Palm Pre Touch Phone » webOS

HP’s Rahul Sood sings the praises of webOS gaming [video]

Derek Kessler — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:51:54 +0000

What would you expect the founder of HP-acquired gaming computers building VoodooPC to talk about with regards to webOS? Gaming, of course. And Rahul Sood dug up a blast from the not-that-distant past: a video HP put together to show off their vision of the future of gaming - a mix of role-playing, augmented reality, and geocaching (video after the break).

Obviously the concept was ahead of its time then, and is still a bit out of reach today (at least in the remapping of cityscapes as the video envisions). But bringing it back to webOS, Sood couldn’t help but wax poetically about HP’s latest acquisition:

I'm glad we finally bought Palm and now the possibilities are truly great. If you have not tried webOS you truly owe it to yourself just to try it. It's so freaking awesome. The biggest complaint right now is people want to see more hardware choices - I think we all know that.

So game developers, this was HP's vision 3+ years ago. If you could think about using our hardware and future hardware -- think scalable resolution, multiple cameras, fast graphics, awesome screens, touch, accelerometers, GPS, Bluetooth, WIFI, always connected, etc.

Just put it all together and create something truly unique.

We are in great concurrence with everything Mr. Sood has to say here, and we can only hope that HP’s guidance and giant bags of money will make this kind of awesomeness possible.

Source: RahulSood.com; thanks to everybody that sent this in!

Making your app a “default app” in webOS

Derek Kessler — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:09:04 +0000

Developers and users alike have all noticed this “Default Apps” option in the webOS launcher. Right now the only out-of-the-box option users are presented with is a choice of Google Maps or their carrier’s navigation solution (if applicable) for the default mapping software. But below the defaults for web, email, and phone, there’s a long list of file types and the default app used to open them (PDFs opened by PDF View, .WAV opened by Music, and so forth).

When the Default Apps scene appeared back in November with webOS 1.3.1, and was enabled with 1.3.5 a month later, we were all aflutter as to what that could mean for webOS. Pick your own third party dialer app (Google Voice), web browser, and more? That’d be grand. Sadly, Palm has yet to release an API for developers to set their app as an option for default apps, but that hasn’t stopped Jason Robitaille and Rod Whitby from hacking their way onto the Default Apps screen.

The addition of service calls registers an app with the Default Apps service, selecting the app as the default when no other apps present open that file type, and setting it as an option when there are already apps that open said file. For example, Robitaille’s Internalz app is registered as the default app for more than twenty different file types, and appears as an option for .TXT, with Doc View as the other and default choice. Tap on the file type, select the new apps, back swipe, and you’re good to go.

Jason does note that it's not entirely stable (thus Palm not publishing the API), and that some not-all-that clean "mimetype" registering to get Internalz to be an option for file types already defaulted by another app (e.g. a PDF viewer app would have to masquerade as PDF View to trick Default Apps into giving it the option).

Of course, it’s worth noting that because Palm has not released the APIs to performing these service calls, any app submitted (be it to the App Catalog, beta, or web distribution feeds) will be automatically and summarily rejected. But that’s not to stop developers from wishing, hoping, dreaming, and preparing. And releasing via homebrew... nudge nudge, wink wink.

Source: MetaViewSoft

No Windows Phone 7 handsets from HP

WebOsArena — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:16:46 +0000

HP’s executive VP, Todd Bradley, admits that his company would like to be Microsoft’s biggest customer. But when it comes to mobile operating systems, there is no reason for Hewlett Packard to use Windows Phone 7. After all, HP did pick up a pretty good mobile OS when it purchased Palm and gained control of webOS which it plans on using for all of its smartphone needs. Developed by Palm and introduced in January 2009, webOS at the time it was introduced, seemed like a revolutionary OS with its use of cards to represent applications that could be turned off by simply flicking the card off of the screen. But the first device to use webOS, the Palm Pre, was done in by hype, too few apps, and a poor job of marketing. HP plans on improving the hardware to help spread the use of the software. In an interview, Bradley said, “Our intent is to focus those resources and really make webOS the best OS it can be.”

HP isn’t completely tossing out Windows Phone 7. The HP Slate is a tablet that originally was designed for Windows Phone 7. After the Palm acquisition, it was changed to a webOS device before switching back to Windows as a business oriented product. HP could end up making two different versions of the tablet, using Windows for the business-centric version and webOS for a model designed for the general public.

Before the Palm purchase, HP was excited about teaming with Microsoft. HP Senior VP Steve Manser had said, “We are simply very excited to be entering a new era in our Smartphone business together with Microsoft, especially as the market continues to grow and evolve. HP is working even closer with Microsoft to develop signature phones on the Windows Phone 7 Series that offer an entirely new consumer experience.” It’s funny how your thoughts can change after spending $1.2 billion, which is how much Palm cost HP to buy. Actually, when you get right down to it, HP spent all that money for webOS as there really was nothing more to Palm except for some inventory of phones, and of course, the brain power of employees.
source: PCMag

HP hires new SVP of Global Distribution, may help push webOS into Enterprise channels

Jonathan I Ezor — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:01:29 +0000

In the latest move that may bode well for HP’s expansion of webOS into the enterprise (we covered its new channel plans last week) the company has hired Mark Angelino as its new senior vice president, Global Distribution, HP Enterprise Business. His job will include managing relationships for the many types of companies (integrators, service providers, consultants and vendors) that help HP get its products into the hands of enterprise customers.

