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The webOS Advantage Part I – webOS vs. Android

By: , 1/25/2010 8:00 am | 52 comments

Today’s market is getting pretty crowded with superphones. There are currently four major players in the smartphone market (although Windows Mobile is pretty much dead until 7 comes out), and let’s face it, Palm is the smallest of the bunch. Here at webOSroundup, we believe that this is simply because most people don’t know the advantages of webOS and its associated devices. So to fix this, today we are beginning a series that outlines the advantages of webOS when compared to the other devices and platforms that are out there.

The series will be covering the gamut…webOS vs Android, webOS vs. iPhone OS, Pre vs. the Android’s Flagships, and finally Pre vs. the “Jesus” phone itself, the iPhone.

Today we will focus on the differences between webOS and Android as a platform.

If you are a superphone guru, you can skip past this little section, but for those of you who are new to the smart phone world, here is some history and details about the two platforms.

Basic Training

Android is the operating system (OS) that Google bought from a little company called Android Inc. in 2005. They changed it to an open source platform and the first official release came out all the way back in October of 2008.

Android Facts

  • The source code is written in Java.
  • It is based on Linux
  • It has a WebKit based browser (just like webOS and the iPhone).
  • It supports multi-touch, but a lot of its devices do not allow it (which we will talk about more in a future article).
  • It is open source. This means that aside from the official releases, developers and companies can expand and add new features on their own.
  • Supports limited multitasking
  • Currently has a fleet of developers and has approximately 20,000 applications on its marketplace.
  • Heavily supported by Google, which gives great integration to their products and exclusive apps like Google Goggles

Conversely we have webOS by Palm. WebOS was originally introduced to the world at CES 2009 (along with the Palm Pre). It is a proprietary platform that is completely controlled by Palm. The purpose of the OS was to have a framework for mobile devices that was heavily reliant on the Cloud. Its SDK (Software Development Kit) is called Mojo and was released in beta form shortly after the release of the Pre in the summer of 2009. The official release came at CES 2010.

WebOS Facts:

  • Most applications are written in HTML and Javascript, but there is also a PDK (Plugin Development Kit) for developers wanting to go straight at the Linux kernel for access to the GPU (see our video of Asphalt 5 to see the results of that)
  • Natively supports multi-touch
  • Card system makes multitasking a breeze
  • It is proprietary, which means no one can extend the OS except for Palm
  • Very developer friendly (including a web based development environment called Ares, and a $1 million contest). Currently around 1,200 apps are available on the Catalog.
  • Synergy brings all of your contacts from around the web together in a (relatively) easy to use format.

So now you know the basics, why is webOS better? Glad you asked.

Android Based Refrigerators

The main point of contention is the dispersal of Android and the many, many flavors of the OS. Now, generally speaking, open source is a great thing, and I  have been personally a big supporter of it. However, in the world of phones and gadgets, open source opens things up in such a way that it can hurt the quality of the platform.

Case in point. Right now there is a plethora of devices running and about to be running on Android. Everything from phones, to video conference devices, to tablets, to refrigerators all have one form of Android or another. To complicate matters, each device manufacturer puts their own spin on the OS. Heck even the hardware is different from device to device. Multi-touch support (only some Android phones support it)? Physical keyboard? What about a trackball?

Now why does this matter? Apps…in the end it is all about the apps. Right now Android has over 10x the number of apps in its marketplace, but over the coming years this will certainly not be true. As the number of Android devices grow developers are going to have to take into account how their apps look on all those devices. This isn’t just a difference in pixels. If you have an Android based 10 inch tablet, it is a completely different user experience than with a 3 inch phone. Even if you just limit things to the phones, do you build in trackball support? Multi-touch? Realistically, you have to support all of them which bloats the development budget. With Android out in the wild, there is no control over how the platform will be used which can cause a lot of headache for developers.

WebOS, on the other hand, is a strictly controlled environment. Palm can control what devices use webOS and choose platforms that will best work with the OS (i.e. no webOS toasters). As a developer this makes a big difference because you don’t have to develop five different versions for different user experiences.

Which version am I on?

