After 10 years, the Palm OS is still considered one of the easiest mobile operating systems to use. This week, I talk about some of my pet software peeves and some ideas for enhancements to future versions.

Palm VersaMail

Palm's VersaMail application has come a long way since the early ActualSoft MultiMail days.  VersaMail has become a solid email application for both personal and corporate use.  The latest enhancements include push email support for Microsoft Exchange Server and predefined email server configurations for popular Internet services offering email.

There are a few things that I feel need to be added to VersaMail.  The first thing that I feel needs to be added is a way to select multiple mail messages using the 5-way navigator.  I really hate having to pull out my stylus to check select multiple mail messages.  Jan Slodicka, of Resco.net, has a good idea.  In Resco Explorer, Jan has added a multiselect button that on allows you to select multiple messages with the navigator rather than the stylus.  This feature can be toggled on or off with a single button tap.  Another often requested feature for VersaMail is to save off email to a SD card.  Other email packages for the Palm OS already have this feature and it is time VersaMail had it.  Palm has opted to not raise the memory capacity from 64MB so allowing customers to off load mail to an expansion card would help free up storage space on the Treo for other applications.

The good news is that ChatterMail developer Marc Blanc was recently hired by Palm.  While there has been no official statement as to what Marc will be working at Palm, it isn’t hard to image that he could have a role in helping Palm revamp the email client bundled with all new Palm OS Treo smartphones.

One-handed Navigation

One-handed navigation has become a popular feature on Palm OS devices.  When developing the Treo 700w, Palm worked closely with Microsoft to bring one-handed navigation to the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform.  By bringing one-handed navigation to the Windows Mobile platform, Palm has created a differentiating feature that is not available out of the box on other Windows Mobile phones.

Even though Palm’s implementation of one-handed navigation on Windows Mobile is good, there is a still lot of room for improvement.  Unlike one-handed navigation on the Palm OS, the navigation on Windows Mobile isn’t fully implemented.  During my evaluation period with a Verizon Treo 700wx, I often found myself pulling out the stylus to tap pull down menus and other objects at the top or bottom of the screen.  Windows Mobile is now a key part of Palm’s corporate strategy going forward.  Here’s to hoping that one-handed navigation is improved when Palm begins using Windows Mobile 6.0 in future Treo smartphones.

In conclusion

Overall the software written for the Palm OS platform is easy to use for novice and seasoned users alike.  The Windows Mobile operating system doesn’t flow as easily as the Palm OS does.  To their credit, Palm has made in roads smoothing out what I believe are the rough edges.  No piece of software is perfect and there will always be things that customers and developers alike will want to see changed and enhanced.  If there are features that you would like to see added to your favorite application, then go a head and ask for them.  Many developers feature discussion forums on their websites.  These are great places to communicate with the developers and share ideas with other customers.

What are some of your pet software peeves?  Let us know in the forums.