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Switched On: webOS wherever
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. This week's release of the HP TouchPad, the first device other than a handset to feature webOS, aptly demonstrates the promise and perils of HP's adopted operating system. The 4:3 tablet provides the large canvas that webOS seemed born to cover. However, like the Xoom and PlayBook before it, the TouchPad suffers from an impoverished app library among other holes. To help share development costs of webOS and expand the market for its developers, HP has warmed to the idea of licensing the Palm-developed operating system. HP's willingness to license webOS while continuing to make devices based on the operating system serves up a healthy helping of déjà vu for those who followed the history of Palm, Inc. The PDA pioneer sought to take advantage of its dominance in handhelds, and stave off rival Pocket PCs powered by Windows CE, by licensing the Palm operating system while continuing to use it. The decision proved to be Palm's short-term salvation and long-term ruin. One of the first companies to license the Palm OS was Handspring, founded by former Palm executives. Handspring created the Treo, which became Palm's entry into smartphones when Palm acquired Handspring. A few other companies licensed the Palm OS for smartphones, including Kyocera and Samsung, but the inherent conflict created by competing with licensees forced Palm to spin Palm OS out into a company called PalmSource, which folded three years later.
nDrive debuts navigation solution for webOS 2.0, offers assistance for your next global adventure
A new navigation solution now graces the webOS App Catalog, offering the platform's first turn-by-turn assistance that operates without a data connection. Although it's pricey ($49), nDrive comes packaged with all the requisite maps needed to chart your destination within the US, and also provides spoken directions via the handset, headphone jack, or Bluetooth. For times when you're not blazing trails, the app uses a cellular signal to deliver weather information, as well as check-ins via Facebook Places and Foursquare. International users will appreciate knowing that nDrive is also well-suited for use abroad, though additional country maps must be purchased as add-ons. Follow the source link for a complete review of this travel companion, and don't forget to send us postcards while enjoying your next excursion.
HP updates webOS App Catalog, brings carrier billing, promo codes, and (surprise!) a new icon
webOS users may shed that oh-so-familiar Palm shopping bag in favor of HP's new App Catalog. Beyond the blue icon, app seekers will discover support for promo codes and the ability to charge purchases to their mobile carrier (just like we've seen on the forthcoming tablets). As a nice surprise, initial reports suggest the software is faster and more responsive, though webOS 2.0 is required admission here, meaning everyone using version 1.4 is currently out of luck. While the long version number, 2.0.22300, caused speculation that HP's upgrade was released prematurely, it seems here to stay, with support representatives confirming it's an intended release. So wave farewell to that Palm icon -- it's time to start hassling devs for promo codes and running up that mobile bill.
HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape
At last, the webOS-empowered TouchPad, HP's answer to the growing tablet market. And make no mistake, it's coming in with guns blazing -- specs-wise, the slate stands up pretty well to the competition currently in play (e.g. iPad) and the other up-and-comers not quite out the gate (e.g. Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook). Stacked side-by-side, it's clear Apple's entry is lacking a bit in both memory (256MB vs. 1GB for everyone else) and front-facing camera -- not that we expect that to be the case for all of 2011. When it all comes down to it, what'll set these slates apart will be the platforms and software themselves -- should make for an interesting summer, no? In the meantime, for the nitty-gritty on technical specifications, venture past the break.
HP TouchPad first hands-on! (updated with video!)
