Palm opens up app program, but loses iTunes sync
Palm has opened up its Pre app development scheme to the public after what its calling a successful test period. But one of the most useful features of the handset, easy synching with iTunes, is no longer working after an Apple update.
The company reports that it’s had 1.8 million application downloads to date. That’s a drop in the ocean compared to the major players (Apple downloads are counted in the billions), but none too shabby given that only covers a handful applications and that the Pre is a new phone with a relatively small audience.
At this stage, the average downloads per app on the Palm is around 30,000, compared with around 23,000 for the iPhone App store. Of course, that’s somewhat distorted by the fact that the few developers invited into the test program would have been much more likely to produce something worthwhile. And new Pre owners desperate to try out the app store had a much smaller choice, so it’s hardly surprising individual apps were more popular.
Today the firm is publicly releasing Mojo, the software needed for developers to make sure their apps will work with the Pre. However, while new applications will continue to be added from developers who took part in the test period, Palm won’t be taking submissions from new developers until the fall.
Meanwhile Pre owners who enjoy the fact that the handset does a great job of syncing with iTunes (by effectively posing as an iPod or iPhone) will need to steer clear of the recently released version 8.2.1.
The update “addresses an issue with verification of Apple Devices.” In practice that means that, although the Pre appears to connect with iTunes, it doesn’t show up as a device, making it impossible to sync through the software.
It’s not known yet whether Palm will attempt to find a way around the update; doing so would probably led to the type of cat-and-mouse game enjoyed by less corporate enthusiasts such as jailbreakers. In the meantime, the Precentral site recommends the doubleTwist app as a relatively convenient replacement.
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