After the initial(and rather critical) interviews with Jan Slodicka and Radoslaw Nowak, we now have the second “positive” interview upcoming. Here’s Natalia Nogteva from Paragon - let’s see what she has to say!
Please tell us more about you and your company.
My name is Natalia, I’ve been working as a PM of Palm OS line at Paragon Software (SHDD) for more than a year already and throughout this period I’ve enjoyed using various Palm devices and releasing numerous applications. Our company is known for its innovative solutions for Palm software market since 1997 when first and unique localization programmes were launched. Later on in 2000 Paragon Software launches SlovoEd dictionary application which is acknowledged to be incorporating Palm OS design philosophy absolutely seamlessly. Palm games developed by our company have also earned a lot of awards and are still very popular in different countries.
Have you already handled a Centro yourself? If yes, how do you feel about it? If not, why not?
Yes, firstly Centro fascinated me with its design, very compact and light. Secondly it is tremendously multi-functional. One can use it as a phone, music player, internet source, camcorder, text and e-mail messenger, time keeper, storage device, notepad, document editor and many more. It is one of the most easy-to-use and reliable devices I have ever met.
Do you feel like the Centro could become a mayor source of income for developers given the target demographics?
Well, a lot of Palm PDA users are still very loyal to their devices, the number of Treo users is also great, and we are happy to supply both PDA’s and smart phones with state-of-the-art software. Of course, in the light of Centro’s increasing popularity and Palm’s announcement that they have sold 1 million Centro smart phones during 5 months after release we do have high hopes for this device and target our applications at people who give their preference to it.
Have you seen users migrating to the Centro from other devices? If yes, which were the most affected? Would you migrate yourself?
As long as Centros are not yet sold in Russia I haven’t seen those lucky men with my own eyes, just read favourable comments by those who have migrated. According to Palm research 75% of Centro customers are stepping up from traditional mobile phones. I myself certainly would like to have a ruby red Centro because I really enjoyed its handy keyboards keys and large touch screen. Another reason to choose Centro is that it became one of the most sensational releases of the last year, it takes 4th position in top 10 gadgets 2007 according to Time magazine, and to handle it is simply interesting.
Do you think that the Centro’s camera is good enough?
I think it is quite nice for a smart phone. I was able to take pictures and videos of decent quality.
Has Palm done a good job helping developers to get their apps Centro-ready before release?
Palm has always supplied developers with all the necessary assistance whether technical support or device supply. We were able to test all the applications for Centro before its release.
Have you experienced technical issues porting your apps to the Centro? If yes, of what kind have they been?
No, there weren’t any installation problems whatever application we tried to port.
Which device do you currently use yourself (and why)?
Working in a software company presupposes using different devices and changing them every new week or month, so all kinds of Symbian smart phones, Windows Mobile PDAs, Palm devices and Java handies have passed through my hands during this year. But of course I have a certain weakness for Palm OS smart phones mainly due to their exclusiveness in Russia.
Feel like giving us a sneak peak at your upcoming apps which are optimized for Centro (emphasis on Centro optimizations, please)?
All I can say by now is that all the upcoming dictionary software will necessarily be optimized for Centro.
Anything you’d like to add?
Thank you for your questions.
