New Palm News, Reviews, Tips, Hacks and How To’s by a Die-Hard Blackberry User
Palm’s webOS Doctor, the utility that allows you to reinstall the operating system and start from scratch, has been updated to match the current version of webOS (1.3.1) for the Pre. Pixi users are out of luck for now, as Palm has yet to update the webOS Doctor specific to that device from 1.2.9.1.
You can find the most current version of webOS Doctor for the Pre here, and for the Pixi here.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Palm’s webOS Doctor, the utility that allows you to reinstall the operating system and start from scratch, has been updated to match the current version of webOS (1.3.1) for the Pre. Pixi users are out of luck for now, as Palm has yet to update the webOS Doctor specific to that device from 1.2.9.1.
You can find the most current version of webOS Doctor for the Pre here, and for the Pixi here.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Apps apps apps! We all know they’re important, and the developers behind these apps would agree. Palm knows that they’re important, that’s why there’s an App Catalog on the device from the very moment you turn it on. But the App Catalog is still in beta and only a few dozen developers have been granted access - hopefully that will be remedied soon. In the meantime, there are new apps and updates galore to be had. As usual, it’s a long list, so take a gander after ye olde break.
Apps apps apps! We all know they’re important, and the developers behind these apps would agree. Palm knows that they’re important, that’s why there’s an App Catalog on the device from the very moment you turn it on. But the App Catalog is still in beta and only a few dozen developers have been granted access - hopefully that will be remedied soon. In the meantime, there are new apps and updates galore to be had. As usual, it’s a long list, so take a gander after ye olde break.
Right now there’s no good way to sync or backup your data from SplashID on webOS, which is otherwise a perfectly good app. But without any way to backup your data, you’re left in a lurch if it ever happens that you have to reset or replace your phone. The good folks at SplashData recognize that and instead of pursuing the desktop sync function that has typified SplashID on every other platform.
Instead they’re going after the solution that typifies webOS: the cloud. SplashData will in the coming months release a cloud-enabled beta SplashID. The app will sync your passwords and other SplashID data to SplashID Live, the ecosystem’s online repository. Additionally, you can expect that in the near future the cost of SplashID will rise, likely to their standard $9.99. SplashData is currently asking just $4.99 for the webOS version as they didn’t feel comfortable charging the full price for an app with no desktop sync functionality.
Thanks to Jack for the tip!
Right now there’s no good way to sync or backup your data from SplashID on webOS, which is otherwise a perfectly good app. But without any way to backup your data, you’re left in a lurch if it ever happens that you have to reset or replace your phone. The good folks at SplashData recognize that and instead of pursuing the desktop sync function that has typified SplashID on every other platform.
Instead they’re going after the solution that typifies webOS: the cloud. SplashData will in the coming months release a cloud-enabled beta SplashID. The app will sync your passwords and other SplashID data to SplashID Live, the ecosystem’s online repository. Additionally, you can expect that in the near future the cost of SplashID will rise, likely to their standard $9.99. SplashData is currently asking just $4.99 for the webOS version as they didn’t feel comfortable charging the full price for an app with no desktop sync functionality.
Thanks to Jack for the tip!
Hey, check out these auctions:
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Cool, arent they?
While the $25 deal at Wirefly is nice, they don’t draw anywhere near as many customers as Walmart does, where the Pixi is going for $29.95. The one retailer that has any hope of customer levels coming near that of Walmart? Amazon, and they’re undercutting Wally World by $5 and selling the Pixi for $24.99 on a new contract. Amazon also has the cheapest off contract price for a Pixi we’ve ever seen: $359.99. At this rate we have to wonder how long it will be before you’re able to get a Pixi for free - and what a huge coup that would be for Palm.
UPDATE: Walmart’s Pixi price has jumped up to $49.99, so Amazon is the better deal by far.
[via: Engadget]
Thanks to rgonzal10 for the tip!
