1src Forums - PalmGear BS!

KennyWest

04-11-2003, 02:58 PM

I know you haven't seen me as often in the discussion forums as in the past.
Change has been happening all around me for the last six months since PBH
Holdings became involved with PalmGear. My family and I have now moved to
Nashville, TN (for those of you who know me - country music is still not my
favorite <vbg>). PalmGear's offices have officially moved to PBH Holdings
headquarters. I'm a part of a stronger team and growth than I've ever
experienced in the past with the company.

I'm sure you have all seen over the past few months the changes some big,
some small at
www.PalmGear.com

One of the recent changes has been required login to download files. A major
change, we know, in how you have grown accustomed to PalmGear. This was a
planned two step process, the first step of which included the "Tungsten|T a
Day" contest. In order for this to be successful (which it was - as the
winners will attest), as well as to ensure a
smooth deployment for step two, it was necessary to have the required log
in. As of 04/10/2003 step two of this process has been launched. Visitors
now have the option to log in for the added benefits of My PalmGear or to
simply download with no added steps.

In addition to the new "download now" page you will see at our site, you
will
also notice that you are taken to an additional page when your download
begins. This change was made due to customer feedback. Some visitors
notified us that they were having difficulty downloading files using
download manager software such as "RealDownloads" or similar. The secondary
page where the download is initiated solves this for these users. As we
progress we will continue to enhance the PalmGear experience, with our
processes, for
which your feedback is highly regarded.

As you can understand, we could not possibly rollout all functionality
enhancements at the same time, we have to leave room for
public testing of major functionality changes such as this.

This is just the beginning of many enhancements, additional customer
features and functionality you will see at the site, many of which will be
launched in May so stay tuned!

We place high value on our position as the leading customer destination site
for Palm Powered software and content and appreciate the candor and
honesty that we see in discussion groups such as this. Each of you
represent a valued PalmGear customer and your input regarding your PalmGear
customer experience is important to us. We do listen to our customer
feedback and will continue to do so because it is you who have put us into
our greatest growth yet.

Thank you for your support of PalmGear and for continuing to make us the #1
site for handheld applications and content!

I've been around this industry since the first Pilot came out and what I see
coming has never made me more excited.

Best Regards,

Kenny West
Chief Strategic Officer <(A new position that is another great change for me as I am now able to focus on the areas that attracted me to start PalmGear in 1996: brainstorming new ideas and features to further the position of the
Palm OS and PalmGear's place in the market!)

thenightfly42

04-11-2003, 03:06 PM

Nice to finally see a voice from PalmGear, and to hear that logins are no longer necessary. A lot of random bellyaching could have been avoided if we'd heard from you earlier, c'est la vie.

FWIW, I used a custom login to sign in to PalmGear about 2 days after they implemented the login system, and I have received NO mail on that account, spam or otherwise. OTOH, I haven't purchased anything yet either.

Kenny: One question. I understand why you would rearrange the "search" results to put shareware first, since that is where your $ comes from. However, if I search for the name of a program specifically (in today's case, Metro), I don't want to have to wade through to Page 3 of the results to find it. Could you change the order to have (searchterm in title of program) before (searchterm in body of description)?

Thanks for considering.

KennyWest

04-11-2003, 03:29 PM

We are looking into how best to sort and display search results so that they serve all to the best solution though have not yet made a decision on the format.

Kenny West

*YellowRose*

04-11-2003, 05:00 PM

Originally posted by KennyWest
We are looking into how best to sort and display search results so that they serve all to the best solution though have not yet made a decision on the format.

Kenny West What issues are there to be decided? Wouldn't an exact word match bring up the correct file?

Why wouldn't 'filez' bring up ONLY the software Filez? Not a 'common' name . . .

Wouldn't putting the customer's ease of use be to your advantage in promoting loyalty? I mean, I *know* you are a for profit business, but I think gaining the loyalty of palm users will go further than sleazy marketing ploys. We're not that stupid.