So lets say you just purchased a killer new phone…the HTC Hero. It has all sorts of amazing features that you just love. Three weeks later a new phone called the DROID comes out. “No problem,” you think, “It is an Android phone too. My phone is just as cool.” Unfortunately, you would be wrong. Why? Because the DROID has a new version of Android that comes with some of the best navigation software on the market. Your phone is now obsolete even though you have the same OS. The reason for this is that, like Windows Mobile, when a device manufacturer selects a version of Android, they don’t ever have to upgrade it.  Now, lucky for you Hero owners out there, HTC has committed to upgrading the phones to the newer version of Android sometime this year…6 months or so after it has been released.

With webOS, the upgrades are automatic. When version 1.4 comes out you don’t have to be sad that your phone doesn’t get the awesome new video recording features because you get it automatically without doing a thing. Come on…how cool is that?

From a developers perspective (yup…still all about the apps) the different features that are available with the various version really affects what your app can do. Do you create your app for the lowest common denominator but lose out on some sweet features? Or do you target the latest and greatest but lose 50% of your target audience.

This post from Android.com shows what I am talking about.

Bottom Line

Android gets a lot of press because it has big daddy Google behind it. If you aren’t paying attention all that press might lead you to believe that Android phones are the best out there. Truth be told, Android is a great OS (personally, I am a big fan of the home screen and the widgets you can put on there), and it deserves much of the praise it is given.

The fundamental problem with Android is that when you purchase a device you are stuck with a single version. You aren’t tied to the OS at all, you are tied to the device. As Android advances, you will be left behind. With webOS and Palm devices, your phone improves as the OS moves forward. I am sure at some point there will be a break in backward compatibility, but these will be rare as opposed to virtually every version of Android.

I hope this article has given you a glimpse of the advantages that webOS has over Android, and that with this information you will be a more informed consumer. Our next article in the series will put the flagships of the two platforms against each other and see how they compare.

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About David Baxter

David is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of webOSroundup. When not toiling away at WOR he is usually with his family, at church, building a website of some kind or another, or playing a video game. @davidbbaxter
View all posts by David Baxter →
  • vara411

    Nice read! I hope others can be educated on these salient points. I’m a little surprised that you did not mention the advantages that webOS provides with regards to it’s UI. This may be mere personal preference (hence, why you didn’t include it), but I have always peached that Android OS has a clunky feel to it: it’s very customizable (a good thing), but it’s literally all over the place (a bad thing), with widgets mixed with icons and a single loooooong page of apps. It’s unintuitive. After playing with my wife’s HTC Hero for three weeks, I still didn’t find it as fluid or easy to use as the Palm Pre. With webOS, all of your active apps are right in front of you. Boom. It’s incredibly simple, yet powerful. My wife subsequently switched to the Palm Pre, and she’s much happier.

    With the Palm Pre Plus, multitasking on webOS will be taken to another level. And the way Palm keeps improving on their OS (ahem… for ALL phones), I think people really should give it a shot: try it out. THEN try Android. You’ll see what I’m talking about.

  • vara411

    Nice read! I hope others can be educated on these salient points. I’m a little surprised that you did not mention the advantages that webOS provides with regards to it’s UI. This may be mere personal preference (hence, why you didn’t include it), but I have always peached that Android OS has a clunky feel to it: it’s very customizable (a good thing), but it’s literally all over the place (a bad thing), with widgets mixed with icons and a single loooooong page of apps. It’s unintuitive. After playing with my wife’s HTC Hero for three weeks, I still didn’t find it as fluid or easy to use as the Palm Pre. With webOS, all of your active apps are right in front of you. Boom. It’s incredibly simple, yet powerful. My wife subsequently switched to the Palm Pre, and she’s much happier.

    With the Palm Pre Plus, multitasking on webOS will be taken to another level. And the way Palm keeps improving on their OS (ahem… for ALL phones), I think people really should give it a shot: try it out. THEN try Android. You’ll see what I’m talking about.

  • Remon

    While I think this article makes some very good points, there are some innacuracies I think should be corrected.

    While Android apps are written in Java, Android itself is not. One would expect Android to be pretty sluggish if it were written in Java.

