PreCentral forum member and homebrew developer Arthur Thornton just earned himself a page in our book of awesome people: he figured out the so easy a caveman with Terminal access could do it method to getting Classic to work on webOS 2.0. It’s simple in concept and execution: extract the Palm OS ROM from the webOS 1.4.5 Doctor, and then load it onto your webOS 2.0 device. Tada, Classic instantly works.

It seems to be as simple as that, which makes us wonder why Palm decided to drop the Palm OS ROM from webOS 2.0 and shaft MotionApps in the process. The only thing the Palm OS ROM does is take up space (not a lot, it is Palm OS after all) and wait for Classic to launch it, so why cut it out. Unless Palm is pulling an Apple (dropping the floppy drive) and forcing developers and users to move on from old tech. Full instructions after the break.

Source: PreCentral Forums; Thanks Arthur!

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If you’ll recall, back when the Pre first launched, there was plenty of consternation about the possibility of not being able to run your old Palm OS apps on the new webOS platform. Hearing the pleas of the faithful, Palm enlisted long-time Palm OS developer MotionApps to build a Palm OS emulator for webOS, the aptly-titled Classic. After some sixteen months on the market, MotionApps has decided to close development of Classic and cease further sales. Actually, it’s more like they’ve been forced to shut down development, as it seems webOS 2.0 doesn’t contain the Palm OS ROM needed to make Classic possible.

Indeed, we just installed Classic on our webOS 2.0 device and though it launches, it immediately brings up an "Illegal Operation" error, "The application <> performed an illegal operation and cannot continue."

We’ll let MotionApps’ blog post on the matter do the explaining:

We are sad to announce that Palm has removed Classic’s ROM from the new webOS 2.0 device ROM which will result in Classic not working if utilized with Palm’s new webOS 2.0.

This is contrary to our agreement with Palm and was done without our approval or consent. Based on this action, MotionApps will immediately stop selling Classic. However, as a courtesy to our clients, we will continue to support existing Classic customers on webOS 1.x for the immediate future.

MotionApps is also giving the source code for Classic to Palm, since it’s of no use to MotionApps anymore they’re giving it to the folks in Sunnyvale so they can “can do what they want to do with Classic and make it available with webOS 2.0.”

Honestly, we can’t say we’re shocked by Palm removing the Palm OS ROM from webOS 2.0 (though we’re slightly miffed that they’d break an agreement with a developer). The last version of Palm OS (5.4.9, to be specific) was released more than four years ago. While there are some apps and APIs that are still not possible or available on webOS, we can’t imagine that there are many Pre and Pixi users that are reliant upon Classic.

So, while we’re saddened to see Palm OS unceremoniously axed like this, we’re also glad to see Palm cutting the strings of the distant past and moving on with a more modern platform. If you’re going to miss Classic in webOS 2.0, we’re sorry, but it looks like it’s time to move on.

We’re reaching out to Palm now to see what they intend to do with the Classic code. Perhaps with the new APIs and the ability to run hybrid PDK/SDK apps, there’s a chance that Classic can live on as a proper SDK app in the Catalog instead of depending on special, dedicated code in the webOS ROM.

Source: MotionApps; Thanks to ToddK in the forums, SilvrDrgn, and RafRol for the tip!

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The name Pimlico has long been associated with Palm OS software, and while they haven’t yet released a webOS app, they have released an update to their Pimlical calendar sync for Windows. The update brings Google Calendar sync to Windows, which you can then sync to your webOS phone. Pimlical duplicates a lot of the functionality and interface of the Palm OS classic DateBk (no coincidence, also a Pimlico product). As an added bonus, if you haven’t yet figured out a way, Pimlical gives users an upgrade path from the old school Palm Desktop calendar databases to modern ICS files which you can then get into Google Calendar.

Source: Pimlico

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Oldtimers from the days when there was just TreoCentral may remember the Access Linux Platform (ALP) developed by Access. We care about Access because they purchased PalmSource and subsequently the Palm OS and all work on the then next-generation Palm OS 6 platform. ALP eventually came from Access’ purchase and they’ve been struggling for years to get the OS onto devices. The latest version, 3.0, was unveiled way back in February. Of 2009.

It wasn’t until that November that the first and to our knowledge only licensee stepped up and revealed a handset running ALP: Emblaze and the First Else. Now, seven months later, the First Else has been unceremoniously killed by Emblaze, leaving ALP again as a promising OS that cannot be easily found on any branded, consumer-facing hardware products. In a world where even once-mighty Palm is struggling to gain traction, it’s even more difficult for a new player to enter the smartphone space with even a refined-and-refined-again version 3.0.

Does this spell the end for ALP? We’re not going to put an entry in the obituaries just yet, but we’d be mighty surprised if ALP doesn’t die a quiet, lonely death over the next few months.

Source: Engadget

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Are you ready for a blast from the past? I doubt it, but here it goes anyway: iSilo is being developed for webOS. Yeah, that just happened. The classic iSilo eBook/document reader from way back in the glory days of Palm OS is currently being worked on for webOS deep inside iSilo headquarters, and according to a posting on the iSilo message boards, is still a few months out from a release date announcement.

