Thoughts on webOS2 months ago

I figured I would jot down some observations I made while testing out the Palm's webOS build in the SDK. It made me really want a Pre now, really hoping we get a Pre+ or better on AT&T soon.

THE GOOD

  • I love the notification system. I think it is the best one available. Android's is a bit more extensible, but webOS' sure as hell beats the iPhones "just throw an alert" system. This annoys the hell out of me. In a call, or texting and having a meeting reminder or push notification interrupt me in the middle of typing. It needs to be fixed on the iPhone soon or it's gone.
  • Setting up Email was a breeze. Even with my custom setup email servers the Pre Mail application automatically configured my account only asking me for an email address and password once, with no need to specify protocol or mail server information. Tip: To really win me over, attempt SSL first and falback to none if need be. Being overly secure is better than insecure, right?
  • Unified URL and search bar in the Web application. Who needs to inputs?
  • One touch Wikipedia search. Saves a click.
  • Messages application layout is awesome. I really like the unified AIM/texting UI. I also like the message direction arrows. Nice touch.


THE BAD

  • Memos application is super cheesy. Notes on the iPhone looks gimmicky but is beautifully simple, yet functional. Memos is ugly and dumb. You should be able to preview 1 or 2 lines of each notes content in a list and also be able to link lines to task list items.
  • Phone application ignores alpha characters in numbers (Phonewords). Why? RIM does it properly by translating them to their phone equivalent on Blackberry OS. For example, Time Warner's number is 1-866-321-CABL, or 1-866-321-2225. Just translate the characters for their alpha value automatically (ie. 2 = ABC, 3 = DEF, etc.)
  • Is there no way to customize which syncing icons I have to see in my notificiation area? I don't really want a bunch of IMAP syncing notification every single time i open that up. Let me choose what is visible.
  • Self-signed SSL certificates can't be used for email? WTF? That just pisses me off, I haven't seen a mail client that won't let me choose to trust an invalid certificate somehow. Create a preference in the Login settings or something.


I WANT, I WANT, I WANT

  • Swiping Left to Right on the subject with the < and > should switch messages. Think of it like flipping through pages of a notebook. In this field you should override the default OS card swipe if inside of the < >.
  • The Contacts application should have Facebook statuses if so desired. (AIM status/away messages are also a plus)
  • My MobileMe/AIM login won't sign on in the emulator.. does this actually work on a device? That could seriously be a problem.
  • Support Facebook IM for messaging. Also treat Facebook messages as "texts" in the Messaging app. This is like instant/free texting for everyone. Everybody has a Facebook account.
  • Photos application is begging for some Flickr, MobileMe and/or Facebook photo album viewing. This could be a really cool way to discover new images of your friends. Notifications/badges when new photos come in, etc.


ARES

Ares is a pretty cool idea. Development in a web browser isn't my idea of fun but generating the UI using it is more than adequate. I was really excited when I saw version control integration. Ares doesn't support git integration but it supports Mercurial?, really? Really, really? I can't live without git and github. Palm, you seriously let me down on this one.

Not much more to say until I start testing. I like that it allows me to test in the browser... especially because I've been very unsuccessful at getting it to connect to the Palm Emulator from the SDK.


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