Just MY opinion, of course . . .

jamester

04-11-2003, 05:16 PM

I'll put my $3.02 in and say that I agree that if I'm searching for "Filez" (minus the quotes), the freeware app "Filez" *definitely* should be the first item on the list. Sometimes I hear about software elsewhere (a discussion forum, perhaps...) and when I go to Handango or Palmgear, I search on the very name of the software I'd picked up at the forums.

Having to wade through other programs that are only at the top of the list by virtue of "not being free" is a big turn-off for me, and I'd really rather just go to either Handango or Google, the latter where I'd simply search for "Filez Palm", again minus the quotes and generally go straight to the developer's site where I could doublecheck I have the latest version anyways. :)

So yeah, I don't know much about database stuff, but regardless of whether it's free or not, if I search for a specific name, I want that specific name first. It'd be one story if I were searching for a generic term like "file manager", as that's not a specific product's name.

Told you it was my $3.02. :)

J

Talula

04-12-2003, 09:07 AM

Another example is the freeware program "Today"? Do a search for that at Palmgear and you get a shareware program called "Today" to pop up on the very top. Thats all fine and dandy. But the freeware program is buried on page 13! It should be listed second, just after the shareware program.
Talula

Pdasrock

04-12-2003, 09:55 AM

I'd say palmgear is still my favorite site, but if it gets greedy, I'm going fandango. Cheers

*YellowRose*

04-12-2003, 10:17 AM

Originally posted by Pdasrock
I'd say palmgear is still my favorite site, but if it gets greedy, I'm going fandango. Cheers Yup, the way I figure it, I'm paying for a service . . . I've spent well over a $1000 on software for my Palm. If you've gotten 20% of that, I'm paying you pretty good money for the 'service' you provide. Why should I have to work harder to find the things I want?

Of course, it's certainly your choice, but . . . I'm sure somebody will fill in the gap, creating a great, user-friendly site like PalmGear USED to be, and we'll talk about how much we like them. Here.

All 20,000 of us.

johnmdw

04-12-2003, 10:27 AM

shop at Handango

PalmDoc

04-13-2003, 11:52 AM

When I hear about a new piece of software, instead of trying to use PalmGear's almost USELESS search tool, I just use Google. I type in the title of the app and 'palm' as my search terms, and usually find it right away...including the page on the PalmGear site where the app is listed...

For example (just did this right now)...

Go to Google, type in the keywords "Filez Palm" (without the quotes) and the second hit that comes up is the exact listing page on the PalmGear site.

Hope this helps...

KennyWest

04-16-2003, 02:24 PM

Actually, you can do that now. Click on Advanced Software Search and for the "Software Title" field enter the title. I just tested and in the example of Metro it was listed number 4. The "regular" search engine is searching more than just the "Software Title" field and thus why it returns more in the results.

Hope this helps a bit.

Kenny West

Talula

04-16-2003, 03:03 PM

So I tried Kenny West's suggestion with that freeware Today App I was talking about. It was the 6th app listed. This is definately MUCH better. But I still don't understand why it wasn't second, just after the shareware app named Today. If I search for "Today" I want all programs NAMED "Today" listed first! Sorry if I ask for too much or if it cuts into somebody's profits, but it is just what I expect.

KennyWest

04-16-2003, 03:19 PM

Originally posted by Talula
So I tried Kenny West's suggestion with that freeware Today App I was talking about. It was the 6th app listed. This is definately MUCH better. But I still don't understand why it wasn't second, just after the shareware app named Today. If I search for "Today" I want all programs NAMED "Today" listed first! Sorry if I ask for too much or if it cuts into somebody's profits, but it is just what I except.

Thanks for the reply. In the instance you state, the results displayed: (in order)

Today 1.14
Decision Today! 1.0
The Word for Today 1.11
Know China Today (Palm Reader) 1.51
TEV Todays English Version Bible
Today 1.8
Thus the results displayed are correct.

