Epocrates reminds us that they're leaving 124
Here we go again. The rollercoaster ride that is Epocrates for webOS shows no sign of resolution. Last December, the Epocrates team let the webOS community know that they would no longer be supporting our favorite OS, and suggested healthcare professionals in need of their app consider a competing platform. Soon after, an updated version of their app (presumably with a kill-switch installed) appeared in the catalog. The Epocrates app was then pulled entirely on February 1st, just before HP’s Think Beyond event. Now, with all signs pointing to the TouchPad launch as being imminent, Epocrates has sent another reminder that those users who still have the app installed will find it nonfunctional on Tuesday of next week. Bad timing? You don’t know the half of it.
For those of us working in healthcare, the months of June and July are particularly significant. Around the country, medical schools in large part graduate their classes during the month of June, with those new physicians beginning residency training on July 1st. Practically speaking, this marks the first occasion for many of these young professionals where they have (albeit barely) two pennies to rub together. Additionally, with most graduates moving to new locations to begin residency, a large number of them are also upgrading their tools of the trade, including their smartphones. Sure, for those of us committed to webOS there are plenty of other great reference options, but for new users the message is clear. Losing what is easily one of the 800lb gorillas of medical apps tells a whole cycle of healthcare professionals to avoid HP’s platform in favor of Android, iOS, or Blackberry. Tens of thousands of them.
We heard back in April from Richard Kerris at HP that they were working on bringing the app back to webOS, and Kerris' recent tweets assert the same, but the lastest e-mail from Epocrates now includes the Veer, Pre3 and Touchpad in the list of devices that will not be supported. With the TouchPad launch likely to occur any day now, this suggests that those efforts have been unsuccessful.
In fairness to Epocrates, their message since December has never wavered: They’re leaving. What remains to be seen is whether HP, with all of their scale, has what it takes to change their minds now that we’re officially at the eleventh hour.
124 Comments
Success of TP or WebOS doesn't rely on Epocrates. Worst blow for TP is it's price and 32GB TP as starter model.
Aside from the UI and cards, there isn't really a functional reason for users, developers and carriers to embrace WebOS. Considering the self-destructive behavior of Palm and HP,its time we put this one trick pony down.
Nobody likes to eat in an empty restaurant. WebOS by HP is the Arby's of the high tech world.
Well said. uh oh - here come the nasty comments.
Would love to see HP turn things around, but I just don't see it happening.
I eat at Arby's all the time, and so do several coworkers.
Friends don't let friends eat at Arby's.
I don't like Arbys.
I like Arby's.
Horsey sauce is the best thing next to sliced bread.
Well, the good news, or the bad news,...Arby's appears to be more popular than WebOS. Maybe Arby's can do an app and share some of that warm and fuzzy roast beef love.
I mix 2 Arby sauce packs with one horsey pack, great combo.
They'll be back if TP really takes off...
That is a big IF!!!!
I have used Epocrates on every Palm platform available for more than 10 years. Now to be told again and again that this OS is being abandoned REALLY iiritates me. If there were a competitor to Epocrates (trust me I will now be looking!) I would gladly not only use it but vaunt its praises. This decision is disturbing by Epocrates and I will have a hard time forgiving them...
What he said!
If they were the only ones to abandon webOS, your argument "could" have some validity. Considering they are not the first (and I doubt they will be the last), it's a shame you automatically blame the developer rather than looking to see if "perhaps" there may be issues with the platform and it's current userbase.
I'm not sure his "argument" lacks validity because it not really an argument per se. It is just rich_seestedt stating that he's used it for a long while, wishes there was a competitor, and is frustrated that they won't support the current, albeit small, user base any longer. He was just saying how he felt and what he wants to do.
Perhaps...
But my comment (should have made it more clear) was more about the last statement: "This decision is disturbing by Epocrates and I will have a hard time forgiving them..."
Everytime someone or something leaves the webOS platform (be it users, employees, or developers and their apps), we get a bunch of these "I blame them" messages. All I'm suggesting is that this has happened enough times that it is time to consider the possibility of the blame, at the very least, being shared by the platform itself.
