• pre,  rumors,  sprint,  web os

    Palm webOS 1.2 Leaks Out to Pre Smartphones

    September 5, 2009 /

    PreCentral.net is reporting that at least two people managed to download and install the Palm webOS 1.2 update on their Pre smartphones.

    The leak apparently came by way of the last resort reset option for a Pre that is not working correctly, called the “webOS Doctor“. When the customer ran the Palm utility that reloads the OS on the phone, surprise surprise, Palm webOS 1.2 was loaded!

    Looks like some webOS 1.2 goodness is on it’s way to us soon. Let’s just hope that Palm has taken the time to address the numerous Bluetooth issues with hands free links in many popular vehicles.

    Check out some screen shots over on PreCentral.net.

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  • apple,  iphone,  pre

    Consumer Reports: Palm Pre vs. Apple iPhone

    September 5, 2009 /

    The September 2009 edition of the Consumer Reports magazine has a 1/3 page “mini review” of the Palm Pre as it compares against the Apple iPhone 3G S. There is even a video review of the two phones on the Consumer Reports website.

    As readers of this blog know, the iPhone and the Palm Pre have a lot in common and the decision as to which one is right for you will end up coming down to personal style and preference. I like the ease of use of the iPhone, however, the primary use for my smartphone is email, and for that I want a physical keyboard and so the Pre wins.

    The article in Consumer Reports is short, you can read it while in the check out line, you’ll want to pick this issue up at your favorite newsstand because the issue also contains a good review of portable GPS units and reviews of the best drugs for allergies, colds, and the flu – a must for anyone who has kids heading back to school.

    For more details, check out the Consumer Reports website.

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  • pre,  web os

    New Apps in Palm App Catalog

    September 3, 2009 /

    I noticed that there where a handful of new applications in Palm’s App Catalog today. The new applications that you will find in the App Catalog are:

    • DirectTV NFL Mobile
    • Tip ’em!
    • Translator
    • The Globe And Mail
    • TMaps – DC
    • Express Horoscopes
    • wikiHow
    • Dumb Waiter
    • Zilch Lite
    • PhotoDialer
    • UberPass
    • Lemonade
    • CoinFlip

    I’m glad to see this large batch of apps appearing in the “official” software catalog for the Pre. I’ve downloaded and Zilch Lite (a dice game) and CoinFlip (yes, it does what you think – some might even call it an executive decision support tool). I’m planning on taking a look at PhotoDialer and UberPass (Hey, DataViz! Where are Documents To Go and Passwords Plus?!)

    To get your apps on, head over to the App Catalog on your Pre.

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  • motionapps,  palm desktop,  pre

    MotionApps Demos HotSync Support for Classic

    September 3, 2009 /

    MotionApps, the company behind the Palm OS 5 emulation software for webOS, has posted a new video to YouTube to demonstrate the upcoming support for HotSync.

    In the video, Motion shows how you will be able to HotSync the Classic software to Palm Desktop on your computer using a Wi-Fi connection. In the video, the person leading the demonstration appears to be using Palm Desktop 6.2 by ACCESS, not the older, Palm Desktop 4.1.4 or 4.2 that shipped with some of Palm’s most popular PDA handhelds and Centro smartphone.

    I’ve purchased a copy of Classic because I’ve come to rely on DataViz Passwords Plus for keeping my personal data secure and available to me all the time. When the Wi-Fi HotSync feature comes to Classic I’ll be looking to resume using the Passwords Plus desktop application to help manage my personal data.

    Check out the MotionsApps Classic HotSync demo on YouTube or click the video below.

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  • apple,  mac os x,  markspace,  pre

    Upgrading to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

    August 30, 2009 /

    This past Friday, Apple unleashed the latest version of Mac OS X, 10.6 Snow Leopard. Snow Leopard looks amazingly a lot like Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, which is one of the reasons why Apple is only charging $29 for the OS upgrade. While Snow Leopard may not look very different from Leopard, the latest Mac OS X upgrade from Apple focuses on enhancements to the OS code rather than flashy new features.

