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HP takes Open webOS 1.0 live, shows it supersized on a TouchSmart (video)
WebOS loyalists have been waiting a long, long time for HP's September launch of Open webOS, but the company has made good on its promise with not a moment to spare. Open webOS 1.0 is now available with core browser and e-mail apps, the Enyo 2.0 framework and enough hooks to allow porting to a platform of choice. To prove this last point, HP has gone so far as to port the software to a TouchSmart all-in-one -- a device just a tad larger than a Veer 4G. Lest anyone be hasty and get visions of developing a custom build for the TouchPad, though, they'd do well to remember both HP's disclaimer ruling out legacy support as well as word of the holes that exist in the current Open webOS release. The company needs time to offer open-sourced media support, a Bluetooth stack, advanced network management, faster rendering and newer versions of both Qt and WebKit. The curious can nonetheless try the OS in an emulator today, and intrepid developers can start building their own projects with the code and tools found at the source link.
Huawei's building its own mobile operating system 'just in case' there's trouble ahead
Huawei's boss must have been a Boy Scout, since he's taken its "be prepared' motto deeply to his heart. CEO Wan Biao has told Reuters that his company is working on its own mobile OS just in case its partners "won't let us use their system[s] one day." We don't expect to ever see the software, but given the fractious nature of the business, it's more likely to be a barbed hint at Google and Microsoft to keep sending flowers and chocolates to Shenzhen. That said, given that local rival ZTE is building phones with Firefox's OS, we'd politely suggest that it rescues another beloved OS from the clutches of HP's indifference.
Meg Whitman says HP has to 'offer a smartphone'
HP bet big on the smartphone world when it purchased Palm, but the company fell flat on its face and webOS failed to take off. The reasons for the failure are numerous, but the new CEO Meg Whitman is smart enough to realize it can't simply abandon the market entirely. In an interview with Fox Business, she said that HP "ultimately has to offer a smartphone." Though she was willing to acknowledge that the company is "working on this," she would not divulge too many details about its mobile plans. Whether or not webOS may rise from the ashes as a largely community-powered platform remains to be seen, but we wouldn't be shocked to see HP pivot towards its longtime partner Microsoft, and release a Windows Phone 8 device. Perhaps the best glimmer of hope for the former Palm system was Meg's focus on developing markets. She rightly points out that, in some parts of the world, the first and only "computer" a person may own is a smartphone -- and reaching that audience is essential to Hewlett-Packard's success. Going back to the webOS well (with its open source support) would allow the company to save a few dollars on the cost of a new handset. Check out the video after the break for the full quotes in context.
Open webOS beta will become available to developers today
Just like that, HP is making good on its promise to release Open webOS in beta. The code is available today under the Apache 2.0 license, and is landing slightly ahead of schedule (HP long ago said the software would arrive in September). All told, the beta release is comprised of 54 components, totaling more than 450,000 lines of code. As you'd expect, too, the desktop build incorporates all the elements released so far on Ubuntu. The software also includes an ARM emulator, running db8, node.js and other services. Other highlights: the System Manager now supports applications, including key ones like Calendar and Contacts. Many third-party Enyo apps are supported too, HP says. Been waiting all these months to get your coding on? Hit up the source link below for more information. And if necessary, keep refreshing: as of this writing, the code hasn't hit HP's servers, but it should very soon.
webOS team becomes Gram, isn't heavy on mission statements
HP's webOS team has been keeping busy with its open source project, but it's time for a new challenge in the form of Gram: a fresh HP-funded offshoot focused on "software, user experience, the cloud, engineering, and partnering." We're not quite sure where that list could lead, but webOS, Enyo and cloud services are all expected to play a role in future endeavors. Judging from the fancy flyer after the break, a lot of energy is going into brand-building right now, along with a dose of secrecy, but hopefully some more concrete details will happen along soon.
Switched On: Surface damage
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. As Switched On discussed a few weeks ago, and as Microsoft noted in its recent 10-K filing, it is an unavoidable truth that the company getting into the hardware market will cause conflict with its partners. The extent of that conflict, though, depends on many variables and Microsoft can -- and must -- take steps to ameliorate it.
TouchPad gets an early taste of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean courtesy of CyanogenMod 10 (video)
Want the latest version of Android on your device? Sure, we all do, and despite HP having put the TouchPad out to pasture long ago, the modder community isn't giving up hope. One brave soul over at Xda Developers who goes by the handle Jscullins can (and should) be thanked for bringing bargain tablet lovers a dose of CyanogenMod 10. It's still a preview build lacking, among other things, sound and video acceleration, but if you absolutely have to get a buttery smooth UI on your tablet right now hit up the source link for the download. Or, you could just check out the video of it in action after the break courtesy of Liliputing. It's probably safer.