    I’m also not convinced that the different hardware architectures poses as much of a problem as the article implies. Case in point: I doubt very much that an application written for a refrigerator will be all that attractive to run on a smartphone. And while programmers must bear in mind the different screen resolutions their programs may run in, note that the Palm can’t solve that problem either, as the Pre and the Pixi have different screen resolutions.

    With respect to different manufacturers upgrading Android, there is a built-in incentive to keep their devices up-to-date: user expectations. You are not going to sell very many of your phones if your feature set is limited by and older release of Android. Sure, some manufacturers will be slower than others at upgrading to the latest Android, but I expect market pressures will keep most manufacturers on their toes.

    Lastly, speaking from the point of view of a programmer, I can tell you two things about WebOS:

    1. I love it for its elegance and style. I am in awe of the people who concieved of it and built it. They really “get it.” I wish WebOS were available on all the devices I write code for (especially the iPhone… boy what a nice combination of hardware and software that would make).

    2. That said, I’m also a businessman. I want to sell programs to as wide an audience as possible. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to talk about how well Palm is doing. I hope they sell a gazilion units. I’m talking about selling my software across the entire spectrum of cell phone carriers, and to people with devices they like enough that they won’t throw their current cell phones away just to be able to run my software. I just makes more economic sense to target Android, and then, if I have time, redo the whole application over again for Palm.

    Them’s my 2 cents.

  • Remon

    While I think this article makes some very good points, there are some innacuracies I think should be corrected.

    While Android apps are written in Java, Android itself is not. One would expect Android to be pretty sluggish if it were written in Java.

    I’m also not convinced that the different hardware architectures poses as much of a problem as the article implies. Case in point: I doubt very much that an application written for a refrigerator will be all that attractive to run on a smartphone. And while programmers must bear in mind the different screen resolutions their programs may run in, note that the Palm can’t solve that problem either, as the Pre and the Pixi have different screen resolutions.

    With respect to different manufacturers upgrading Android, there is a built-in incentive to keep their devices up-to-date: user expectations. You are not going to sell very many of your phones if your feature set is limited by and older release of Android. Sure, some manufacturers will be slower than others at upgrading to the latest Android, but I expect market pressures will keep most manufacturers on their toes.

    Lastly, speaking from the point of view of a programmer, I can tell you two things about WebOS:

    1. I love it for its elegance and style. I am in awe of the people who concieved of it and built it. They really “get it.” I wish WebOS were available on all the devices I write code for (especially the iPhone… boy what a nice combination of hardware and software that would make).

    2. That said, I’m also a businessman. I want to sell programs to as wide an audience as possible. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to talk about how well Palm is doing. I hope they sell a gazilion units. I’m talking about selling my software across the entire spectrum of cell phone carriers, and to people with devices they like enough that they won’t throw their current cell phones away just to be able to run my software. I just makes more economic sense to target Android, and then, if I have time, redo the whole application over again for Palm.

    Them’s my 2 cents.

  • http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

    @vara411 – I completely agree that the UI of Palm is very intuitive and easy to use, but I also feel as though that is very subjective. I know a lot of reviewers have complimented Android phones for their homescreen and the like.

    @Remon – Your points are valid. First, I did mean that the apps are in Java, not the OS. My bad there.

    As to the resolutions, both OSs are built to scale automatically for changes in resolutions (which is why the difference between the Pixi and Pre did not cause an uproar). However, there is a limit to how well that will work. Small changes (like the difference between 2 phones) isn’t a big deal and can be compensated for. However, if you are on a 10 inch screen (like a netbook), then the textures and scaling would make the app look horrible.

    This “built-in incentive” for manufacturers has not been a very strong factor. Look at Windows Mobile…Very rarely have we seen phones that could upgrade between the versions. With Android, just moving from 2 to 2.1 is obviously problematic considering that the HTC Hero doesn’t plan on upgrading for more than 6 months…

    David

  • http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

    @vara411 – I completely agree that the UI of Palm is very intuitive and easy to use, but I also feel as though that is very subjective. I know a lot of reviewers have complimented Android phones for their homescreen and the like.

    @Remon – Your points are valid. First, I did mean that the apps are in Java, not the OS. My bad there.

