If there’s one homebrew app that’s been incredibly popular from the start, it’s been Music Player (Remix). What started as an enhancement of the built-in webOS Music app, Remix has evolved to version 2.0 with a completely new UI, awesome utilization of dashboard controls, and more.
See everything that’s new, including a video, after the break!
Welcome to Round Table, which is in fact not a table at all. Round Table is a continuing series on PreCentral where we pose a question to the staff and they provide their thoughts and insights. The question could be something simple like “what’s your favorite use for the Pre’s mirror?” or something a bit more complicated, like “why are you sticking with webOS (or are you)?” Or maybe we’ll just end up discussing our sandwich workflow. Today, however, we’re diving into the latest version of webOS. While few have been able to handle webOS 2.0, the veritable cornucopia of videos, screenshots, and reviews have made it easy to draw some preliminary conclusions. After the break, see what the crew has to say about HP webOS 2.0.
In case you needed any more walking-through of webOS 2.0, HP and Palm are stepping up to the plate with a new set of videos that step you through some of the new features. The trio of videos cover in a very simple and straightforward fashion how Just Type, the updated App Catalog, and contact Favorites all work. It’s the kind of simplicity that we lauded in the earlier internet promo video and what we’d love to see more of in future tutorials, videos, and (most importantly) mainstream advertising. Check out the videos after the break.
Source: YouTube (1, 2, 3); Thanks to akitayo in the forums for the heads up!
It’s not an official commercial by any means, but it is a official promo video for the Palm Pre 2, and we like it. With some more people to it to make it more personable and relatable, this could make a decent commercial. Just by virtue of its fast cutting and up-tempo music Palm has made it clear that this sucker is fast. There’s no need for specs here, “fastest” is much easier for customers to understand (when was the last time you heard an iPhone ad touting the clock speed of the A4 processor?).
In just 34 seconds the video manages to round up everything there is to love about HP webOS 2.0: Just Type “to begin just about anything,” multitasking with stacks, Synergy calendars and contacts, notifications, apps (featuring Angry Birds, naturally), and video recording and uploading. Like we said, it’s comprehensive but very clearly gets to the point of reintroducing the public to everything that webOS can do, now "Faster, smarter, and tons of fun." Video after the break.
Source: YouTube; Via: jsgraphicart in the comments
The bleeding-edge Facebook beta client app developed by Palm today received an update to version 1.4, adding in new features to take advantage of webOS 2.0. Right now the only feature that those of us on webOS 1.4.5 can take advantage of is the Open New Card command, available at the bottom of the navigation pop-over. Tapping that bar opens a new Facebook card that duplicates the view of the source card. Additionally, a meta-tap (gesture area + screen tap) on any link within Facebook will open up in a new card.
The app notes also indicate that Just Type integration is present, as Dieter demonstrated in his 10-minute webOS 2.0 overview, though that integration is not something we’ll be able to take advantage of until webOS 2.0 and its Just Type feature is made available. Additionally, the "shake to reload" feature now has an on-off toggle in the app’s preferences, if, you know, you use your webOS phone inside a rock tumbler or something.
Via: benfysh (Twitter)
Update: That didn’t take long – the non-beta official version of the Facebook app has also received the 1.4.0 bump, bringing along all of the above-discussed features.
Thanks for the tip, Isaac!
webOS is moving up to version 2.0 and bringing along with it a whole host of new features sure to please even the most jaded of webOS users. There’s the stuff that we’ve already covered: card-grouping Stacks, enhanced and more capable Just Type with search and Quick Actions, Exhibition Touchstone dock modes, and expandable Synergy plug-ins.
That’s a lot, but if you ask us, not quite worthy of bringing the big 2.0. Here’s what else Palm didn’t let slip until today:
webOS finally supports Adobe Flash Player 10.1 (beta), and it comes baked right into webOS 2.0. Flash support is limited to the browser, but by and large it’s a rich and fluid experience, and one that we’re glad we can stop wondering if we’ll ever get.
You can now tag contacts as a “favorite.” Doing so has two consequences. One: the contact will show up under the new Favorites view in the Phone app. Two: contacts tagged as such will appear at the top of searches in Contacts, Email, Messaging, and Phone.
As glimpsed in earlier leaks, webOS 2.0 comes along with Text Assist. The new app and service build upon and greatly expand the auto-correction capabilities of webOS, including general spell checking, dictionary customization, and the ability to set your own macros (custom text strings with a short typed trigger).
Skype Mobile is coming to webOS, so long as you’re on Verizon. This leverages that exclusive Verizon deal, so don’t count on seeing Skype calling on any other webOS devices any time soon.
The new Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite is included from the start, displacing DataViz’s abandoned Documents to Go package. But the only thing you’ll get by default in webOS 2.0 is the Quickoffice viewer, which lets you read Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. There’s no editing just yet (we suspect Quickoffice wants to charge for that, which is reasonable, albeit disappointing), but the included app does sync with online services like Google Docs and Dropbox.
