Junk apps

drummer12 · 11/08/2009, 12:05 AM

Does anyone else feel the app catalog is getting filled with junk apps? Yeah, I know not everything will be knockout apps, but when you got 300 some apps compared to the competition, we're not really interested in see TV quizzes and dictionaries (which aren't even friggin downloaded to the phone, at that). There's a reason mobile apps are blowing up - it's because they provided value added. It's been a few months...come on devs, let's see some knockout apps.

Perfect example: the G1 came out on day one with an app that let's you take a pic of a UPC code and do price checks. Okay, the Mojo SDK isn't quite as robust; however, an app could take a pic, send to a web service for the heavy lifting, and then provide results back on the phone. (Those music ID apps work the same way, but I don't think there's a way to record sound yet in the SDK)

windzilla · 11/08/2009, 12:10 AM

yea, its gone all app-store on us.

minus the gdial ect

drummer12 · 11/08/2009, 12:13 AM

Don't get me wrong, there's def some great apps in there - but when I get excited to see there's 50 more apps in a day...I usually end up sad b/c 95% of them are not free (and no trial) and of those, 75% of them are usually junk.

bruba · 11/08/2009, 12:21 AM

Give it a rest people. I mean give it some time...

Yeah, the App Catalog is not on par with the competition. Yeah, they're not competing with the iPhone from 2 years ago when it didn't have apps, they're competing now. But at least give it some time to develop. We don't need another topic about the App Catalog every freakin day.

Stihl · 11/08/2009, 12:23 AM

It's nice having options, but, yes, most of the options are ****. Then again, these phones do so much these days that, while a few years ago I could say that I am the phone's target consumer, I can't quite say that and feel completely accurate anymore.

I really just want microsoft office, a facebook client that has the grace of Twee, a smart, pretty, and functional RSS reader (that also does podcasts? maybe, but Dr. Podder is pretty legit already), and overall functionality improved.

Give me a single new app every few months (created by a major player) that's polished to a mirror sheen and makes me say 'wow' while rethinking how I use the pre, and I'll be happy.

I guess I'm becoming an old man.

ScaryHumor · 11/08/2009, 12:33 AM

It was bound to happen. Crap-app developers taking advantage of software hungry Pre owners.

drummer12 · 11/08/2009, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stihl

It's nice having options, but, yes, most of the options are ****. Then again, these phones do so much these days that, while a few years ago I could say that I am the phone's target consumer, I can't quite say that and feel completely accurate anymore.

I really just want microsoft office, a facebook client that has the grace of Twee, a smart, pretty, and functional RSS reader (that also does podcasts? maybe, but Dr. Podder is pretty legit already), and overall functionality improved.

Give me a single new app every few months (created by a major player) that's polished to a mirror sheen and makes me say 'wow' while rethinking how I use the pre, and I'll be happy.

I guess I'm becoming an old man.

+1 but give it to me at one/per week

daybreak1199 · 11/08/2009, 01:39 AM

I have issues with how some of these applications, such as “I'm Here” and “Here I am”, are just complete junk. The are supposed to provide GPS location information such as your location is turned into an address. Both of these applications do not work. They both give bad or wrong information, I have tried contacting the developers via their website but to no avail.

These applications just need to work, I understand that early applications and beta applications require an amount of patience but when it comes to an application that is published for sale on the Palm catalog, then I expect it to be working to an acceptable level. The “Here I am” application was very embarrassing, I had the chance to pull out my Pre during a conversation in which finding the address of our current location was brought up. I had expressed how the Pre is ahead of its time with multi-tasking and user interface and GPS capabilities. So I pull it out, flick on the “Here I am” app and sure enough the thing just sits there trying to resolve the GPS coordinates to an address, all the while we are standing around outside waiting for this thing to work...i gave up and closed the application reset the phone and about 5 minutes later the phone is back on ..start the “Here I am” app and this time it resolves the GPS coordinates and gives an address but it is completely WRONG! ( during the wait someone asked the receptionist for the address) - It isn't even in the right city. Well to say the least the phone and the application were both a big embarrassment.

