Palm Pre Touch Phone » Palm Webos Apps

Palm Struggling to Keep Up with App Submissions

John — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:10:53 +0000

Only hours away from Palm launching paid apps, news from Palm Developer Community Manager Chuq Von Rospach, is positive, but not entirely promising:

We got more applications than we could handle well, which is a good problem to have. Unfortunately, it means we dropped some things on the floor, and that’s bad, but with the impending “stuff” that’s coming, this is all going to get a lot easier for everyone and a lot more transparent.

With the homebrew community already pumping out applications it shouldn’t be much surprise that Palm is getting a lot of apps submitted. A major appeal to WebOS is the ability to use commonly used Web code to write applications, which means there are a lot more people who can create applications. On a positive note, there will be a way to do almost anything you’d want to do with your WebOS device, but if Palm is not careful in their App selection the App Catalog will be over run with pointless fart and virtual beer drinking apps. It will be very interesting to see what Palm has approved, and what must-have apps will be officially made available tomorrow and at what price.

13 New Additions to the App Catalog on your Palm Pre!

Arik — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:15:21 +0000

Didn’t I tell you that drizzle was getting steadier and faster? Well, here’s some more proof. Just released unto the masses via webOS’ App Catalog are 13 new apps. Now that’s the biggest batch yet. Interesting to note: some of these apps including Translator and Coin flip used to be/still are homebrew apps! What are all the new apps, you ask? Here you go:

DIRECTV NFL – allows you to watch LIVE NFL SUNDAY TICKET games on your Pre
Tip ‘em! – Tip calculator and check splitter
Translator – Just what it sounds like… it translates between 45 different languages
The Globe And Mail – “Canada’s First National News Application.”
TMap- DC – Maps of the Washington DC area, including public transportation routes
Express Horoscopes – Handmark Express Horoscopes for your Pre
wikiHow – a wikiHow client for your Palm Pre
Dumb Waiter – a tip calculator with a twist. Calculate the tip based on your waiter’s actions.
Zilch Lite – a dice game in which the player races the computer to 10,000 points.
Photo Dialer – a speed dialer of sorts but with your contacts’ photos
UberPass – random password generator
Lemonade – a game about, you guessed it, selling lemonade.
Coin Flip – No longer will you need to have a coin available to flip a coin. Just launch this app.

Thee you have it folks; thirteen new apps available in the App Catalog, with some of them having their roots in homebrew. That’s nice to see. Download and enjoy.

Update to “Blackout” Now Available in the App Catalog

Arik — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:55:50 +0000

An update is now available in the App Catalog for Blackout, one of the two games released for webOS just a few days ago. Blackout, you may recall, is the “Lights Out”-esque game where the object of the game is to, you guessed it, turn all the lights out. We don’t see anything different since the update so we’re going to assume this is a maintenance update containing probably just bug fixes and performance enhancements. Let us know if you notice anything else. For now, just go to the App Catalog and get yourself the update (if you have the game downloaded in the first place, that is).

UPDATE: Updates to The New York Times, Spades, Shortcovers, and Today Show apps have also just popped up in the App Catalog. Busy day.

3 New Apps in the App Catalog: Blackout, Spades, and Echo for Palm Desktop 6.2.2!

Arik — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:50:10 +0000

Breaking news! Good breaking news! Just popped up in the app catalog, three, count them, three new apps… and two of them are games!

Blackout – Clicking on a light switches it and its non-diagonal neighbours on or off. New games can be started at any time.

Spades – Play the card game Spades with three computer players. Four game variants (Partner, Solo, Suicide and Mirror) and various options (must lead clubs, spades must be broken, 10 for 200, and more) provides hours of entertainment. This version is supported by ads from admob.com.

Echo for Palm Desktop 6.2.2 – Chapura Echo is the Palm Desktop 6.2.2 synchronization solution for Palm Pre. Features include: Reliable Two-Way Palm Desktop Address Book and Date Book Synchronization, Local Wi-Fi Synchronization – sync over your local Wi-Fi network using a secure transfer process that never stores or passes PIM data over the web; it’s a direct synchronization between your Windows PC and Pre. Wi-Fi required. Palm Desktop 6.2.2 required. This is a 7-day trial.

“I Am Quitting the iPhone.”

kindaskimpy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:33:24 +0000

The past few days have not been good for publicity for Apple or AT&T. It looks as if they’ve got an angry mob after them asking for their heads on a platter and I don’t blame them one little bit.

I’ve stayed away from too much talked of the iPhone and AT&T on the blog because to be honest, I hold no ill-will against Apple. None. As a matter of fact, you might call me a fanboy but even I can’t cover up what’s been going on lately. It’s not secret that Apple has a convoluted, prohibitive system for which apps are allow onto its App Store and even when they are allowed, their shelf life on there is not guaranteed by any means.

