The other day, during Palm's investor call they had confirmed that indeed WebOS 1.3.5 is coming. Although, it won't offer any new features it will still be a welcomed update. For the most part, all the changes in this update are "under the hood". Which ranges from improved speed and battery life to fixing the notorious app limit. Starting off with speed, this only applies to the Pixi and will increase the speed and responsiveness of the device. Battery life will also be improved on both the Pre and Pixi with this update, which is certainly a much needed improvement. Another much appreciated improvement is enhanced WiFi and app performance. Of course, the next update wouldn't be complete without an app limit fix, so 1.3.5 has that too. Overall, WebOS 1.3.5 is shaping up to be a lust-worthy update and more details will likely come at CES.
Yesterday, Palm held its Investor call for the second quarter of fiscal year 2010. Where, not only did they talk sales numbers but, also some of their plans for the next year. Starting with sales, they made $5.5 million, their up 41% from the same quarter last year and they sold 784,000 devices in this quarter. Which, is actually down from 823,000 for the last quarter. Although, under GAAP they still lost $85.4 million which is still an improvement from the last quarter of a $164.5 million loss. Also, it's worth noting that Palm has $590 million in cash and other investments currently on hand. Some plans for the next quarter/year are to grow carrier and geographic coverage, which is not such a bad idea. Palm is also noting that there are over 800 apps in the US App Catalog so far and once they graduate from early access program only submissions they expect to see a "flow" of apps. Also, Palm currently has no plans to change its development strategy. Another big piece of news is that Palm has confirmed WebOS 1.3.5 and it looks like it will be a stability/speed update but, we'll get into more detail when more becomes available. Overall, it seems as though Palm is slowly but surely progressing back from the brink, they still have a ways to go but they're getting there.
Today, Palm has officially released Ares as a public beta. We've known about Ares around here for a little while now and it looks like it delivers on everything it promises and more. But, for those unfamiliar with it, Ares is as Palm puts it "the first mobile development environment hosted entirely in a browser". This gives WebOS developers a significant advantage because most are jumping over from straight web developing to mobile app development. This is of course a first for mobile app development and It's quite innovative. As far as the experience goes it is a pleasure to use and frankly, simple user interfaces can be made in less than a minute. Ares sports an intuitive drag and drop functionality when creating the user interface, this is particularly useful for dragging widgets onto a scene. Overall, the first impressions of Ares are impressive and simply leave other smartphone platform's SDK in awe. Keep in mind, this is only a beta and the final release is certainly something for developers to look forward to. You can login or signup here.
Many of you may still be anticipating Christmas, and perhaps receiving a new Pre or Pixi but, Palm already has its sights set on January. Yep, that's right January means CES for most gadget lovers and Palm won't disappoint. They'll be there and better yet, they'll be presenting on January 7th at 11 AM to be exact. It certainly won't be as mind blowing as last year's event but, it should still be a treat. So; what can we expect to see from Palm at CES 2010? For the most part, no one outside of Palm seems to know. While, Palm has gotten very good at keeping the leaks to a minimal. My predictions are set on some kind of a Verizon deal/device but, my guess is as good as any. So, what do you expect to see from Palm at this coming CES?
As we all know, the folks over at Palm have been treating developers quite well. When the Palm Pre launched back in June there were a measly 15 applications. Today? There are well over 700, and with new apps being released daily that number will soon turn 4 digits. Palm is moving full steam ahead with webOS. By the end of this year we should see the App Catalog launched, no longer in beta, and Flash 10.1. But none of these things were the present from Palm.
Today in mail, all developers who have participated in Palm’s beta webOS App Catalog were sent a $100 gift card to Amazon. The gift card was accompanied by a letter, pictured above, with signatures from Jon Rubinstein, CEO, and Ben Galbraith and Dion Almaer, Directors of Developer Relations. Good move Palm, you’ve made a lot of developers happy. While this $100 doesn’t add up to much for many developers, in this case it is “the thought that counts”.
However, more importantly, Palm cannot rest on their laurels in 2010. They need to continue to better their young operating system so they can compete with the likes of Google and Apple. So Palm, If you’re still in the giving mood check out The Mx Web’s webOS Christmas list.