No Open WebOS support for existing WebOS devices, no soup for you
Another day, another major blow to the webOS community. The Open webOS project announced today in its blog that the fledgling OS won't support any of the existing hardware -- like HP's Pre 3 and TouchPad. While not completely surprising, this is disappointing for those who were hoping to wring a little more life out of their current webOS devices. Open webOS is targeting SoCs that support the Linux 3.3+ kernel and components with open source drivers. The blog post blames the existing hardware's "many proprietary components, including graphics, networking and lack of drivers for a modern kernel". Despite having access to these proprietary drivers, it appears HP isn't willing to make them available to the Open webOS project -- proof that sometimes you can have your cake, but not eat it too.
New York Times ends support for official BlackBerry, WebOS apps
Looks like the New York Times is signaling the death knell for RIM, albeit subtly. In a move that surely underscores the withering faith content companies have for the once beloved platform, the venerable Sulzberger-backed news organization has pulled all support for its DealBook Reader and NYTimes app for BlackBerry as of July 23rd. Users that attempt to access that application in the days since will find a stale content list that no longer updates and are being urged, instead, to visit the paper's mobile site for a "more complete... experience." And as if the ailing Waterloo-based company hadn't suffered enough indignity, it's been cast out of the developer pen alongside WebOS, joining PalmPre users on the reject list. Not to worry though, the Times crossword app has yet to get the axe -- that's got to be some consolation, no? You can check out the NYT's official line on its decision at the source below. [Thanks, Dhruv]
Enyo 2.0 released in finished form, shares webOS' web app legacy with everyone
HP's plans to open-source webOS included mention of Enyo 2.0, a framework designed to spread webOS' learnings to other platforms -- to spread the love around, so to speak. The code foundation, while behind schedule, has just left beta: any developer with a mind to producing web apps can now create interface elements and whole apps using the technology derived from Palm's legacy. Any reasonably modern browser will run the end result, whether it's running Android, iOS or a full-fledged desktop release. We may never recreate the exact feeling of using an HP TouchPad on our iPads and Galaxy Tabs, but we know that some of its software design heritage will carry on.
Design firm's video offers a glimpse of the touchscreen webOS phone that never was
Well, it looks like there's still a few surprises left from HP's brief foray into webOS hardware. As webOS Nation has discovered, the design firm Transparent House posted a brief clip of a device described as "WindsorNot" some eight months ago, which is very clearly a touchscreen-only webOS smartphone. As the site notes, that appears to be the very same device that had previously turned up in leaked photos under the codename "Stingray," and it estimates that the phone has the same 3.6-inch screen as the Pre 3. Details are scarce beyond that, but you can get a good look at what might have been in the video after the break -- not to mention yet another look at the unreleased TouchPad Go (a.k.a. Opal) on Transparent House's Vimeo page linked below. Update: Looks like this one is remaining elusive. The video has now unfortunately been pulled. Update 2: We've removed the still from the video at the request of Transparent House. The image above is the previously leaked photo of the device.
Phoenix project wants to rise from the ashes of webOS with open source wings
It looks like webOS isn't going quietly into the mobile OS retirement home. While its journey to open-source continues, an eager cabal of developers, fans and designers have decided to reignite the ill-fated operating system under the banner of Phoenix International Communications. Focusing its efforts on transporting open webOS to existing devices, both HP-made and otherwise, Phoenix also wants throw in some new features and fixes -- presumably throwing in some extra software gems and UI tweaks. If it all goes to plan, the organization even wants to bring new webOS devices to market -- a heady dream, but you've got to admire their pluck. Any webOS devotees out there can pledge their allegiance (and assistance) to the cause at the source below.
Google snags the webOS Enyo team, HP says open source plans are still on schedule (Update)
At one time the Enyo app framework was supposed to help webOS run faster and on a wider variety of devices, but as HP continues to struggle, reports have surfaced from The Verge and AllThingsD that much of the team behind it, including leader Matthew McNulty, has been hired away by Google. Numbering a half dozen or so, the immediate danger is the effect this might have on HP's efforts to open source webOS, but in a statement the company indicated it remains on track and will stick to the roadmap it announced in January. Less clear is what these employees might end up working on for Google, although Enyo's focus on web apps and HTML5 suggests the possibility they'll end up working on ChromeOS projects. Update: The remaining members of the Enyo team have also chimed in now, with a blog post indicating yes, some "key members" have left, but that "the majority of the engineering and leadership team remains." Of course, while it continues work on the product there are some job openings now, so interested coders are encouraged to toss an application HP's way.
