The Mx Web

Why Palm Needs to let Hardware Companies In

Jason Teplitz — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:56:05 +0000

I love the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus hardware but lets be honest what we all really love is webOS. I don't think I can even imagine a world without webOS but Palm is running out of options to stop that from happening. Now people have analyzed and analyzed how such a great OS could go with so few sales and in my opinion the truth is that Android is the problem. There are many reasons for Android becoming so popular but the problem is that first time smartphone users who are currently Palm's main marketing audience are opting for Android over webOS because they have heard more about it. Between the Droid, myTouch, Droid Eris, and Nexus One AAndroid phones are just popping up everywhere and Palm doesn't have enough devices or money to combat this.

So whats the solution, well Palm needs to let other companies make phones that run webOS. webOS is a platform designed to run on every kind of device on every network but Palm doesn't have the resources to make that happen and its not looking like they are about to get it. But if Motorola and Samsung and HTC started making webOS devices then this would solve their problems. Think about this for a second you have three or more companies making one webOS device each in within a year you have at least three new webOS devices all with different hardware configurations on the market running on different networks. Then you have these independent hardware companies who front most of the advertising money for their new devices (and hopefully make some better ads than Palms) and webOS is now the talk of the mobile world.

Is this possible? Yeah it is because of the technology's used to create webOS, so much of it is based on core web technologies that webOS applications can be ported with ease to any screen size and in some cases developers won't even have to do anything. And the app catalog is already set up to filter apps based on which devices they will run on. And if Palm would actually make a virtual keyboard we could even have some keyboard-less devices. And if Dataviz would finish up the version of docs to go which lets people edit documents then we could start really competing with Blackberry devices.

Now let me make something straight here, I'm not saying that Palm should go all out like WinMo or Android and let hardware companies run wild with webOS because it is still the kind of OS were Palm needs to work closely with the hardware companies but I'm just saying that they should loosen their grip a little. And if those devices take off then Palms own devices will start to sell better because people will be more aware of how great webOS is. Well, this is just what I think so let us know what you think and drop a comment.

Image Courtesy of phandroid.com

Paid Apps Arriving Abroad

Braden Faulkner — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:59:10 +0000

That's right, as of today paid apps have landed abroad. Thanks to webOS version 1.4.1 the functionality to add a credit card is now available and a Preferences & Accounts option should be in the App Catalog's app menu. Currently, both Visa and MasterCard are accepted but, unfortunately not PayPal. WebOS 1.4.1 has hit the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Ireland and Spain. Still, no release in North America at the time of this writing.

So; what's next? Currently Palm has put the infrastructure in place for developers to distribute paid apps abroad but, it comes down to the developers to distribute them abroad. The good news is 3D games should be on their way!

UPDATE: webOS 1.4.1.1 is now available on Sprint

[via PreCentral]

Say Goodbye to your old Cellphone, Say Hello to Palm Pre

Max Kanter — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:46:25 +0000

Saying goodbye to your old cellphone can be hard. The video above, created by everythingpre, is a video montage of goodbye messages from future Palm Pre owners.

What phone did you come to the palm webOS from?

Palm Revenue Outperforms Expectations

Max Kanter — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:28:42 +0000

Reuters reports:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Palm Inc (PALM.O) reported stronger-than-expected revenue following its disappointing pre-announcement last month, and shares of the smartphone maker rose 1 percent after a strong run-up during the regular session.
The company reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $22 million, or 13 cents a share, in the fiscal third quarter ended February 26, versus a year-ago loss of $98 million, or 89 cents a share.
Excluding items, the company's loss was 61 cents a share, a bigger loss than the average analyst estimate of a loss of 42 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue came in at $349.9 million, and non-GAAP revenue totaled $366 million, well above Wall Street's average estimate of $316.2 million.
The company shipped a total of 960,000 smartphones during the quarter, with sell-through of 408,000 units.
Shares of Sunnyvale, California-based Palm rose 5 percent to close at $5.65 on the Nasdaq and rose to $5.75 in extended trading.

webOS Goes Viral, Do Your Part

Max Kanter — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:56:29 +0000

As posted by neville on the pre|central forums...

On the heels of Palm's latest "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing" ad campaign, I see a glaring opportunity to do the webOS family a bit of a favour (Canadian spelling).

What can I do?
GET VIRAL! The time is now to act! The goal of viral marketing is to make people research the product on their own time. No one wants to be force-fed bullet points.

So, the goal is to update your social networking (facebook, twitter, myspace) with the marketing tagline: "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing." AND NOTHING ELSE. If we have strength in numbers, people will start to wonder what all the commotion is about. There are over a million webOS users out there, andnow is the time to heed the call!

Why do this?
To gain mindshare. If you're like me, you see the growing potential of webOS and it pains you to think of future without it.

If we can even trend twitter or google with the catch-phrase, it will generate that much more interest in palm's products.

We're all in this together, and we all need to show Palm that we care too.

When?
Great! You've made it this far in the post and that alone deserves some credit. On the below dates, everyone who is on board will change their facebook status, tweet, update your IM status, and so on to "Life moves fast. Don't miss a thing":

March 25th, 2010

April 8th, 2010

April 15th, 2010

It's important to all target this on a specific date in order to make a ripple in the internet ocean. Strength in numbers!

Sounds good! What can I do now?
There's more you can do now to spread the cause. Let's infect the internet!

Join the following facebook group to receive updates. I will send group-wide messages on the planned dates

Get this posted on your favourite blog! Especially PreCentral *wink wink*!

Spread the word! The more people the bigger the wave!