Well, as I write this up, the App Catalog count sits at 721. This still may not seem like that many to most of you but when you consider that the last day of November still had us below 500 Apps, the last 2 weeks for the App Catalog have been pretty awesome!
There was a period of time when we'd all predict/guess/hope which given day of the work week Palm would choose to add more Apps to the catalog. The last 2 weeks have changed that quite a bit considering that we've gotten a slew of new Apps every single day of the work week for 2 weeks in a row now. This also includes many new updates to existing Apps in preparation for webOS 1.3.5 which will finally eliminate the pesty memory limit! Given this pattern, it shouldn't be hard to break 1k by 2010. I for one am still waiting on some more anticipated Apps such as the full version of Docs 2 Go, and Mundu IM instant messaging. There are lots of great apps in the catalog now though if you search the reviews carefully.
I won't write a huge article out of this but wanted to make sure that everyone knew where we stand in case last you checked we were at 500 or so. There are new things constantly added so don't miss out on the fun that webOS is beginning to deliver! We can only hope that Palm will continue this current pace if not increase it even further and those mocking our lack of Apps will soon begin to think otherwise.
Are you looking to learn a language? Maybe you have a young one learning their alphabet or other educational subjects? Are you worried about that killer exam in molecular biology next week? If so, FlashCards for the Palm Pre® is the app for you.
FlashCards is an excellent implementation of the time tested study method for webOS devices. Using this sweet app, flash cards can be created using a wide array of tools: HTML, audio, images, third cards, hints, and even multiple-choice formats. Store and categorize as many sets of Flash Cards as you need, no rubber bands required.
The Practice Area
The study interface is simple and very uncluttered – leaving you with the cards and nothing more. The white background and notepaper design go well with the whole notion of flash cards. Tap the card to see the answer, and you are presented with the ability to track whether you got it right or wrong. You can mark cards as learnt or go into reverse mode by hitting the menu button, as well as see your statistics. If the cards have a hint, a little animated graphic will present itself after a set time – you know, just in case.
Use the controls at bottom to navigate through the cards, and the options button at the top right to activate other functions.
Download Flash Cards
The application is instantly useful because of the huge database of flash cards available. This is a great option if you may be studying for a specific area of interest, if you need to brush up on "general " skills, or other broad areas. Currently, there are 600+ Editor’s Picks sets available in a wide variety of categories. New sets are added constantly, and there is a whole section dedicated to User Submitted flash cards.
Topics covered include:
Tests: MCAT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, TOEIC Kids: Math, Alphabet, Coins, Sight Words (most with colorful images and audio) Languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Chinese, and more! AP, Nursing, Psychology, Computers, Arts & Literature, Law, Pilot Training 50+ Fun Trivia, and many just plain interesting.
Preferences
You can customize many aspects of the application from the Preferences Section. Choose from many different card colors, disable alerts, disable Right/Wrong options, and more.
Online Tools
In addition to premade sets, there is an entire website dedicated to helping you create your own custom flash cards. With the Online Tools, you can create your Flash Cards from your desktop computer and then download them to your device.
Follow the “How To” section to learn how to add images, audio, or import from other popular websites. This section even features videos that help make everything crystal clear.
The Online Tools also functions as a handy backup system allowing you to upload sets created on your device. Your study material will never be lost.
Conclusion
FlashCards for webOS is the perfect study companion. You can whip it out at anytime to study, or practice with your children. Instead of playing a game, you could spend your time learning something useful!
Lets say that you just met with a new business client or just got your lonely friend a date and you want to give their contact information to your boss or friend. Being the gadget lover you are, you probably don't want to pick up a pen, right? Well, for some smartphone platforms this is no small feat, but for WebOS users it's easy. Any contact in your address book can be shared with any MMS capable phone, not just WebOS devices. For sharing with phones, you have two options, you can send a Vcard via MMS or you can email it. If you have a car kit there's an option for that too.