    As to the resolutions, both OSs are built to scale automatically for changes in resolutions (which is why the difference between the Pixi and Pre did not cause an uproar). However, there is a limit to how well that will work. Small changes (like the difference between 2 phones) isn’t a big deal and can be compensated for. However, if you are on a 10 inch screen (like a netbook), then the textures and scaling would make the app look horrible.

    This “built-in incentive” for manufacturers has not been a very strong factor. Look at Windows Mobile…Very rarely have we seen phones that could upgrade between the versions. With Android, just moving from 2 to 2.1 is obviously problematic considering that the HTC Hero doesn’t plan on upgrading for more than 6 months…

    David

  • http://www.visionaryonline.com David

    @vara411 – I completely agree that the UI of Palm is very intuitive and easy to use, but I also feel as though that is very subjective. I know a lot of reviewers have complimented Android phones for their homescreen and the like.

    @Remon – Your points are valid. First, I did mean that the apps are in Java, not the OS. My bad there.

    As to the resolutions, both OSs are built to scale automatically for changes in resolutions (which is why the difference between the Pixi and Pre did not cause an uproar). However, there is a limit to how well that will work. Small changes (like the difference between 2 phones) isn’t a big deal and can be compensated for. However, if you are on a 10 inch screen (like a netbook), then the textures and scaling would make the app look horrible.

    This “built-in incentive” for manufacturers has not been a very strong factor. Look at Windows Mobile…Very rarely have we seen phones that could upgrade between the versions. With Android, just moving from 2 to 2.1 is obviously problematic considering that the HTC Hero doesn’t plan on upgrading for more than 6 months…

    David

  • http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

    One last thing…@Remon…I completely understand things from a business perspective. Larger audience is good, no question. However, one must consider that with a larger audience comes more competition and probably a cheaper price.

    With the iPhone, competition is fierce and prices are really, really, low. So you must sell a lot of copies to make any profit. With Palm, the competition isn’t nearly as tough so the price point is much more reasonable for developers. This means less sales = more profit.

    It doesn’t completely offset the differences, but it does help.

    David

  • http://www.visionaryonline.com David

    One last thing…@Remon…I completely understand things from a business perspective. Larger audience is good, no question. However, one must consider that with a larger audience comes more competition and probably a cheaper price.

    With the iPhone, competition is fierce and prices are really, really, low. So you must sell a lot of copies to make any profit. With Palm, the competition isn’t nearly as tough so the price point is much more reasonable for developers. This means less sales = more profit.

    It doesn’t completely offset the differences, but it does help.

    David

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  • Gabe

    David, really nice write-up !!

  • Gabe

    David, really nice write-up !!

  • Gabe

    David, really nice write-up !!

  • Joey

    David, I like your article, but I’m afraid you’re preaching to the converted. People already using webOS know it’s good and the future. But though your article is aimed at people considering Android, I’m afraid it will be mostly ignored.

    Palm lost the perception battle. Palm is seen as a loser and god knows I think the product is not. The Palm Pre Plus should have been the product released initially. I understand that they had to release what they had quickly. I am not blaming them at all. But they made strategic errors and one was not taking off fast enough before Android regroup. A lot of people think Android is more open than webOS. We all know it’s not the case. But who cares.

    While I like your article, it’s mostly written for folks like me – believers. Here’s a challenge, how about writing for those non believers but instead of comparing Android to refrigerators, which does not good and seems petty, is there something that can be done to make people desire webOS?

    Don’t want to criticize your enormous work, but I’ve been preaching too and I’m starting to see the limits of that approach.

  • Joey

    David, I like your article, but I’m afraid you’re preaching to the converted. People already using webOS know it’s good and the future. But though your article is aimed at people considering Android, I’m afraid it will be mostly ignored.

    Palm lost the perception battle. Palm is seen as a loser and god knows I think the product is not. The Palm Pre Plus should have been the product released initially. I understand that they had to release what they had quickly. I am not blaming them at all. But they made strategic errors and one was not taking off fast enough before Android regroup. A lot of people think Android is more open than webOS. We all know it’s not the case. But who cares.

    While I like your article, it’s mostly written for folks like me – believers. Here’s a challenge, how about writing for those non believers but instead of comparing Android to refrigerators, which does not good and seems petty, is there something that can be done to make people desire webOS?