The logic is this: The title DOES contain the criteria searched: "Today" in all of them. When there are more than one located the weighting is shareware, freeware. The search using the Software Title field in the Advanced Software Search searches ONLY the Software Title whereas when the regular search field at the upper left is used numerous fields are searched.

Hope this helps clarify further.

Kenny West

wellsjs

04-16-2003, 03:52 PM

Hi Kenny,

I have been unable to delete old apps from my update tracking list page for a couple of weeks. I emailed your support and got a reply that the problem was being looked into. It's been several days and the problem still exists. Maybe someone would listen to you? :D Thanks!

PalmGearJenn

04-16-2003, 03:55 PM

Originally posted by *YellowRose*
Yup, the way I figure it, I'm paying for a service . . . I've spent well over a $1000 on software for my Palm. If you've gotten 20% of that, I'm paying you pretty good money for the 'service' you provide. Why should I have to work harder to find the things I want?

Of course, it's certainly your choice, but . . . I'm sure somebody will fill in the gap, creating a great, user-friendly site like PalmGear USED to be, and we'll talk about how much we like them. Here.

All 20,000 of us.

Ferret lovers are a tough crowd aren't they? ;) I don't feel that greed enters into the equation here. There are alot of features that are being added as well as in the works and these things are costing this money. If you want to talk about greed look at the other alternative and see who is charging their developers the higher margin.

KennyWest

04-16-2003, 04:26 PM

Originally posted by wellsjs
Hi Kenny,

I have been unable to delete old apps from my update tracking list page for a couple of weeks. I emailed your support and got a reply that the problem was being looked into. It's been several days and the problem still exists. Maybe someone would listen to you? :D Thanks!

The error that is causing that is being researched. Sorry but I cannot at this time give you a firm date as to when it will be corrected though.

Kenny

*YellowRose*

04-16-2003, 04:46 PM

Originally posted by PalmGearJenn
erret lovers are a tough crowd aren't they? ;) I don't feel that greed enters into the equation here. There are alot of features that are being added as well as in the works and these things are costing this money. If you want to talk about greed look at the other alternative and see who is charging their developers the higher margin. Abso-ferretlovin-lutely. :D

I don't have a problem with you making money ... never said that. I've certainly given you plenty. My point is . . . you are making your site more user unfriendly, rather than the other way around. I see your site referred to here more than any other. Multiple times a day. Do you think if your user unfriendly changes continue, that the free advertising you're getting here will continue?

And BTW . . . 'Stacked' search results offend me. Sorry. ;) I think having to go to 'advanced' search to get the app your looking for to come up in the top 5 is, um, again, VERY user unfriendly. Think of the newbies that have trouble finding stuff, if we 'oldies' are . . . or maybe you have thought about that . . . and that's why you have the search function set up like that??

I dunno, but I don't like it.:mad:

Of course, these opinions are mine, and you can't have them!

PDH LA

04-16-2003, 05:03 PM

Well my pet peeve is with the software listed as "The Essentials" and "Gear's Choice".

For example, Launcher X has been listed as both, and SilverScreen is listed as "Gear's Choice". Zlauncher is AT LEAST as good, and some would say much better, than these two launchers, yet Zlauncher is not rated as either "The Essentials" or "Gear's Choice".

ShadowPlan is rated as both, but Bonsai is not rated as either, yet Bonsai has a far superior desktop component and synchronization - even the fervent ShadowPlan evangelists admit that. But Bonsai isn't "recommended" like ShadowPlan.

I could go on . . . but you get the point.

Makes one wonder what criteria are being used to rate the software. I can't believe that they are done using a set of fair evaluation critieria - maybe the ratings can be bought?