A simple example: I know of a specific developer who has an app that requires cloud services. This person is paying more for the services than they are making from the app itself. Crappy app? Possibly. But this person is considering leaving webOS because there isn't enough interest to make it worthwhile.
Point: It "might" not always be the fault of the developer.
The advent of Flash was supposed to finally deliver a Sling Player to WebOS fulfilling Palm's "Launch Partner" promise from June 6, 2009. (looks around) Must be lost in the great depths of the app catalog under all the e-books.
Yeah...I imagine it's on a shelf somewhere...probably right next to Mojo Messaging Service (push notifications for the layman) and all the other unfulfilled promises. That shelf is probably labeled "Potential".
I agree that it is not the fault of the developer. They have a choice to make, and if they are losing money on the deal, they ought to opt out.
Still, nothing about it not being the developer's fault that a platform has few users invalidates someone's frustration. It is still that person's choice to disown the developer just as it is still the developer's choice to disown a platform.
You are right of course.
However I do find it ironic that the frustration is aimed at a single developer when it is the entire platform that is collapsing; which brings me back to the point of my original response to rich_seestedt.
Just throwing this out there as a possibility.
I do not know if this is the case for him, but You do realize there is a chance this is the 1st time that rich_seestedt has been affected by a decision of a developer to back out of WebOS. therefore, it does validate his own frustration.
Or Perhaps this is the 1st time it could cause him a delay/information/etc. in production for his field of expertise.
None of which makes this any less ironic.
The platform is being abandoned by many current users and devs and being ignored by even more users and devs. Buying an app on this platform has become a risk that webOS users must be willing to accept.
Based on the track record, my advice is to prepare for this to not be the last time this happens. Hey, at least you got over 6 months notice about them leaving.
I can understand their point of view and see where their frustration comes from. (don't agree but understand)
There are hyperlinks in the post listing free and paid alternatives.
Can't blame anyone but HP for this. Not exactly the kind of news they need prior to the big launch.
Good riddance! Don't let the door hit ya, Epocrates.
Typical fanboy response. Claim that everything that does not go right was never needed in the first place.
/smh
Yeah, interesting analogy. But, not quite. I'm a fan but certainly not a fanboy. In fact, I don't even use the app. Tho', I am def not a fan of users, devs, and others reminding everyone, 'this is me leaving,.... Serious this time... You hang up first...'
What I always say, is if you have to go, then go. But when you return, it'll be with open arms. Amen.
But even this article states that they have never changed their stance. They mentioned that the app would stop working...then reminded people of the fact. It is HP that said things to make people think there was still hope (well HP and the way things were reported here).
In the end, this is a bad thing for webOS. So I'd say "good riddance" is probably not accurate.
Bring them back H/P, plus get netflix, Kindle, friends for words and chase app as well. There are only few apps that are mainstream. Oh dont forget Fruit Ninja
They already have Kindle on TouchPad.
Who doesn't?
Nicely written, Kerris bring it back, bring it back , bring it back
I think Kerris has his hands full. A little worried that there have been no major app announcements this close to the TouchPad Release.
I was hoping Kerris would announce some big relationships prior to help build the hype.
If there are new "big" relationships, my guess is they will be announced at some sort of launch event. Just a guess.
Except this is HP we're talking about. My guess is we'll hear nothing til the reviews hit.
*Sigh. Seems you were right. No launch event...just a press release.
I would not be surprise to hear that Kerris is leaving hp in the coming months.......
Quite the little ecosystem. Closed to apps people actually want.
I'm not sure "closed to apps" is actually a very fair statement. I'm sure if big app developers wanted to develop for webOS, HP would welcome them. It's not like HP is shooing away developers.
Formally shooing away developers? No.
Shooing them away by continually mucking with app development and ecosystem, taking years to get major APIs available, and stopping support for existing user base while BARELY launching devices with latest version of WebOS? YES.
Maybe they don't intend to, but if your platform lacks the proper APIs or userbase and your market and mindshare continues to trend down quarter after quarter, it sends the same message.
I'm still not sure that makes webOS "closed to apps that people actually want." I think it is still just not very enticing to developers.
