Review

MotionApps has announced an application that is going to significantly enhance  the Palm Pre: an emulator that will allow this upcoming smartphone to run legacy Palm OS software.

The Pre is going to be the first device running Palm's webOS. As it's not going to be based on the old Palm OS, it won't be able run applications written for the older operating system. MotionApps Classic will help fill in this gap.

I was briefed by Palm, Inc. on this upcoming app, and I recorded a video demonstration:

Paslm OS Apps for Fun and Work
The goal of MotionApps Classic is to let people who currently own a Palm OS device to switch to the Palm Pre without giving up their favorite software.

A prime example of this is Epocrates. This medical reference is a must-have for many medical workers, and while a webOS version is in the works, because of Classic there won't be a wait.  Palm OS software running in Classic will be able to access the Internet through the Pre, so apps like Epocrates will be able t keep themselves updated with new data.

There also won't be a wait for webOS games, as Classic can handle these too.

Synchronization
MotionApps Classic will create a virtual Palm on a webOS device. This virtual device will act like a separate PDA inside the Pre -- the webOS smartphone and the Palm OS PDA won't directly share calendar or contacts information, nor will there be a way to directly synchronize these databases.

HotSync is also not a part of Classic, so it won't be possible for the virtual Palm to synchronize with the Palm Desktop running on a PC.

However, as I mentioned earlier, Palm OS software running in Classic will be able to access the Internet through the Pre. This means that it will be possible to indirectly sync calendar and contacts information. For example, the Pre will be able to automatically keep itself synchronized with Google' calendar and contacts; an app that syncs Google's data with the Palm OS equivalents would accomplish an indirect synchronization.

It's a Stop-Gap Solution
MotionApps Classic is being released as a stop-gap measure, to help Palm OS user transition to the webOS. Palm is working with developers to get webOS versions of popular Palm OS applications developed.

This emulator will be available for purchase when the Palm Pre becomes available from Sprint in the first half of this year.

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