The written musings of a long-time Apple //e and Macintosh tech nerd. Opinions are my own.
Following on the heals of a successful iPad Wi-Fi edition table roll out, Apple has notified the world will get their first look at iPhone OS 4.0 this week!
The event is scheduled for Thursday, April 8, at 1oam PT and will be held at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters.
[Via Engadget.com…]
I’ve had my iPad for about 9 hours now and I’ve been completely taken by this device. Bigger than an iPod touch, yet smaller than a MacBook, the iPad is my new “go everywhere” device that will serve up photos, email, web, games, video, and music while I’m on the go.
The following are some photos from my unboxing of a 32GB iPad and the Apple iPad Case.
With less than 24-hours to go before I can get my hands on my 32GB Wi-Fi edition iPad, my OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) for new business tools, has kicked into over drive.
Last night, people who follow my Twitter feed know I was downloading application for iPad from the iTunes Store. Today, I’m watching Apple’s iPad tutorial videos.
Also, my print edition of Time Magazine arrived in the mail today. The cover features Steve Jobs and has a few stories on the long road to the iPad. Time’s editor also announced that there will soon be a Time application for the iPad which will require a paid subscription. (I don’t know if a paper subscription will be able to unlock/login to the electronic iPad edition yet.)
Palm Pre and Pixi customers on Sprint can jump on the webOS 1.4.1 fun today Palm has released the webOS 1.4.1.1 update is available for download. You can install the update over the air using the Updates application on your Palm Pre or Pixi.
Palm webOS 1.4.1.1 delivers the following fixes:
Bluetooth
Camera
Doc View
System
Touchstone charging dock
You can read the full list of changes and enhancements in Palm webOS 1.4.1.1 on the Palm webOS updates website. Bell and Verizon customers who have the Pre and Pixi will have to wait a little bit longer as the 1.4.1.1 update is not listed on the Palm website.
Alongside the Motorola Droid 2.1 software update, BoyGeniusReport.com is also running an article that Verizon and RIM have rolled out BlackBerry OS 5.0 for the BlackBerry Tour 9630.
According to the data sheet posted on the Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Tour support website, the key enhancements in BlackBerry OS 5.0 include:
For the full list of features, visit the Verizon website.
[Via BoyGeniusReport.com…]
“Is it or isn’t it available yet?”, that seems to be the question that Verizon Moto Droid customers are asking.
According to a post earlier this week on BoyGeniusReport.com, the update is available as an over the air update. If you go to the Verizon Wireless Motorola Droid support page, you see a message that the update is “coming soon.”
On the Droid unit we have in the office, the update wasn’t showing as being available. My advice: check back often if you are a software update junkie.
BoyGeniusReport.com has gotten their hands on some (read: 60) iPad screen shots. Can’t wait until Saturday, April 3rd, to get your hands on an iPad? Maybe these photos will help scratch the itch until then.
You can view all 60 photos on the BGR website.
[Via BoyGeniusReport.com…]
Do you have a new webOS Palm Pre or Pixi? Do you have eReader or Fictionwise account with a lot of ebooks that you can’t read on your new phone? Problem solved! Enter pReader for webOS devices.
pReader, currently at version 0.8.3, is a free third-party application, written by MHWsoft, that allows you to read a number of popular ebook formats. pReader supports plain-text, HTML, PalmDOC, MobiPocket, eReader, ePub, and Amazon AZW files. That’s a lot of ebook formats for an application that doesn’t cost you a dime.
Getting started with pReader is easy. First you download and install the application from Palm’s App Catalog. (Search for ‘preader’.) Next, connect your Pre or Pixi to your computer, and put the phone into USB mode. In my Pre’s storage space, I created a new folder called “pReader eBooks” and copied some of my old eReader Pro ebooks into that folder. Lastly, unmout your webOS phone and that start up pReader.
When you start pReader, tap the Add Book To Library button, select your book, and then, if you have a DRM encrypted ebook like those sold by eReader.com, enter your unlock information, and then the book becomes available for reading.
With pReader, you have a free way to read your ebooks without having to purchase MotionApps Classic which, in my opinion, is a little bit on the expensive side.
For more details, check the pReader description page.
PreCentral.net has posted an official statement from Palm on the webOS hacker community’s attempt to speed up their phones running webOS.
In the brief statement posted on the PreCentral.net website, Palm writes:
“We have had a number of questions about the recently released “overclocking” patches and what Palm’s position on them are.
Palm is working hard to improve the speed and performance of webOS, as shown in our recent 1.4 update. While we appreciate the effort the webOS community has put forth to try and help us along that path, the use of this application is neither endorsed nor recommended by Palm and will likely result in a voided warranty. Palm encourages webOS users to let Palm release official updates that provide safe, reliable, over-the-air features that improve their device in a number of areas, as we have in the past at a rate of approximately once per month.”
There you have it, folks. Overclock your Palm Pre or Pixi at your own risk! If you you overclock your phone, and you end up getting burned, Palm is going to charge you to repair or replace your phone.
You can read the full article on the PreCentral website.
[Via PreCentral.net…]
Earlier today I received the dreaded webOS “too many cards open” error message and was forced to reboot my Sprint edition Palm Pre smart(er)phone.
The funny thing about the error was that I didn’t have any cards open at the time. I know that Palm is working on fixing mutlitasking issues with webOS and that is a good think. But I still don’t have to like rebooting. Besides, it takes forever, doesn’t it?
The answer to that question is, “Not really.” I waited with my finger poised hovering over the Restart button waiting for the clock on my phone to advance to the next minute. When I saw the time rollover, I jabbed at the Restart button an let webOS do it’s thing.
It turns out that “forever” is really about 3 minutes. Not took bad, and certain less than forever. I know it can seem like forever when you are waiting for the the phone to close up shop, reboot, and reload everything. Sorta like a watched pot will never boil kind of thing.
Fortunately for me, I don’t get the too many cards error message on my Pre. Maybe it’s because I don’t load too many third-party apps on my Pre. Na. Maybe it’s because I don’t keep a lot of cards open all the time. Na. I’m not sure, really, why I don’t get the error message as often as some people report. It probably really does relate back to how we all use our phones and how webOS handles multi-tasking and background tasks. Then again, I’m not a software developer, so I can’t say for sure.
Anyway, the time to bet is 3 minutes to reboot a Palm Pre smartphone. I’ll have to reboot my 8GB 2G (first generation) Apple iPhone and see how long it takes to start up. Could be interesting.