By now, you know how HP's new slate compares to the crowd -- now, see how it looks up close and personal. We just got our hands on that dual-core Palm webOS tablet here in San Francisco, and it's a beaut, with a slim black profile that highlights the brilliant 9.7-inch screen. We'll be back in a jiffy with some impressions of that newfangled Tap to Share and card-based multitasking, but for now, simply feast your eyes on our gallery below. Update: Video time! Check it after the break. %Gallery-116122%
Palm webOS 2.0 preview video hits the wilds
First things first -- before you jump on past the break and mash play, mute your speakers. Mute. As in, off. Alrighty, now that you're prepared, you've got two minutes and 14 seconds of teasing just a click away, as some sure-to-be-yelled-at developer has leaked a sneak peak into the wide, mysterious world of webOS 2.0. Not that we haven't seen a cornucopia of screenshots already, but at least this emulation vid gives you a better idea of how things will actually flow once it gets released to end users. Oh, and as for those DropBox and MobileMe integration rumors? Looks like that's just QuickOffice being QuickOffice. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
WebOS 2.0 beta screenshot extravaganza
We've heard about Palm's big plans for webOS 2.0 -- heck, we've even seen a handful of pictures here or there. And now we've been graced with lots, lots more. We're still not sure the exact origins, as they both came to us unsourced at around the same time. But, be it PreCentral forums or Chinese site Crooked neck (a.k.a. Wibozi), we're still graced with two dozen new screenshots that showcase features beyond Stacks and Just Type. Plenty of extra services are on display, including favorites like Dropbox and head-scratchers like MobileMe (we know Palm has something of an Apple complex, but the benefits of MobileMe are pretty minimal beyond iPhone integration). There's also default app selection for filetypes, which is a welcome addition we've enjoyed on our Android sets. Just in case all the screenshots go poof, we've got them in a gallery below. Let your imagination run wild, or at least in a bigger fence. [Thanks, kkhanmd]%Gallery-101558%
HP's in-house webOS competition yields about 500 apps, says CTO
A little backstory: HP has an annual in-house event for its employees called TechCon, and this year a challenge was issued to the engineers to make the best webOS app (free phones were offered as incentive). Got that? Good. This week, HP CTO Phil McKinney had a brief chat with Pre Central over Twitter, where he revealed that the contest culminated in about 500 produced apps, and that "[they] are in the final stage of selecting 'best app' winners." Does that mean we should expect a large bump to the current catalog of programs? We can't say for sure, but we wouldn't be surprised if many of these are already available to download. Additionally, we can't say anything as for the overall quality of submissions. Edging closer to the 4,000-app milestone is great and all but not if it includes 250 different Angry Birds clones. Still, we're ever-hopeful and can't wait to see what exactly it was that came from the internal coding challenge.
THQ Wireless has 'a number of games' coming to webOS
Still feeling abandoned, webOS users? Take heart, as the good folks over at THQ Wireless are working hard with that recently released PDK in order to port a number of its titles over to Pre and Pixi users. We aren't being clued in just yet as to what games are undergoing the all important conversion process, but a tweet from the company's official account has made it abundantly clear that it has "a number of [its] games in development for webOS." We'd caution you against hoping for Star Wars: Trench Run and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but we're fully aware that it's too late for that.
Palm retroactively refunding $50 webOS app submission fee -- each and every one
Palm's made a few half-baked attempts at wooing developers in the past, like that time in October when it waived the fees and review process for open-source apps (but not App Catalog entries) or when it provided discounted handsets that happened to carry a large carrier-specific ball and chain. This week, Palm's decided to be a bit more generous -- it's eliminating the $50 App Catalog submission fee entirely and putting every last cent back where it came from. With only 2,684 apps in the store, that's just $134,200 in total, but symbolically it's a very welcome gesture, no? According to the official Palm Developer Center Blog, developers should see credits appear in their PayPal accounts soon -- though perhaps not soon enough to spend it on the fruit of their fellow man's labor at 50 percent off.
Engadget app updated for Android and webOS
Is it possible we've been so busy we didn't notice our Android app getting a handful of totally fresh new features? Maybe, but hey -- you still win. If you're an Android user, you might like to know that some time last week we flipped the switch on an update to our app that includes some pretty sexy new features, such as search and video playback inline (for Froyo devices). Additionally, our webOS app was recently bugging out, but that issue has since been fixed. Of course, the iPhone and BlackBerry apps are still available and as fly as ever -- so go grab a copy right now! We're including the changelog for the Android app after the break, too. Feel free to nerd out on that.
webOS booted up on a PC, just for kicks (video)
It's always been possible to run webOS on a PC using the emulator built into Palm's SDK, but it turns out that the OS image used for the emulator can actually be installed on an IDE hard drive and booted from -- which is exactly what one enterprising member of the PreCentral forums did with his Dell C600 laptop. It's not too surprising webOS can do this, since it's built on Linux, but don't get too excited yet; the OS runs in a funky aspect ratio in a small portion of the screen and the lack of a touchscreen means you're stuck using the keyboard to navigate. Still, it's hard not to watch this without visions of webOS running on all manner of HP hardware in the very near future -- a tablet, perhaps? Video after the break.
Palm says long taps are 'meta-taps,' impresses Solaris admins worldwide
What do you call a long press in the gesture area on a webOS phone? Well, it doesn't matter, because unless you said "meta-tap" you're wrong. That's what Palm has decreed such a touch will be called and so it shall be called -- at least officially. A long press in that area plus a key, like X, C or V to cut, copy, or paste, has been given this moniker by Palm in something of a nod to the concept of a UNIX meta key, a keyboard modifier that works like the Apple Command key or Windows Alt and Ctrl keys. Why bother with the clarification? Well, for one thing, "meta-tap X" is a heck of a lot easier to type than "hold your finger in the notification area and then press X on the keyboard," and that's the sort of efficiency we can get behind.
webOS 1.4 hitting Sprint's Pre and Pixi on February 15th?
