• motionapps,  palm os,  pre,  web os

    More Details on Palm OS Emulation on webOS

    April 4, 2009 /

    Earlier this week Palm geeks everywhere where happy to learn that there would be third-party support for emulating Palm OS 5 on the new webOS platform thanks to the efforts of MotionApps.

    SlashGearTV.com has some footage from the CTIA Wireless show of the the Pre’s product manager showing off MotionApps’ Classic running on webOS.

    What I find really cool about this is that we can have our cake and eat it too. webOS is the much needed shot in the arm that is required to help reboot Palm and fling them back into the spotlight as an innovator in the mobile computing space. But who want’s to be out there in webOS with not of the great software that you have been using for the last decade? For me, old habbits die hard, and I want to be able to have my Handmark Astraware games and DataViz Passwords Plus.

    If you watch closely in the demo, you will learn that there is full 5-way nav support in Classic and Palm and Motion have worked together to ensure that the keyboard is fully integrated into the emulation environment. There was no word on whether or not you could continue to HotSync information and applications into Classic (my guess is no), but there was an icon called HotSync ID, which I’m guessing is a way to program your old Palm OS device’s HotSync ID into the Classic environment. When you mount the Pre in USB drive mode to your Mac or PC desktop computer, you will be able to copy Palm OS applications (.prc files) and databases (.pdb files) int the classic folder and they will become available in Classic.

    There was one other interesting morsel briefly mentioned in the demo. The person running the demo indicates that they worked with the developer of the popular medical package, epocrates, to come up with a new over the air (OTA) installer for the software. Holy smokes!! Sounds like MotionApps could be building in wireless support for Classic that might allow Classic to access the Pre’s cellular radio to get wireless Internet access for your old Palm OS applications. How cool is that?! Pretty cool, huh? MotionApps plans to release more details as we get closer to the release of webOS and the new Palm Pre. The Palm product manager for the Pre indicates that Palm wants to make sure that customers will have the ability to run all of their favorite Palm OS applications on day one when the Pre goes on sale for Sprint.

    For more details, keep checking the MotionApps website. Click the link below to watch the SlashGear video.

    http://vms.slashgear.tv/sgtv/sgtv_player.swf

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  • iphone,  pre,  web os

    Palm Working Hard to Position Pre As the Anti-iPhone

    April 4, 2009 /

    Palm and their Pre launch partner Sprint have been working to show the mobile phone industry, specifically, end users, that the new Palm Pre is everything that the Apple iPhone is and more when it comes to third-party applications.

    AppleInsider has an article of interest to Palm fans this morning.

    “While third-party apps are being trumpeted as the iPhone’s strength, key Palm Pre demos this week were designed to highlight their restrictions by taking advantage of those precise things that Apple won’t allow.

    At Sprint’s press lounge during the CTIA Wireless Association’s annual event, Palm stressed the advantages of the new webOS platform at the heart of the Pre by running presentations of carefully selected third-party software live on sample phones.

    Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Palm also underlined Apple’s refusal to permit interpreting code within third-party apps by showcasing an emulator that does just this. Mobile software developer MotionApps released an app known as Classic that, much as with Apple’s own Classic that was present in Mac OS X until Leopard, recreates the entire working environment for an older operating system. In the case of webOS, it lets Pre users run PalmOS apps near full speed and as just one of any other, native apps that can be running at the same time.”

    Palm really surprised us when they showed off the Palm Pre and it’s new mobile operating sytsem, webOS. webOS is the successor to the venerable Palm OS which has had a long service life over the last decade powering Palm’s original PDA product line and then making the jump to the company’s Treo and Centro smartphones.

    The Pre and webOS are considered a make or break product launch for Palm. The more I learn about this new hardware and software dymamic duo, the more excited I am to get my hands on the hardware and software.

    Read the full article on AppleInsider.com…

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  • blackberry,  rim

    BlackBerry App World Goes Live

    April 3, 2009 /

    Research In Motion has launched BlackBerry App World; their online vehicle for delivering new applications, both free and paid, directly to customer’s Berry.

    System Requirements

    Before you can use App World on your BlackBerry, you need to meet the following system requirements.