For the uninitiated, iSilo’s reader software is able to read PDB files (another blast from the past there), plain text TXT, iSilo-formatted files (full of images and hyperlinks), and can take just about any file stored on the device and display the text within. The highly-customizable interface had found its way onto more than a dozen platforms, with webOS as the only major mobile operating system left untouched at this point.

We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future updates from the iSilo front, though we fear the next few months while we await a release announcement are going to be straight up torture.

Source: iSilo Forum

Thanks to vicjorgee for the tip!

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Interested in getting more PDK gaming goodness on webOS? A developer hold-out from the old Palm OS days is teasing us with newness: Astraware. Since the glory days of Palm OS, Astraware has turned their attentions to newer advanced platforms like Android OS and iOS. But with the PDK now out and about and bringing C and C++ gaming to the Palm Pre and Pre Plus, the time is ripe for iPhone programmers to easily bring their games to webOS.

Astraware is just one of those programmers. As their postings on Twitter have so artfully teased, they’re working on getting their games working on webOS. Already posted, as you can see above, have been shots of Astraware Casino and Sudoku running on a Pre, as well as a video of OddBlob running on the Pre. How long did it take to get Casino working on the Pre? Thirty minutes. PDK magic, we say.

Astraware says they’re waiting on a webOS update (to 1.4.5, we assume) before their games become available in the App Catalog. And that PDK Hot Apps $1 million competition can’t hurt either.. Check out OddBlob running after the break, in glorious video form.

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Having recently acquired iambic, SplashData announced in an email sent to iambic customers that they intend to expand their offerings onto new platforms. Specifically, Agendus, and specifically onto webOS and Android:

If you haven’t heard, SplashData has acquired iambic, combining the resources of two of the most respected and established developers of mobile productivity software. We are very excited to have the opportunity to work on Agendus and expand its features as well as bring it to new mobile platforms such as Android and webOS.

Agendus is iambic’s signature product and something missed by a great many Palm OS users after making the switch to webOS. When we’ll see Agendus on webOS and what condition it will be in is still up in the air, but it’s great to hear that it’s coming regardless. And trust us, as soon as we hear something more, we’ll let you know!

If you’re not familiar with Agendus, it began as a Palm OS app (back in the day when the were still called applications) that served as a replacement for the Palm OS Date Book. Agendus was more than just another calendar: it integrated with your memos, tasks, contacts, and more to bring it all into one tightly-knit package: your agenda. There’s even more to it than that – to see why Agendus was such a beloved Palm OS app, we’re going to point you to Agendus’ extensive feature list. If just one quarter of those features make it to webOS we’ll be exceedingly happy campers.

Thanks to Doug for the tip!

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It’s a question we’ve been pondering for a while, and with much more intensity in recent days: does Google care about Palm webOS? It is something we have to wonder about, with Google Maps on webOS lagging greatly behind its iPhone and Android counterparts, webOS being at first excluded from the Buzz party and then only invited inside the lobby, and the general lack of effort Google seems to be publicly exerting in getting their products to work to their full potential on webOS.

It all came to a head last week, with Google making a change to the way Google Voice works that ended up breaking webOS Google Voice clients, such as the popular gDial Pro. Nathan, the developer of gDial, learned that the change was not a move to break compatibility with unofficial Voice clients like gDial, but a natural progression of the development of the Google Voice system. In fact, Google has no problems with such unofficial clients and is pretty much willing to turn a blind eye to them so long as they aren’t acting in nefarious ways. Unfortunately, that blind eye doesn’t come with any support.

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Got a Palm Pixi but still need to run some old school Palm OS apps? Right now, there’s no way to go about it while your Pre-toting friends can fire up Classic and get the action going. Never fear, for MotionApps hears your pain and is in the process of cooking up a version of Classic that will work on the Pixi and even make use of the device’s smaller screen.

Currently, Classic on the Pre shows up with a classic Palm OS D-pad and device buttons meant to emulate the physical controls on the older PDAs and Treo smartphones. These controls are dropped below the 320×320 Palm OS screen, using the remaining 160 pixels on the Pre’s screen. The Pixi, however, has a shorter display and only 80 extra pixels below the Palm OS screen, which means that any controls would have to be squished. Or they could be done webOS-style for maximum space utilization, as MotionApps posted on their Facebook page. It’s a pretty darned slick solution to what could have been a nasty problem.

[via: Palm Infocenter]

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Looks like the pundits may have been right on this one, as the latest smartphone survey from ChangeWave shows that Android’s mindshare has surged in the last quarter, with 21% of potential customers eyeing Android as their future platform of choice. In September 2009’s survey, Android was tied at 6% with webOS. In the past three months, new releases like the Motorola Droid have catapulted Android’s mindshare over Palm, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry, leaving only the iPhone in its sights.

So what about Palm? According to ChangeWave’s numbers, Palm’s potential buyers were cut in half to just 3% of respondents. Windows Mobile and iPhone also dropped, but their losses were 33% and 13% respectively.

The operative word here is "Ouch." We’ll break down a few more numbers after the break.

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