Good news for nonplussed (in more ways that one) Pre and Pixi owners: come the day after Valentine's, it looks like you'll be able to capture your loved ones in moving pictures format! This comes from an alleged Sprint technician who reportedly took the above screencap promising a firmware update with all the features we've heard debuting as webOS 1.4, except for Flash support on the Pre. Note our use of "alleged" and "reportedly," though -- we can't independently confirm this image, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, February was the previously-mentioned release date, and when better to release than just after the halfway mark of the month?
Google Voice comes to iPhone and webOS, as a web app
FCC investigation be damned, Google has finally managed to bypass the App Store and release Google Voice to the iPhone (and webOS, too) the same way it pulled off Latitude, i.e. via a HTML5-based web app. According to Senior Product Manager Vincent Paquet, it should work with any HTML5-compliant device, although the formatting at this point has been tailored to Apple and Palm's platforms. So here's how it works: much like with its mobile Gmail site, the app caches your contacts list in a browser page. All the usual GV functionality is there, writing SMS messages, checking your inbox, and even listening to voicemails (although that latter functionality wasn't working for us yet in our trials). Placing phone calls is an interesting trick: as pictured above, after you choose the recipient, the app prompts you to call one of Google's local numbers via the native dialer -- even for international calls, hence the lower rates by paying through Google. The recipient will see your proper GV digits, and upside with this method is you'll still be able to utilize call waiting and background usage. The catch, of course, is a call history littered with random numbers. It's not a perfect solution by any means -- if anything, take solace in an assortment of home screen icons for each section of the app -- but it's probably the best we're gonna get for the time being. The page should be up and running later today, so if you're anxious, direct your mobile browser to voice.google.com and just keep hitting refresh. %Gallery-83907%
Palm's App Catalog is swamped with submissions, bursting with flavor
Palm's App Catalog for the Pre properly launches tomorrow, and right now the question on most peoples' minds is just how many paid apps will be in there when the doors open. Based on the latest word from the development team, the answer could be quite a lot. Apps submitted late to the party are apparently being added to approval queues so long Palm is having a hard time keeping track of them all. Developer Community Manager Chuq Von Rospach has indicated the approval group has "more applications than we could handle well," apologizing because they have "dropped some things on the floor." We're hoping they'll be picked up and dusted off quickly, because the five-second rule is not something to be messed with. [Via PreCentral]
Sprint support site says webOS 1.2 coming today, releases patch notes
According to Sprint's official support pages, webOS 1.2.0 is officially heading out of the stable sometime today. There's lots of minor tweaks and updates here, a hefty refinement of the current system -- but a few of you already know that. Our Pre phones haven't started blinking yet, and there's still a chance the patch date is in error. Hit up the read link for the full list of changes, and be sure to let us know if you start getting any update notifications. [Via Pre Thinking]
Homebrew apps come to the Palm Pre
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
The secret to Palm Pre dev mode lies in the Konami code
We couldn't believe it either, but as it turns out, from the launcher screen of your Pre, simply type in the phrase "upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart" -- which if you parse with spacing might be more easily recognizable as the infamous Contra / Konami code (look it up) -- and up comes a hidden app called "Developer Mode Enabler." Looks like it was discovered via the leaked ROM from earlier this evening. It's apparently used to connect a Pre to a machine running Palm's Mojo SDK for webOS, and we have confirmed its legitimacy. In fact, if you want proof and you don't have a Pre of your own, head on after the break for a video we put together, just for you.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Palm's webOS root image leaks out, code enthusiasts reschedule their normal nightly plans
Looks like Palm's webOS Reset Doctor, intended for resetting Pre smartphones with a mangled system, has been outed to the public at large along with a very special bonus for hackers and other programming enthusiasts: a complete 195MB root image of webOS itself. Code-inclined individuals on the PreCentral forums have already cracked open the ROM and are getting an unfettered glimpse at the Palm's new platform, which for the layman means it should open the doors for some crazy Pre hacking and possibly hint, by way of unfinished / unused code, of what's to come for the platform -- and if we're really lucky, maybe someone will be able to look at this and move us one step closer to an unlocked Pre that could jump onto Verizon's network. Amusingly, you also get to see all the comments left by the devs in the code, guaranteeing a few good chuckles from others who can relate. Intrepid computer science-ers can hit up the read link to find the appropriate .jar file or just follow along with all the fun in the forum discussion.