    To ensure that your BlackBerry smartphone will support BlackBerry App World, it must have the following system requirements:

    1. BlackBerry Device Software version 4.2 or higher
    2. BlackBerry smartphones with trackballs or SurePress touch screen
    3. BlackBerry App World is only available to customers in US, Canada and UK and may not be available on all networks
    4. To use BlackBerry App World, you require a service plan that includes access to the BlackBerry Browser

    You will also need to setup a PayPal account.

    Installing App World on Your Berry

    If you meet the requirements, use your Berry to surf over to www.blackberry.com/appworld/download to load up the new on-device application to get started. Want to learn more about App World? Check out this spiffy video or visit the App World support site.

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  • phatnotes,  windows mobile

    PhatWare Releases PhatNotes 5.4 for Windows Mobile

    April 3, 2009 /

    PhatWare Corporation, a leading provider of software products and professional services for mobile and desktop computers, announces today the release of PhatNotes 5.4, the new update of the company’s award-winning notes organizer software for Microsoft Windows-based desktop computers and Windows Mobile smartphones. PhatNotes 5.4 is available in two editions: PhatNotes and PhatNotes for Outlook.

    “PhatNotes provides powerful note-taking and organizing features for both Windows phones and Microsoft Office Outlook,” said Steve Hegenderfer, group product manager of the Developer Experience Team in the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft Corp. “PhatWare’s application, built on the Windows Mobile platform, provides mobile professionals with added value and convenience while on the go.”

    PhatNotes for Outlook includes the simplified version of PhatNotes for both Windows Mobile Standard and Professional or Classic devices. It does not include the desktop software which is replaced with Outlook notes synchronization software that supports ActiveSync 4.5 or later on Windows XP and Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 on Windows Vista.

    PhatNotes Availability and Pricing
    PhatNotes 5.4 is available now at the list price of $39.95, while PhatNotes for Outlook 5.4 is priced at $19.95. Free 30-day trial versions of PhatNotes and PhatNotes for Outlook can be downloaded from the PhatWare web site at www.phatware.com/phatnotes. Existing users of the corresponding editions of PhatNotes 5.x can upgrade to the latest version free of charge.

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  • android,  dataviz

    DataViz Brings Documents To Go, RoadSync to Android

    April 3, 2009 /


    Documents To Go Standard Edition 1.0

    Today, DataViz has released Documents To Go Standard Edition 1.0 and a beta release of RoadSync for Google Android. Documents To Go and the RoadSync beta will work on any Android powered device, including the T-mobile G1, the HTC Dream, and the Vodafone HTC Magic.

    “We are very excited to announce the release of Documents To Go Standard Edition version 1.0 for Android plus our RoadSync Beta for Android. Documents To Go is the first mobile Office suite for Android that supports editing of native Microsoft Word and Excel files!”

    • View, edit and create native Microsoft Word and Excel files.
    • Office 97-2008 support (the first and only!).
    • Send and receive attachments with Gmail and other mobile email solutions.
    • Supported devices include the T-mobile G1, HTC Dream, Vodafone HTC Magic and other devices running Android OS.
    • We’re certain you’ll find that our 10+ years of developing mobile solutions brings a feature rich, enterprise-grade office suite to devices based on the Android platform!

    RoadSync Beta

    RoadSync provides push-email notifications for Microsoft Exchange email servers.

    “Based on Exchange ActiveSync technology licensed directly from Microsoft, the RoadSync Beta provides secure, wireless and direct push synchronization of corporate e-mail, contacts and attachments – all in one affordable, scalable and easy to manage package.

    In addition to significantly enhancing end-user productivity, RoadSync simultaneously lowers IT costs by providing an easy to implement mobility strategy which eliminates the need for middleware servers and subscription fees.”

    Documents To Go is now available exclusively through Android Market for a limited-time introductory price of $19.99 (regularly $29.99). For more information about Documents To Go and RoadSync for Google Android, visit the DataViz website.

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  • astraware,  iphone

    Astraware Goes “Crazy” for Spring!

    April 2, 2009 /

    Astraware, Handmark’s game division, has released Crazy Daisy for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch.