Switched On: Clash of the troubled titans
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Fans of the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences can appreciate similarly contrived dynamics in comparing Nokia and RIM (neither of which, contrary to the occasionally expressed opinion, has been murdered despite "Apple and Android" consisting of three words and 15 letters). Both companies are former smartphone market share leaders -- RIM in North America, Nokia globally. Both have had success in developing economies with efficient operating systems that they plan to support indefinitely. Both developed reputations for high build quality and good antenna design, and both were initially dismissive of the iPhone as they continue to see Android as the path to commoditization. And after precipitous market share declines, both hired new CEOs. Nokia, a European company, hired a CEO raised in Canada. RIM, a Canadian company, hired a CEO raised in Europe. These men now struggle with keeping their companies part of a viable alternative to the two dominant marketplace offerings. Since embarking on their new operating system strategies, though, there have been many contrasts. While Nokia hired an outsider as a CEO, RIM hired an insider. Nokia decided to adopt a licensed OS; RIM decided to build its own (based largely on acquisitions). And now that both the Mobile World Congress and BlackBerry World conferences have passed, there's an opportunity to assess their comeback progress.
Refresh Roundup: week of May 7th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Interview with Inglorious Apps, a webOS to iOS developer switcher
Inglorious Apps is well-known in the webOS world for its work on Notes, Voice and Glimpse, a multi-tasking app for the Touchpad that lets you divide up the screen and use several different widgets at the same time. Now that webOS is on the decline, the talented development company has ported its apps to iOS and Android using Enyo. Enyo is a multi-platform development tool created by HP/Palm that lets webOS developers write an app for webOS and then port it to the iPhone, iPad or Android devices. After a few months of diligent coding, Inglorious Apps ported two apps from webOS to iOS. Dock is a stylish screensaver app that displays information like your RSS feed, Twitter feed, headline news and more. Panes is an iPad app that tries to simulate Glimpse for the Touchpad. The first version of Panes, which was a straight port from the webOS app, was rejected because Apple's developer agreement doesn't allow apps that use widgets. A modified version of the app is available, but it's a work-in-progress as Inglorious Apps codes around this restriction. We took some time to talk to the developer behind Inglorious Apps (who preferred to remain unnamed) about his experience with iOS development and what he thought about the switch from webOS to iOS. You can read our questions and his answers below. Do you develop full time or is this something you do as a secondary career? I develop apps part-time. Mostly during my spare time, when I get off my (real) day-time job. How many hours a week are spent on development, debugging, updates, and customer service? I spend roughly between 25-30hrs/week total. You are well-known in the webOS community for your work on Glimpse; were you able to reuse any webOS code to create your Panes or Dock app? Or are they new programs created from scratch? Yes, Dock and Panes are a direct port from webOS. I re-used a lot of my code. I only had to make a few changes to things that were "webOS-specific." Where you reused existing code, how long did it take you to port the code for iOS? It took about 10 minutes to port over to iOS (and Android). It then took about 2 months to make everything work as intended. What's the major difference you've found between programming for a webOS device versus the iPhone/iPad? The major difference is in multi-tasking. in webOS, an app stays open forever as long as the 'card' is open. This removes the burden of multitasking from the developer. iOS, on the other hand, multi-tasks differently. So you as the developer have to put a little extra thought/effort into how your app should operate. What was the biggest hurdle you encountered when you created your iOS Apps using Enyo? Since I wasn't quite proficient in Objective-C, the biggest hurdle was having to implement a few "webOS specific" features using Objective-C. So, making the apps (Dock & Panes) wasn't quite as simple as copying/pasting my old code. How is Enyo as a tool for writing iOS apps? Can you easily write code that adheres to Apple's standards? Can you debug effectively without always testing on an iOS device? I found Enyo to be quite useful. Enyo is a Javascript framework that emphasizes modularity. I think of it as a making an app with Lego blocks. You can make fairly simple to fairly complex apps (like Panes) using Enyo. There's also no problems adhering to Apple's standards. Debugging is very easy. Apps written with Enyo can actually work in Webkit browsers [like Safari or Chrome]. Actually, I do a lot of my quick tests in the Safari browser. Though, it's always nice to test on an actual device, just so there are no surprises. After reading this article, users will know that your app is written using Enyo. Is there any performance difference between your app and an app that's originally written in native code? Actually, my app is sort of a hybrid combo of native/non-native. I'm accomplishing a few things (e.g. the web widget in Panes) using native C code. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what "native" means anymore. I think that line is blurred. Sure, depending on the complexity of the app (or task), you may notice slight performance issues. But overall, I do think the average user won't be able to tell "native" vs. "non-native," so I don't think app performance should/would be a source of concern. How thorough is the Enyo programming environment, especially when it comes to graphics or data stores which may be handled differently on webOS? Do you have to tweak things on the iOS side? Enyo is quite thorough. The only tweak I had to make was updating graphics (i.e. doubling their sizes) for Retina display. Are you concerned that HP will stop working on Enyo and won't update it to support new versions of iOS? Do you have a contingency plan if Enyo is abandoned? So far, HP has shown signs of dedication to Enyo. They're currently working on a more cross-platform friendly version (i.e. Enyo 2), and things are looking optimistic. I'm not too worried about possible abandonment, since Enyo is open-sourced. So, I don't have to sit around and wait for HP to make updates, I can just go in and fiddle around with the code. So no, I don't really have any 'contingency' plans. I'm just hopeful the open-source community will sustain it. Do you have any advice for other webOS developers looking to write apps for iOS? I'd advise webOS developers to actually use iOS before trying to develop for it. Coming from the webOS world, the UI paradigm is quite different. I think the most effective way to develop for any platform is to be an actual user of that platform.
Switched On: Not weaned from Windows
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. This recent announcement that Dell would not be pursuing new smartphones for the time being following the retirement of its Venue Windows Phone devices raised the spotlight on PC companies -- at least those other than Apple -- and why they have struggled so mightily in the US smartphone market. Virtually every major PC company, including HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba and ASUS, has either passed completely on entering the domestic market or released only a handful of models without much carrier support behind them. HP, of course, made the largest investment in mobile with the purchase of an ailing developer of devices and operating systems. But even before that Palm slapped its forehead, HP had only casually flirted with smartphones, releasing a few token Windows Mobile smartphones. PC companies have been fighting the battle with some heavy handicaps. To be fair to these companies, the investment demands of the ultra-competitive smartphone market have proven formidable for many companies, including many, like Motorola, Nokia and RIM, that were once considered masters of the game. Even companies that have not seen such a prolonged decline, like HTC, can find the tables turned on them in the course of a financial quarter. But PC companies have been fighting the battle with some heavy handicaps.
HP cuts 275 webOS jobs in transition to open source
In news that should come as little surprise to anyone who's followed the decline of the ill-fated brand, HP is reportedly laying off 275 webOS employees as it transitions the division from producing hardware to open source software. The cuts have apparently been in the works since the company announced the move to open source back in December, and follow on the heels of former Palm chief, Jon Rubinstein's departure last month. A statement from the outfit cited the need for "a more nimble team" to "sustain HP's commitment to the software over the long term," and stated HP's intentions "to redeploy employees affected by these changes to other roles at the company." While reports have surfaced saying the cuts are primarily in engineering, we're told positions in multiple departments are at stake.
New privacy policy standards agreed to by world's major app store owners
The California Attorney General has struck a deal with the world's major app store operators that will see new privacy policy standards put in place. Apple, Google, Microsoft, HP, RIM and Amazon have all agreed to require any software that uses personal information to provide a privacy policy that can be viewed in the store before an app is downloaded. The agreement will bring the various markets in line with the California Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires developers provide such a policy. In addition to providing links to the relevant documents in an obvious and consistent location, the companies will have to offer a simple way for users to report devs that violate the rules. For more details about the deal check out the PR after the break.
HP rolls out more open webOS components, new Isis browser and some organization
While we thought a tasteful retrospective was the way to go, it looks like HP's not finished picking over those webOS bones. The company has now released the UI widgets for Enyo 2.0 (following its source code release last month), details on how webOS deals with the Javascript core and a new Isis web browser. The browser will apparently add "enhanced support" for plug-ins and Flash -- even if its days are numbered. HP also plans to corral dev efforts, organizing projects and assigning management committees -- based on a "meritocracy" -- to different parts of the code. We're promised yet more OS components to reveal themselves in the next few months, with the full open webOS release expected to roll out in September.