Just makes me wonder. In the early days of PalmGear, the software listed under "The Essentials" and "Gear's Choice" was the best you could get. Now these designations seem pretty useless, except as a way to drive business to a specific vendor's software.

aaronrkelly

04-16-2003, 05:29 PM

I have never purchased anything at PalmGear for some of the reasons listed above, if you want my money, when Im searching for a program I should be able to find it within the first page or so. I have taken the time to research what program I want before hand and dont want to wade thru the piles of useless crap. As far as clicking advanced and going to another page to search.....this is the first I have heard of this - you might wanna point that out somewhere, although I can always go to another page and search (same amount of steps required and its much easier) - its called www.handango.com

PalmGearJenn

04-16-2003, 05:47 PM

Originally posted by PDH LA
Well my pet peeve is with the software listed as "The Essentials" and "Gear's Choice".

For example, Launcher X has been listed as both, and SilverScreen is listed as "Gear's Choice". Zlauncher is AT LEAST as good, and some would say much better, than these two launchers, yet Zlauncher is not rated as either "The Essentials" or "Gear's Choice".

ShadowPlan is rated as both, but Bonsai is not rated as either, yet Bonsai has a far superior desktop component and synchronization - even the fervent ShadowPlan evangelists admit that. But Bonsai isn't "recommended" like ShadowPlan.

I could go on . . . but you get the point.

Makes one wonder what criteria are being used to rate the software. I can't believe that they are done using a set of fair evaluation critieria - maybe the ratings can be bought?

Just makes me wonder. In the early days of PalmGear, the software listed under "The Essentials" and "Gear's Choice" was the best you could get. Now these designations seem pretty useless, except as a way to drive business to a specific vendor's software.

First, dogs Rock Period!! :D

Second, I am working on revamping both the essentials and Picks to make it more balanced and get rid of the more um...aged apps. I would welcome and even adore any input in this area, if someone wants to start a new thread and do so please do. I think the mods may appreciate it if we kept it in a seperate thread. Also, pleeeeease keep in mind that your favorites or picks may not reflect the majority, however I will do everything I can to make our picks reflect yours :p On another note, ratings can certainly NOT be bought, and never have unlike other sites. I want these listings to be the best, so now you can help make it that way.

Third and finally, this one is all mine so if you need to contact me and not Kenny as he will never let me hear the end of it if he gets flooded with emails on this one ;)

*YellowRose*

04-16-2003, 06:56 PM

Originally posted by PalmGearJenn
First, dogs Rock Period!! :DYabbut . . . 'dook dook' is CUTER than 'WOOF' . . . ;)
I DO like dogs too, though!

Originally posted by PalmGearJenn
Second, I am working on revamping both the essentials and Picks to make it more balanced and get rid of the more um...aged apps. Could 'picks' be based on # of actual PURCHASES (as opposed to downloads) - maybe change the name to 'Buyer's Choice'?? That would be a GREAT thing, especially if Newbies are looking for apps.

I think it would also be great if the you had a 'Top 10 Freeware' downloads or something similar. Those developers WORK HARD (You go Chris Antos!) and give their apps away!

Originally posted by PalmGearJenn
Also, pleeeeease keep in mind that your favorites or picks may not reflect the majority, however I will do everything I can to make our picks reflect yours :p On another note, ratings can certainly NOT be bought, and never have unlike other sites. I want these listings to be the best, so now you can help make it that way. I don't have any clue what you consider 'essential' . . . or how you would choose those . . . what's 'essential' to me may not be to you (or hherbzilla, who just LOVES the unusual ;))

Originally posted by PalmGearJenn
Third and finally, this one is all mine so if you need to contact me and not Kenny as he will never let me hear the end of it if he gets flooded with emails on this one ;)

Awwwwwwww. Why would he mind? An overloaded mailserv is just what EVERYBODY wants . . . right? ;)

Anyhow, I do need to mention here that I appreciate the fact that you & Kenny have stopped by to 'chat' as it were, and I'm sure the rest do too!