If it's not enticing to developers, how are users going to get the "apps that people actually want"?
Seedy backroom deals with HP fatcats? At this point, it may be the best option.
+1
I've always thought HP should just outright pay shops to produce for them. Something along the lines of "We guarantee that you will sell x number of apps resulting in y profit or we will pay you at least y profit ourselves".
The developer has no risk.
It's not perfect. Not a silver bullet. And HP has to be careful with the details of each deal.
In the end however, if I can't find the apps I'm looking for, I'll move on. So this could become quite the expensive venture for HP.
Well, in my opinion I believe it will be a smaller risk than spending millions of dollars on add campaigns and developer shops if nobody wants to buy a product that has no apps. Isn't this how windows phone 7 hit it off so quick?(developing the apps them selves that is)
Yer dead to me...Epocrates who? I say good riddance. As soon as they announced their decision, I told them I would never use their product again on any platform!
And yet when HP itself effectively killed off the early hardware, people like you suggested the early pre owners suck it up and just get newer products.
Nothing bad is ever the fault of webOS (the platform and HP). It's ALWAYS the fault of...well...everything else...no matter how often these things occur.
I think we're pretty much down to HP employees and those that savagely chewed the ears off of their Iphone and Android pals over the minor functional highlights WebOS offered and never built on.
To be honest, I'm starting to think the loudest WebOS cheerleaders are actually the same people under new names. For the life of me, I cannot believe that there are new WebOS users joining the fray and behind so willfully blind to the experience in June of 2011.
Fanaticism often has that effect on its victims.
I didn't say it was anyone's fault. I just said they made their decision and I made mine. I'm a pharmacist and I'll just get my info elsewhere.
Epocrates: We're leaving webOS. Here's when it will happen.
Epocrates: Hey guys, we're leaving webOS on X date.
Epocrates: Don't forget, we're leaving webOS. X date is getting close.
HP: There is still hope. Can't give you any dates or specifics.
webOS Community: Yay! Epocrates may not really be leaving.
Sometimes...just sometimes...it's better to look at the overall chain of events rather than believe the well crafted words of someone who may have ulterior motives.
dude, why are you here again? don't you have your own party to go to as opposed to raining on someone elses?
why are you here again?
a: Because I can be.
b: Because I've been here long before this was "precentral".
c: Because I've spent money on webOS.
d: Who cares why? It's a website.
e: Other.
f: All of the above.
You may pick from any of the answers above. You may also, at anytime, feel free to skip over my comments should they not be to your liking.
If HP is going to wreck a train over a two year period, wencyjr is just going to have to accept the spectators jumping out of the coach cars and hanging around to watch.
Wow, I gave up my Pre in Jan after having it for 18 months and got me an Evo, LOVED IT! Was stolen from me last week so I had to fire up the Pre again and come back to.... this!
Cannot wait for June 24th, Evo 3D baby!
Makes no sense to me. I've used Epocrates for as long as I can remember (12-15 years). They won't support WebOS any longer, but will support the palm OS which is no longer being put on devices.
Bought my subscription to Lexi-comp and kissed Epocrates good-bye.
What's the ratio of PalmOS "medical" users to webOS "medical" users? Honest question. It's possible that it has something to do with that.
But PalmOS will have zero growth. How much longer will those medical users stay on PalmOS before leaving for iOS, Android, or possibly even webOS? I guess Epocrates thinks long enough to continue support.
I have no idea. But, purely as a guess, I'd say it's possible that they have a huge "current" PalmOS install base. It's even possible that in mining their own data, they've noticed trends that indicate that their PalmOS users are staying put or are migrating to something other than webOS.
If I had a million current users on a specific platform that is no longer growing, I may not want to simply dump that platform unless I see my users are transitioning away at a high enough rate. This is especially true if there is some sort of annual subscription involved (just an example). I can't same the same if I only have a handfull of users on another platform where the numbers (and/or potential growth) may indicate the expected ROI may not be met.
Again, no clue on my part but I'll suggest that they probably wouldn't walk away from a platform that was lucrative or to which they already have a huge enough install base to make it worth their while.
