Palm Pre Challenge: Browsing and Battery Problems (Plus a Couple App Ideas)

Today has been one heckuva interesting day. I got up a little later than usual (9 AM) but immediately grabbed my phone and started working. In the 6 hours that I was able to sleep last I had received roughly 50 messages (email, forum replies and twitter) about the challenge. Honestly, I hadn’t expected so much attention so soon, but it is a welcome sight.

Already I’m learning a few things about what this month is going to be like and some changes to my actions that need to be made. First, I’m going to have to learn how to parse through my emails and twitter feeds quickly and efficiently while on the phone. Between learning how to use the donated apps, checking up on my feeds for Palm news, and replying to emails from developers and Pre users, my day is getting pretty full. I’m enjoying it, though… I just want to get better at managing my time with it all.

I’m having a difficult time already with pursuing app developers to get reviews and interviews setup. While I was replying to the 50 messages from earlier, a dozen more came in, so time is not really my friend right now. My thought on this, however, is that as more people talk about what I am doing, more developers will contact me, cutting out a big time-consumer right away. Still, I need you guys to tell your favorite app devs to contact me so that I can check them out.

Initial Problems with Browsing

When I stepped into this I knew that there would be quite a bit missing from most websites (as far as mobile browsing goes). Sure, most sites work great in full-mode in the webOS browser, but they are hardly ever touch-friendly. There are a number of sites that I will regularly visit that aren’t optimized for mobile use, and I’m pretty positive that is going to be the most annoying thing about this month.

A list of sites with problems that need to be fixed:

Palm Developer Community - Seriously Palm? You don’t even make your site usable in your own browser? That’s a shame.. A downright shame. There are several significant problems, including the fact that there is no mobile version of the site readily available, and that the full version doesn’t completely load menu items. This second issue is either the browser’s fault or the website’s fault; but either way Palm is the one who needs to make the fix.

Yahoo and Flickr - The mobile Flickr site is great for exploring images, but I forgot my password and had no way of logging in. You would think that the parent company, Yahoo, would build their mobile login page to include a lost password link, but they didn’t. Instead I had to go to the full version of their site and try that link, but lo-and-behold they have a ‘Terms of Service’ link that overlaps the ‘Lost Password’ link…. All hope is now lost for that sad sad company.

App Idea – Flickr CC Browser
Build a Flickr Creative Commons image browser. I can’t get any images to add to these posts because the Flickr site won’t work for me. There is the Flickr addict app, but it’s mainly for finding new background images for your phone, which is not very helpful with this problem at all.

Web Browser Cookies
As a general problem that I’m having (an annoyance, really), I have to log into the same website each time I open a new instance of the web browser. Is there no way to keep me logged into the sites that I access four or more times a day? Can a developer chime in and let me know where the cause of this problem lies? It seems to me a server issue for the specific site (*cough*Palm*cough*), since others, like my site, keep the visitor conveniently logged in whenever they return.

My Site- AnotherGuy.us
I’m not actually sure if this is a problem with WordPress, Disqus or the mobile theme plugin that I am using, but for some reason there are a few bugs with my site that I need to get a fix for (any help is appreciated). 1. When a visitor is writing a comment, the browser jumps to the top of the page and will not stay fixed on the text area while they type. 2. The link ‘Skip to Comments’ does not work properly (it doesn’t do anything).

Is there a WordPress plugin that you would recommend using? Or some fixes for this one that would be worth checking out?

Battery Power

Let’s face it, the Pre is known for it’s horrible battery problems. I keep myself connected to a wall throughout most of the day (like an umbilical cord) so that my phone doesn’t die unexpectedly while I’m doing something important. Unless I can find something to do for an hour away from the phone to let it charge (which hasn’t happened yet today), I’m going to be stuck with a low battery for most of this entire month.

Obviously I can do some things to increase battery efficiency, and I have. Closing apps that I’m not using, turning off notifications for apps that don’t matter that aren’t too important, and dimming the screen to a minimum. It’s still pretty bad, though, and I look forward to the day when someone decides to develop my battery app idea.

Speaking of which….

App Idea – Advanced Battery Options
I have pulled the components of this idea from several places and just put them together.  Here are the features:

1. When the battery gets too low (say 10%), the phone is automatically shut-off to preserve a bit of juice for emergencies.
2. The app will look at any background processes, and if the phone is dying fast (more than 40% drain per hour), it will alert the user and ask them if they want to end specific processes.
3. To extend the life of a battery, the app will alert the user when it is time to stop charging at the optimum moment.
4. If the phone is out of service area for more than 10 minutes, the phone is put into Airplane Mode.
5. When the battery gets too hot (45°C), the phone alerts the user. If it gets higher, the phone is put into Airplane Mode or shut off automatically.

I’m looking into getting a new battery to use as a spare (or a longer-life battery as my main). Any suggestions for where I should look?

Even since I published the last article I have been installing some new apps. Here are the apps I have installed so far today:

Outline Tracker Free
Color Harmony
aniWeather
ClassicNote

Thanks again to everyone who has been encouraging me through this. Keep letting me know what you think in the comments below (I’ll figure out a solution for mobile users who are having difficulties).