:) And as I mentioned before . . . these opinions are mine! ALL MINE, I tell you . . . YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM!

Shrink

04-16-2003, 08:15 PM

I hear a lot of complaining about PalmGear but personally, I've been dealing with Kenny and his staff forever and have only had the best customer service and good interaction with Kenny and numerous of the PalmGear staff. I will always buy from PalmGear when I can and NEVER Handango.
alan

Unregistered

04-16-2003, 08:33 PM

Ditto what Alan says.

Talula

04-16-2003, 08:34 PM

Originally posted by KennyWest

Thanks for the reply. In the instance you state, the results displayed: (in order)

Today 1.14
Decision Today! 1.0
The Word for Today 1.11
Know China Today (Palm Reader) 1.51
TEV Todays English Version Bible
Today 1.8
Thus the results displayed are correct.

The logic is this: The title DOES contain the criteria searched: "Today" in all of them. When there are more than one located the weighting is shareware, freeware. The search using the Software Title field in the Advanced Software Search searches ONLY the Software Title whereas when the regular search field at the upper left is used numerous fields are searched.

Hope this helps clarify further.

Kenny West

But why, when I am doing a search for a SPECIFIC title, by name, are the results weighted by whether or not the developer wants me to pay for the program?

You want to list programs by shareware first when listed by generic category (word processors, ebooks/docs, educational, etc.). Fine, more power to you. But if I put in the name of an App. that app. should be at the top of the list.

Talula

Unregistered

04-16-2003, 08:40 PM

Click on the advanced search thing, put in the title. Works fine.

sheik28

04-17-2003, 01:46 AM

Just out of curiosity ...how many other companies have staff, let alone top management, posting on websites other than their own? Maybe it's the Palm community itself and I haven't been around it long enough to notice or maybe they feel they owed people an explanation. Wouldn't just posting a message on the main page of PG been easier? It just seems to me that, regardless of the referrals that Palmgear gets from  here (and I have seen many!!) these 2 have taken the time to come by and explain the situation. Say what you want but that says a lot about a company, and a company's interest in keeping their customers, paying customers or not.

 

 

aaronrkelly

04-17-2003, 02:17 AM

Youd be suprised whos lurking around here>> :-{

sheik28

04-17-2003, 02:29 AM

try me..;)

cbulock

04-17-2003, 02:53 AM

Kenny, Jenn, I am glad that you are taking time to come here and offer an explanation as to whats been happening to PalmGear. It used to be my favorite place to get software, and I always would recommed it. But as YellowRose said, it's becoming very user unfriendly. If money is going to come before the customer, then soon there won't be any customers.:eek:

Talula

04-17-2003, 07:43 AM

Originally posted by Unregistered
Click on the advanced search thing, put in the title. Works fine.

Not really, if the App I searched for is a freeware app, it will NOT be at the top of the page if there are any other for pay apps with any name even REMOTELY similar. I download a program because I need it and it works for me. If the developer wants me to pay, I certainly will. If the developer, for whatever reason, doesn't want me to pay, why should I have to scroll to find their product?

Agh, I guess I'm just beating a dead horse.

thenightfly42

04-17-2003, 08:06 AM

Jenny or Ken - First, thanks for all of your input, as well as the Advanced Search tip.

Since this discussion is becoming more general, I have another question. What's that symbol that shows up next to applications such as "2Action Meeting"? Sort of an org-chart kind of icon? I can't find any description of these.

sebring

04-17-2003, 08:28 AM

This thread has been basically very negative towards Palmgear. I too have some complaints. The lousy search function (which has already been mentioned) and I was really put off by the demand for personal information that appeared recently, just to browse the site. I got around that by providing BS information, which begs the question "why risk alienating current and potential customers to gather data that is of questionable value?", as I'm sure I'm not the only person that provided BS.

