According to Dieter over at
PreCentral, real, honest-to-goodness usable apps are starting to "trickle out" for the Pre / webOS. Apparently utilizing a loophole in the operating system which allows unsigned apps to be sideloaded through email, homebrewers have taken to the interwebs with small utilities like the tip calculator (pictured above). This comes just a day after a group of DIY'ers figured out a workable solution for getting software onto the phone
without rooting, so obviously Pre hacking is moving along at a healthy clip. These are -- of course -- very early applications, so don't expect perfection, and there seems to be some concern that Palm might want to patch up this hole, as it leaves the phone vulnerable to less altruistic endeavors. While the latter point is reasonable to consider, we do have a piece of advice for the folks at the front of this movement: don't wait and worry on how Palm will react to this stuff. It's important to push platforms like webOS, and the Pre needs all the love it can get on the development side right now.
Read - Right now: Install a Homebrew App without Hacking
Read - Homebrew Apps Tricking Out, but be careful
posted Jun 23rd 2009 11:31AM
Oo...homebrew huh? As long as its no like The Wizard from Seinfeld lol.
Yup, that is one fine-looking tip calculator. One app down, 49,000 apps to go.
i dont think pre users will be as interested in flashlight and fart apps.....
Its amazing that not only are your trolling a Pre article...but the fact you failed at trolling.
50,000 minus 1 = 49,999
Idiot.
wow. it took only 20mins for an iphonefanboy to appear. Did you believe that all iphone apps are actually useful?
*sarcasm*
I do not want fart apps on the pre. I want real apps.
"Its amazing that not only are your trolling a Pre article...but the fact you failed at trolling."
It's also amazing how he runs around like a dog in heat, screaming about iPhone "haters" and trolls, but shows up on a non-iPhone story to troll and hate.
You fools never ever learn, do you?
PreThinking.com was the one that wrote the article. Give credit where it is due: http://www.prethinking.com/home/2009/6/23/first-usable-homebrew-app-install-on-palm-pre-without-root-a.html
@ iphonerulez.
I'm also an iPhone owner....and you make me cringe.
Who fkn cares?
They are both great phones and both have their highs and lows. Its called competition, and it benefits us all.
You tech dorks need to discover the magical far away place called "outside".
Arguing about Apps and features that 99% of users care NOTHING about (other than they exist and function).
Ridiculous.
Ajay, I believe Jerry actually bought his father "the Willard."
You can do this with any .ipk file. Takes a few minutes and shouldn't be too long till it's automated I would hope.
Amazing... these people have already figured out how to homebrew apps on one of the newest phones
... and yet they still cant seem to figure out how to divide a bill and pay a tip. Even the FRENCH manage to pay their restaurant bills!
Yeah, but the french don't need to tip.
Dam not first!
I've installed the tip calc app. Easy to do, works like a charm.
Mindblowing feature.. My first nokia phone already had this.
To clarify, I'm referring that the install process works like a charm...
nvidiagtx,
You're expecting MORE when this scene has just started to develop?
No, he's just an Apple troll.
@DBrim
No this should have been available from the beginning
@CtrlBurn
No your just a pre fanboi
@ nvidiagtx
So HOMEBREW apps were supposed to be out before the phone was released? You're an idiot.
where did u get ur apps from dude
I've installed it, and it looks good. It complies with the OS well, and it doesn't seem to have any adverse effects. you can uninstall it the device info page and everything seems to be working well. My only question is whether it is written in web code, or C++. I wait to see more without rooting my Pre.
It's just web code packaged and digitally signed. You can download the source code from the author's website (http://www.jwz.org/tipcalculator/).
I'm taking a look at it, and it seems very straightforward.
if there were more than a handful of apps on the store then people wouldnt have gone to these lengths.
i disagree. Homebrewers will always do their thing. When was the last time homebrewers had such ease? That being said, the app catalog needs to get going.
Despite the vibrant App Store, jailbreakers and homebrewers are still cranking away at the iPhone. Sure, many have gone legit, but there are still a lot of things that official apps aren't allowed to do.
