• hp,  touchpad,  web os

    HP TouchPad – $100 Off This Weekend Only

    HP is running a $100 instant rebate promotion this weekend only (Friday – Sunday) on their new webOS 3.0 TouchPad when you purchase the tablet online directly from the HP.com website.

    I have mixed feeling about the TouchPad.  In the time since I purchased my Palm Pre, the webOS market share has failed to catch on.  Then, once it became painfully clear that HP and Sprint would not bringing webOS to the Pre and Pixi smartphones, nor where they going to released updated models, HP “graciously” offered early Pre owners $50 off the TouchPad.  Now, less than 60 days after launch, HP is cutting the price of the TouchPads by $100.  This weekend only, the 16GB TouchPad is $299 and the 32GB model is $399.

    If you are inclined to get a tablet, and don’t want an iPad, or confused by all the various Google Android tablets, then the HP TouchPad is probably the device for you.  If you don’t need a massive selection of apps.

  • developer,  hp,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    Meta-Doctoring: Part 5 – Sign of Life Check [Updated x2]

    The installation of the meta-doctored webOS 2.1.0 install has completed!

    Now the hard part – making sure everything is still working!

    Update: All features and functions of webOS 2.1 appear to be working! Whoo-hoo!

    On the agenda for the post software load is to:

    1. See if I can log into one of my Palm profiles – Working!
    2. Verify that webOS is running as expected – Working!
    3. Connect to a Wi-Fi hot spot – Working!
    4. Verify developer mode is on or can be activated – Working! (webos20090606)
    5. Restore my Sprint PRL software – Working! (no update possible going forward)
    6. Install the latest build of Preware – Working!
    7. Apply some basic patches – Working!
    8. Apply software tweaks from the webos-internals.org webOS 2 upgrade wiki post – Working!
    9. Backup the Pre to my alternate Palm profile – Working!
    10. Access the HP App Catalog, install software – Working!
    11. GPS access – Working!

  • developer,  hp,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    Meta-Doctoring: Part 4 – Building the New Doctor File

    Continuing to play around with applying an unofficial version of webOS 2.1.0 to my Sprint Original Palm Pre smartphone, I’ve installed all the required tools to get the job done.

    I’ve also taken the precaution to backup my PRL software so I can continue to apply Sprint preferred roaming list updates once the upgrade to webOS 2.1.0 has completed.

    Now, I’m running the Unix command line tools on my Mac to download the webOS 2 doctor files, mash them all together, and churn out a new custom meta-doctored webOS doctor restore file.

    There is a lot of Unix “gook” scrolling across my Terminal window which, I have to admit, not being a Unix/Linux propeller head, I have no idea what it’s doing.  (I know my limits and I’m not a programmer nor am I a Unix geek.  I know just enough Unix and Linux to get myself in to serious trouble!)

    So, with Daft Punk’s Tron soundtrack thumping in the back ground, the lights down low, I’ll grab my eighth Diet Coke for this project, and get to installing the new webOS Doctor!

  • developer,  hp,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    Meta-Doctoring: Part 2 [Updated]

    Last night I got the bright idea to “meta-doctor”my Sprint Palm Pre to run webOS 2.1.0.

    After spending hours researching, reading, re-reading, and lots of download, hard resetting, and rebooting…phew!…I think I’m ready to start on the process of “doctoring” a version of HP webOS 2.1.0 to run on my Palm Pre.

    Here is a little sample of what the process looks like so far:

    Unix commands being executed to install required software.

    Exciting, huh?

    Update:

    The Meta-Doctor and GIT tools have been installed successfully!

  • developer,  hp,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    “Meta-Doctoring” My Original Sprint Pre

    Who am I to let a little thing like an OEM/wireless carrier spat get in the way of all of the fun an excitement of running webOS 2.x on my original Sprint Pre (some would refer to my webOS phone as the Sprint Pre Minus)?

    I don’t think so, either.  So with a new found bravery of software hacking my Pre smartphone (I also carry a company issued Motorola Droid Pro with me all the time), I’m researching all of the ninja-like things I’m going to have to do to mash up a Sprint Pre compatible version of webOS 2.1.0 together.

    Reading the webOS Internals official wiki on the subject reads like a splashy summer murder mystery thriller.  You need to grab an unofficial build of webOS 2 that isn’t customized for Sprint.  Then you need to download some tools that developers use to write software.  For extra fun, I’ll need to take a trip to the Unix command line of my Pre using something called “Novacomm”.