I highly doubt the million current users using Epocrates on webOS.
Hence the "just an example" disclaimer.
I don't think they have 1M users on any one platform. In fact, their promotion states "Trusted by 1.1 Million Healthcare Professionals" and they are on 6 platforms (including the web).
My point was that it is possible (again, no idea here) that they have a significant number of current PalmOS users (whatever "significant" means to them) that makes continuing support for that platform worth it to them.
I dont think Epocrates has all that many users, but the application itself is high level professional app that has cachet value. Last I heard though, Iphone had like 90% of the medical professional use. Not sure how much of the 10% was palm, but the story was why Droid didn't have a bigger chunk. So I'd say Epocrates is more about not losing a name, than actually keeping it.
My wife has been using the Windows Mobile 6.x version (by the way, Epocrates just announced EOL for that platform as well) because Epocrates's support for webOS was limited to begin with. It was not implemented well to boot. The webOS version of Epocrates had far fewer features than every other platform - heck, even the WM mobile platform was light-years ahead of the our version. I was never really surprised that this was going to happen since Epocrates devs never fised the early issues with our version. Epocrates has definitely done us like Dataviz did - they assumed that there aren't enough of us left to consider webOS as a viable platform for a complete re-write of their software. Olive Tree is in the same boat - every major platform but ours is supported but ours. Heck Olive Tree even developed Bible Readers for Symbian Series 40 phones over webOS. I'd say that there's definitely something about Palm/HP that is keeping them away from this platform. Even M$ is getting some really sweet apps for WP7. The Bestbuy App is the best implementation I've ever seen in a mobile platform. webOS is not going to get any love as long as HP continues down the road they've taken.
Why doesn't HP just send one of their SWAT teams they've been talking about over to Epocrates, get the darn app written for MOJO & ENYO and get this controversy over with? This is a perfect case to use these teams.
It's probably more the case that the dev doesn't see webOS as viable. It's up to HP to make them see different.
I think it's too late to do this with Epocrates because they do have an app but they've decided to move on. So it's not like they simply needed help building an app.
I wonder how that is working out for HP. I think it's a good thing but it's got to be expensive and it's got to be done with enough apps to make the platform seem like a good choice. I mean, do you just do it with the top apps on other platforms? Will that be enough? What about niche apps?
Again, I'm not saying it's a bad idea...just that it's likely not a magic bullet.
Guess what HP\Palm! Epocrates isn't the only ones leaving the WebOS platform. Many legacy Sprint users are sick of waiting, myself included! 2 years have gone by and now new hardware on Sprint. Many of the WebOS enthusiasts contracts have expired or soon will. One of my three Pre- lines will be testing out the EVO 3D at the end of the month. I sincerely hope something is announced very, very soon.
Im in the same boat with my 2 year old Pre on Sprint. But I figure I waited this long I can wait another month to see what happens.
That may be true, but HP doesn't care about you. If they had any intention of being on Sprint, they would have made it known long ago.
My point exactly, that’s why I am switching a line now. If it lands on Sprint “In the coming months” fine, I might be back. As of now I am a fanboy on the sidelines hoping the HP\Palm can get some traction with WebOS. I will keep my other lines open for a couple of months before I consider switching all. 3 month roadmap shows no HP\Palm products "not" on the roadmap
http://mobile.engadget.com/2011/06/06/leaked-sprint-roadmap-outs-lg-opti...
Lets just say it is not looking good!
@cardfan They haven't made any carrier announcements for the Pre 3 yet. By that assumption, HP doesn't have any intention of the Pre 3 being on Verizon or ATT either.
Still, can you fault someone for making that assumption given the history of this mess. No phone form Palm or HP has hit Sprint since the original Pixi.
Naturally things may change, but making assumptions based on history is not out of the question either.
True. I'm still trying to be hopeful as a Sprint Pre user.
I'm upgrade eligible as of a few days ago, and am waiting to see what comes of the Photon announcement tomorrow. Depending on what I hear, I'll either be waiting on its release, or get the Evo 3D at the end of the month (though the large keyboard of the increasingly dated Epic 4G is tempting me too).