Hey, check out these auctions:
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US $7.15 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Nov-18-2009 18:19:15 PST Buy It Now for only: US $7.95 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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US $200.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Nov-18-2009 18:19:28 PST Bid now | Add to watch list |
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US $9.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Nov-18-2009 18:21:07 PST Buy It Now for only: US $11.99 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Cool, arent they?
While the $25 deal at Wirefly is nice, they don’t draw anywhere near as many customers as Walmart does, where the Pixi is going for $29.95. The one retailer that has any hope of customer levels coming near that of Walmart? Amazon, and they’re undercutting Wally World by $5 and selling the Pixi for $24.99 on a new contract. Amazon also has the cheapest off contract price for a Pixi we’ve ever seen: $359.99. At this rate we have to wonder how long it will be before you’re able to get a Pixi for free - and what a huge coup that would be for Palm.
UPDATE: Walmart’s Pixi price has jumped up to $49.99, so Amazon is the better deal by far.
[via: Engadget]
Thanks to rgonzal10 for the tip!
Saul Hansell of the New York Times recently penned an interesting feature on Palm. Hansell opened the piece by describing Palm as a "mouse" in "a land of cellphone giants" including Apple, Research in Motion, Google, Microsoft and Nokia, then interposes comments by Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein with analyst thoughts to show both Palm’s strengths and supposed weaknesses. At one point in the piece, Tero Kuittenen, an analyst with MKM Partners, describes how opinions have fluctuated since the Pre announcement in January:
“These emotional extremes reflect a handset market in profound turmoil,” said Tero Kuittinen, an analyst with MKM Partners. “Palm soared to $18 when people were expecting Pre to be a blockbuster. American tech bloggers went crazy over Pre and pronounced it to be the St. Paul following the iPhone Jesus,” he said. “Then Verizon started pushing Droid and the bloggers reversed. Now Pre was doomed and Android was going to take over the global handset market.”
There were a few other noteworthy points, including Rubinstein being quoted as saying, "Android, and the droid in particular, are designed for the techie audience…We [at Palm] are doing a more general product that helps people live their lives seamlessly." Given Palm’s strong support for open-source development, easily modifiable code and other tech-friendly features of the Pre in particular, the idea that the Pre was not "designed for the techie audience" seems a bit odd, though Palm has repeatedly stated that they are pursuing customers that aren’t current smartphone owners.
On the prospects for Palm with the addition of the Pixi to its lineup, analyst Kuittinen estimates that "Palm may be able to sell 10 million handsets next year," depending on adding carriers in Europe as well as the United States.
Oddly, notwithstanding the largely positive spin of the piece, The Times’ headline changed between when the piece was first posted (and put into print) and the current online version. The original headline read, "Underdog Palm Takes on Giants in Smartphones," but the current version has morphed to, "Is Palm’s Comeback Losing Steam?" There’s no explanation either in or accompanying the piece for the change, and little indication in the article that Palm’s comeback may be "losing steam."
Setting aside the title change, the article paints a generally good picture of Palm’s current and future prospects, especially with the release of the down-market Pixi to fill the Centro role with which Palm was so successful in the past.
Saul Hansell of the New York Times recently penned an interesting feature on Palm. Hansell opened the piece by describing Palm as a "mouse" in "a land of cellphone giants" including Apple, Research in Motion, Google, Microsoft and Nokia, then interposes comments by Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein with analyst thoughts to show both Palm’s strengths and supposed weaknesses. At one point in the piece, Tero Kuittenen, an analyst with MKM Partners, describes how opinions have fluctuated since the Pre announcement in January:
“These emotional extremes reflect a handset market in profound turmoil,” said Tero Kuittinen, an analyst with MKM Partners. “Palm soared to $18 when people were expecting Pre to be a blockbuster. American tech bloggers went crazy over Pre and pronounced it to be the St. Paul following the iPhone Jesus,” he said. “Then Verizon started pushing Droid and the bloggers reversed. Now Pre was doomed and Android was going to take over the global handset market.”
