I am not sure if this has been stated many times or not, but since this area is about personal reviews, I figured it couldn't hurt. First off, I have to say I love the Palm Pixi. I had a smartphone before (HTC Touch - for the last 2 years) and even though that wasn't a very good phone (compared to many others that have come out since), there was still no way I could go back to 'just a phone' again. Along with my smartphone, I still had to always carry around my iPod touch. Since I got the Palm Pixi, I stopped carrying around the iPod touch. In fact, I gave it to my wife. I have used the iPod touch since and had to fight the urge to swipe the bottom to go back. Just a testament to how natural the Pixi gestures really are.
Alright, the subject of this post is Quicklaunch Apps. And I think that this is exactly what this phone needs. When I first got the phone, I thought I would be able to open Apps and leave them open but have them hidden. I guess just like my Windows Mobile phone before. That way, the few apps I use all the time that I don't like waiting to open would be instant on when I press the button (touch screen) to activate them. But even better than that, until the WebOS platform has been optimized to the point where the Apps open much quicker, why not give us a Quicklaunch menu in the Launcher preferences. A simple menu where certain programs (strickly based on how much RAM they take up when running) can be selected for Quicklaunch. When you first turn the phone on, these apps would start up automatically (but remain hidden) or when running for the first time, after the program has been opened once it stays open (again remaining hidden after it's been closed). The phone handles multiple programs open at once so we all know it can handle this. And I am not talking allowing every app so that things grind to a halt and it hurts more than it helps. I am talking about allowing 2-3 small applications such as AccuWeather or PhotoDailer. Not music, videos or camera. This would mean that instead of being able to have 9-12 apps open at once on the Pixi, with Quicklaunch apps selected you could have between 6-9 apps open. More than enough for most. And since this would be optional, those that don't want to use it don't have to.
I really think that this would make a great phone all that much better. Thanks for reading.