I really do like webOS more than Android, but it never caught on like I was expecting, and I'm losing faith in HP's ability to change course. Moreover, they haven't said where the Pre3 will land, and I refuse to switch to Verizon.
With the WebOS multitasking we can use their fully functional website on a card
They can also choose PalmOS over webOS (lol).
I never got to use this app. Im sure nobody really did either. you have to have actual accreditations to use it. Im sure it was really cool.. but i never got past the login screen.
If you went to the Epocrates site and signed up for the free account, you could make use of it. Not that hard.
I did sign up for the free account, they asked me to provide my physicians id. That is where i hit the brick wall. You cannot use this without providing a physicians id.
My wife tried it (she is accredited) and said that it was way too limited for real use so she went back to her iPaq (her Sony Clie finally gave up the ghost). It was missing features that both the WM 6.x and PalmOS versions had and it did not support autosync updates. Instead, webOS users had to delete the app from the phone and download a new version from the App Catalog in order to receive updates. Not very convenient if you ask me. I was not sorry to Epocrates [in its current implementation] go. They deserved far less credit than they received while they were around. I can see HP telling them that if they want to place an app out there, it has to be up-to-par with the other platforms or forget about it. It's too high profile to be half-baked such as it was.
The nerve of them not supporting vaporhardware that never has announced dates/carrier partners.
Come on....those 100 million PCs and printers WebOS will be on aren't vapor! Of course, there's no release date for that either....
I guess, you should stay tuned?
I'm wondering if my toaster will have full access to the app catalog or will it be geo restricted.
It will be geo restricted, but based on the room of your living space. If gps indicates that the appliance is in the livingroom, it will pull in apps like "What's On TV?" and "TV Trivia." If it indicates a kitchen, it will pull in apps like "The Facts About Cooking" and "How to Cook For a Vegetarian."
Unfortunately, if you're on Verizon it will only indicate that you are within a 2 mile radius of your home. Still, I supposed that's good enough to determine if you want american toast or...french toast. I know, I know.
LOL
Why can't HP build an emulator to run palm software so these developers have proper time to recode their apps. Heck, apple did this when switching to intel chips from ppc. The programs ran a little slower but still ran fully functional. HP needs these big companies to make WebOS successful. I want to switch both my phone and tablet to WebOS but if their are not many apps, might have to go with the iPhone when it hits sprint this fall. Come on HP, get these devices out. The delays will turn an obvious great OS to ruble if it's to late.
HP is a Computer Hardware Company that runs a 3rd party OS, not a mobile OS company.
Apple was able to do what they have done since they are a Software and hardware company.
It's possible that HP has bitten off more than they can chew.
Possible, probable & soon to be found in business marketing textbooks everywhere.
HP bloatware on their PC's is demonstrably terrible, so the thought of HP trying to develop an O/S to run phones, tablets, laptops, PC's, printers and maybe small appliances, it pretty scarey stuff. And HP is much more apt to buy innovation than to create it. So far, they seem to be failing on integration.
There was an emulator that allowed PalmOS apps to run in webOS. It called Classic and was built by MotionApps (yet another developer that has moved on from webOS).
It doesn't work anymore unless you homebrew.
Here is a precentral article on why it is no longer: http://www.precentral.net/webos-2-0-motionapps-drops-classic-palmos-emul...
"We are sad to announce that Palm has removed Classic’s ROM from the new webOS 2.0 device ROM which will result in Classic not working if utilized with Palm’s new webOS 2.0.
This is contrary to our agreement with Palm and was done without our approval or consent. Based on this action, MotionApps will immediately stop selling Classic. However, as a courtesy to our clients, we will continue to support existing Classic customers on webOS 1.x for the immediate future." - MotionApps 2010
The Derek Photoshop image in the article you linked to is awesome.
Indeed.
I had to comment about the photoshop too. Awesome.
Everything that I'm going to tell you is true, so pay attention. webOS under HP is going to be very successful, but their formula is a little different than what you expect from iOS and Android.