There were a few other noteworthy points, including Rubinstein being quoted as saying, "Android, and the droid in particular, are designed for the techie audience…We [at Palm] are doing a more general product that helps people live their lives seamlessly." Given Palm’s strong support for open-source development, easily modifiable code and other tech-friendly features of the Pre in particular, the idea that the Pre was not "designed for the techie audience" seems a bit odd, though Palm has repeatedly stated that they are pursuing customers that aren’t current smartphone owners.
On the prospects for Palm with the addition of the Pixi to its lineup, analyst Kuittinen estimates that "Palm may be able to sell 10 million handsets next year," depending on adding carriers in Europe as well as the United States.
Oddly, notwithstanding the largely positive spin of the piece, The Times’ headline changed between when the piece was first posted (and put into print) and the current online version. The original headline read, "Underdog Palm Takes on Giants in Smartphones," but the current version has morphed to, "Is Palm’s Comeback Losing Steam?" There’s no explanation either in or accompanying the piece for the change, and little indication in the article that Palm’s comeback may be "losing steam."
Setting aside the title change, the article paints a generally good picture of Palm’s current and future prospects, especially with the release of the down-market Pixi to fill the Centro role with which Palm was so successful in the past.
The prospects of a cloud-connected phone were obvious from the day that the Palm Pre and webOS were announced. Apart from being always connected, having all your data backed up in multiple places was an alluring concept. Fast-forward to today’s webOS and while the always-connected bit is more or less true, there are still some glaring holes in the backup abilities of the OS. PreCentral forum member DrewPre decided that having things like your call logs, SMS conversations, and whatnot not backed up wasn’t good enough and set out to create a backup app for webOS.
And create it he did. For his first webOS app, Palm Pre Backup is quite impressive. Currently the app takes data from your phone (call logs, contacts, tasks, memos, and SMS conversations) web browser (bookmarks, cookies, and history), bundles them up with your apps and patches, and spits out a nice little zip package onto your phone’s USB drive partition. From there you can copy it to your desktop computer and have a handy backup at the ready for the next time you need to reset or replace your webOS phone.
The prospects of a cloud-connected phone were obvious from the day that the Palm Pre and webOS were announced. Apart from being always connected, having all your data backed up in multiple places was an alluring concept. Fast-forward to today’s webOS and while the always-connected bit is more or less true, there are still some glaring holes in the backup abilities of the OS. PreCentral forum member DrewPre decided that having things like your call logs, SMS conversations, and whatnot not backed up wasn’t good enough and set out to create a backup app for webOS.
And create it he did. For his first webOS app, Palm Pre Backup is quite impressive. Currently the app takes data from your phone (call logs, contacts, tasks, memos, and SMS conversations) web browser (bookmarks, cookies, and history), bundles them up with your apps and patches, and spits out a nice little zip package onto your phone’s USB drive partition. From there you can copy it to your desktop computer and have a handy backup at the ready for the next time you need to reset or replace your webOS phone.
Palm hath giveth. After the dual update let-down that was Monday, Tuesday came in full force with not only a whole basket full of updates, but with several new apps to boot. It’s a long list (which we like to see), so it’s all posted after the break. Just click that “Read the rest of this entry” button down to the right to check it out.
Over at Pre 101 the recently interviewed a familiar character on the webOS scene: Palm’s Developer Community Manager Chuq Von Rospach. We got a bit of history on Von Rospach (prior to working with Palm he had worked with Sun Microsystems, Apple, Strongmail, and Laszlo Systems) and an explanation as to why his Tweets are almost always about birds.
But we know what you all find to be the interesting stuff: what he does at Palm. Chuq described his job as managing the developer portal and forums, communicating information from Palm to the developer community, and working with developers and media to address problems. Essentially, he serves as the nexus of Palm’s developer community, linking together Palm, the developers, and the media.
