• developer,  hp,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    Meta-Doctoring: Part 2 [Updated]

    July 30, 2011 /

    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!

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  • developer,  hp,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    “Meta-Doctoring” My Original Sprint Pre

    July 30, 2011 /

    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.)

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  • apple,  hp,  iphone,  pre,  sprint

    Sprint Loses 101,000 Post-Paid Customers

    July 29, 2011 /

    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…]

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  • pre,  rumors,  sprint,  web os

    Rumor: Sprint webOS Customers Get Shafted. Again.

    July 9, 2011 /

    It’s tough to be a webOS fan.  Especially on Sprint.  If it wasn’t bad enough that Sprint Pre and Pixi customers have been left out in the cold for the webOS 2.0 party, but now a new rumor from a reliable source is saying that the Pre3 won’t be coming to Sprint.

    “Today the folks over at This Is My Next cited a “trusted source” in saying that the Pre3 – or any other webOS device – will not be coming to Sprint. We know a lot of you just died a little bit inside, and that’s not the news you wanted to hear today. On the flipside of the same coin, we’ve heard from plenty of “I talked to an HP rep” crowd that have heard that the Pre3 is coming to Sprint, along with Verizon and AT&T. You can hold out hope if you want, but trusted sources trump chatter in our book.”

    I was in line at 6am to one of the first people to get a Palm Pre on launch day.  With webOS market share below 5% in the US and the Pre3 not coming to Sprint any time soon, it just reaffirms my decision to switch phones this fall when the iPhone 5 goes live.  The only question that really remains is whether or not Sprint will get the iPhone 5.  If they do, I’ll say with Sprint to grandfather in my unlimited data plan. If Sprint doesn’t get the iPhone 5, then I’m looking to head over to AT&T Wireless.

    [Via PreCentral.net…]

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  • apple,  iphone,  rumors,  sprint

    Rumor: Sprint iPhone Being Tested

    June 10, 2011 /

    From 9to5Mac.com:

    “Sources tell 9to5Mac that a version of the iPhone for Sprint’s network is currently in advanced testing. The physical design of this device is akin to the iPhone 4 of today, so this might be the iPhone 4S device with support for all carriers that we have been dreaming up and hearing whispers about. Apple is said to have ordered Sprint-compatible cell towers for use on their campus – for testing – in late 2010. Apple similarly tested the Verizon iPhone against Verizon cell towers on their campus months before the product’s release.”

    Keep reading…

    [Via 9to5Mac.com…]

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  • apple,  iphone,  rumors,  sprint

    Rumor: More On Possible Sprint iPhone 4S This Fall

    May 17, 2011 /

    Late last week there was some new chatter about the fifth generation iPhone being an evolutionary upgrade and the next iPhone would be the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4S is rumored to coming to T-Mobile and Sprint this fall. Well, it looks like that rumor just became a little bit more credible.

    Last week, Peter Misek, an analyst for investment firm Jeffries & Co. wrote that the new iPhone would have “minor” cosmetic differences over today’s iPhone 4; that it would include the A5 processor, and have improved cameras.
    Today, Electronista.com staff point out that Apple has a new job posting up for a Kansas City, Missouri based “carrier engineer” and would “be responsible for getting technical certification of devices[.]”
    Ok, I think this is a good news/bad news thing. Since I like to get bad news first, I’ll take this in reverse order. The bad news is that I’m not going to purchase another webOS phone or tablet to replace my aging Palm Pre smartphone. The good news, if this rumor is in fact true, I won’t have to leave Sprint, with whom I’m happy, to get a pair of iPhones when they become available. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy being contract free.

    [Via Electronista.com…]

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  • apple,  iphone,  rumors,  sprint,  tmobile

    Rumor: Sprint, T-Mobile iPhone 4S This Fall

    May 14, 2011 /

    Well, well, well, maybe I spoke too soon about Sprint not getting the iPhone.

    Take the following with a heaping helping of salt, Morton’s is my favorite brand, but Peter Misek, an analyst for investment firm Jeffries Co. has released a research note indicating that the next iPhone will be called “iPhone 4S” and will be released for both Sprint and T-Mobile here in the United States.

    “Citing industry checks, he said the fifth-generation iPhone will arrive in September with “minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support.” New carriers are expected to include Sprint, T-Mobile, and China Mobile.”