From a Palm perspective, Angelino’s prior positions (including sales and marketing jobs at Sprint Nextel and most recently serving as a senior executive for customer services at Salesforce.com, as well as a “long stint at IBM,”) may bode well for his being able to understand and promote the place of a mobile operating system and multitasking smartphones within the enterprise. We also note that, in making the announcement, HP made a point of highlighting Mr. Angelino’s background in "cloud computing, telecommunications and sales," all very relevant for promoting webOS smartphones and other devices.

We wish Mr. Angelino much success in his new role at HP, and hope to hear great things from him about webOS devices in the near future.

(Source: ITChannelPlanet)

ExZeus available for webOS 1.4.5; Lovecatch coming shortly [Video]

Jonathan I Ezor — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:08:47 +0000

HyperDevBox’ ExZeus, currently available for iPhone and Android, has just hit the Palm Pre and webOS. The game, a futuristic shooter, has fast, responsive animation, which (along with its cross-platform nature) shows the power of the PDK. Intriguingly, the video of the game on the HyperDevBox YouTube channel shows "online network" and "worldwide highscore" features. You can also see a video of Lovecatch, another HyperDevBox game reportedly on its way for Pre users.

If you're wondering why we've all been so hot for webOS 1.4.5 to finally land stateside, check out videos of the two games below the break. You can also read descriptions of ExZeus and Lovecatch on the HyperDevBox Web site.

Six ways to get your webOS phone working again

Derek Kessler — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:09:37 +0000

Is your phone all seized up? Again? Palm’s got some tips to get things back into working order, and it’s the stuff of legends. Well, it’s more the stuff that tech support would tell you to try first, so you can get this out of the way before placing that always-frustrating call. Here’s what Palm suggests, with our own commentary interspersed. The 6Ts:

Throw all open applications off the top of the screen - this will dump your running programs and help clear your RAM of hogs.
Turn your phone completely off and on - reset your network connection by doing this and help clear up any snafus.
Triple-toggle restart - toggle the ringer switch back-and-forth three times while holding down the power switch to force a restart.
Top off the battery - just let it juice up.
Take out the battery - the ultimate forceable restart: pull the plug.
Tether your phone to your computer and reinstall webOS - as a last resort, reinstall the OS and start over. The nuclear option, if you will.

Of course, those aren’t the only options, but they’re the Palm-supported ones. For more sub-nuclear options, be sure to check out our own How To: Restore a seriously ill Pre guide.

Source: Palm Support, thanks to HardBeatZ for the heads up.

Fan-crafted Pre commercial bests Palm with sheer simplicity

Derek Kessler — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:31:29 +0000

Arno Arni on Vimeo has put together a fantastic video that shows off Palm’s webOS multi-tasking in a beautiful way. It’s simple and straightforward in a way that no Palm ad to this point has been. In thirty seconds we get to see Messaging, Facebook, Memos, Calendar, and more, all set to a fun catchy Apple-commercial-esque tune. Not to mention we get to see a “real world” scenario where this kind of stuff is actually used. Check it out after the break, oh, and HP, take note: this is the kind of stuff we like.

Source: Vimeo (mobile version); Thanks to rgloor for the tip!

Why open source doesn’t always mean open on smartphones [OSCON2010]

Robert Werlinger — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:57:37 +0000

I caught an excellent presentation by Aaron Williamson from the Software Freedom Law center here at OSCON yesterday examining why smartphones built on open source software aren’t as open as they possibly could be. What Williams talked about was often eye opening, though there were a few points I found myself disagreeing with him on.

Talkin’ Palm – Edition 50

Annie Latham — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:04:25 +0000

You may notice that this edition has a slight tweak to the logo. Because so much of the news that rolled in this week had a strong HP slant, it was clear that the time had come to evolve the logo. So let's talk HP+Palm!

First off, on Thursday, HP's Jon Rubinstein and Todd Bradley are scheduled to talk at Fortune Brainstorm Tech. Per the write-up by Robert, "the topic will undoubtedly be Palm and webOS." He also noted that HP has invited folks to join in on the web feed for free by using coupon code BTVTWT at the event's website.

Closing the book on the HP's purchasing of Palm, Busines Insider, Dan Frommer wrote a story that talked about the other suitors (Apple was mentioned).

Speaking of closing, in an internal memo, HP announced it is shutting down its Cupertino campuses and consolidating in Palo Alto.

Face detection is possible in webOS [OSCON2010]

Robert Werlinger — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:19:00 +0000

Theoretically, anyway. I just caught a great session covering facial recognition on the iPhone here at OSCON by Alasdair Allen (the author of several O'Reilly titles) that delved into technology such as OpenCV and the in-depth coding methodology behind getting the camera in the iPhone to recognize and distinguish human faces. The technology actually works in a similar fashion to how the human eye detects and differentiates faces: the shadows generated by elevation of the physical features of our face, instead of the features themselves.

Since Palm's PDK allows iPhone developers to port their applications over webOS, and after a brief chat with Alasdiar after his presentation, it appears to be at least theoretically possible that an enterprising developer could utilize the methodology laid out in Allen's presentation and upcoming book and implement face recognition in webOS.

The applications of this technology are vast: Imagine being able to walk into a room, snap a picture of your friends, and have your friends automatically tagged in Facebook for instance. What applications could you see?

Slides from the OSCON presentation can be found here, the author's webpage of related material can be found here, and a video demonstrating how OpenCV works can be found after the break!