ crappy apps...
wait, apparently apple fanboys do!

(fyi, i love products, and use them all the time...but i don't like fanboys)

Write a non-TOP of CRAP app and quit complaining. Those crap apps as you perceive sell.

You think Palm won't have them as well? Get real.

[heisetax]

Originally Posted by honestfool84

im an avid iphone user..but i totally agree with you.

there is a TOP of CRAP in the app store.

who gives a crap if there is 49,000+ crappy apps...
wait, apparently apple fanboys do!

(fyi, i love products, and use them all the time...but i don't like fanboys)

We have to go back just a short distance in time & see what was said when Windows had millions of apps & the Mac only had a few hundred. It was always said that al you need is 1 or 2 good spreadsheets, word processors, or other program, all others were just a waste. Why would this not also be true about the iPod Touch/iPhone group of programs?

[nehunte]

Originally Posted by mobilehavoc

As a previous iPhone owner/user and now a Pre owner, I find it amusing that MacRumors posts all Palm Pre related news. If that's not an acknowledgment of a true iPhone competitor...I don't know what is

Btw...this whole argument of more apps is better is stupid. You can have 50,000 apps of which 49,000 are complete garbage or you can have 5,000 quality apps. I'd rather have the latter. Makes it less of a nightmare to find the good stuff. Let's see how things pan out but people need to get over the # of apps on iPhone. Means nothing.

The posted news about the Blackberry Storm in the beginning as well. We see how well that fiasco turned out.

[thetexan]

Originally Posted by nehunte

The posted news about the Blackberry Storm in the beginning as well. We see how well that fiasco turned out.

Storm turned out to be a dud, but RIM is doing better than ever. Palm is following the RIM method where they'll have multiple hardware platforms based off one software platform. The Pre is just the beginning.

Besides, reviews and user opinion on the Storm were negative right when the thing was released. We're over a month into WebOS/Pre and the general opinion is positive.

[.:R2theT]

Originally Posted by mobilehavoc

Btw...this whole argument of more apps is better is stupid. You can have 50,000 apps of which 49,000 are complete garbage or you can have 5,000 quality apps. I'd rather have the latter. Makes it less of a nightmare to find the good stuff. Let's see how things pan out but people need to get over the # of apps on iPhone. Means nothing.

Because there aren't 5,000 quality apps. for the iPhone?

And I would have to say that more apps. is better. More apps. draws more people to iPhone. More people with iPhones draws more quality developers. It's called a tipping point. And it is already happening. Not that other phones won't be viable, just that iPhone has some huge momentum going for it.

Love your Pre for whatever reasons you purchased it, just as others love their iPhones for whatever their reasons are!

[kasei]

Originally Posted by .:R2theT

Because there aren't 5,000 quality apps. for the iPhone?

And I would have to say that more apps. is better. More apps. draws more people to iPhone. More people with iPhones draws more quality developers. It's called a tipping point. And it is already happening. Not that other phones won't be viable, just that iPhone has some huge momentum going for it.

Love your Pre for whatever reasons you purchased it, just as others love their iPhones for whatever their reasons are!

I agree. As more people adopt the iPhone so to will the quality of developers increase and the quality of apps go up. We have passed the low hanging fruit apps period of the process and are starting to see some really solid apps. Some of them are small and others are pretty big like the slingmedia Yes it was crippled by AT$T but still developers see the iPhone as a no brainer out let for their creations.

Healthy competition is always good and I am glad to see the Pre open its SDK. It will push developers to make better and more useful or fun apps.

[cameronjpu]

Originally Posted by mobilehavoc

Btw...this whole argument of more apps is better is stupid. You can have 50,000 apps of which 49,000 are complete garbage or you can have 5,000 quality apps. I'd rather have the latter.

Do you think those are the likely two scenarios?

Don't you think it's more likely that the store with 10x the apps (not to mention that Palm is a hell of a long way from 5,000) has more quality apps as well?

[Rhalliwell1]

What language are the apps written in? C/C++?