Since Palm has said it would allow side-loading of apps, i'm not really sure how much they'll really do to crack down on this. It doesn't seem like this is an exploit, more like these guys are just taking advantage of features that Palm intends to allow, once the full API is released. I know they've said no to tethering and they may try to curtail that, but Palm has always served the business market, and businesses demand greater control over their hardware and the software on it.
I never liked the Palm platform.. but the WebOS does seem to be a far more interesting OS than anything else I have seen from palm despite knowing that they were the original PDA innovators at one time.
Palm was not the original PDA innovator. They came to the game 7 years after the Newton which came 6 years after the first CASIO PDAs in 1983. What Palm really did do is build a mainstream PDA device and built on it until it went stale. Now the trick is survival and the Pre and WebOS are their best chance of moving in that direction. I won't be buying in, but enough probably will. They just need to get back in the black.
I've been Palm user for most of my life ( or theirs) and it's simplistic and open approach it's what made it good. They were the first ones to integrate the phone with the pda ( seamlessly), but they rested on their laurels. This phone it's just what they needed a fresh restart, welcomed by those who really care
why is it that the first thing people always end up making is a tip calculator?
Because they are really simple to write. lol.
Because it's easier than "Hello World."
Because it is more useful than a "Hello World" app.
I have about five tip calculators total on my iPod touch. If only there were an app to help me decide which one to keep.
Who are the a$$holes that don't know how to tip? Why do people need a silly calculator for tipping?
@ ACEY RIOT
Because Fart Apps are extremely difficult to write.
/sarcasm
I won't lie, I wanted to write one but it was going to be the most awesome tip calculator ever created by mankind since I looked at the iPhone ones and every last one was suboptimal. And frankly if you're whipping out the calculator to begin with you're probably not the kinda person who's ok with just rounding off.
@Oscarv77:
You're correct: as soon as developers get some expertise with WebOS, you will get your Fart apps :)
Seriously, people which use the "AppStore has so many fart app" argument against the iPhone should be prepared to find another argument soon because I'm afraid that dumbness is equally shared between Apple and Palm lovers.
There are way more pistol and shotgun apps on the app store than fart apps.
But apparently some folks have such a major obsession with flatulent simulators that they have to mention it everytime.
Hell, Newman
I just use my Wizard Tip Calculator, top of the line. And it's hot ;)
I use a TI-81 (blue).
i use my brain (greyish)
how did you install that app on your Pre?
Works Great. Was probably the fastest app I have installed ever, on anything. Excited about the ease of install versus having a tip calculator.
It's good to see that homebrew developers are just as talented as always. I can't wait for the Doom port, the requisite emus and the crappy media players!
I heard that a doom emulator is already out, just have to find the place to get it.. atleast I think it's already released...
Doom was ported a couple of weeks ago, only you can't run it in the interface, you have to root the pre and run it on the framebuffer which kills the interface.
Check the math.
Looks like everything entered with decimals is rounded into integers, so sometimes you can be a dollar off, I suppose.
up next: preFart, prePint and preMoo.
73 divided by 3 is not 25. This homebrew seems to forget there's also a currency called cents.
There shouldn't be. Counting change is more hassle than it's worth. People usually save time by rounding their tips up to the next whole bill.
From the programmers site:
It only does whole numbers, because if you insist that your tip be accurate to the penny you are a cheapskate weirdo. Here in the Colonies, we use paper money, not coins. If your bill is $44.22, just enter $45. Don't go all Scrooge McAsperger's on us, ok?
@krische: Or Frugal McDougall, more appropriately...
I am very happy to hear that every good company phone maker is going to get Adobe Flash yet the iPhone which is considered a good browsing device turns now into a piece of shit.
Good going Pre. Turn the iPhone into piece of shit.
From the developer: It only does whole numbers, because if you insist that your tip be accurate to the penny you are a cheapskate weirdo. Here in the Colonies, we use paper money, not coins. If your bill is $44.22, just enter $45. Don't go all Scrooge McAsperger's on us, ok?
They need to add a line for Health Insurance...