But what of the things that are big for developers? You know, the SDK, submission process, and App Catalog. Chuq says that Palm has heard our complaints. While it may not be evident from the outside, Chuq says that the application submission process has made leaps and bounds behind the scenes. The SDK’s documentation is also being expanded and enhanced in response to complaints from developers. Palm has also taken the notable step of embracing the external developer community unlike one of one of the other smartphone makers out there. The homebrew community at PreCentral is a crystal clear example of this embrace, especially when you consider how many of our developers have recently ‘graduated’ up to the App Catalog.
There’s much more at Pre 101, so check it out!
Over at Pre 101 the recently interviewed a familiar character on the webOS scene: Palm’s Developer Community Manager Chuq Von Rospach. We got a bit of history on Von Rospach (prior to working with Palm he had worked with Sun Microsystems, Apple, Strongmail, and Laszlo Systems) and an explanation as to why his Tweets are almost always about birds.
But we know what you all find to be the interesting stuff: what he does at Palm. Chuq described his job as managing the developer portal and forums, communicating information from Palm to the developer community, and working with developers and media to address problems. Essentially, he serves as the nexus of Palm’s developer community, linking together Palm, the developers, and the media.
But what of the things that are big for developers? You know, the SDK, submission process, and App Catalog. Chuq says that Palm has heard our complaints. While it may not be evident from the outside, Chuq says that the application submission process has made leaps and bounds behind the scenes. The SDK’s documentation is also being expanded and enhanced in response to complaints from developers. Palm has also taken the notable step of embracing the external developer community unlike one of one of the other smartphone makers out there. The homebrew community at PreCentral is a crystal clear example of this embrace, especially when you consider how many of our developers have recently ‘graduated’ up to the App Catalog.
There’s much more at Pre 101, so check it out!
Over at Pre 101 the recently interviewed a familiar character on the webOS scene: Palm’s Developer Community Manager Chuq Von Rospach. We got a bit of history on Von Rospach (prior to working with Palm he had worked with Sun Microsystems, Apple, Strongmail, and Laszlo Systems) and an explanation as to why his Tweets are almost always about birds.
But we know what you all find to be the interesting stuff: what he does at Palm. Chuq described his job as managing the developer portal and forums, communicating information from Palm to the developer community, and working with developers and media to address problems. Essentially, he serves as the nexus of Palm’s developer community, linking together Palm, the developers, and the media.
But what of the things that are big for developers? You know, the SDK, submission process, and App Catalog. Chuq says that Palm has heard our complaints. While it may not be evident from the outside, Chuq says that the application submission process has made leaps and bounds behind the scenes. The SDK’s documentation is also being expanded and enhanced in response to complaints from developers. Palm has also taken the notable step of embracing the external developer community unlike one of one of the other smartphone makers out there. The homebrew community at PreCentral is a crystal clear example of this embrace, especially when you consider how many of our developers have recently ‘graduated’ up to the App Catalog.
There’s much more at Pre 101, so check it out!
An upgrade by Kaufman Brothers and more buzz about a Palm webOS device arriving at Verizon in Q12010 drove a rally in Palm stock today. Shares rose 5.82% to $12.54, a gain of $0.69.
According to a report posted at MarketWatch.com, Shaw Wu of Kaufman Brothers boosted his own rating on the stock to Buy from Hold with a target of $16. In his research note, he stated the following:
"Talking with investors, most have written off Palm as a legitimate competitor and assumed Android will be the platform of choice at Verizon and other carriers. We believe Palm still has sizable advantages with its multitouch capability and vertical integration."
All Things D’s John Paczkowski referenced Wu in his post that talked about a webOS handset coming to Verizon’s network in the first half of 2010. In response to these stories, MocoNew’s Tricia Duryee noted:
"If this is true, then more than ever Palm sounds like a perfect buy-out candidate for Nokia, which has been considered the most interested buyer. The webOS did launch with favorable reviews, but it’s been difficult for Palm to move fast given its always dwindling cash balance. A big company, like Nokia, would be able to provide the financing to get to market quickly, while also having the resources to raise the platforms’ visibility. For Nokia, it would mean supporting yet another operating system, but it would gain a much-needed foothold into the U.S."
