Study finds the Palm Pre App Catalog user-friendly but option light

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It seems that when it comes to apps for the Palm Pre, one group of users has one hand clapping while the other is outstretched like Oliver saying, ‘Please, sir, I want some more.’

Strategy Analytics, a Massachusetts-based research and consulting firm, asked a dozen mobile-savvy users in San Diego recently about their experiences with the Palm App Catalog. They were asked to spend at least five minutes browsing and to come up with five apps they were interested in.

Unanimously, these users found the store’s interface intuitive and easy to navigate but did have some complaints, according to the report.

‘While the App Catalog contains desirable and recognizable content, the volume of content overall is lacking,’ the report found.

At the time of the study, there were fewer than 60 apps in the Palm store. This is one of the challenges of entering a game that’s been defined and dominated by other players -- especially when they’ve trained smart-phone users and wannabes to expect more apps than you can easily scroll through in a day. According to Palm, more than 150,000 apps were downloaded on the first day the Pre was available to consumers.

Most of these testers seemed to gravitate to the familiar: Pandora Radio, Good Food -- Restaurants Near You, AccuWeather, AP News and Craigslist, the report said.

And although they found navigation and search through the store straightforward and understandable, the App Catalog’s pricing structure left them a bit baffled, according to the report. Currently, each app displays ‘$Try me’ when listed and when it’s selected. The users wondered whether that meant it was a trial or for purchase -- or whether a fee might kick in later.

So far, everything in the App Catalog is a free trial. No prices are currently listed with apps, nor is an expiration date for trial periods.

‘Purchase details of content are not clearly defined, leaving users unsure if they are downloading a trial version of the item or the complete version,’ according to the report.

-- Michelle Maltais

What’s your take on the Palm Pre App Catalog and its offerings? Share your thoughts in the comments below.