Interesting.....I usually just use calcnexus
Can't wait for more apps
If you cant figure out simple math in your head, then you should go back to pre-school.
pun intended?
You know?
I usually just give triple the sales tax as a tip rounding up which usually ends up to be 19-20%
@ pavlindrom = win
Here in chicago it's only double the sales tax :(
Interesting, though as the article stated isn't this something that Palm will want to patch? It seems like a way that could be seriously exploited.
The sad part about it is that people need a tip calculator. It is really that hard to do simple percentages?? By the time you even open your phone and click the app you should know what the answer is.
Plus the Math on this app is HORRIBLE!! The creator must be the one that needs an app like this, but he shouldn't be the one creating it, lol
So it's a cool app.BUT it dont add up...
If the total bill is $73.00 why is the cell app saying for 3 people it will be $25.00 each.?The app is adding on an extra 2 bux ....Not a big deal but still.........
have you ever been out with friends and tried collecting $24.33 from each? Wouldn't it be easier to collect 25 from each and make life easy? I think that's the point of the app. Plus its not the actual app that's exciting but the ease of side loading.
EVERY CALCULATOR IS A TIP CALCULATOR!!!
shhhhhhhhh
don't release the secret equation!!!
So then why did i just spend so much money on this nifty Wizard?!
Well, bully for the Pre? And what exactly does "Pre" stand for? My guess is "pre-empted".
these tip calculators only figure out the best case scenario where the bill is just divided evenly among each guest. Having a tip calculator that considers each persons tab might be useful cause there's always that douche bag that only gets a small salad
iphonerulez has Pre-envy that's why it's always trolling around
57+5+12 = 74
Just noticed that too. lol.
The source code is provided on the site. It is a very simple program, something that could easily have been written by a first year programming student.
"There's no 7 on my Tip Calculator!!" "I'm RUINED!"
- Seinfeld
the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good: ability to sidestep Palm and Sprint and put whatever you want on the phone.
The Bad: there are already dozens of viruses out there affecting Palm users. I had one on my Treo650. Now, I know WebOS is totally different than Garnet, but it does emulate old Garnet systems. Putting some file someone emails around on your daily phone can be dangerous.
The Ugly: Sorry, but this particular app is fugly. Maybe add some color. And a decimal. It is a calculator.
There needs to be some sort of system for regulating apps. I think Apple has gone overboard on the regulations, but there has to be a happy medium between "we approve everything" and "anything goes".
Makes me sorta miss the days of buying my Palm apps from Comp USA on SD cards. I know those were safe and stable.
I said "sorta"...
-- there has to be a happy medium between "we approve everything" and "anything goes"
Apple approves 98% of all applications. They probably do exactly what you suggest but refuse to admit.
Posted about both of the current, usable apps. I was able to download them a few nights ago, but now I am unable to do so. Is anyone else having problem with this? If so, please post and let me know, trying to see if it's just me and my Pre or if other users are experiencing this problem as well. "Pimp My Sounds" notification sound manager - http://preinsiders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=20 and Tip Calculator - http://preinsiders.com/home/2009/06/23/howto-install-tip-calculator-homebrew-app-no-rootinghacking-required/
Would appreciate users giving an update on whether or not emailing the .ipk works for them or not. Thanks!
They removed the pimp my pre app till they fix the bugs and release a new version.
These tip apps are bullshit. Use the camera to get an image of the receipt. Do some OCR. Separate the line items into large buttons that each person can select to determine their share. Determine tax from receipt, tip from user input. Done. Usefull when Jack orders a steak and $35 of mojitos while Jill who orders a fruit salad and a water.
If you're fancy, let the pre user select each item and associate it with a contact on his phone and send txt messages with restuarant info, date, total etc for record keeping.
Tip calculator? I only eat homebrew :D
Oh tip calculators...
Can no one count by 5s anymore?
Is the Pre the Iphone Killer?
Is the Pre the Iphone Killer?
http://www.youcanquotethis.com/archives/902
when i first saw the headline i thought it said HEBREW apps coming to palm pre. oy, such a deal.