TealOS? No more says Palm
Posted on 02 April 2009, at 6:01 pm, by Federico Cervelli
Since the announcement of the Palm Pre back at CES 2009, I have been anxiously waiting the release of this device. I was so excited by the “newness” Palm was supposed to present, that I also followed the event from blogs, and I think it was worth it.
The user interface (UI) of the Pre is not the only cool thing about this smartphone, but since its presentation it has been one of the most discussed topics. Enter TealPoint Software: after some time the well known software house has released its TealOS, a Palm OS launcher application which simulates part of the Pre UI behavior, e.g. the so called cards, the wave launcher and the way you interact with them. I am not a fan of third party launchers as the default one fits my needs, so Teal OS had never caught my attention, even though I use a Palm OS smartphone.
Until today.
The feeds report that Palm has requested TealPoint Software stop the development and selling of TealOS; thus TealPoint will discontinue the program on the 30th of March. After reading this, I downloaded the trial and tried it, and found it to be really awesome. I didn’t say I would buy it (I still prefer my actual setup), but it really gives the taste of what the Pre experience could be, and it strengthens my desire to have a WebOS device as soon as it is available.
The program itself is an interesting piece of software, and even though Palm has the right to protect its creations, I think it’s making a mistake here.
In fact, TealOS could have been a great way to have free advertisement and increased interest for the Pre, given the fact that the device is not released yet and no date has been announced yet (although, it is expected in the next three months). Imagine how proud a Centro or Palm OS Treo user could have been, showing his or her device to others, spreading the knowledge of the future Palm devices and previewing a few of its UI features.
Even TealOS-like applications developed for other mobile operative systems could be a benefit for Palm, which could try to attract users from other platforms. As a matter of fact, the Pre interface simulated by TealPoint launcher is a small piece of the new device, and users are interested and attracted by the whole new experience promised by it.
Maybe this is just a first demonstration of how Palm is going to protect its newborn OS, but maybe there would have been better ways.
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April 2nd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Been wracking my brain to remember the other Palm developer who came out with a very highly widgetized “platform”. I don’t think it was these guys – but maybe.
They had a lot of promo and some buzz – then promptly disappeared.
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:25 am
Maybe it could be an application by PDA Performance, which, if I understand, should be out of business:
http://www.palminfocenter.com/.....s-closure/
They produced LineUp and Saguaro, with multitasking and widgets in mind.
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:43 am
I have been using TealOS on my Treo 680 for several weeks now, and I love it. As an example or sample of how WebOS will look, I think it is a great invention.
And the “card” method of multitasking works quite well, holding a snapshot of each program in abeyance until needed. It does not hog memory, even with 5 to 10 cards on hold. Great programming.