    Palm users, specifically those who are using Palm OS 5 and earlier devices, will want to take note of the changes in the latest release of Mac OS X.
    As previously reported, Apple is no longer supporting the Palm OS sync conduit in the iSync software. If you want to continue to sync your Palm OS 5 and earlier device with Apple’s built-in PIM applications, you will need to purchase, or upgrade, to the latest version of Mark/Space The Missing Sync for Palm OS. As with every operating system upgrade, not everything transitions to the new operating system 100% cleanly. Mark/Space is reporting minor incompatibilities with their Mac OS production, which includes the Missing Sync for Palm OS. To help customers get everything working correctly again, Mark/Space has posted a Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard software compatibility matrix.
    When installing Snow Leopard on my 2007 while MacBook, I was informed that parts of Palm Desktop 4.2.1 Rev D required the installation of the Mac OS X Rosetta module. Rosetta is the Apple module that allows you to run older applications written for the PowerPC platform on Macs that have Intel chips inside. Since I ‘m using a Palm Pre these days, I chose to not install the Rosetta software and instead uninstalled Palm Desktop from my Mac.
    And speaking of the Palm Pre, I had no trouble mounting the Pre’s storage volume to my Mac’s desktop to copy files to and from the phone. I was also able to sync the Pre to iTunes 8.2.1 using the Media Sync feature; however that may change on September 9, when Apple is expected to unveil iTunes 9 along side new iPod models.
    I should also mention that Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is the first version of Apple’s Mac OS X that only supports Macintosh computers that have Intel processors. If your Mac has “Power” in the name, like PowerMac G5, this is a not-t0-subtle hint that it is time to upgrade your Mac.
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  • pre,  web os

    How Many Apps Do You Have on Your Pre?

    August 25, 2009 /

    I ran across an interesting, let’s call it an “anomaly” because I think “problem” or “issue” is too strong a word right now, with the Pre and installing applications.

    I’ve noticed that there are some people who are reporting that they are getting out of space errors when attempting to install applications, official or homebrew, on their Palm Pre smartphones.

    The number of apps for webOS that Palm has in their App Catalog is really small when compared with the number of applications that are available for the iPhone or even the Palm OS platform. That said, there is a vibrant underground community of webOS application developers who are developing what are being called homebrew applications for the webOS platform. If you aren’t familiar with homebrew apps for the Pre, check out the PreCentral.net website as they have some really good resources for getting homebrew apps on your Pre and have a homebrew app gallery going.

    The interesting thing is that some, definitely not all, are reporting that after installing some number of applications on their Pre, they start getting the out of space warning when attempting to install a new application. The kicker is that there is plenty of free space for a small HTML, CSS, and JavaScript application on the device. In the few cases I was reading about, people are installing some 50+ apps on their Pre, with one user reporting an issue trying to load the 100th app on his Pre. And I thought I had a lot with my 8 downloads from the App Catalog.

    Are you suffering from too many apps on your Pre? If so, let us know by clicking the Comments link below and dropping us a line.

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  • pre,  web os

    Palm Announces App Catalog E-Commerce Beta

    August 18, 2009 /

    Earlier today, Palm announced that they are now accepting submissions for paid applications to the App Catalog. The App Catalog e-commerce beta program will help ensure Palm and application developers are ready to offer paid, commercial applications to Palm webOS users.

    As part of the App Catalog e-commerce beta program for the Palm Pre phone and future Palm webOS devices, developers will receive a 70/30 split (developer/Palm) of gross revenues generated through application sales (less applicable sales taxes). Customers will be able to easily purchase applications using Visa and MasterCard credit cards. Further details about the program and distribution model will be provided in the coming weeks. Palm expects to launch the full developer program in the United States this fall.