    Don’t want to criticize your enormous work, but I’ve been preaching too and I’m starting to see the limits of that approach.

  • Joey

    David, I like your article, but I’m afraid you’re preaching to the converted. People already using webOS know it’s good and the future. But though your article is aimed at people considering Android, I’m afraid it will be mostly ignored.

    Palm lost the perception battle. Palm is seen as a loser and god knows I think the product is not. The Palm Pre Plus should have been the product released initially. I understand that they had to release what they had quickly. I am not blaming them at all. But they made strategic errors and one was not taking off fast enough before Android regroup. A lot of people think Android is more open than webOS. We all know it’s not the case. But who cares.

    While I like your article, it’s mostly written for folks like me – believers. Here’s a challenge, how about writing for those non believers but instead of comparing Android to refrigerators, which does not good and seems petty, is there something that can be done to make people desire webOS?

    Don’t want to criticize your enormous work, but I’ve been preaching too and I’m starting to see the limits of that approach.

  • Joey

    David, I like your article, but I’m afraid you’re preaching to the converted. People already using webOS know it’s good and the future. But though your article is aimed at people considering Android, I’m afraid it will be mostly ignored.

    Palm lost the perception battle. Palm is seen as a loser and god knows I think the product is not. The Palm Pre Plus should have been the product released initially. I understand that they had to release what they had quickly. I am not blaming them at all. But they made strategic errors and one was not taking off fast enough before Android regroup. A lot of people think Android is more open than webOS. We all know it’s not the case. But who cares.

    While I like your article, it’s mostly written for folks like me – believers. Here’s a challenge, how about writing for those non believers but instead of comparing Android to refrigerators, which does not good and seems petty, is there something that can be done to make people desire webOS?

    Don’t want to criticize your enormous work, but I’ve been preaching too and I’m starting to see the limits of that approach.

  • akitayo

    David congrats I see you are getting more experience everyday with all the reviews you make.

    This is the great point you made on your article.

    “The fundamental problem with Android is that when you purchase a device you are stuck with a single version. You aren’t tied to the OS at all, you are tied to the device. As Android advances, you will be left behind. With webOS and Palm devices, your phone improves as the OS moves forward. I am sure at some point there will be a break in backward compatibility, but these will be rare as opposed to virtually every version of Android.”

    Certainly I did not know this fact and make me definetely decide for still waiting for a GSM unlocked Palm webos US version, here in South America.

  • akitayo

    David congrats I see you are getting more experience everyday with all the reviews you make.

    This is the great point you made on your article.

    “The fundamental problem with Android is that when you purchase a device you are stuck with a single version. You aren’t tied to the OS at all, you are tied to the device. As Android advances, you will be left behind. With webOS and Palm devices, your phone improves as the OS moves forward. I am sure at some point there will be a break in backward compatibility, but these will be rare as opposed to virtually every version of Android.”

    Certainly I did not know this fact and make me definetely decide for still waiting for a GSM unlocked Palm webos US version, here in South America.

  • akitayo

    David congrats I see you are getting more experience everyday with all the reviews you make.

    This is the great point you made on your article.

    “The fundamental problem with Android is that when you purchase a device you are stuck with a single version. You aren’t tied to the OS at all, you are tied to the device. As Android advances, you will be left behind. With webOS and Palm devices, your phone improves as the OS moves forward. I am sure at some point there will be a break in backward compatibility, but these will be rare as opposed to virtually every version of Android.”

    Certainly I did not know this fact and make me definetely decide for still waiting for a GSM unlocked Palm webos US version, here in South America.

  • akitayo

    David congrats I see you are getting more experience everyday with all the reviews you make.

    This is the great point you made on your article.

    “The fundamental problem with Android is that when you purchase a device you are stuck with a single version. You aren’t tied to the OS at all, you are tied to the device. As Android advances, you will be left behind. With webOS and Palm devices, your phone improves as the OS moves forward. I am sure at some point there will be a break in backward compatibility, but these will be rare as opposed to virtually every version of Android.”

    Certainly I did not know this fact and make me definetely decide for still waiting for a GSM unlocked Palm webos US version, here in South America.

  • livelife

    Love the article.

    I was looking at both phones/ os systems. I decided to go with the palm based on their webos. it’s smooth and fast.