An upgrade by Kaufman Brothers and more buzz about a Palm webOS device arriving at Verizon in Q12010 drove a rally in Palm stock today. Shares rose 5.82% to $12.54, a gain of $0.69.
According to a report posted at MarketWatch.com, Shaw Wu of Kaufman Brothers boosted his own rating on the stock to Buy from Hold with a target of $16. In his research note, he stated the following:
"Talking with investors, most have written off Palm as a legitimate competitor and assumed Android will be the platform of choice at Verizon and other carriers. We believe Palm still has sizable advantages with its multitouch capability and vertical integration."
All Things D’s John Paczkowski referenced Wu in his post that talked about a webOS handset coming to Verizon’s network in the first half of 2010. In response to these stories, MocoNew’s Tricia Duryee noted:
"If this is true, then more than ever Palm sounds like a perfect buy-out candidate for Nokia, which has been considered the most interested buyer. The webOS did launch with favorable reviews, but it’s been difficult for Palm to move fast given its always dwindling cash balance. A big company, like Nokia, would be able to provide the financing to get to market quickly, while also having the resources to raise the platforms’ visibility. For Nokia, it would mean supporting yet another operating system, but it would gain a much-needed foothold into the U.S."
As we suspected, many new Palm Pixi phones came out of the box with webOS 1.2.9 installed. That’s all well and good, since webOS checks for updates on a regular basis and downloads them in the background while you carry on with your daily business. Problem is, the Update app will only download over EVDO and WiFi, which in a way makes sense. EVDO and WiFi are nice and fast in comparison to the other wireless alternative on Sprint: 1xRTT.
So what is 1xRTT? Essentially, it’s Sprint’s 2.5G network, runs at a blistering 60 kbps to 80 kbps. Yes, kilobits per second, a speed that roughly translates to 10 kilobytes per second, in which case downloading the 126 MB webOS 1.3.1 update would take nearly 36 hours, and that’s assuming you managed to maintain peak rate for that whole day and a half. There’s a reason that you don’t see 1xRTT advertised much: it’s really slow.
The medical community has long been a major supporter of smartphones, largely as an evolution of our adopting point-of-care software on PDAs. The importance of the healthcare market continues to be significant even today, evidenced by the efforts made to show how medical software (as show by Epocrates on Classic) could still be accessed even before the Pre was released.
Well, the release of the Pre and Classic came and went, and many of us felt the webOS platform was in dire need of a native med/pharm reference solution. Back in August, Derek reported that Lexi-Comp was indeed being developed for webOS; I was recently given an opportunity by them to take the pre-release beta for a spin and write up a Real Review.
The medical community has long been a major supporter of smartphones, largely as an evolution of our adopting point-of-care software on PDAs. The importance of the healthcare market continues to be significant even today, evidenced by the efforts made to show how medical software (as show by Epocrates on Classic) could still be accessed even before the Pre was released.
Well, the release of the Pre and Classic came and went, and many of us felt the webOS platform was in dire need of a native med/pharm reference solution. Back in August, Derek reported that Lexi-Comp was indeed being developed for webOS; I was recently given an opportunity by them to take the pre-release beta for a spin and write up a Real Review.
The medical community has long been a major supporter of smartphones, largely as an evolution of our adopting point-of-care software on PDAs. The importance of the healthcare market continues to be significant even today, evidenced by the efforts made to show how medical software (as show by Epocrates on Classic) could still be accessed even before the Pre was released.
Well, the release of the Pre and Classic came and went, and many of us felt the webOS platform was in dire need of a native med/pharm reference solution. Back in August, Derek reported that Lexi-Comp was indeed being developed for webOS; I was recently given an opportunity by them to take the pre-release beta for a spin and write up a Real Review.
Hey, check out these auctions:
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US $11.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Nov-18-2009 12:16:12 PST Buy It Now for only: US $13.49 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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Cool, arent they?