I get it that these app's only cost 99 cents, but really they should not even available for sale. I have tried to get a refund but finally just came to realize that for the time I was spending hunting down contact information and sending out emails I should just forget about it. I am spending my time and effort for something that isn't worth that expenditure. I somewhat blame Palm for not having more of a hand in the quality control of the applications submitted to them. Seems like they should at least ensure the applications being submitted for purchase work and maybe a way to get a refund.

sivan · 11/08/2009, 02:07 AM

A lot of those would be perfectly fine on a web page somewhere, which nobody would find and if they did, wouldn't pay to use it. By repackaging as a webOS app, the developer gets access to an audience that wants to try stuff on the new platform. On the iPhone app store it's a bit more mature, but you still see free web services repackaged as native apps just to market them to those for whom downloading is still novel.

windzilla · 11/08/2009, 02:20 AM

I don't think an appstore is going to be any different from real life.

life is full of crap you don't want and even more crap you don't need. you have to wade through it anyway. App catalogs just encourage impulse buys when your shopping for the useful stuff, by having it all on display.

thanks apple for inovating a system where people can sell electronic chatchkies. No I can supplement my real life unnecessary plastic objects with there digital counterparts.

spdsktr · 11/08/2009, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sivan

A lot of those would be perfectly fine on a web page somewhere, which nobody would find and if they did, wouldn't pay to use it. By repackaging as a webOS app, the developer gets access to an audience that wants to try stuff on the new platform. On the iPhone app store it's a bit more mature, but you still see free web services repackaged as native apps just to market them to those for whom downloading is still novel.

Very true, but with the phone, some of these repackaged apps can do more. With ZIP Code Tools, I could never use the "Get ZIP Code of Current Location" function on a webpage. With the pre's GPS functions, I actually can add to the free services we offer from our website. Same with "Go To Tool" for geocaching -- so much more you can do on these devices. Though, Go To Tool does need a bit more polishing.

sivan · 11/08/2009, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spdsktr

Very true, but with the phone, some of these repackaged apps can do more. With ZIP Code Tools, I could never use the "Get ZIP Code of Current Location" function on a webpage. With the pre's GPS functions, I actually can add to the free services we offer from our website. Same with "Go To Tool" for geocaching -- so much more you can do on these devices. Though, Go To Tool does need a bit more polishing.

Yeah, I'm mostly referring to the quizzes etc.

About the GPS access, on the iPhone Safari can access GPS data through a standard API: Fred Visticot blog: Location with the IPhone Safari browser (SDK3.0)

But users on the iPhone have an expectation of native apps even if the functionality can be perfectly served in a web page. So even though it's possible, still developers will submit native apps just for visibility.

Figuring out the class of mobile apps that are truly essential is tough.

Kev1000000 · 11/08/2009, 05:16 AM

My app (Dealert) is somewhat similar to ShopSavvy (the app you referred to). I'd like to think it is above the "crap" apps you are referring to. Not all of the apps are bad on the App Catalog. Like other platforms, you have to sort through the bad to find the good.

Trekker · 11/08/2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummer12

Does anyone else feel the app catalog is getting filled with junk apps?

Yes, while there may be a few great ones, in my opinion most of them are worthless. I think at this point Palm prefers quantity over quality.

Palm should add a tagging option in the catalog, so if we tag something as "crap" then it doesn't show up in our catalog anymore.

Derrythe · 11/08/2009, 11:06 AM

I do think it speaks a bit to the developer of the quiz games that, instead of making on app with multiple categories, they decided to make a dozen plus single category apps and charge for each, to a lesser extent it the same with the dictionaries, from what I've gathered they all link to the same translation service, just with a different language set.

If the majority of the market disapproves of the way developers release and charge for their apps, developers will eventually take note. If we begin demanding better apps by not buying the crap, they'll make better apps or go broke.

s219 · 11/08/2009, 11:16 AM

Every time this topic comes up, the discussion gets a bit scattered with reasons and explanations for the state of apps, but it's important to realize that the apps are completely in line with what developers can do with the current SDK. You should not expect significantly better apps, more sophisticated apps, or more powerful apps, until the SDK makes a major leap in maturity and capability.

Definitely don't blame developers, it's not their fault. Right now, they simply cannot deliver the kinds of native apps you see for Android and iPhone.