There are many things that I do like about Palmgear. I love the summary layout of info about an app with such key information as screen resolution, OS, date of last update, date originally submitted, version number, and the one I really like is the summary of update changes. I also like the bug report form, however, I never received replies to the last two I submitted. I also miss the link to the developers page, that use to be there.

Palmgear is still my first choice to research an app before purchase and since I haven't had any of the unpleasant experiences of other purchasing there, unless I have a coupon elsewhere, I usually purchase at Palmgear. Handango is a fine site, but they really fall down on providing important information about an app on the app screen.

KennyWest

04-17-2003, 08:28 AM

Originally posted by thenightfly42
Jenny or Ken - First, thanks for all of your input, as well as the Advanced Search tip.

Since this discussion is becoming more general, I have another question. What's that symbol that shows up next to applications such as "2Action Meeting"? Sort of an org-chart kind of icon? I can't find any description of these.

That icon is for a recently introduced called "Product Lines". It is a very cool way for developers to "associate" products together of like types. For details check

http://www.palmgear.com/developers/prodline.cfm

Kenny West

TreoRenegade

04-17-2003, 08:43 AM

FYI Folks,

I gave up on PalmGear's search engine months ago. I can now find precisely what I want, when I want, without hassle or "weights", using the following procedure. Dunno if there's a MAC version available, sorry.

I have the free google search bar installed in Win's IE (http://toolbar.google.com). I go to PalmGear, and while there, enter search terms in the google text box. There are 2 icons-- one for searching the web, the other for "search this site". Clicking the latter does the trick. If you really wanna kill extraneous pages, just be sure to add
----> product-id
to your search terms. That way, you get ONLY the true descriptive pages per apps, instead of also getting pages and pages of index files-- which change daily. Same deal works at freewarepalm.com, only instead of product-id, add --> -pages

Cleanest method i've found for locating, say, OS5 apps that do whatever I'm interested in at the time.

(BTW, for the record, I was one of those who wrote to PalmGear within the past few weeks, complaining of the "empty shopping basket" syndrome described elsewhere. As for the unrequested adverts, I've unsubscribed several times, but still they come. Then I get to see it AGAIN, whenever I attempt to download. I now shop at Handango, after checking out user reviews at PalmGear. Simply too much pain for too little gain purchasing at the latter. Reminds me of "Classic Coke", where the brainiacs decided to fix what wasn't broken, by changing the taste. PalmGear's recent changes have only served to chase away this customer, who buys multiple programs monthly. Smart, eh?!)

TreoRenegade
------------------
Lovin' my TG50 :p

LanMan

04-17-2003, 09:00 AM

I called the Palmgear sales staff via telephone (not the internet) to purchase something recently. I had to leave a message, even though is was during their working hours, and never received a call back. I guess that PG just didn't want me to make a purchase. Maybe they don't need the money.

harpgliss

04-17-2003, 09:42 AM

I recently tried to purchase MiD thru palmgear and waited for the developer to send me the reg. code. After more than the 48 hours that palmgear asks you to wait for a response, i sent an email to palmgear requesting my reg. code.

The email i received back told me to get on palmgear and basically to resend my request for my reg. code.

Nothing came of that first attempt so i then sent other emails as well as my wife contacted their customer service.My wife talked to a pleasant sounding lady named Dana (I think that was her name) and she said she would send an email to the developer to have them expedite the process.

This went on for four or five days of being told that they were working on getting my reg. code sent to me.At one point my wife and i got on the developers site and gathered all of the contact information they listed on the site.

This was interesting because they listed a different email address than the email address that palmgear was using.When my wife relayed this information to palmgear(again to dana)we did not get a response from them at all.

After waiting for a response from someone with my reg. code,I tried to send an email with the address that palmgear was using and it was undeliverable.I thought i had put the address in wrong so i sent it again.Same problem.