The Facebook app is also getting a bump to 2.0, which brings along support for Facebook Chat in Messaging, through the magic of Synergy. The new Facebook app also leverages the other new webOS tools, like Stacks, Quick Actions, and Exhibition.
And that’s just the beginning – explore the world of webOS 2.0 updated features after the break.
When webOS 2.0 comes around, Foursquare app developer Geoff Gauchet (a.k.a. Zhephree) is going to be ready with version 2.0 of his popular check-in app. As announced on his blog, Gauchet plans to hook into every webOS 2.0 feature announced thus far. You’ll be able to find places near you and submit shoutouts directly from Just Type, as well as unspecified interactions via the opened-up Synergy and new Exhibition mode.
Patching it up to work with webOS 2.0 isn’t the only thing Gauchet plans to do with Foursquare 2.0. In the cards is a massive rewrite of Foursquare’s core code, fully integrating many of the new features that have been implemented since the first release. This will serve to do a few things, most notably make it easier for future additions with less extraneous code lying around and make the app all-around faster than before. Less code means the phone needs to do less thinking. Foursquare for webOS will also be moving to an OAuth log-in scheme, just like Twitter and associated apps and services did earlier this year. Oh, and there’s the matter of switching to the not-yet-released-but-sure-to-pack-lots-of-newness API from the folks at Foursquare HQ. Even with all this, the developer is finding the time for a few new tools and features that will be sure to delight Foursquare users.
Source: Zhephree.com
Nobody freak out, but a bunch of webOS 2.0 screenshots have just dropped in our forums and we’re digging what we’re seeing. As we reported in July, QuickOffice is definitely coming and now it looks like it’s hitting in webOS 2.0. As you can see above, it looks like it’ll be a full-featured client, including support for syncing to Google, DropBox, Box.net, and even MobileMe.
We also see support for
Hit up the forums to see them all, but we’ve posted a choice few after the break!
Source: wibozi; via: PreCentral Forums
When webOS 2.0 lands later this year, it’s going to bring with it some major enhancements to Universal Search. So major, in fact, that Palm is changing the name to Just Type to reflect that there’s more to it than just search. So what exactly does that entail?
As we surmised earlier this month, app developers will now be able to build plug-ins for Just Type that will enable users to search just about anything. Not only can search queries be added for websites (as we’ve seen done through homebrew), apps can now register with Just Type so that users can launch a search of info in that app directly from the webOS card view. Be it checking a medication in ePocrates or looking up a friend’s Facebook profile, the possibilities of extension of search in Just Type are wide open.
But like we said, search isn’t all there is to Just Type in webOS 2.0. The other, and if you as us more exciting, addition is that of Quick Actions. This is the reason behind the name change, and it’s one that will change a lot of user behaviors. Quick Actions allow users to trigger actions other than search from Just Type. As a hypothetical example, one could punch up a 140-character pithy comment and post it to Twitter without even opening an app. Or you could jot a quick note-to-self and add it to your Tasks list, all from Just Type.
More so than the expandable search options of Just Type, Quick Actions blows open the doors for a new level of seamless multitasking… essentially Quick Actions in webOS 2.0 will allow you to do things in apps without ever having to launch the app. We could go on all day about the possibilities of Quick Actions (compose email, set alarms, create calendar appointments, Facebook status updates, Foursquare check-ins, send text messages, update your blog, etc), but we won’t. Think of it this way: if it’s something you have to type to accomplish, then Quick Actions could enable you to do it faster than ever before.
There’s something else interesting to note about Just Type: a search box has been added to card view in webOS 2.0 (it says simply “Just Type”). This new permanent placement serves one very defined purpose: it drastically increases discoverability. Many of us can attest to running into a normal webOS user that wasn’t even aware of the just start typing existence of Universal Search (or the just start typing search in any manner of apps). By putting the Just Type search box in such a prominent position, Palm is ensuring that one of the best features of webOS doesn’t go unused by those who would benefit the most.
There’s a second and more intriguing possibility behind the permanent placement, and it’s something we touched on in our overview of webOS 2.0’s newly announced features: “just start typing” is impossible if your device doesn’t have a keyboard. While we would love for Palm to figure out a way to release a webOS slate with a keyboard, we aren’t too optimistic of that actually happening. Without a keyboard, the aforementioned slate would have no way to launch a Just Type search if there weren’t a search box to tap on and trigger the appearance of a virtual keyboard.
Enough speculation, let’s get down to it. Just Type with Quick Actions is poised to change the way we use our phones, and most certainly for the better. We want to know: what searches do you want to see added to Just Type, and just how do you see yourself using Quick Actions?
webOS 2.0 is due out later this year and Palm has dropped some serious details about what’s coming in the new OS to us. In addition to lots of goodness for developers in the form of new APIs and a SDK Beta download available today, we have the details on some user-facing features. Here’s the short version:
Palm’s announcements today are primarily directed toward developers, so much of what you’re going to see is about frameworks and not features – the killer user-facing features will come from webOS developers and (hopefully) from Palm themselves in future announcements. There’s still plenty to dig into with the above features, though, so join us after the break as we get a peek into what Palm has planned for webOS 2.0.