    At the end of the process, if all goes well, I’ll have a Sprint Pre running webOS 2.1.0 working with Sprint’s network.  Oh, some things like Sprint Navigation may no longer work, but I use Google Navigation on my Droid Pro for directions in the car now.  I may also lose the ability to receive Sprint Roaming Profile Lists (RPLs), but hey, that’s life in the fast lane for ya.

    Now, I’m not really a risk taker when it matters.  I plan on using a separate Palm Profile account, not my primary one until I have confirmed that I have a (mostly) stable install on my phone.  Once you upgrade to webOS 2.x, your webOS 1.x profile is converted and I don’t believe that there is a way to downgrade it once you’ve stepped up to webOS 2.  I’ve also backed up my USB partition to my Mac’s hard drive.  And lastly, if things go really wrong, it looks like I’ll be able to download the webOS Doctor file for the Sprint Pre and revert the phone back to an official webOS 1.4.5 build.

    Just call me “Greg House, MD” this weekend.

    (And yes, for my long time readers, the role of vicodin as seen in “House, M.D.” will be replaced by a constant stream of cold cans of Diet Coke.)

  • apple,  hp,  iphone,  pre,  sprint

    Sprint Loses 101,000 Post-Paid Customers

    Sprint reported their quarterly earning and dropped a “small” detail that they lost 101,000 post-paid customers.  They expected to lose “just” 15,000.

    In an article posted by AppleInsider today, they write:

    “In its latest quarter, Sprint posted a net loss of 101,000 subscribers, far higher than the 15,000 loss analysts had expected it to suffer. In contrast, AT&T added 331,000 subscribers and Verizon added 1.3 million, aided by news sales of 2.3 million iPhones.”

    It seems that I really love underdogs; first Palm, and now Sprint.  If only they had the HP Pre3 or the Apple iPhone.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

  • handspring,  hp,  palm desktop,  palm os,  visor,  web os

    Migrating Data from Palm OS 3 and 4 Devices to webOS 1, 2 or 3 Devices

    Through a very long string of back channel communications, I have received a question about moving data from a Handspring Visor Deluxe to a webOS device; I think it was a Pre.

    There is no direct way to move data between a Palm OS device and a device that is running webOS.  Both operating systems were developed by Palm before being acquired by HP, but the underlying technologies are vastly different.  But there is still hope for people looking to move data from an old Palm OS device to a new webOS smartphone or tablet.

    Keep reading for suggestions on how to move your data.

    The easiest option is to work with a Palm OS device that is capable of HotSync’ing with Palm Desktop on a Windows XP machine.

    You will need to start by downloading Palm Desktop if you don’t already have it installed.  Once you have your data synchronize with your PC, use the File > Export commands to backup your data.  You will need to do this for the Address Book/Contacts, Date Book/Calendar, To-Do List/Tasks, and Notes/Memos one at a time.  Backing up your data helps make sure you that you can get back to where you started if something goes wrong.

    Next, you need to use the Data Migration Tool (DMT) to copy the data out of Palm Desktop and into a location that a webOS device, like the Pre, Pre2, or TouchPad can talk to.  My personal suggestion is to move your Palm Desktop data into a Google account, as webOS was designed to work with Google’s Gmail and Calendar applications from the very beginning.  All the directions that you will need can be found on the HP website for the DMT. (Select Palm Desktop for Windows and select your webOS device from the drop down list to get started.)

  • hp,  touchpad,  web os

    HP TouchPad Goes On Sale July 1

    HP has announced that the Wi-Fi version of HP TouchPad will be available in the United States on July 1.

    HP’s first webOS tablet will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany a few days later and in Canada in mid-July, with availability scheduled to follow later this year in Italy and Spain, as well as in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore.

    HP TouchPad will be available from U.S. retailers, commercial resellers and direct from HP with the option of either 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage for $499.99 and $599.99, respectively. Preorders in North America and Europe will begin June 19.

    “What makes HP TouchPad a compelling alternative to competing products is webOS,” said Jon Rubinstein, senior vice president and general manager, Palm Global Business Unit, HP. “The platform’s unmatched features and flexibility will continue to differentiate HP products from the rest of the market for both personal and professional use. This is only the beginning of what HP’s scale can do with webOS.”

    With webOS, HP TouchPad users have a next-level multitasking experience, access to the web, premium audio playback with stereo speakers and Beats Audio™ technology, the ability to find information on the device or in the cloud using the Just Type feature, integrated access to their information with HP Synergy, and HP’s exclusive Touch to Share capability for sharing web addresses between HP TouchPad and compatible webOS phones.

    You can read the full press release on the HP website.