  • livelife

    Love the article.

    I was looking at both phones/ os systems. I decided to go with the palm based on their webos. it’s smooth and fast.

  • livelife

    Love the article.

    I was looking at both phones/ os systems. I decided to go with the palm based on their webos. it’s smooth and fast.

  • livelife

    Love the article.

    I was looking at both phones/ os systems. I decided to go with the palm based on their webos. it’s smooth and fast.

  • http://none livelife

    Love the article.

    I was looking at both phones/ os systems. I decided to go with the palm based on their webos. it’s smooth and fast.

  • http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

    @Joey With a site like mine it is easy to assume that the only people that come here are Palm Pre and Pixi owners.

    However with the way the internet works with search engines and such, you may be surprised who comes here. Akitayo is a perfect example of that.

    A lot of people who come to the site are on the fence as to which phone to buy. They check the different sides and make their decision.

    My hope is that these articles will open some eyes up as to what webOS and Palm have to offer.

    David

  • http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

    @Joey With a site like mine it is easy to assume that the only people that come here are Palm Pre and Pixi owners.

    However with the way the internet works with search engines and such, you may be surprised who comes here. Akitayo is a perfect example of that.

    A lot of people who come to the site are on the fence as to which phone to buy. They check the different sides and make their decision.

    My hope is that these articles will open some eyes up as to what webOS and Palm have to offer.

    David

  • http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

    @Joey With a site like mine it is easy to assume that the only people that come here are Palm Pre and Pixi owners.

    However with the way the internet works with search engines and such, you may be surprised who comes here. Akitayo is a perfect example of that.

    A lot of people who come to the site are on the fence as to which phone to buy. They check the different sides and make their decision.

    My hope is that these articles will open some eyes up as to what webOS and Palm have to offer.

    David

  • http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

    @Joey With a site like mine it is easy to assume that the only people that come here are Palm Pre and Pixi owners.

    However with the way the internet works with search engines and such, you may be surprised who comes here. Akitayo is a perfect example of that.

    A lot of people who come to the site are on the fence as to which phone to buy. They check the different sides and make their decision.

    My hope is that these articles will open some eyes up as to what webOS and Palm have to offer.

    David

  • http://www.visionaryonline.com David

    @Joey With a site like mine it is easy to assume that the only people that come here are Palm Pre and Pixi owners.

    However with the way the internet works with search engines and such, you may be surprised who comes here. Akitayo is a perfect example of that.

    A lot of people who come to the site are on the fence as to which phone to buy. They check the different sides and make their decision.

    My hope is that these articles will open some eyes up as to what webOS and Palm have to offer.

    David

  • bushi

    all great and all that, WebOS has great potential, but that potential has not materialized yet, and the question remains, will it ever materialize, because:

    1. WebOS is lacking that “killer app”, that would make it a must-have. yah, but, yeah, but… but that’s true – there’s no google maps comparable to Android’s there.

    2. Palm is lacking that “killer hardware” phone, that would make it a must-have, and made a flagship for WebOS. I mean, there are no Snapdragons in their lair, nor big hardened glass WVGA screens, etc.

    So, it might be the best overall platform today, but it all might end up being irrelevant – since there’s nothing to show up, apart from shuffling the cards – if Palm did not change the game quite radically and SOMEHOW made people line up for the WebOS devices, and FAST. Which will be increasingly difficult, with the pressure mounting up from the Android phones, and their prices coming down – I am seriously considering buying meself a Droid, with their prices being down to ~€450, unlocked, no contract.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love my Pre, I am just getting impatient to see any serious application development attempts on the device (apart from homebrew, which is hardly mainstream, and couple of games -impressive indeed, but unfortunately not available here in Europe), and am having more and more doubts if Palm can manage to cut themself a big enough piece of a cake to sustain the company & WebOS development.

  • bushi

    all great and all that, WebOS has great potential, but that potential has not materialized yet, and the question remains, will it ever materialize, because:

    1. WebOS is lacking that “killer app”, that would make it a must-have. yah, but, yeah, but… but that’s true – there’s no google maps comparable to Android’s there.