The most recent casualty of AT&T and Apple’s unforgiving axe? Every single Google Voice app in the store. And it looks like it might have been the final nail in the coffin for a lot of people, including Michael Arrington, of TechCrunch, who proclaims, “I am quitting the iPhone.”

Michael, like many other iPhone users is upset by the Google Voice debacle and not just for the act itself but also more because of what it means. It means the policies in place by either Apple or AT&T or both are unforgiving and it makes the end-user, the consumer feel like a mere after thought, instead of the valuable part of the equation. Michael was a fanboy as well it seems. He admits, “I was there in January 2007 when it was announced and I bought the first iPhone as soon as it was available. I happily bought the iPhone 3G a year later. I’ve proudly yelled ‘I Am A Member Of The Cult Of iPhone.’ I’ve been an unabashed cheerleader for the device to all who’ll listen. And I’ve scoffed at developers who said they’d abandon the platform.”

He now has made the decision to pay AT&T their early termination fee of $175 and is taking his business elsewhere. Why? I’ll let him tell you. “What finally put me over the edge? It wasn’t the routinely dropped calls, something you can only truly understand once you have owned an iPhone (and which drove my friend Om Malik to bail). I’ve lived with that for two years. It’s not the lack of AT&T coverage at home. I’ve lived with that for two years, too. It certainly isn’t the lack of a physical keyboard, that has never bothered me. No, what finally put me over the edge is the Google Voice debacle.”

For those of you unfamiliar with Google Voice and its extensive feature set and why so many people consider it their lifeline, have a quick read here and you’ll see the light.

How does this all relate to us Pre users? Well, other than the fact that doesn’t have to deal with an ecosystem that is as closed off as Apple’s and AT&T’s, it has to do with us because Michael concedes his best option would be the Pre. So what phone will I use next? Well, that decision is easy, too. “I’d move to the Palm Pre because I believe it is the best phone out there other than the iPhone 3GS. But Google hasn’t created an app for the Palm Pre yet, just Android and Blackberry phones. So for now I’m going to use the new Android myTouch 3G along with the Google Voice App. As soon as something better comes out, or Google makes an app for the Pre, I’ll switch.”

It’s true, Google has not provided an official Google Voice app for the Pre yet, but since we Pre users have a luxury that iPhone users are currently fighting for, which is the right to legally install unofficial apps onto our phones, there are plenty of holes, like the Google Voice hole, being filled by the Homebrew community. Yes, there is indeed an unofficial Google Voice app available for the Palm Pre. Actually… a couple of them. They’re still early in their development life but the most basic features are there and with a little bit more time, I’m sure the larger feature set and polish you’d expect from a 1.0 app will make its way in there.

Michael, we understand where you’re coming from and sympathize. That very same oppressive ecosystem is the reason yours truly, a true Apple fanboy (and now a Palm fanboy too), refused to jump ship blindly and join the cult of the iPhone. When you’re ready for us, we’ll welcome you into the family with open arms.

OTA “Updates” Application Now Also Delivers App Catalog Updates

kindaskimpy — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:42:10 +0000

We’re already aware that there are many undocumented changes that came with webOS update 1.1, such as modified alert sounds, menu animations, a new font for the browser, etc… but this one somehow escaped even me!

Up until now, whenever there has been an update to an app from the App Catalog, in order to update said app, one needed to go into the App Catalog, find the app and download the update from there. WebOS 1.1 seems to have changed that for the better. While that method still works just fine, there is another one… a simpler one. The “Updates” app, which until now has been only home to Palm’s OTA (over the air) webOS updates now appears to also search for updates to your installed apps! Brilliant!

This behaviour had never manifested itself in my Palm Pre before but yesterday, after installing the webOS 1.1 update, I went back into the “Updates” app just for the sake of it and waited while it searched. I fully expected to be met with a, “Your phone is up to date,” message like many times before but instead I was greeted with an available update for the “AccuWeather” app from the App Catalog! Like I said, brilliant! I’d much rather run the “Updates” app once a day and have it check for all available updates than go through pages upon pages in the App Catalog!

This is also important because this is the first time an app has been able to be updated/installed outside of the app’s own page in the catalog (not including the unofficial methods such as the now seal e-mail download link method and the SDK install method). We all know by now that to install an app from the catalog, you must initiate download from the app’s page and wait while it downloads and installs. You are not allowed to navigate away from that page while it installs. Updating applications from the “Updates” app obviously brings a new dynamic into the mix. Exciting times to be a Pre owner!

Update: As many of you guys pointed out, this has been a feature since launch and it had somehow eluded me. Thank you, guys.

Spaz 0.5.2 Update Now Available in App Catalog

kindaskimpy — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:12:12 +0000

Another update available now, though obviously not as big as the webOS 1.1 update, is an update for Spaz, one of the two Twitter applications available for the Palm Pre from the official App Catalog (the other being Tweed).