I'm at HP Discover and seeing enterprise class applications that iOS and Android will never match in a year. HP TouchPad will launch very soon, and will do so with nearly 10,000 apps, with rapid ramp up from there on out. Will it miss a couple of important ones? Sure. Will they come back when the platform's roadmap becomes clear? Sure! Enterprise is boring, and unsexy and difficult to explain to fandroids, but HP runs a $100 billion enterprise business, take from that hint what you can about HP's direction.
My prediction: Apple will continue to lead, but with falling share. HP will be the #3 tablet platform in a year, with no single Android competitor matching it for reach in the enterprise. HP's SWAT team will easily license and write an ePocrates app for any hospital that wants it as part of their enterprise package in their internal app store within their firewall. Sorry I can't say more but all this negativity is just silly.
10,000 apps, HAHAHAAH!?! Are you counting Books, converted to digital as apps?
Sorry, I don't find any post with the word "fandroids" in it to be legitimate.
Also, it's interesting to see the launch app count estimate reduced from "tens of thousands" to "nearly 10,000". The app catalog technically already has nearly 10,000 no so a vague estimate like that says nothing.
Not sure why are we still talking "nearly" 10K apps after 2 years? Heck, even WP7 has over 20K apps in just a few months.
"Will they come back when the platform's roadmap becomes clear? Sure!"
LOL...sounds an awful lot like...
"everyone will want in once the presentation of hardware is in front of them. even the defectors will want to own a webOS device." - Rahul Sood
"HP will be the #3 tablet platform in a year"
Why just #3? I thought they were shooting for "#1+".
You, PreDogs, and the others really need to get both a clue and a life. The hints are clearly there for those who understand HP's reach. Are they going to go out and clober iOS and Android in the consumer space? Doubtful. At least for the next year or two. But it's the Enterprise/Government space that you are missing the picture on. They aren't cutting off the feeds just for sh!ts and grins. Read the tea leaves and beat yourself with a clue stick, because you clearly need one.
Let me spell it out for you...HP is already pushing very hard into the Enterprise and Government space. They could double webOS's peak userbase (was around 2.7-3M) within months with the right contracts, and there are signs that they have quite a few lined up already. I think a lot of you folks just don't realize how capable HP is of pushing products through channels that most of you don't even know exist.
LOL
Sorry, but you say all that and all I can think of is the picture in this precentral post: http://www.precentral.net/apotheker-hp-ship-products-within-weeks-announ...
Enterprise/Government sure has changed.
So...we've gone from HP and webOS becoming the "cool kid" in the consumer space with its oh-so-wonderful-multitasking, to becoming "mo' oner than number one" by being on all the windows machines and printers (and toasters) we are going to purchase from HP, to now conquering the Enterprise/Government space with...uhm...with what again?
Tea leaves you say?
No...Music Synergy. And the HP Movie Store. That's what the enterprise is looking for. HP has the competition EXACTLY where they want 'em, and their secret plan is coming to fruition.
Oh goodie. Look who finally chimed in on this post? I guess you, like some of your other buddies, think HP can only focus on one customer base at a time?
What some in enterprises are looking for is a complete package allowing them to easily deploy mobile products, laptops, PC's, servers, and printers from one vendor. And to do so securely. The recent pulling of the feeds really only has one explanation: they have some big customers lined up that weren't ready to commit unless HP tied that loose end up. They wouldn't have gone through all of that trouble for just one customer, unless it was a huge one.
But you just keep on being that person who supposedly cares about webOS but keeps bashing everything involving it.
We've been talking about HP going the Enterprise route since they bought Palm. It's pretty clear too me that they plan on displacing RIM and working the consumer angle on the side. What Leo says about being cool and all that **** only addresses the consumer side. Of course, someone with nothing better in their life to do than bash webOS and HP all day couldn't possibly fathom a company being able to address two separate markets in two entirely different ways.
When I read your incessant rants of negativity, posting over and over again on these posts, you really just come off as a fanboy for one of the other mobile OS's. Why you feel the need to post 20+ negative comments on a PreCentral post is beyond me. The fact that you and a few other **** here can't even piece together what's happening behind the scenes isn't really surprising too me.
