After a long wait and much anticipation, software developers can
finally gain widespread access to the Palm Mojo Software Development
Kit to create apps for the Palm Pre.
On Thursday, the Mojo SDK was made available on the company’s webOS
developer page, which also offers guidelines, a forum for developers
and other documentation intended to assist in the process.
But will the release of the kit help alleviate the lack of
applications available on the company’s new smartphone, a factor viewed
by some as a potential roadblock to its success?
Since its release in June, critics have praised the Palm Pre’s
usability, with CNET saying that its "multitasking capabilities and
notifications system are unparalleled" and engadget.com saying that it
takes care of an "astounding amount of things" compared to competing
smartphones.
However, at the same time many industry commentators complained
about how few innovative apps were available for the Pre, particularly
in comparison to the iPhone. In fact, the complete catalog contained
only 30 apps for download one week after launch, according to
MocoNews.net.
Apps – and the buzz they create – have been a main driver of the
success of the iPhone. While some users would jump for the chance to
switch phones, many others would only do so if they knew they could
immediately start downloading versions of their favorite applications,
as well as trying out creative new options.
In the early stages of the phone’s release, Palm seemed to have done
little to respond to this criticism. The company did create an early
access program for software developers and invited interested parties
to apply beginning in April.
However, some commentators such as Stephanie N. Mehta of Fortune
questioned whether developers would be likely to rush to apply their
resources to developing apps for the Pre before they had real evidence
of its probable success. The wireless sphere is already crowded with
different operating systems – does it really need another?
For its part, the firm has said that it hopes developers will be
able to quickly adapt to the webOS operating system because it uses
standard web technologies that are already familiar to many programmers.
On his blog, Jon Zilber of Palm called the early access program
"successful" and said that users have been responding positively to the
Palm webOS apps that are available.
"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," he wrote.
Zilber also said that developers will be able to use the App Catalog
submission process starting this fall and announced a number of
upcoming events aimed at developers. These include a meetup at the Palm
headquarters in Sunnyvale, California on July 28 and events in 73
cities across the world which will take place on August 8.
With Palm’s release of the SDK and push for developers’ contributions, the race to catch up with Apple is heating up.
Recently, Apple announced that iPhone and iPod Touch users have
downloaded more than 1.5 billion programs from the company’s App Store.
The store currently has more than 65,000 applications available,
creating a tough act for other mobile companies to follow.
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