    2. Palm is lacking that “killer hardware” phone, that would make it a must-have, and made a flagship for WebOS. I mean, there are no Snapdragons in their lair, nor big hardened glass WVGA screens, etc.

    So, it might be the best overall platform today, but it all might end up being irrelevant – since there’s nothing to show up, apart from shuffling the cards – if Palm did not change the game quite radically and SOMEHOW made people line up for the WebOS devices, and FAST. Which will be increasingly difficult, with the pressure mounting up from the Android phones, and their prices coming down – I am seriously considering buying meself a Droid, with their prices being down to ~€450, unlocked, no contract.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love my Pre, I am just getting impatient to see any serious application development attempts on the device (apart from homebrew, which is hardly mainstream, and couple of games -impressive indeed, but unfortunately not available here in Europe), and am having more and more doubts if Palm can manage to cut themself a big enough piece of a cake to sustain the company & WebOS development.

  • bushi

    all great and all that, WebOS has great potential, but that potential has not materialized yet, and the question remains, will it ever materialize, because:

    1. WebOS is lacking that “killer app”, that would make it a must-have. yah, but, yeah, but… but that’s true – there’s no google maps comparable to Android’s there.

    2. Palm is lacking that “killer hardware” phone, that would make it a must-have, and made a flagship for WebOS. I mean, there are no Snapdragons in their lair, nor big hardened glass WVGA screens, etc.

    So, it might be the best overall platform today, but it all might end up being irrelevant – since there’s nothing to show up, apart from shuffling the cards – if Palm did not change the game quite radically and SOMEHOW made people line up for the WebOS devices, and FAST. Which will be increasingly difficult, with the pressure mounting up from the Android phones, and their prices coming down – I am seriously considering buying meself a Droid, with their prices being down to ~€450, unlocked, no contract.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love my Pre, I am just getting impatient to see any serious application development attempts on the device (apart from homebrew, which is hardly mainstream, and couple of games -impressive indeed, but unfortunately not available here in Europe), and am having more and more doubts if Palm can manage to cut themself a big enough piece of a cake to sustain the company & WebOS development.

  • bushi

    all great and all that, WebOS has great potential, but that potential has not materialized yet, and the question remains, will it ever materialize, because:

    1. WebOS is lacking that “killer app”, that would make it a must-have. yah, but, yeah, but… but that’s true – there’s no google maps comparable to Android’s there.

    2. Palm is lacking that “killer hardware” phone, that would make it a must-have, and made a flagship for WebOS. I mean, there are no Snapdragons in their lair, nor big hardened glass WVGA screens, etc.

    So, it might be the best overall platform today, but it all might end up being irrelevant – since there’s nothing to show up, apart from shuffling the cards – if Palm did not change the game quite radically and SOMEHOW made people line up for the WebOS devices, and FAST. Which will be increasingly difficult, with the pressure mounting up from the Android phones, and their prices coming down – I am seriously considering buying meself a Droid, with their prices being down to ~€450, unlocked, no contract.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love my Pre, I am just getting impatient to see any serious application development attempts on the device (apart from homebrew, which is hardly mainstream, and couple of games -impressive indeed, but unfortunately not available here in Europe), and am having more and more doubts if Palm can manage to cut themself a big enough piece of a cake to sustain the company & WebOS development.

  • paul2010lopez

    This is an excellent article and you have hit all the high points succinctly.

  • cysquan

    Excellent article BUT we, the insiders all know why WebOS along with Palm are not as popular as Iphone or droid phone…. STYLE, STYLE and STYLE… It's been almost a decade and I had not seen any good designs from Palm that would fit well with casual people's eyes. Sure there were improvement in the design, but those weren't enough.

    Sorry but it is true, I don't even know what kind of OS Palm has until the recent years… because when I looked at the style of the Palm smart phones, I already gave up on buying… not stylish enough. That's is my opinion. If I could not afford IPhone or android, I would still choose Nokia, Samsung over Palm without the need of knowing the OS.

  • cysquan

    Excellent article BUT we, the insiders all know why WebOS along with Palm are not as popular as Iphone or droid phone…. STYLE, STYLE and STYLE… It's been almost a decade and I had not seen any good designs from Palm that would fit well with casual people's eyes. Sure there were improvement in the design, but those weren't enough.

