Pre's Classic Palm OS Emulator Demo'd

Posted By: Ryan Kairer Thursday, April 2, 2009 1:35:07 PM

In our third video update from CTIA, we take a look at the new "Classic" application for the Palm Pre. Announced yesterday at the Web 2.0 Expo, Classic is a Palm OS Garnet emulator for WebOS. It is being developed by longtime Palm OS developers MotionApps.

In the five minute clip we take a look at a couple of Palm OS apps running in the emulator environment and discuss how some of the functionality will work on the Palm Pre. Also shown is a demo of an unmodified build of Epocrates, a popular medical application. Click on for the video.

Previous Palm Pre CTIA Videos

- Palm Pre Music and Multimedia Demos
- Palm Pre CTIA Video Demos Part 2 - (Gestures, memos, tasks and calendar)

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Classic Emulator in Action

hkklife @ 4/2/2009 1:08:19 PM #

Engadget (via PhoneScoop) also has some video posted of the Classic emu in action. Drag & drop of PRC files to install them as the nternal storage emulates being on an SD card...nice & easy, but I wonder if that will break compatibility with some older apps that "insist" having at least their main PRC files being in main RAM (with their DB files being on the storage card).

No word on how Classic will handle Hotsync User ID/licensing/registration issues (potentially messy). No hardwired Hotsync mode either but we all expected that, just like the Access Garnet emulator for the Nokia N-series devices.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/02/palm-pre-classic-emulator-demoed-on-video/

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->?

No wonder they don't care about styletap

neuron @ 4/2/2009 1:50:29 PM #

They must pick up the partner long time ago. Styletap guys must have a tough time now.

Pretty Slick

2klbs @ 4/2/2009 2:44:16 PM #

Bundled or not, it certainly removes an objection and potentially pulls in at least some portion of POS legacy users to try to hit that 2.5 million Pre-sales unit mark that seems to be a first year goal. "Old" developers may even be enticed to come (back) on board to encourage continued revenue for POS applications while they wait for the SDK and perhaps deeper access later for related WebOS versions of their applications.

Speaking of the SDK, anyone read anything into the mumbling answer to how deep the developer went outside MOJO?

Overall, it makes me ponder to whom Palm actually listened after being pretty unequivocal they weren't taking active part in a solution to the legacy question at all, let alone before hardware release.

I like the drag and drop loading in USB mode. I guess that's how users would deal with perpetually updated apps like (shudder) Agendus.
End of Contract with Sprint- to become a "Pre-vert" or go Android?

RE: Pretty Slick

justauser @ 4/2/2009 3:27:46 PM #

And yet still in 320x320 mode ARRRG.

Well I guess this is the wisdom of being tight lipped about everything. Even when Ryan spotted the 'classic' app they would say nothing until it's anounced. If it was an afterthought it doesn't really matter.

Nice way to revive the Pre hype

Pre Lust Hits RED, Baby!!!

mikecane @ 4/3/2009 5:43:09 PM #

My Palm Pre Lust Hits The Red Zone!
http://prepoint.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/my-palm-pre-lust-hits-the-red-zone/

iPhone? What's an iPhone?!!?

what a sh*tty video

happyPalm @ 4/3/2009 11:00:51 PM #

why could the guy just put the damn Pre on the desktop and then demo it.

TealOS on Pre?

wtang @ 4/3/2009 11:27:33 PM #

Hmmm... run TealOS in emulation mode on the Pre? Think it'll work?
A Pre inside a Pre!

RE: TealOS on Pre?

twrock @ 4/4/2009 1:02:17 AM #

wtang wrote:
Hmmm... run TealOS in emulation mode on the Pre? Think it'll work?
A Pre inside a Pre!

LOL. Dang, should'a paid for TealOS while I still had the chance.....

Disclaimer: I am employed by Palm, Inc.
(or not)

migrating existing Palm data

jnussb9328 @ 4/7/2009 1:24:38 PM #

Has anyone seen any info on how to move all my existing Palm Contact and Calendar data to the Pre ?

I understand draging the .prc file if you use the Emulator, but what if I do not want to use the Emulator, how does my Palm Desktop data migrate to the Pre ?

RE: migrating existing Palm data

freakout @ 4/7/2009 4:04:24 PM #

Palm hasn't said anything yet, beyond promising that there'll be a way to do it - somehow.

Personally, I still reckon Palm will have some form of webOS desktop sync, and you'll be able to import your Palm Desktop data into that. But those odds admittedly get longer every day that goes by without an annoucement from them...

RE: migrating existing Palm data

hkklife @ 4/7/2009 4:30:56 PM #

They (various Palm officials) reassured us repeatedly at CES that there would be *some* way to import all classic Palm OS PIM data with no lost fields or corrupdated data. I asked one guy specifically how that would be done and he said "we cannot comment on that now but rest assured you'll be taken care of". I stressed that I had nothing on the cloud at the moment and I had a dozen+ years of irreplacable Palm OS PIM data sitting in folders on my desktop.

My guess would be some kind of bundled or downloadable utility to export all of the PIM data from the Hostync folders on your desktop to the "cloud" then down to the Pre....I wouldn't even rule out Palm throwing in a little fee with the process, but I do expect them to address this eventually. But I don't think it'll be a non-cloud WebOS desktop syncronization. I think it'll be a one-time utility thing to "cloudify" your PIM data and that's it. Palm only wants desktop connectivity via USB MSC for media & legacy Palm OS apps from here on, obviously.
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->?

FYI re PalmOS emulation

SeldomVisitor @ 4/12/2009 8:33:59 AM #

http://discussion.treocentral.com/1582175-post13.html

RE: FYI re PalmOS emulation

hkklife @ 4/12/2009 11:31:21 AM #

Thanks for the link, SV. But in all honestly, OS 5.2.8 is (overall) MORE compatible than the NVFS-infested 5.4.x updates that Palm has foisted upon us over the past 4.5 years (starting with the Treo 650 & T|T5). I had a ton of apps I bought in '02-'03 for my various T|T and T|C devices that were broken when trying to run them on the T5 or the LifeDrive. Some of them received updates only to be broken again when I "upgraded" to a Treo 700p. So it really depends on the apps you are using.

Very recent, well-coded Palm OS apps from the past year or two (DTG 10, PTunes 4 or 5, Kinoma, recent Astraware games) may likely run better on a newer OS 5.4 device. But older stuff from '04 or earlier will likely run better on an OS 5.2 device (Warfare Inc would be the best example I can think of). Keep in mind that OS5.2.8 is not Garnet but rather plain ol' "OS5", which we last saw on a Palm device in 2004 (Zire 72 & Zire 31)
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->?

Well, I just might!

gulmatan @ 4/20/2009 10:31:00 AM #

Now that not only MotionApps but, Dimitry will debut a PalmOS emulator AND Palm has promised some means by which to transfuse my PIM data, I am tempted to up to a Pre and (gasp) bypass moving to the iPhone. And mind you, this is coming from a dedicated Mac user.
Sharp Wizard 6500> Palm m500> m515> Tungsten T> Zire 71> T|E> T|X