When the “new” PocketGear.com went online recently, I discovered that I was unable to find NVBackup in the catalog of software. I figured that I was doing something wrong and started poking around the PocketGear site thinking that I was looking in the wrong place.
The PocketGear.com Developer Guide shed some light as to what was going on. The following are excerpts from that document.
“Affiliate relationships associated with PalmGear, however, have ended with the exception of the existing Palm.com partnership. Motricity will cease support for the existing PalmGear platform and infrastructure. As a result, the classic PalmGear site will redirect in the near future to the unified new PocketGear. This move to the new platform and site will limit our ability to support existing affiliate locations. We are preparing to launch a new affiliate program in the near future, and look forward to presenting our partners with new opportunities for distribution and sales.”
This includes the software store that was being hosted for ACCESS, formerly known as PalmSource. Jim Della, ACCESS Software Store Manager, writes on the ACCESS website:
“The ACCESS Software Store will officially close on November 27th. We thank you for your patronage.
You will still be able to review and purchase Garnet OS (formerly Palm OS) applications at www.pocketgear.com, an exciting new online store launched by Motricity, the ACCESS partner formerly hosting the ACCESS Software Store.”
The Palm online software store is still very much running and open for business.
My problem is with the following passage from the PocketGear Developer Guide:
“We have taken careful steps to ensure that the new PocketGear is populated to the fullest extent and reflective of our prior catalogs at the ‘legacy’ sites. While we have eliminated much of the outdated and freeware listings, actively selling current titles have been migrated to the new PocketGear. Please note that listings at the new PocketGear have been assigned new product ID’s as well as new urls.”
Way back when I first got started in the Palm user community, great sites like PalmGear helped me learn about my new Palm IIIx, but introduced me to a world of great commercial, shareware, and freeware applications for my device.
The elimination of freeware from the new PocketGear and the shuttering of PalmGear is clearly a business decision that Motricity is free to make, but I don’t have to like it.
That said, I have decided to do something about this situation. I have obtained permission from Alexander Pruss, who is a well known and respected Palm OS application developer, to host his freeware applications here on FoleoFanatics. Over the coming weeks I will grow the catalog of software that is available for download.
It is this spirit of community that really is one of the best rewards of being a member of the Palm user community.
Enjoy!
Alan Grassia
Editor, FoleoFanatics
Visit the Software by Alex Pruss archive…
One Comment
Fernando (Nerd Gaucho)
Great work, thanks Alex!. I also share your views with regards to the software store.-a new Centro owner, started with the US Robotics Palm PilotFernando Cassia(Grassia, Cassia, see, it´s all related… 😉