    Sorry but it is true, I don't even know what kind of OS Palm has until the recent years… because when I looked at the style of the Palm smart phones, I already gave up on buying… not stylish enough. That's is my opinion. If I could not afford IPhone or android, I would still choose Nokia, Samsung over Palm without the need of knowing the OS.

  • Gerry

    Not sure I get what you are saying here at all, I have a Nexus One and I have upgraded my OS to the latest version 2.2 without any problem. everything works as it did before plus the additional benefits of the new OS.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/webOSroundup webOSroundup

      The Nexus One has been the exception rather than the rule. The versions of Android came out much, much quicker than it has for other devices…look at the delay in 2.1 for the Droid on Verizon to see that.

      • Bill

        My, how things have changed since this article, eh? webOS 1.4.5 is out… to Sprint. And some European carriers. And on Verizon but only for the Pixi (???). Not for the Verizon Pre, not for AT&T.

        That's not to blame on the operating system. Android's fragmentation is not Google's fault, they make the system available to everyone. The manufacturers need to learn that heavy, hard to upgrade customizations aren't always better.

        Perhaps more importantly, who's in charge of pressing "go" matters too. Verizon has had 1.4.5 for months. AT&T probably as long. What are these people *doing* with these?? Palm should be pushing these themselves.

        • Bill

          (subscribing)

      • Bill

        My, how things have changed since this article, eh? webOS 1.4.5 is out… to Sprint. And some European carriers. And on Verizon but only for the Pixi (???). Not for the Verizon Pre, not for AT&T.

        That's not to blame on the operating system. Android's fragmentation is not Google's fault, they make the system available to everyone. The manufacturers need to learn that heavy, hard to upgrade customizations aren't always better.

        Perhaps more importantly, who's in charge of pressing "go" matters too. Verizon has had 1.4.5 for months. AT&T probably as long. What are these people *doing* with these?? Palm should be pushing these themselves.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/webOSroundup webOSroundup

      The Nexus One has been the exception rather than the rule. The versions of Android came out much, much quicker than it has for other devices…look at the delay in 2.1 for the Droid on Verizon to see that.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/webOSroundup webOSroundup

      The Nexus One has been the exception rather than the rule. The versions of Android came out much, much quicker than it has for other devices…look at the delay in 2.1 for the Droid on Verizon to see that.

  • Gerry

    Not sure I get what you are saying here at all, I have a Nexus One and I have upgraded my OS to the latest version 2.2 without any problem. everything works as it did before plus the additional benefits of the new OS.

  • Gerry

    Not sure I get what you are saying here at all, I have a Nexus One and I have upgraded my OS to the latest version 2.2 without any problem. everything works as it did before plus the additional benefits of the new OS.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/webOSroundup webOSroundup

      The Nexus One has been the exception rather than the rule. The versions of Android came out much, much quicker than it has for other devices…look at the delay in 2.1 for the Droid on Verizon to see that.

      • Bill

        My, how things have changed since this article, eh? webOS 1.4.5 is out… to Sprint. And some European carriers. And on Verizon but only for the Pixi (???). Not for the Verizon Pre, not for AT&T.

        That's not to blame on the operating system. Android's fragmentation is not Google's fault, they make the system available to everyone. The manufacturers need to learn that heavy, hard to upgrade customizations aren't always better.

        Perhaps more importantly, who's in charge of pressing "go" matters too. Verizon has had 1.4.5 for months. AT&T probably as long. What are these people *doing* with these?? Palm should be pushing these themselves.

        • Bill

          (subscribing)

  • http://www.facebook.com/bwedel Brant Sterling Wedel

    palm cant compete untill they get thier options menus finger friendly, its almost as bad as blackberry to change any settings = Even Windows mobile has better menus (6.5 that is) thats where you loose users is when they want to setup thier email account or what not and they have to go to the store or call a techie. Im a techie and I get to see alot of user reaction to different phones. Im an android user myself because the programming model works for me but webOS has a nice ‘idea’ but its not finished

  • A1

    This article does not do one thing to promote WebOS.  The disadvantages listed here regarding Android are of little importance to a typical user.  I came to this site to see if there was a reason for me to switch to WebOS.  So far I don’t see why I ever would.