You sound upset. Would you be less upset if I had 20+ posts singing webOS' praise? LOL
I agree. This is not the re-release of the Palm Pre, it is the release of the HP Pre and Touchpad. There's a lot more marketing muscle in place, plus an organized distribution system that Palm didn't have. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to miss Palm (Pilot>Treo>release day Pre) but I would love to see HP give Crabapple a run for their money!
passthebeat -- sure glad to see that HP thinks the only future is tablets. Guess they have forgotten about phones, perhaps they will remember them "in the coming months...".
I can expand on this just a little bit. When an organization like Mayo Clinic or Mass General buy ePocrates, they want it integrated into processes they have already spent millions of dollars developing. For example, they may want residents to log their lookups in a certain way so that there's an audit trail, they may want contraindicated combinations explicitly acknowledged, etc. They may want a workflow with alerts and HIPAA compliant add-ons, etc.. Those are the things that add enormous value in an enterprise and mean nothing to retail consumers. Like I say, pay attention to what kind of company HP is before you start comparing them to Arby's. I hope my point has been successfully communicated. Many negative posters completely miss the forest because they're looking for trees.
I have an even more detailed prediction...
I think in 2-3 years, Apple will be out of business and HP will be America's largest corporation. I think that Google will be absorbed by HP because Android will be abandoned in droves for WebOS, which will have 2,128,367 apps.
I think that the Red Sox will win the World series 2 out of these 3 years and that Obama will lose the 2012 election to Donald Trump who comes out of nowhere due to the "vote for Trump" app that they launch on HP webOS, and Windows Webos, because windows will also collapse and HP will buy out for pennies on the dollar under the weight of HP's webos assult!
There are actually people who believe this.
I mean the Red Sox winning the World Series and Trump winning the 2012 election, not WebOS taking over the world (or even being successful).
Didn't Trump drop out?
Yeah, but there are still people that believe he'll change his mind, run, and win the presidency.
Kind of like there are still some people that think WebOS has a chance.
Really dude? Like the song says: dream on, dream on, dream until your dream comes true
GlennBeck, I really have no time to argue with you. I separated my predictions from the rest of my statements. It's enough to say you don't believe me. For half a decade, Apple was the only PC company in an industry with endless promise, their competition produced an ugly, clunky machine that was eons behind. We've seen that movie before.
After all the defensive moves we saw from Apple this week with iCloud, you can be sure the folks in Cupertino aren't as sanguine as you are about Apple's trajectory.
"After all the defensive moves we saw from Apple this week with iCloud, you can be sure the folks in Cupertino aren't as sanguine as you are about Apple's trajectory."
So when HP buys a bunch of companies/products to try and piece together a solution that will be available "in the coming months" it's great stuff, but when Apple talks about a product that is ready now for app developers and for the public in the fall, it is...a defensive move?
OK...I think I got it. Thanks.
/smh
This is interesting. passthebeat may have some accurate points about HP's enterprise muscle/prowess. And, I think his very post underscores what's been the heart of HP for WwebOS all along: Enterprise solutions, not to mention PCs and peripherals. He said nothing about smartphones - curious, since this post & replies has been about a smartphone app on smartphones being discontinued. Remember, HP stunk when it tried to sell smartphones in the past. I think they included Palm with the purchase of their jaw-dropping portfolio of intellectual property to help them enter the smartphone market, because there's money to be made (IF you can!). However, the smartphone battle is new to HP; they are dealing with battle-hardened, mean & lean hardware/software producers such as Apple and RIM. The are also dealing with very smart software giants like Google and Microsoft, not really feeling like giving webOS a chance. HP's smartphone stategy has been mushy. Time is really running out for HP in the smartphone market. I wouldn't be surprised if say, in about two or three years, they just pull the plug on webOS samrtphones completely. I get the feeling things aren't looking so easy or promising in the smartphone arena as they originally thought - hence the hemming & hawing, the backtracking, stalling, and fuzzy committals.
