As one of Palm's launch partners for the Pre unveiled at CES 2009, SplashData plays an important role in promoting interest for the new device, both among new webOS developers and established PalmOS developers. Previously, Palm Infocenter contacted CEO Morgan Slain, who stated in his response that a new version of SplashID and SplashID Live (a web-oriented version of SplashID) would make their way onto webOS.
To continue our webOS coverage, we asked Splashdata's VP of Product Management, Justin Cepelak, about other potential webOS software from Splashdata and his thoughts on the new platform:
1) Does SplashData plan on developing new applications for the webOS platform?
Yes, we are excited about developing for WebOS. We will be porting some of our existing applications that have been staple productivity products for Palm customers over the years. We will likely also develop some new applications for this unique new platform that take advantage of the Web enabled orientation of the device.
2) What do you think about the fact that the Mojo SDK is based on web technologies like HTML5, CSS and Javascript as opposed to a more "traditional" language such as C or Java?
In terms of UI design, it is empowering to 3rd party developers because we can customize the user experience to be whatever we want. No standardized buttons, themes, menu styles, etc. HTML and CSS make UI design accessible to anyone with common web design knowledge. The inclusion of Javascript means that millions of lines of code originally written for the web can be leveraged on native mobile applications.
3) Which existing applications does your company plan to port to the webOS platform? If so, will you provide a means of migrating data from the Palm OS to webOS counterparts?
We have already made significant progress on SplashID for WebOS and we are planning on having it ready by the time the Palm Pre is launched. SplashID is our flagship product - the all time best selling secure data manager for the Palm OS and several other platforms including iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Android.
We will be providing a means to crossgrade data, but I can't go into particulars yet as this functionality is still in the planning phase.
4) What are your impressions of the Palm Pre hardware so far, and do you see potential in other webOS devices in the future such as netbooks, tablets, etc.?
We cannot really comment on the hardware at this point, but the platform has plenty of potential for future devices.
To conclude, it looks as if we'll see some of SplashData's products making the move to webOS. Right now it will be a new version of SplashID in time for the launch, but we can also look forward to some fresh new applications that will take advantage of the Pre's capabilities.
No doubt, more PalmOS developers will make the move when the SDK arrives, as the attractiveness of webOS continues to energize developers. To see the thoughts of other developers, check out a series of interviews we reported on in which established PalmOS developers sized up the new platform.
SplashData was founded in 2000, and has a diverse line of award-winning productivity software for Palm OS, iPhone, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Android, and Symbian. Justin Cepelak has over eight years of experience in handheld software, and manages the SplashData product lifecycle from design to market.
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