webOShelp.net Blog

Bell Mobility days away from Palm Pre?

weboshelp — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:24:00 +0000

Canadians are readying for the launch of the Palm Pre on Bell Mobility, most likely a 6 month exclusive, which will shut the doors on rival CDMA provider Telus (whether hackers will open this up is another story, similar to how Verizon was hacked to work with the Sprint handset).

According to MobileSyrup, Bell has started to ramp up their in-store advertising for the Pre, featuring a large “Coming Soon” line, and “Order yours today”, hinting that preorders have already started for the new handset. As for when Bell will start rolling out the Pre ads (akin to Sprint’s ad campaign), it should be only a matter of time. Rumors peg the launch in just a couple days, on August 1st, although an online contest to win a Pre (see below) doesn’t end until the end of August.

In any case, Bell will beat O2 to the punch as the first carrier outside to the US, and only the second carrier after Sprint to carry Palm’s webOS handset. Are any of you on Bell or know someone from Canada who plan on getting a Pre when it arrives?

http://bit.ly/1ygJVp

O’Reilly book – Palm webOS by Mitch Allen printed

weboshelp — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:47:49 +0000

For those waiting for a newly minted version of Palm webOS, 1st edition to get the latest tips on developing from Palm CTO Mitch Allen, you may not have to wait much longer. TamsPalm reports that the Early Access team sent out notification that the book has hit the printing press:

“This is a notification that Palm webOS, 1st Edition has just been published to print.

As part of the terms of the Rough Cuts service, you may continue to access the completed book online for a period of 45 days. During this period, you will be able to the PDF version. However, if you plan to read Palm webOS, 1st Edition online after this 45 day period, you will need to access it as part of a standard Safari Books Online subscription.

For users who purchased the Rough Cuts Bundle, you will receive a separate email shortly with the shipping and billing information for the print version of your Rough Cuts title.”

So if you’ve purchased the Rough Cuts edition, consider archiving the latest PDF in the next month or so, before Safari Books Online gives you the boot. Meanwhile, the book is listed for preorder from Amazon (at a lower price than O’Reilly’s site), and should be available in the next couple weeks or so.

The final chapter of Palm webOS: Rough Cuts, Localization and Internationalization, was released late last month. Visit the official site for more details; you can also discuss the online version in the forums.

http://bit.ly/QCrpi

Palm App Catalog gets a couple new additions

weboshelp — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:16:31 +0000

Less than a week after the webOS 1.1 update added a single app for NFL fans and re-enabled iTunes sync, Palm has let loose a couple new additions to the App Catalog for us to download (at no cost). Pre users can now download OpenTable for Palm webOS, a popular restaurant reservation service which takes advantages of the device capabilities, such as location-aware features and synergy integration of your reservations to your calendar.

Also new in the App Catalog is Fliq Bookmarks, a utility from Mark/Space that works with the Missing Sync (which coincidentally allows Pre-iTunes syncing should Apple break connectivity again) is to transfer Safari bookmarks to your Palm Pre. It currently works with the Mac version, although PC syncing is expected soon.

Could this be a sign of good things to come? Palm has already released the public Mojo SDK, which is already up to version 1.1, and while homebrew installing is quite easy, we’re sure Palm will want a few more additions to their App Catalog in the near future.

Palm Blog

http://bit.ly/XoSew

Palm Mojo SDK 1.1 updated

weboshelp — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:17:49 +0000

Following the webOS 1.1 update released recently, Palm also released a new version of their Mojo SDK, albeit to slightly less fanfare. The update brings the Windows/Mac devkit to v1.1 (Build 12), and is aimed at fixing certain installer issues with Windows and Macintosh. Palm Developer Community Manager Chuq Von Rospach writes:

I’m happy to announce we’ve released a new version of the SDK and it’s now available for download.

This version is primarily aimed at fixing the installer issues that have been reported on Windows and Macintosh. The “rollback” issue and the problems some people had with the installer on XP with DLLs being replaced improperly leading to BSOD problems are fixed, as is a problem installing on a Mac when the emulator wasn’t properly uninstalled first.