I would just love to know whats going on behind those close doors. What are they doing? Whats the hold up? I would love to know what is so damn complicated about developing a product setting a deadline for completion and meeting it. Announcing a release date and the releasing it. We are talking about a 100 billion dollar company here.......
so is anybody going to stick around for the windows phone transition in the coming months??....
"YAWN"
Windoze phones are probably about as innovative as Windoze; OK to work on, boring and limited to use. I want a phone that can multitask like I do, be a tool, and be a toy, be a music player, and tell me where my kids are, all at once, without lots of extra taps. WebOS does that.
As to being a tool, I was the first in my family medicine residency to use a Palm and get Epocrates. I even made newspapers and Reader's Digest nation-wide using Epocrates to prevent an uncommon but lethal drug interaction and save a patient. It WAS a good tool, and Epocrates made it's name on Palm PDAs from docs like me spreading the word while we used it, giving, classes to other docs, etc.
Fast forward to 2010. Epocrates announces that they are bailing on WebOS, HP announces that WebOS 2 is "coming soon" and will kill Classic, and Epocrates Essentials along with it. So I bailed to Android, and bought an Epic "superphone" on Sprint. Ran Epocrates without fear of failure.... except when it froze up frequently. Also, their formularies (what insurance covers) were wrong as much as right. Android Epocrates Essentials has some cheap British clinical database instead of 5 Minute Clinical Consult, and no automatic dose-calc link like the PalmOS version. And the phone itself was a pain to use, the bigger keyboard mushy and too easy to hit the wrong keys, Bluetooth and GPS sucked, and the calendar and email and contacts sucked compared to WebOS Synergy. 4 months into it after rebooting the phone a dozen times taking my son to and from his "away" hockey game to keep GPS fixes, I downloaded LexiComp, and called Sprint, reactivated my Palm Pre, and voila, life was EASY again.
Now I have a Verizon Palm Pre2 - phone, medical tool par excellence, toy, Zen stone. OTOH, My wifes Android phone won't sync both Yahoo and Google at once;
At work, I am using Lexicomp drug database and the far-better 5 Minute Clinical Consult and palmdoc's and my medical apps, and Anatomy Encyclopedia instead, and I do not miss Epocrates. They may not send me free t-shirts anymore (like they did once after I hit the news, which was unsolicited but cool for a poor resident!) but I have the BETTER Lexicomp drug database and a better tool to use it on than the irritating EpicFail phone.
And while I wait for more new WebOS tool-toys, I do have an Epic for sale on Ebay!
Epocrates is the 800lb gorilla that is getting flabby and time to retire to pasture anyway...
Workaround:
Turn off network time in date and time
set back one year from today i.e. June 9, 2011 (or for that matter anything before June 14).
Epocrates will still work!
input this URL:
( http://www.chic-goods.com/ )
you can find many cheap and high stuff
(jor dan shoes)
(NBA NFL NHL MLB jersey)
( lv handbag)
(cha nel wallet)
(D&G sunglasses)
(ed har dy jacket)
===== http://www.chic-goods.com/ =====
WE ACCEPT PAY PAL PAYMENT
YOU MUST NOT MISS IT!!!
===== http://www.chic-goods.com/ =====
===== http://www.chic-goods.com/ =====
Here is one of the most bizzare aspects of Epocrates statement: while WebOS will be discontinued -- LEGACY PALM OS devices will continue to be FULLY supported:
"After that, it will no longer be possible to install, use, or get updates for Epocrates on Palm webOS devices. Please note that only devices that use the Palm webOS operating system (e.g. Palm Pre and Pixi; HP Veer, Pre³, and TouchPad) will be incompatible with Epocrates software. Palm OS, Treo, Centro, T-series, E and E2 remain fully supported. We sincerely appreciate all of our users and apologize for any inconvenience."
SO. To be clear, Epocrates will not support its software on devices that continue to be supported by its manufacturer (WebOS), but devices that are not even supported by its own manufacturer will be FULLY SUPPORTED on Epocrates for its software.
Kinda like saying "Effective June 14th, if you have a newer computer running Windows 7, Epocrates will no longer be supported. Older computers running Windows 95 will continue to be FULLY SUPPORTED."