    The research note also points to comments made by Apple COO Tim Cook, that Apple won’t release an LTE 4G version of the iPhone until the LTE chip set technology evolves to a point that does not cause the company to have to make compromises that could negatively impact the customer experience.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

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  • att,  bell,  hp,  pixi,  pre,  sprint,  verizon,  web os

    Rumor: HP webOS 1.4.5.1 Update On The Way

    May 8, 2011 /

    Call it a parting gift.  Call it a party favor.  Heck, it might as well be a case of Turtle Wax or a year’s supply of Rice-A-Roni, but HP is allegedly pushing out a very small maintenance update for devices running webOS 1.4.5.

    HP webOS 1.4.5.1 weighs in at an underwhelming 1MB and is reported to a bug fix release.  I’ve been checking my Sprint Pre for the last two days and there has been no notice of a new patch in the Updates application.  I’ve also checked the HP Palm support website, and the webOS Updates pages for the Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi, and Pixi Plus for Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and Bell don’t list any updates.

    Someone keeping watch over the Twitter @webOSdev account claims the update is real and that they are “just cleaning up some bugs.”  Hopefully, one of the bugs that will get fixed in the update is the annoying HTML tag error in the Contacts notes field that was fixed in webOS 2.x, but not in the 1.4.x software line.

    I’ll keep an eye out for the webOS 1.4.5.1 update and let you know if it finally arrives on my original Sprint Palm Pre.  The Palm webOS 1.4.5 update was first rolled out for the Sprint Palm Pre on August 10, 2010.  Additionally, HP has not yet released the details of their “alternative plans” are for customers who, according to them, will not be receiving the HP webOS 2.0 update.

    [Via PreCentral.net…]

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  • hp,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    webOS 2.x for the Sprint Pre? Probably Not.

    May 2, 2011 /

    There is an interesting thread that I picked up this weekend over at PreCentral.net, thanks to last Friday’s Pre Doodle cartoon.

    It seems that PreCentral forum member “zacky59” chatted with a Sprint customer service rep and inquired about webOS 2.x being released for the Sprint Pre and Pixi.  The Sprint CSR told the customer that an update was coming as early as May 2, 2011.

    I don’t think that this is a hoax or anything on zacky59’s part.  I just don’t believe that Sprint will be releasing an update for a 2-year old smartphone.  Time has passed the original Pre and Pixi by.  HP is has moved on to the Pre 2, the Veer, the Pre3, and their new tablet, the TouchPad.  I’d be shocked if Sprint and HP roll out an update to webOS 2.-anything.

    How can I be so sure you ask?  What proof to do I have that an update is unlikely?  Beside the age of the phone, Sprint hasn’t announced any new plans for any of HP’s new webOS smartphones.  The webOS development team is hard at work on tweaking up webOS 2 for the Veer and the Pre3, not to mention webOS 3.0 for the TouchPad.  Aside from the thread, there has been no other blog coverage of an impending software update.  And lastly, HP, via their Palm website, clearly states that there is no update coming for the Sprint Pre.

    If you head over to the webOS 2.0 Update Info page, and enter the first five characters from a Sprint Pre, you are rewarded with the following message:

    “Your device is not able to support the new features of webOS 2.

    Therefore, your device will not receive a webOS 2 update. The latest software version for your device is webOS 1.4.5.”

    Now I did play with a legitimate beta build of webOS 2.0.1 on my Pre a few months ago.  Yes, it did run on my Pre.  No, it wasn’t fully finished or optimized for my hardware.  Think about the last time you upgraded your PC – the old one was working, but, gosh, it was slow.  Same thing holds true for webOS 2.0.1 on the Pre.

    Would I like to seen an optimized version of webOS 2 for my Pre be released this month from Sprint?  You betcha’!  But I’m not going to get my hopes up.

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  • android,  google,  ipad,  motorola,  sprint

    Motorola Sells 250,000 Xoom Tablets

    April 29, 2011 /

    Motorola Mobility, the handset and tablet device making spin off company from the Motorola mother ship recently announced their Q1, 2011 financials.

    According to BGR.com, Motorola shipped something north of 250,000 Xoom Android powered tablets.  Not too bad for a device that doesn’t have a fruit logo on the back, and certainly better than the ugly sales figures that are being tossed around by analysts for RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook.

    Motorola’s press material reads:

    “The Company shipped a total of 9.3 million mobile devices, including 4.1 million smartphones and more than 250,000 Motorola XOOM™ tablets. In the first quarter of 2010, the Company shipped 8.5 million mobile devices, including 2.3 million smartphones.”

     The good news for Motorola Mobility is that they are selling more Droid devices, smartphone and tablets, than they were a year ago and is holding their own against the pack of iPad wanna be devices.

    If you are looking to pick up a Moto Xoom, Sprint announced today that they will begin selling Wi-Fi only version of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb powered tablet starting on May 8 for the “low” price of $600.

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