• homebrew,  hp,  touchpad,  web os

    webOS Homebrew: onTap Community Magazine

    August 29, 2012 /

    Who expected that in August 2012 I’d be writing about webOS again?  Not me.  But once again the small but dedicated Palm webOS community has surprised me.

    I was playing with my HP/alm TouchPad and came across the ‘Homebrew Pivot’ patch from the webOS onTap Community Magazine project while browsing Preware.

    Once the small patch is applied to your webOS device, the HP App Catalog Pivot feed is modified to point at the onTap magazine feed.  You can download and install the Tweaks patch, also available in Preware, to enable or disable the onTap patch and toggle the HP Pivot feed with the onTap homebrew feed.

    Right now the onTap writing team is putting the finishing touches on their first issue and should be out in the next week or two.  I’ll be sure to post an update article when the feed goes live and the first issue is published.  The sample pages (see below) that have been developed by the onTap writing staff look just as polished and professional as did the content developed by HP.

    As a long time fan of Palm (and Palm support forums moderator and blogger and podcaster) and their products, I’m really interested to see what the editorial staff at onTap has, well, on tap, for us.  (Sorry, about the obligatory pun.)

    For more information, there are a number of places you can check out online:

    Website: http://www.webosontap.com
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/webOSonTap/
    Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/webOSonTap
    Google+: https://plus.google.com/103118434017670797778/

    webOS Nations Forums

    HP’s Pivot Spring issue

    onTap’s Place Holder on the TouchPad

    onTap Preview Screen Shots

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  • facebook,  homebrew,  lifestyle,  palm,  pixi,  pre,  web os

    Palm Updates (Beta) Facebook Client

    November 22, 2010 /

    The other day I posted that new mobile Facebook clients for iOS, BlackBerry OS, and Google Android had popped up in their respective app stores.  On Friday evening, Palm posted their v1.4.5 update to the beta Facebook client which now includes support for the Facebook Paces feature.

    To learn more about how to install Palm beta applications on your webOS phone, hit the “Read more” link for some helpful information on how to get started.


    Since this is a beta application, it doesn’t show up in the App Catalog – version 1.4.0 shows up there, which introduced support for multiple webOS cards for Facebook.  (Think of webOS “cards” as separate browser windows or tabs.)

    To install the beta version of the Palm Facebook client, you must first install two pieces of software: WebOS Quick Install on your PC, and Preware on your Palm webOS phone.

    If you are unfamiliar with Homebrew apps, or installing WebOS Quick Install, then head over to PreCentral.net where you can read all about Homebrew apps and for the download and directions for installing WebOS Quick Install (free PreCentral forums registration is required.)

    Once you have WebOS Quick Install loaded on your Palm webOS phone, you are ready to install Preware, which is a fairly easy task when you use WebOS Quick Install.

    After you have installed Preware and launched it on your webOS phone, you can search for Facebook and find the beta client.  You install apps in the Palm beta channel the same way you install applications in Palm’s App Catalog and you’re ready to rock-n-roll.  To check for future updates to the beta Facebook client, launch Preware on your Palm every now and again and check the Updates section of the Preware screen.

    Sure, this all sounds really geeky and strange if you haven’t played with Homebrew apps on your Palm Pre or Pixi before, but it is really easy to do and opens the door to hundreds of great app that aren’t available directly from Palm.

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  • homebrew,  hp,  pixi,  pre,  web os

    Glass Effect Launcher webOS Patch

    August 23, 2010 /

    One of the cool things about Palm’s webOS is that they are pretty cool with the third-party developers and home Homebrew applications.

    Having said that, Glass Effect Launcher is my favorite webOS patch to date.  It is also the first patch I’ve ever applied to my Sprint edition Palm Pre.  As the name applies, when you apply the patch, the stock grey background in the webOS app launcher is replaced by a Windows Vista looking smoked glass background. 

    The photos above show what my app launcher and Universal Search screens look like after applying the patch.  I think that patch give webOS a more refined and finished look than that boring grey background.  Hopefully HP and Palm will add some more refinements in webOS 2.0 that will give our favorite little OS that could a more grown up and professional feel to it.

    To learn more about Glass Effect Launcher, check out the patch’s thread over on PreCentral.  If you want to learn more about Homebrew apps and how to get them installed on your Palm webOS smartphone, check out PreCentral’s Homebrew Apps Gallery.

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  • homebrew,  pixi,  pre,  web os

    Palm: Don’t Overclock Your Phone

    March 28, 2010 /

    PreCentral.net has posted an official statement from Palm on the webOS hacker community’s attempt to speed up their phones running webOS.

    In the brief statement posted on the PreCentral.net website, Palm writes:

    “We have had a number of questions about the recently released “overclocking” patches and what Palm’s position on them are.

    Palm is working hard to improve the speed and performance of webOS, as shown in our recent 1.4 update. While we appreciate the effort the webOS community has put forth to try and help us along that path, the use of this application is neither endorsed nor recommended by Palm and will likely result in a voided warranty. Palm encourages webOS users to let Palm release official updates that provide safe, reliable, over-the-air features that improve their device in a number of areas, as we have in the past at a rate of approximately once per month.”

    There you have it, folks. Overclock your Palm Pre or Pixi at your own risk! If you you overclock your phone, and you end up getting burned, Palm is going to charge you to repair or replace your phone.

    You can read the full article on the PreCentral website.

    [Via PreCentral.net…]

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