This is when i went back to thaipalm's website and used the email address provided.I also included the confirmation number from palmgear as well as my hot sync name and the ID code that the program generates to register it by also.I also explained what was going on with palmgear with far less words than i am using here.

Within 24 hours i received a reply back with my reg. code and a sincere apology for the problem.The explanation from thaipalm was that they had not received any email from palmgear for a couple of weeks.

I emailed thaipalm back and let them know i appreciated the quick response from them.Now i have an email from palmgear that was sent to 2 or 3 days after i got my code from thaipalm asking me if i received it.I have not responded to this email because i am not sure how to.

With the fact that i was the one who actually got in contact with thaipalm with my information for them to send my reg. code i do not feel that palmgear should feel that they did their part in ths process.

I feel i should not have to track down a developer when that should be handled by palmgear in this circumstance.Im not posting here so much to complain but because i think i may get a response here that i may not if i just send a regular email.

To the representatives of palmgear that have monitored this thread, i ask of you why there are situations like this going on and to let you know that unless i feel i get a real explanation and not some "lip service" response then i feel i will have no choice but to buy my software from other sources.

Just to let you(palmgear) verify what im teling you is accurate i am enclosing in this posting my email address as well as my my hotsync name fro you to verify my order.Yes i have ordered form you before without incident.

David L. Verdier jr

email: medverdier@yahoo.com

Im sorry for the length here and im not really upset but more puzzled and resigned to the fact that my story is getting more common instead less.

thenightfly42

04-17-2003, 10:29 AM

Harpgliss: it's also possible that thaipalm, or whoever carries their mail, has made a mistake with their spam filters. If they are blocking PalmGear as spam, it's not PalmGear's fault.

Note: this is entirely conjecture.

PalmGearJenn

04-17-2003, 11:06 AM

Harpgliss,

Actually this was due to the developer not updating their email address on our site. I have since updated it myself manually so no one will have to go through what you have. I apologize for all the trouble.

jconaway99

04-17-2003, 11:21 AM

I had exactly the same experience as harpgliss. It's a shame we had to track it down ourselves.:rolleyes:

Pdasrock

04-17-2003, 11:41 AM

I'm not mad at pg, and I still think they have the best page-per-product quality, but I HATE the "filtering out" of freeware. I had my user name deleted once when I was trying to sign up for one of their services(my pg I think), and I have a friend who's a newbie palm user and already hates it, he says it's slow with broken links and, suprise, can't find anything with the search engine...

xsqweez

04-17-2003, 02:52 PM

When I am dealing with a business, especially via the Internet, I prefer (& I believe I am not in the minority with this) that the business have the least intrusive behavior possible while still allowing me to obtain the needed information to make a decision and complete the transaction. It seems that the tactics engaged in by PalmGear (inaccurate search results, required log-ins, etc.) are more of a business scheme than a business plan.

I am a business owner and certainly understand the need for the implementation of money-making strategies. However, I am very resentful of that screen demanding identification each time I want to do a quick dl/install to check out a new app. I understand there are some who feel that's a bit of an overreaction, but whether it is or is not, it still annoys me each time I see that screen (despite cookies, etc., it pops up w/ each dl attempt, regardless of whether I am already logged in). I agree that pg is #1 in providing needed info for each item, but the annoyance I feel compels me to "place my vote with my feet" by going elsewhere when it's time to make the buy.

As YellowRose (who is now my hero/role model!) said: "Of course, it's certainly your choice, but . . . I'm sure somebody will fill in the gap, creating a great, user-friendly site like PalmGear USED to be, and we'll talk about how much we like them. Here.

All 20,000 of us."

Touche.

aym

04-17-2003, 03:38 PM

And now, to make my experience even more hellish at PalmGear, every page is asking if I want to install a security certificate for its ads.

I apparently refused cookies from their ad server at some point (duh), and now it's rightfully listed in my browser as a machine I don't trust to put things on my computer. So I get the request on EVERY SINGLE PAGE about whether I want to accept the certificate from their ad server, view it, or ignore it. I have to keep my cursor on the ignore button to surf the site.