There are no changes to the Linux SDK, and no functionality changes to the SDK itself, so if you’re currently up and running, there’s no need to download and install this update.

There are still a few known issues; more details can be found in the Release Notes. The latest version can be downloaded here.

PDN Blog

http://bit.ly/xG1Yo

New ways to install webOS homebrew apps onto the Pre

weboshelp — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:49:17 +0000

Since a previous webOS update closed an early e-mail install loophole, developers have been looking for alternative ways to easily install homebrew apps to their device. In the span of just a few weeks, a range of install methods, some more elegant than others (but all with the same result), have come to the surface. Below is a short summary all the homebrew-installing goodness, for when you cook up your latest and greatest apps.

PreBrew Installer: After setting developer mode on the Pre and installing the program, an icon named “Drop file Here to install Pre App” appears on the desktop. Do what it says and you have your app installed. Windows only.
Terminal: A command-line terminal for the Pre that is designed to be an on-device homebrew app installer; although it is currently in early, Pre-Alpha stage.
WebOS Quick Install: A simple, Java-based app you can install on Mac/PC/Linux. Put your Pre into developer mode with the Konami code, then simply drag and drop .ipk files to the app and click install.
fileCoaster: An on-device file download and .ipk install tool. Along the lines of the e-mail install loophole, you just copy and paste .ipk files into the app, and install homebrew without the need for the desktop. It can also download other files, such as images and MP3s.

Note that all programs are still in alpha or beta stages, so use them at your own risk. However with the variety of installation methods available, now your apps should be free to make their way into the world!

http://bit.ly/tfXMg

webOS Command-Line Terminal comes to the Palm Pre

weboshelp — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:17:28 +0000

With the homebrew scene already bustling and the Mojo SDK released, it was only a matter of time before someone got a native command-line terminal working on the Pre. Precentral notes that the program, currently in pre-alpha stage, allows you to run commands directly on the device. Its primary purpose is the world’s first on device homebrew app installer. Below are a couple notes from the developers:

“This is early-alpha software. Consider yourself lucky if it works at all. Many people have put many hours of hard work in to get just this far…now that the first on-device homebrew installation application is available, courtesy of an open source development team, let’s see which of the closed development teams working on dedicated GUI front-ends to on-device homebrew installation will be second…”

Head over to webOS-internals for all the deets and operational controls. The latest update (released today) includes increased security, color, arrow keys, automatic scrolling (you can also flick to scroll), and a much-needed ESC hotkey.

Previous Linux homebrew for webOS has included an Apache webserver and enabling the Optware Package Feed. Are there any other Linux programs or functionality that you would like to see on the Pre?

http://bit.ly/xQcA8

Palm webOS 1.1: new features detailed

weboshelp — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:47:53 +0000

Just a few days ago Palm webOS 1.1 was released, adding a host of new security features, as well as many undocumented features. Palm Infocenter covered some of the new features in more depth today, along with many screenshots showing all the nuts and bolts of the update, so you know what you’re getting into. A summary of what they covered is below:

New NFL App: Provides game day stats, scores, standings and offers live audio broadcasts of every regular season game. Live video NFL games More once the season begins.
New browser font and features: Speedier javascript performance, smoother scrolling and zoom, new “forward” gesture. New Prelude font used exclusively.
Photo app: Slightly faster including photo transitions; photos now slide in from left
Memos and e-mail: E-mail a memo easily from the drop-down menu, auto complete dictionary expanded, GUI improvements show icons for responded / flagged e-mails
App Catalog: Not much new, but they hint at possible hidden developer features?
System: New notification sounds, although you still cannot change them manually (although homebrew apps such as Pimp My Pre give you more control). Center button now turns on Pre when slider is open.

Some additional features are also noted at Precentral, such as previewing e-mail (which has been present even before the update. Also, you can double-tap to start text selection in editable fields. Also on the possible Google Maps bug, sometimes searching Google Maps loads the program with no controls, instead plopping you down at your current GPS-triangulated location.

