Palm Pre Challenge: 30 Days Starts Now

It has been roughly 12 hours since I posted my decision to start the 30 day challenge, and things are already moving along. I’ve received my first app donation, first request for a developer interview, gotten increased support throughout the day from the Palm Community, and am already finding ways to improve the webOS usability. You guys have gotten me really excited about the potential that is coming with this experiment, and I want to make sure I keep you interested as well.

I spent most of the rest of my day copying my music library over to my phone, finishing up some file uploads for a client and installing new patches and apps for the best experience (yea, the list I posted earlier is already out-dated). Then, at 12:01 AM April 26th, I turned off my computer and laid back in my bed with my phone, and I am now writin about what comes next.

First off, I need to clarify a couple of things from that first post. I really want to be smart about this project and make sure I don’t screw anything up, so besides my two exceptions I gave on when I can get on a compuer, at least once a day, after I install new apps or patches, I will be using a computer and the Save/Restore App to make a backup of everything on the phone. Just in case it dies one day and I need to get a replacement, it will be easier to restore my phone to the previous state if I back everything up. This isn’t cheating, it’s just being smart.

Secondly, I’m going to be making a lot of updates via this blog and twitter while the 30 days are still counting down. So much so that some of you may think I’m spammy. Sorry, but that’s just the way it’s going to be. I need to write things as I notice them so that I don’t forget, and I want to become a solid resource for developers and end-users alike. Hopefully you will figure out that you can ignore the updates that don’t interest you and stick around for the ones that do. If I get too out of control, just send me a message and tell me to stop, I promise I’ll try.

The Daily Grind

Each day I plan on writing at least two different articles on this blog (though possibly more, depending on what happens). In the first article I’ll share what Patches and Apps I installed that day (just a list, not a review), any problems I’ve been experiencing, a quick note about the day’s events and a wish-list of things I would like to see change in the OS.

The second post each day will be either an app review or developer interview (or both). I’ll do a whole variety of the kinds of apps and developers these articles, and will also touch on web based applications that work with the Pre (like the Fever Feed Reader by Shaun Inman). I’m going to have to (humbly) ask that if developers want me to review their paid apps that they must send me a donation to cover the cost of the app and PayPal fees. Sorry if that’s inconvenient, but it’s the only way I can afford to do those reviews right now [Ed: No worries...we got ya covered].

Besides those two posts, I want to have a few each week on other topics as well. Palm Inc news stories, development trends, legal concerns for businesses and developers, mobile web development and standards, patches, power user tips, guest posts and a whole lot more. If you have some ideas for posts, send me an email or leave a comment anywhere (I’ll always find them if you make it easy for me).

The Journey So Far

I’m having a lot of fun so far with the community, and I’m sure that as time goes I’ll have an even bigger blast. Besides that, though, here are some apps and patches that I have installed since the last update. The plan is to start reviewing these apps on Tuesday (giving me a one day head start to play around with them and contact the developers).

Applications
Foursquare Beta
Wobbly Words
Tumblbox
Save/Restore

Patches
4×4 Icons v3
Enable Add/Delete Pages
Glass Effect Launcher
Remove Icon Titles

Can You Help Me Find This?
I’m looking for an app that will allow me to write notes or task lists and put them into categories. I thought that the Evernote Application would work, since it also has image capture, but it doesn’t have categories or folders in the Palm app yet.

I’m going to be using this app to take notes, make to-do lists, jot down random ideas that pop into the mind and maybe even take some photos and categorize it all. Any ideas?

Coming Tomorrow
As soon as I wake up (cause it’s 1 AM right now), I’ll be starting the day with a quick post about my current setup and workflow. I’m hoping to get in touch with more developers and communities to help spread the word about this project as well.

If you have a few minutes to spare, send me an email or a tweet with people or developers that you know would be interested in what I am doing here, or maybe send an email to the owners of your favorite blogs/community sites and ask them to feature the 30 Day Challenge somehow.

Perhaps more importantly, though, leave me some feedback in the comments of these posts so that I can see what I need to do for future posts. I look forward to getting to know more of you in this way, and I will read all of your comments when I can.

So, now that we’re 12 hours into this thing, do you have any suggestions for me?

Other links you may be interested in:

• Palm Pre Challenge: Touchstone Charger – The Good and the Bad
• Palm Pre Challenge: Week One App/Patch Ideas | webOSroundup
• The Palm Pre Challenge