This update to Spaz effectively brings the app to version 0.5.2 and here are some of the things that have changed since the last revision:

-Laconica/Custom Twitter-API sites (army.twit.tv, floss.pro, etc) now supported with custom API URL setting.
-“Search and Explore” now main search view
-Public timeline in S&E
-New layout to S&E
-Look and feel changes
-cache filling up fixed.

Twee, Another Twitter Client for the Pre

kindaskimpy — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:49:39 +0000

If you are a Pre user and find yourself needing yet another Twitter client, and in all honesty I wouldn’t know why because Tweed and Spaz are very useful, then this story is for you. Twee has landed… but not in the App Catalog… not yet anyway.

Twee is another Twitter client for your Pre and by the looks of it, the most complete feature-wise. Right now, the app is being offered as beta and since it isn’t in the App Catalog just yet, you’ll have to install it the “unofficial” way.

Right now, Twee is completely free but according to Dennis Wilkins, the creator, “It will be a paid application at launch. I do not have a definite price yet, but it will be more than 99 cents and less than 5 dollars.”

Twee’s most distinctive feature is the navigation bar at the bottom, which allows you to scroll through its features and options trending topics, top links tweeted and lots more.

Personally, Tweed is more than enough for me but this might be worth checking out even if just to satisfy your curiosity.

[via PreThinking]

Classic HotSync for Palm Pre Coming Soon

kindaskimpy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:49:25 +0000

According to MotionApps, by far the single most requested feature for their Palm OS emulator on the Pre, “Classic,” is HotSync and it’s not hard to believe. Rest assured though, with this admission comes also the news that full HotSync support is coming to their “Classic” app on the Pre and it will be a free update! It’s like the holidays came early this year!

MotionApps, it seems, have taken these requests of “Classic” users, like myself, into serious consideration and have been hard at work on implementing full HotSync support into “Classic,” effectively expanding the emulator’s usefulness to those who heavily rely on it in their daily lives.

The Palm Pre is my very first Palm device (not my first smart phone) so I have no attachment to Palm OS in particular. Still, I purchased a copy of “Classic” for my Pre just for the sake of it and have played around with it quite a bit. I will gladly let you know how well MotionApps does with its implementation of HotSync as soon as it becomes available to us.

“We have HotSync working on our development devices and it is successfully syncing with standard Palm Desktop software that is shipping with Centro and other Palm OS devices.”

The developers, via their blog, did not provide an estimate for when a HotSync-inclusive update for “Classic” would be coming but did promise it would be included in one of the upcoming “Classic” updates as a free upgrade for all existing “Classic” users.

While a release date is unknown, they did, however, tease us with some tidbits to remind us that with HotSync, “Classic” will receive a fresh batch of features such as the, “ability to synchronize contacts, calendar, notes, tasks and other PIM data between the Pre and desktop computer (including standard support for syncing contacts and calendar with Microsoft Outlook). Ability for existing Palm OS to easily migrate their data and applications from Palm OS phones to Pre. Ability to use custom conduits and desktop applications that are syncing their data between desktop and phone through HotSync. Easy installation of new Palm OS apps on the Palm Pre. Easy and fast way for backing up data and applications on desktop computer.”

Perhaps rounding out the good news with even better news is the fact that HotSync on Classic, much like HotSync on most other Palm devices, will be able to do this without the need for a traditional USB cable, if you so desire it that way. “New version of Classic will be able to perform HotSync operations over Bluetooth or WiFi connections,” reads a statement on MotionApps’ blog.

In closing they ask us to say tuned to their blog, “since HotSync is not the only thing we are cooking up for the upcoming releases of Classic.”

Since it doesn’t take much to make me happy, color me excited.

If you’d like more information on “Classic,” its features, limitations or even just want to purchase a copy for yourself, head on over to MotionApps’ website.

Fliq Bookmarks, Available Soon in the App Catalog

kindaskimpy — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:49:35 +0000

While browsing the Mark/Space, Inc. site earlier for information on Missing Sync for Palm Pre, I took note of something interesting. Under the requirements for using Missing Sync for Palm Pre, there is a mention of an upcoming application to the App Catalog that we hadn’t heard of yet. It’s called “Fliq Bookmarks.”

It clearly states under Palm Pre requirements, “Fliq Bookmarks required to sync Safari bookmarks (available soon, free from the Pre Beta App Catalog).”

Interesting. Very Interesting.

A quick search of the App Catalog on the Pre for “Fliq” comes up empty, which is to be expected but I thought I’d give it a try anyway.

Digging around a little more, I found another application with the same moniker from Mark/Space, “Fliq for Mac.” According to the website, “Fliq for Mac is a powerful way for Mac users to easily send and receive photos, contacts, notes, tasks and documents with others over a network. And Fliq for Mac works great with Fliq for the iPhone, Fliq Notes, Fliq Tasks and Fliq Docs – our full-featured apps for iPhone and iPod touch.”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out Fliq Bookmarks will be something along the lines of its similarly named siblings (or maybe cousins?).

Is it obvious I’m desperate for new apps? Yeah? Okay, I’ll tone it down