Apple, Google, and RIM have done it before, and now Palm's on-device app store allows you to download 5,000 apps and games—including 1,000 for free—from a Palm device such as the Centro or Treo Pro. It requires a download of the app store software from PocketGear, which is the hosting store. And it contains both Palm OS and Windows Mobile programs.

This news follows the buzz surrounding a new Palm platform, to be unveiled at CES next month. On Thursday, Palm announced it will launch its new mobile OS, Nova, at the giant electronics show in January.

Will the Palm app store be as big as the Apple App Store? It's doubtful; nothing is or will be for some time to come, if ever. But, then again, it doesn't have to be for Palm to be successful. As long as it makes it easier for current customers to download and install software; if it does that, then the struggling Palm OS (at least) should get the boost Palm needs keep it afloat until devices built on Nova become the norm.

With that in mind, Palm's Nova platform should be backwards compatible with the Garnet OS (the current Palm platform). Developers won't be happy if all of a sudden the time and investment they put into building the tens of thousands of Palm OS apps currently available has gone to naught.

Judy Mottl at sister site InternetNews.com has some more thoughts on Palm's mobile app plans.

James Alan Miller contributed to this article.