What do you think Palm has in store for the next update?

http://bit.ly/1aRu4U

Palm webOS 1.1 released: iTunes sync returns, lots of new features

weboshelp — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:46:42 +0000

Just days after webOS 1.1 was tipped to be arriving within a month (and rumored for July 22), Palm let loose their first ‘major’ update to the webOS platform today, with the 87MB mandatory OTA download bringing some great new features to the Pre. New security features that enterprise users will enjoy are:

IT initiated Remote wipe
PIN/password of minimum length w/ complexity (numeric or alphanumeric)
Device wipe with X number of failed PIN attempts
Auto-lock after X minutes of activity
Improved digital certificates

Also included are tweaks to the built-in calendar, camera, clock, contacts, e-mail, and more. The full changelog can be found here.

Football fans will appreciate the new application, Sprint NFL Mobile Live, which allows you to watch or listen to live NFL games on your phone.

And in an bold move, Palm has re-enabled media sync with iTunes 8.2.1., just days after the latest update from Apple broke compatibility with the Pre. But will Apple be quick to shut out the Pre again?

Precentral also is keeping a note of other ‘undocumented features’ that went under the radar, including:

Notification sound changed to softer, though richer sound
Animated drop down and context menus
Photo app improvements: More distinct bar between photos and albums, preview thumbs also slide in from the right, faster photo rendering
Memo app now has a menu option to e-mail a memo.
New font for the Browser (Palm’s system font)
Javascript interpreter performance upgrades – overall performance increases, possibly system-wide
Better Gmail handling
New icon for AIM
More autocomplete / autocorrect entries in the dictionary.
Center button now turns on the screen with slider open, not just a keyboard key or the power button.

Less welcomed updates include disabling the key combo in the browser to open in a new card, as well as some mixed reports of problems with universal search in Google Maps.

Even with all the new features, we think a couple more apps would have been nice…but those will definitely come in good time, especially with the public Mojo SDK now out. Are there any other useful features that you found, and looking ahead, what would you like to see addressed in the next update?

http://bit.ly/1tCPe8

webOS medical apps sorely lacking on Pre; doctors using Classic to get by

weboshelp — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:18:58 +0000

With the Mojo SDK finally released publicly, many have had a chance to reflect on the programs available so far in the App Catalog, and whether the Pre is fitting with their personal and professional lives. MobiHealthNews wrote recently on ‘The sorry state of Palm Pre medical apps‘, citing a need for some new webOS apps in the field; “On the medical app front, competition is sparse for the Pre,” they complain.

However, some relief is found in that Classic allows health practitioners to upgrade their old Palm devices and not lose too much functionality. However, even with the latest update (which will add HotSync capability), emulating Palm OS medical apps perhaps isn’t an ideal solution, especially when dealing with life-and-death situations.

So what can doctors do to ease their transition to the Palm Pre? The Palmdoc Chronicles is doing a good job keeping track of compatible Palm OS medical apps via Classic (a compatibility list by MotionApps should also be a good supplement). Here are a few Palm OS medical apps already working on the Pre (more are being tested):

Epocrates
Skyscape and Unbound
Medcalc
Statcoder apps
ABGPro
Eponyms
Shots 2008
Haemoncrules

Meanwhile, one developer is well into completing a webOS version of OncoPDA, which could be the first of many medical apps on the Pre. In the meantime, it looks as if Classic is the way to go for doctors making the move to webOS. Do you have any other advice or plan to develop an app that could be useful to medical practictioners?

http://bit.ly/4naSdj

Bell to get Palm Pre by end of July?

weboshelp — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:23:16 +0000

Mobile enthusiasts and webOS developers from Canada have something to look forward to in the near future, as recent rumors point to a Palm Pre launch in late July / early August on Bell Mobility. The rumors began with a leaked document that showed the Canadian CDMA provider starting employee training for the Pre and webOS via a ‘What is Pre’ course. Bell is ramping up the training in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, although exact locations are unknown.

Rumored dates for the launch have a narrow range, between July 29 and August 1. The previous date was rumored to be in early September, speculated from an upcoming contest where you can win a Pre on Bell. This will make Bell the first carrier to carry the Pre outside of the US. O2 in the UK will be following suit, and the second international carrier to get Palm’s new handset.

IntoMobile

http://bit.ly/Mx0OA