    “We’re rolling out the submission process and e-commerce capabilities of the Palm App Catalog with careful consideration for both the developer and customer,” said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. “We want every part of the Palm webOS experience to be the best, and a strong e-commerce model is key to a thriving developer community, great apps and an excellent customer experience.”

    More information about how developers can submit an application for the beta e-commerce program, as well as criteria for application acceptance, is available on the Palm Developer Network blog at http://pdnblog.palm.com/.

    I’m glad to see that Palm is moving forward with getting their act together with paid applications for Palm webOS. I recently was talking to one developer who stated that they where holding back applications until Palm was ready to start building out their infrastructure for paid applications. The good news it that once the App Catalog payment system is put in place, I’m expecting that to see more applications being added to the App Catalog with a much greater frequency.

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

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  • bluetooth,  pre

    Report Your Pre Bluetooth Car Kit Issues

    August 10, 2009 /

    Pre owners, are you having using the Bluetooth features of your smartphone with your vehicle’s Bluetooth car kit? If so, Palm wants to hear from you.

    I have been working with the other moderators at Palm’s Support Community Forums to identify issues between the Pre and Bluetooth car kits. We have been working to collect data from Pre users to identify which make and model year cars are having issues with the hope of being able to enhance Bluetooth support in future versions of webOS. The kind of information that is being collected is:

    • Make/Model:

    • Year:
    • 
Carkit Model info (Manufacturer, firmware version, etc):
    • Details of problem: (e.g. pairing drops, static on the line, buttons mapped incorrectly, etc)
    • 
webOS version:
    • 
Included in compatibility list:

    Palm’s Pre Bluetooth compatibility list can be found on the Palm website. Once you have gathered the information specific to your vehicle, you can post that data in Palm’s Bluetooth support forum.

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  • notifylink,  pre,  web os

    NotifyLink for Palm webOS Arriving in September

    August 3, 2009 /

    NotifyCorp, the makers of the wireless email and PIM bridging middleware software, NotifyLink, has posted a new teaser for the Pre on their website. The previous teaser only stated that the new client was “coming soon.”

    As you can see, the teaser says that the webOS client for the Pre will be arriving in September. There is no word at this time whether or not you will need to upgrade to NotifyLink Enterprise Server 4.7 or if you will be able to plug the new client software into existing NotifyLink 4.5 or 4.6 servers.

    I’ll post more details when I get them. If you are not familiar with NotifyLink, you can learn more about it on the NotifyCorp website.

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  • apple,  itunes,  pre,  web os

    Palm Releases webOS 1.1.0 Update

    July 25, 2009 /

    On Thursday afternoon, Palm released the webOS 1.1.0 update for the Pre smartphone. There is a laundry list of fixes and enhancements that are delivered in this update, including a patch that “resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (8.2.1).”

    In addition to correcting the iTunes, um “issue,” Palm has also baked in updates for calendar, camera, clock, contacts, email, messaging, phone, system, web, and YouTube. As with all Palm webOS updates, the package can be downloaded and installed to the Pre, over the air, by using the Updates application. The webOS 1.1.0 update runs just under 90MB and will take a few minutes to download and verify before the update can be installed on your phone.

    I installed this update first thing on Friday morning and I did notice some improvement in cellular coverage while I was at the office. I’m not sure if that just happened to be a coincidence or due to the software update. I’ll have to keep and eye on the phone over the next few days to see for sure.

    I’m also excited to see that Palm has restored the ability to sync the Pre with iTunes. I know that doubleTwist is a great free option for doing the exact same thing as the Media Sync feature with iTunes, however, I’d rather sync my Pre to my Mac without having to install any extra software. This situation is probably temporary as I’m sure Apple will try to counter Palm’s counter move. So I’ll be sure to enjoy it while it lasts. And when Apple does finally pull the plug on Palm’s iTunes sync ambitions for good, I’ll make the jump to doubleTwist.

    To read all the details about Palm webOS 1.1.0, check out the Pre webOS update page.

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