    The object of Crazy Daisy is to match up the colored flower petals to score points. Line up more color combination to rack up big bonuses like “Daisy Chain” and “Flower Power”.

    Crazy Daisy has thee modes of play: the hectic race against the clock arcade mode; the more brain challenging, take your time to score big points puzzle mode; and the casual gamer’s delight, endless play mode.

    The iPhone and iPod touch edition of Crazy Daisy features gorgeous garden-themed animations with slinky snails, buzzing bees, cute caterpillars and lots more! The game will save automatically when you exit and you can play your own music in the background with the sound effects on or off.

    Crazy Daisy for iPhone/iPod touch is available now from the Apple iTunes App Store for $0.99. Crazy Daisy is also available for Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices. For more information, visit the Astraware website.

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  • web os

    Palm Talks webOS SDK, Cloud Services, and Palm OS Emulation

    April 2, 2009 /

    Earlier this evening, I received an email from Palm announcing an expanded software development kit (SDK), their plans for cloud computing services and integration, and yes, Palm OS emulation is coming to webOS!

    “Today at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, Palm announced its webOS Early Access Program for developers. The Mojo SDK, previously available only to a select group of partners, will now be provided to a broader set of interested developers that apply for access at the Palm Developer Network website here: http://developer.palm.com. Initially, access to the program will be limited as the tools and systems continue to be refined and improved, with general availability scheduled for later this year. Additionally, Palm announced its plans for integrating cloud services into the new platform and an application from MotionApps that will allow legacy Palm OS applications to run on webOS devices.”


    Check out Palm’s full press release    …

    This is totally awesome! Palm is finally starting to talk about the things that have been driving me nuts since January!

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  • pre,  web os

    Palm OS 5 Emulation Coming to webOS

    April 2, 2009 /

    PreCentral.net is reporting that Palm indeed does have an ace up their sleeves for their new webOS mobile operating system that will debut on the Pre smart(er)phone.

    “I just finished getting a great Palm Pre app walkthrough from Palm (video coming soon!), but this couldn’t wait for the upload to finish. There was one app that Palm didn’t want to talk about (but we suspect will be revealed tonight) the “Classic” icon you see above with a logo of a Palm device and a decidedly “Mac OS 9 Classic” feel to it.

    Don’t blink: Palm looks as though they are going to support PalmOS apps on the Pre and webOS via some sort of emulation app!”

    PreCentral also reports that the emulation layer is being provided by MotionApps. The Classic icon is the third icon in the third column.

    Read the full PreCentral.net article…

    Given the fact that today is April 1, you might write this off as an April Fool’s Day joke. The folks at PreCentral are on record as saying this is no joke. I’m really looking forward to this development and taking the new emulation environment out for a spin.

    [Thanks to my anonymous tipster for the heads up.]

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  • tealpoint,  web os

    TealPoint Removes TealOS, Suspends Sales

    March 31, 2009 /

    You may recall back in January, TealPoint software made some serious buzz for themselves by releasing a new skin/launcher for Palm OS 5 devices called “TealOS.” The point of TealOS was to mimic the look and feel of Palm’s webOS operating system.

    Earlier today, Teal has suspended the sale of TealOS and removed the software download links from their website. Customers who had previoiusly purchased TealOS can continue to use the software, however, no new licenes will be sold.

    Vistor’s Teal’s TealOS web page will see the message:

    “IMPORTANT! – A Palm’s request, we have stopped selling TealOS on Monday March 30 at 5:00 PDT. Copies purchased prior to this, however, will continue to function.”

    There was a ground swell of support for TealOS by fans of Palm OS 5. Being a long time support of Palm OS I can understand the enthusiasm behind such a product. However, Palm is literally fighting for it’s life and can’t afford to have their software so closely copied. There can also be some confusion about what TealOS is and customer’s not understanding that webOS and TealOS are not the same thing. At any rate, I hope that Palm’s request to Teal to suspend the sale and distribution of TealOS is an indicataor that the Palm Pre, powered by the new webOS is on the verge of being released.

    If you completely missed TealOS, you can still read the documentation and view a YouTube video of TealOS in action on the TealPoint website.

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