I can assure you if this stays I'm gone for good. I already buy almost everything I can at Handago, and I'm another of those who's spent close to $1000 in the past year on software. Does PalmGear have an anti-usability group sitting around thinking of ways to annoy their users?

Sick of the games,
Aym

harpgliss

04-17-2003, 04:05 PM

Well, now im a little peeved.It still sounds like palmgear is not able or willing to accept that they may have made a mistake in handling my case.When i used the email address palmgear had i got back a response that the email was not deliverable.

It would appear to me that palmgear would have had the same occurrance and instead of relaying that to me,they kept telling me they were contacting the developer.How can you contact the developer when you are being told that you are not using a valid email address?

Also on their web page there was a phone number to use to contact them.A big problem i have is pushing the blame somewhere else instead of taking a gutcheck and admitting they have not handled this properly.

When i passed the info from the developer's web site to palmgear i heard boo from them for almost a week until well after i had done their job.Im paying money to palmgear to handle the transaction for me and then i am the one who is doing their job.

I certainly do not feel that because palmgear cannot keep information current that they were entitled to any of my money.

The responses i read up front i feel do not address my problem and are just nothing more than to deflect people from the realization that they are not able to handle taking blame when it is their's to take.

I feel that i am unable to be a continueing customer as long palmgear continues their current business practices.

Now, i am not telling other people to not deal with palmgear.I am just stating they will not get further business from me until i am satisfied as a customer.

David

Sorry for the long winded reply.

*YellowRose*

04-18-2003, 07:23 PM

I just read this, and I quote:

If you wait awhile, you might not find any freeware at all. Palmgear has
chnaged their policy on providing free webspace to the freeware guys.
They've started charging unless you sell your product through their
platform.

--
*name removed*

Jen or Kenny ~ PLEASE COMMENT. Is there any truth to this?

KennyWest

04-19-2003, 09:14 AM

ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE! I was apprised of that yesterday also (someone saying that) and frankly have no clue how anyone could come up with it or why.

Kenny West
Originally posted by *YellowRose*
I just read this, and I quote:

Jen or Kenny ~ PLEASE COMMENT. Is there any truth to this?

tanker_bob

04-19-2003, 10:50 AM

I've been quietly observing this thread as a regular and loyal PalmGear customer. I have several hundreds of dollars of apps, virtually all purchased through PG. A few were bought direct from the developer. Through the years, PG has promptly updated my information when I changed email addresses so that I would be notified of updates. I appreciated receiving notice of their specials via email, but they stopped promptly when I so asked. Along with many others, I wrote PG about the new sign-in requirement for each and every download in a session, and they changed that process. It doesn't seem like they've mastered persistent cookies yet.

PG's website provides instant access to what's new directly upon entry. I check it every day for updates to programs that I own, often finding and downloading such updates a day or two before receiving notice from the developer. Their seach engine has always produced the product which I wished to find. That it may not appear first on the list never bothered me, as long as it appear in the list.

I don't like Handago and won't buy from them because of their history. The only reason they exist or succeeded initially is because of their parent company's frivolous lawsuit against PG, which drained PG of the cash they needed to operate. Handago's owners lost the suit, but the legal fees really hurt PG. I personally don't care to feed the sharks, as I don't wish to be their next meal. I don't support companies that litigate rather than innovate to succeed. Their commitment isn't to the community, but solely to their own wallets at your expense.

No company is perfect, so I tend to take the long view. Some here have been disappointed in PG's service, and those incidents are truly unfortunate. Kenny's and Jenn's presence here are clear statements of their commitment to the community. Everyone is entitled to express their opinion, but I ask that all consider the long view and PalmGear's long-term commitment to the Palm OS community as they post.

In closing, I want to thank Kenny and Jenn for joining the conversation here and clearing the air.