• 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • apple,  itunes,  web os

    Apple Blocks Pre’s Media Sync Feature

    July 16, 2009 /

    Apple, with the release of iTunes 8.2.1 earlier today, has blocked the Media Sync feature in Palm webOS on the Pre from syncing with the popular jukebox software.

    Dieter Bohn writes for PreCentral.net:

    “According to Apple’s surprisingly forthcoming release notes:

    iTunes 8.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple Devices.

    We were wondering if this day would come after the back and forth between Apple and Palm on the issue. It’s as-yet unclear exactly what method Apple is using to block Pre sync, but we suspect is wasn’t easy. …Which means we also suspect it might not be easy for Palm to turn it back on.”

    As a long time Apple fan and customer (I received my first Apple computer, the Apple //e, back in 1984) I’m really put off by this move. Just last night I was purchasing more iTunes Plus music (new tracks and upgrades from previously purchased Fairplay DRM tracks) so that I can put more content on my Pre. I’ll also mention that I’m not clueless to what is going on either: Apple makes little to no money from music sales. The really money made from the iTunes music store is the sale of iPhones and iPods. I get it, really I do. But I’ve purchased three iPods already. I really don’t need a new iPod and I really don’t want an iPhone, because, unlike what Mr. Jobs said at the iPhone announcement, I really do want a physical keyboard on my device. Soft keyboards are terrible in my opinion.

    So now the stand off starts. How long can I hold back on the previous version of iTunes before I’m forced to upgrade to a newer release that prevents my Pre from syncing? I do purchase a lot of TV shows from the iTunes store to watch on my iPod touch, my MacBook, and my Apple TV. I may be forced to upgrade iTunes on my Mac, but I’ll be disabling the Apple Software Update feature on my Windows Vista Ultimate box.

    Pre users, what are you planning on doing? Are you going to hang back with me, or are you going to upgrade and use one of the third-party solutions to sync iTunes to your Pre such as doubleTwist or the Missing Sync for the Pre?

    Click the comments link below and let your voices be heard!

    [Via PreCentral.net…]

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  • pre,  rumors,  web os

    Rumor: Palm Preparing webOS 1.1 Update

    July 13, 2009 /

    PreCentral.net is reporting that Palm is working on the next update to the Pre’s operating system which will bring webOS to version 1.1. The updates to webOS that Palm has released today have been bug fixes and security updates targetted at fixing specific issues leading up and immediately following the commercial release of the Pre in the United States on June 6th.

    UK website Palm webOS Blog is also reporting that they have looked at a Pre running web OS 1.1, further confirming that Palm is currently working on this update.

    What is not entirely know, aside from the information about Microsoft Exchange specific information in the slide that was obtained by PreCentral is what, if any, other software updates will be included in the webOS 1.1 update.

    We’ll have to wait until this update gets official to see what other goodies Palm might add to the update.

    [Via PreCentral.net…]

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  • pre,  sprint,  web os

    Palm Releases Security Update for webOS

    June 29, 2009 /

    Earlier today, Palm released Palm webOS Update 1.0.4 which addresses security issues in the new mobile operating system.

    Palm webOS 1.0.4 does not add any new applications or features to the Pre, but does raise the Sprint configuration to version 1.6. The nature of the security issues that are being addressed with the 1.0.4 update have not been specified.

    You can download the Palm webOS 1.0.4 update over the air to your Pre by using the Updates application. For more information, visit the Pre software update page.

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  • motionapps,  palm os,  web os

    Classic 1.1 Released With Some Bumps In the Road

    June 20, 2009 /

    Along side the Palm webOS 1.0.3 update that went out Friday, MotionApps also released the 1.1.05 Classic update for webOS. Classic is a Palm OS 5 emulation package for webOS.

    Classic 1.1 has some nice enhancement baked in, such as:

    • sound support
    • pinch/zoom feature
    • improved keyboard behavior
    • improved process of Palm OS application and data loading
    • enhanced preferences and overall greatly improved stability

    The update, unfortunately, didn’t roll out as smoothly as MotionApps would have liked. A note quickly appeared on the MotionApps blog that read:

    “We have received reports from some users that they are experiencing issues with Classic after installing the webOS 1.0.3 update on their Pre which at the same time updated Classic 1.0 to Classic 1.1.

    If you are experiencing any issues when running Classic after webOS 1.0.3 update, please see an FAQ entry we have posted with a fix.”

    The fix, as reported in the FAQ, includes the deletion of the “ClassicApps” folder on the Pre’s storage volume that appears when you mount the Pre to your computers desktop.

    The article also states that early adopters of Classic should also delete the Classic ROM Updater application as it is no longer required because the feauteres have been migrated into the Classic 1.1 update.

    Classic can be downloaded to your Pre by using the App Catalog program on your Pre. If you chose to use Classic beyond it’s 7 day trial period, you can purchase Classic for $29.99 from the MotionApps website.

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