Our final interview partner for the WebOS interviews is HandCase. This Brazilian company has often been parodied on TamsPalm due to their insanely written press releases. Cutting a long story short – English definitely isn’t their mother tongue.
Nevertheless, their CEO Ricardo Garay is very talkative – here is what he has to say (edited a bit by me):
Please tell us more about yourself and your company
I originally started by creating the first-ever online RPG for the Brazilian market back in 1997. We then started to grow very fast…in the last 4 years and with a portfolio of 323 products, we can be considered one of the biggest software makers for Palm OS.
What were your initial impressions after the webOS announcement?
When the entire team of developers at Handcase’s, including me, saw the minimum specifications provided, we did not like it at all. Palm did not clarify the crucial question for developers…
On the other hand, the WebOS seems to make users pretty happy…
What did you expect Palm to do? Were your expectations met?
Palm has definitely proven its success once again. All people who talked crap about Palm now have to shut up.
While developers like me are not too happy, we tend to say that the user is god. And the user apparently is very happy!
The operating system is said to be web-only. Do you think that its possible to create solid applications in such an environment?
In the case of software, just turn real software into a bunch of scripts.
Let us not forget, software is software, script is script.
But if you do good work with scripts, you can quickly adapt applications. However, you must remember that your scripts will depend on the server. Ie you will not have applications, but rather web services. With this approach began to spread that release 100 web services, based on 100 of our applications (including some not yet been released in English, and they exist in Portuguese, at least 1 year).
WebOS is not able to run old Palm OS code. Can you understand this decision?
This is no decision.
This is the only point to be resolved by Palm. When the Palm killed the PQA service, over 25% of developers closed. Palm will not be stupid, repeating the same mistake.
For us the effect would be minimal, and the small but, as will be? So who is big, has breath and can redo his apps. Small developer on the other hand… There is no arguing about what this. The legacy PalmOS, must run in WebOS. Nothing less than this.
Many have compared webOS to the iPhone, thinking that most applications will be crapware. Do you think that a solid economy will be built around the pre?
iPhone will end. I am not saying this because the Palm Pre born. Always said this. Here in Brazil, gave interviews and talked to journalists, saying this. Explico, iPhone does not have:
killer app; 95% of developers worldwide use PC, will not change from PC to MAC; no serious company, will produce a major application, to sell to 99 cents; no company will produce an application or game, to sell at a single store, where the owner let her.
Could list other reasons. Lisa, Newton were two cases that help to illustrate what I mean. Time will tell if I am right.
And yes, undoubtedly there will be a world around the WebOS. I believe that many web developers, will unite and form an army of developers to Palm.
Do you plan to develop applications for the pre? Could you give us a preview?
As I said earlier, we will develop 100 web services, which are based on our applications.
We have an advantage, as we were developing something about a year but had stopped because the web browser in these cases is crucial, and Blazer was not good enough. Now it has become feasible. We deliver the first 3 web services in each segment (personal, professional, leisure, security, medical, corporate), ie, the first 18 in the coming months.
If you could change one thing about webOS, what would it be?
Make it compatible with old Palm OS applications.
If you could ask Palm one question, what would it be? (these will be collected and sent to Palm)
When will we hear more on application compatibility for existing software?
Anything you would like to add
All the best to all Palm users and TamsPalm readers! Ah…and don’t forget to visit www.handycase.com/eng/freeware.htm…we launch a new freeware program every month!
The picture on the left is becoming more and more familiar a sight as more and more businesspeople, journalists, developers and other power users start to adopt netbooks to supplement – or, in my case – replace their classic 15″ notebook computer.
The fine folks at the 
It’s this part of the month again. Stat time! Today, I proudly present you figures from BrightHand and Krusell – lets see what they have to say:
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