I believe Apple were perceived to almost dismissively offer remote web apps which require internet access as a replacement for local apps with access to APIs, a

I believe Apple were perceived to almost dismissively offer remote web apps which require internet access as a replacement for local apps with access to APIs, and it quite obviously is not a very good substitute. On the other hand, Palm are offering their web development platform as a first-class platform where the applications look, act like, and feel like native applications, as well as providing full interfaces to local APIs. I don't think games are that important. The Sims sold 16 million copies, but no-one bought a PC simply to play The Sims. I think the same is true for phones - for the vast majority of people it's a nicety rather than a true selling point.