How to send a contact:
Open "Contacts" app
Select a contact
Then, from the app menu choose "Share Contact"
Select how you want the contact to be shared
Finally, Send it.
This functionality works consistently well and since I stumbled upon it, makes sharing info much easier. Although, if you plan on sharing contact information via MMS you should be aware that some carriers charge 50 cents per message.
Recently, an anonymous reliable source has spotted an AT&T Palm Pixi in the wild in San Francisco in a mass transit. Although, they weren't able to get a picture, this could mean the availability of the phone we love to thousands of new people! We have hard proof of a GSM Pixi (as shown here over at PreCentral.net) and a Pre, but we still have no hard proof of the Pixi coming to any other carrier. The Pre will be coming to Verizon sometime next year which does mean that Palm it trying to spread its potential customer pool but it can only be so long until some nice hard proof of a Pixi and/or Pre coming to AT&T...
Do you ever wonder what life would be like without webOS? Some probably wouldn't care, while others have intertwined it into the very fabric of their existences. And then theres the people that treat the phone as a hobby or even a job like; the hackers, the developers, the bloggers, the forum browsers, et cetera. webOS is something new and exciting for them. I'm going to assume that all the readers here either have or are considering a Pre or Pixi and while current owners know that at times things get frustrating, this one little OS was a spark that lit a pretty large fire. I'd like to take a few hundreds words of your time and look at some of the amazing achievements sparked by the webOS Revolution. Th is post will split into multiple sections so I don't bore you all to tears... or worse.
Part I.
T he Death Of Palm.
webOS has sparked a revolution. Don't believe me? Look at Palm. It was founded in 1992 by Jeff Hawkins. It's had it's fare share of good and bad moments alike as does any company. Unfortunately for Palm there came a time when they got lost. In a sea of Apple's, Microsoft's, Google's, and many others they failed to provide anything truly revolutionary. Meanwhile these other companies, Apple chiefly, were out changing the game. Palm needed something to show they were relevant. They needed to show they were bold like the competitor but different enough to set themselves apart.
webOS and the Pre, while still in their infancy, are helping guide Palm in the direction necessary for their survival. They have a phone that delivers on it's promise to "feel like no phone you ever used before". The hardware is undeniably gorgeous. Smooth curves and soft features galore when closed. When it's open, it reveals it's sleek and sexy shape. Beautiful curves again on every edge of the phone and a unique width to it's body with the perfect weight. The Pre is simply stunning to behold. Wait a minute.. We're talking about webOS here right? .. You'll have to excuse me, I was taken by the hardware. Hardware, eh?
webOS is wonderful for many reasons which I'll cover in other parts. This being "Part I" I need to start with the very beginning. You need hardware to run software! Right? Technically you could make it a cold, cut, square slab of metal, plastic, and glass but why not go for something more organic? The Pre does just that. When I first saw it in action, I wasn't sure what intrigued me more. Was it the hardware or the software? The hardware is your first line of defense. When people see a Pre user with their phone, they only see the hardware. It's certainly enough to get them interested. It does what Palm needs it to do. It's bold. It's different. It's beautiful.
Once someone is drawn to the hardware, it's up to the software to finish the job. webOS is visually stunning and unique enough to do just that. Everyone from it's multitasking via card view, or it's buttonless navigation UI (thanks to the gesture area) the Pre screams innovation and "cool". It's certainly one of a kind and for many people, that spells m-u-s-t h-a-v-e.
To conclude: You need good hardware. They've got it. Next, a great OS. Check! It provides a stable enough foundation to grow a strong user base and innovate in terms of features and that will certainly lead to success. Will Palm dead next year? I wouldn't count on it thanks to webOS.
Revolution #1: Provide a stable platform for Palm to thrive and capture peoples attention with amazing hardware and unique features like it's gesture area, multitasking, and Synergy.
The Mx Web was founded by Max Kanter for the distribution and marketing of WebOS applications. We are open to suggestions for future WebOS applications. If you have an app that you want to be developed The Mx Web offers very competitive rates. We also report on news in the webOS Community. Our authors are all active community members. If you are interested in writing for The Mx Web Blog please contact us.