The font of paid apps from the Official App Catalog has suddenly reversed itself. As we noted in the update below, Palm has pulled every paid app off of the Catalog due to a critical security bug uncovered by the fine and discerning folks at webos-internals.
We aren't going to discuss the exact nature of the bug, but we'll say it was big and, well, pretty obvious in retrospect. [Update: the bug does NOT involve your credit card information, which is safe] We don't know when Palm will bring paid apps back, but we hope it's soon. Like very soon, because we liked what we saw and got all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings when we had a chance to support the webOS development community with our hard-earned.
Chuq Von Rospach, Palm's Developer Community Manager, tweets that Apps should be back before sunup.
Update: Paid apps are back!
Comments
Ya I noticed that 15mins ago right when I wanted to purchase my first app wtf!!!
Strange, I wonder what happened. I had a problem with an app I downloaded, but I doubt that's what's going on. Seems like something to do with the credit card processing maybe??
Yikes! I hope that is not the case. I bought an app and I hope that I can rest easy and that my credit and ID is safe...Palm??? Can you respond?
It's a different type of issue. Don't worry about it. Your info should be as safe as its ever been.
Glad that issue is getting taken care of so quickly. While they're at it, can they fix the bug with those prices? I swear everything should be at least $1 cheaper (I'm looking at you, random number generator).
I know someone mentioned this in the forums but I wonder if they are working on fixing the bug that stalls the app catalog when attempting to download any application. It seems to lag for about a full minute or two before it actually downloads it, then again right before it installs. It's very frustrating. :-/
I bought the weatherbug and it works fine.. yes definately a little steap in price.. I saw some of the apps were $5, and I started laughing.. please no one buy an app for $5 or we will be paying these prices forever!
very happy pre owner!!
They won't be back up tonight. Won't be for a little while. It is a sizable bug that needs fixed before the second testing of the Paid App beta.
Since it has been stated that it is a "security issue" do you know if it is related to credit card processing or some other security thing? I have a guess, I think that it is related to the ability to update paid apps that were previously installed as Homebrew.
It doesn't have to do with stealing Credit Cards or anything else. It was a problem that basically gave free upgrades to people.
I thought so...which is why I said that in my post - :-)
I guess that is another reason why Palm wants to be able to remotely zap apps from your Pre. I notice with the GolfPinFinder it said i could update my version with the paid version in the catalog, and it didn't have a price associated with it. I bet I could have updated it to the full version without paying...thus Palm could zap it from my phone since I would have gotten it without paying for it.
Oh well, they better detail exactly what happened.
Ahhh -- that explains it. I paid for the AirHockey game, no issues. I got the confirmation and within minutes received a receipt. Then I went to pay for the FriendsFlow app which I already had downloaded from Homebrew, but it just updated it without charging me.
I might be wrong. Looks like Paid apps are coming back, Air Hockey and Block Drop are out again.
woow, i was just geting ready to hit the store, i was so excited but i like how palm takes care of the problem quickly its for our own good but yea they should fix those prices a little
Can someone enlighten us on this 'sizeable' bug?
Once its fixed, yes.
Someone on Engadget said all apps could be downloaded for free. Not sure if this is true however.
Doubtful, I had to put my CC info in before it would let me move on to the download.
It's entirely true. Through a couple of different very simple methods that most of us who know them aren't going into for the sake of the developers who put so much hard work into, it was possible to get paid apps for free. That's why it's been pulled, and that's the "security issue". Your data is completely safe (or at least as safe as it's ever been).
hope they add a trail
woow, i was just geting ready to hit the store, i was so excited but i like how palm takes care of the problem quickly its for our own good but yea they should fix those prices a little
Yeah like a lot of others I am freaking out about a 'security bug' that relates to paid apps and how it relates to my financial information. I dont care when its fixed I refuse to enter or provide any financial information into the palm server VIA my phone.
How are they processing these payments? How do we know its secure? Who is able to see my financial info? I really wish they had arrangements with paypal - at least then I have control over it and know a seller would never see it.
This doesn't affect credit card number security. It is purely a problem with how Palm determines IF you should pay for the app and incorrectly giving them away for free.
if you had a homebrew version or you made an app with the same appid as one in the catalog the catalog updated it for free, please correct me if I'm wrong.
P.S. I expected palm to run a better check then that.
Abe
woow, i was just geting ready to hit the store, i was so excited but i like how palm takes care of the problem quickly its for our own good but yea they should fix those prices a little
Being a bell user, it seems that we get no love(unless only mine is seriously f'd up). No 1.2.1 update available and I was never given the option to setup a credit card account to purchase apps nor have I seen any paid apps yet. I still see "beta" on my app catalog. Am I alone in this or are there other Bell users on the same boat?
The catalog still has the beta tag here in the US. To get to the CC info screen, go to preferences while in the catalog and tap "Add Account".
Bell didn't get the capability for paid apps in 1.2, and they never claimed to. If you check the changelog for the Bell 1.2 update, it didn't include anything to help support the new paid apps like the Sprint one did.
Booo
Thanks though
hope they add some better apps while their at it.... cuz i wasn't to impressed with what i seen. jmho
air hockey is still there by the way
what percentage of the profits from the apps goes to Palm?
30%
I noticed the paid apps today but will not pay for anything until they fix the out of memory situation! Why would I want to purchase something, only to discover it won't install because I don't have enough space. Actually, I have over 5GB free but for some reason Palm thinks this isn't enough. I like the HomeBrews and won't pay for anything more until this is fixed. Will there be a 1.2.2?
Because of this and several other serious flaws in the Pre, I purchase a new Blackberry for my wife yesterday (cost more than a Pre, too).
Well then, it looks like the joke is on your wife.
air hockey is back but not the others
blockdrop is back! . . .
they are coming back 109 apps
118 :)
124
back to 125, 9:42 PDT
Finally 1.2.1 is out for Canadians does anybody know why it took so long to get to Canada.
Probably all the translating that needed to be done :P
I think its funny that Palm is releasing paid apps, and I cannot give them my money, even if I want to because of the small app partition.
Smart move Palm, way to cut yourself off from the much needed cash flow.
The biggest problem with no paid apps for us Canadians is that many of the apps I'm using (like Tweed) are now paid apps. I can't get the benefit of updates and fixes that the app now will only do in the paid version.
This sucks.
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