Add a link to this post to your PreCentral forum signature:Time to get VIRAL

Strength in numbers, everyone! We need a good chunk of members to make this thing work!

webOS 1.4 to be Released Tomorrow ‘Evening’

Braden Faulkner — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:20:19 +0000

A little off from today's rumored release date but, according to an admin at Sprint's own forums webOS 1.4 will hit Pre and Pixi users (on Sprint and in the US anyway) tomorrow evening. The change log, which was supposedly leaked today lists the addition of video recording, something by the name of notification enhancements, which is likely LED notifications and of course, support for Adobe Flash 10.1 beta. Although, the list also includes a few fixes such as, the network time sync issue that seems to be haunting many GSM Pre users. Currently, this is pretty much still a rumor if not, slightly tipped in the direction of happening. Then again, February's days are numbered and if Palm is going to deliver on the February release promised, there isn't much time left. We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose.

The full supposed change log is below.

Update: According to PreCentral the 1.4 update for the Pixi will be released on February 29th but, as they mention 2010 isn't a leap year, Also there is a new pic from a Sprint source.

Palm Pre and Pixi WebOS 1.4 Software Update

On 2/26, Friday evening, Pre and Pixi device users will receive an Over the Air (OTA) notification to download the new 1.4 webOS software release.

This release includes both fixes and feature updates (listed below).

Fixes:

Time Zone bug fixed

Network time sync bug fixed to reflect accurate Network time

Bluetooth car-kit transition to device corrected

No EV icon bug fixed (random)

Random browser formatting bugs fixed

Fixed bug that incorrectly displayed Sprint when actually was Digital Roaming

Missing Contact issue specifically with swap down to 1.2.9.1 or less

Feature Updates:

Phonebook Transfer (import & export)

Adds Video Capture capability & edit

Calendar Enhancements

Messaging Enhancements

Improved Performance (Phone & CAL)

Email Enhancements

Notification Enhancements

Adds Adobe Flash 10.0 (Pre Only)

NOTE: The 1.4 software adds the ability to use the Flash 10.0 Adobe plug-in which will be available shortly from the Palm Appl Catalogue.

[via Engadget]

[Source: Sprint]

Palm WebOS 1.4 vs. Windows Mobile 7

Jason Teplitz — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:17:08 +0000

Well you had to know that this was coming ever since Microsoft announced Windows Mobile 7 in Barcelona, the inevitable comparison that comes when two new major smartphones or in this case smartphone operating systems come out. Now of course this site is about WebOs but we figured that users should know how it ranks up with other operating systems. Keep in mind though, that both Systems are pre-release so there is some speculation in here. Also, WinMo 7 isn't supposed to be launched until Decemeber so we will hopefully see some newer versions of WebOs then 1.4 by then.

	Windows Mobile 7	WebOs 1.4
Multitasking Support	Yes with multiple apps running at the same time and updating live in your home screen	Yes with each app having its own card and you can flip through them. Apps can also live in the background or in the dashboard
Multiple Devices	Yes but Microsoft doesn't build the hardware for their devices so all devices will be built be third party companies such as htc, LG, etc.	Yes, however Palm makes all of their own devices so their will be significantly fewer devices than windows mobile.
Third Party Apps	Windows mobile has always had a rich history of third party a pps, however it looks as if the new framework of WinMo 7 will not be backwards compatible with older apps so all apps will probably have to be partially rewritten or run through an on-device emulator	Palm WebOs has an on device catalog of over 1,500 apps at the time of writing this and nearly 600 homebrew apps. However, all apps right now must be programmed in JavaScript so there is no real hardcore 3D games yet, Palm has built their "PDK" Which allows developers to make these games but it won't be released to the general public for a couple of months.
Media Playback	Microsoft has announced that with Series 7 People will be able to sync their phones with Zune software which is a full fledged media catalog where you can either purchase songs for around $0.99 or pay $15.00 a month for an unlimited access subscription	Palm has been somewhat limiting on this while the phone can play many media formats it can't play DRM protected music like a zune syncing Windows phone could. It has also been unable to sync with a desktop software for some time now as Apple currently prevents it from syncing with iTunes, but it is possible for that functionality to come back in WebOs 1.4. As of now the main way to get music on the device is to purchase it ovedr the air from Amazon.
Flash Support	It is not imposible with Adobe making Flash open to devices that it will come to WinMo 7 but so far Microsoft has announced that it will ship in December without Flash.	Yes yes and yes again, Palm has decided to be one if not the first company to work with Adobe in making this happen. After WebOs 1.4 comes out Flash will be released as an app in the catalog for anybody to install for free. While we have no date on this flash plugin it should be out before mid-March.
Methods of Input	Since Windows mobile has to run on a slew of devices it is designed to allow for any type of input. From resistive touchscreen to capacitive touch screens to plain old buttons. This is both good and bad, its good because it allows for you to buy the device that suits you best but its bad because the OS can't be optimized for just one type of device.	WebOs does run on multiple devices (four at the time of writing) but isn't quite as open as Windows Mobile. All WebOs devices will probbably have capacitive touch screens and so far they all have physical keyboard. However, Palm has said that they intend to launch a device with no physical keyboard and just an on-screen one. Once again this can be looked at both ways. The OS can be tailored to the device but it limits how much choice the user has.
Browsers	Windows Mobile runs a mobile internet explorer and I own a Zune HD and can honestly say that it is one of the best mobile browsing experiences I have ever seen but I have noticed it to be somewhat slower than my Pre when both are on wifi.	WebOs uses a webkit based browser similiar to that on the iphone. It runs really well and loads pages faster than any mobile device I have ever seen when on wifi. However, I have noticed it to be somewhat less responsive to my touch than than my Zune, but hey when they get flash on it, it will be unbeatable.

Well, this is just the first of what will probably be many of these before Windows Mobile comes out in December, drop a comment and let us know what you think. A smartphone is really just a choice of personal preferences and most people will probably be more than happy with either one of these Systems. To tell you the truth I'm a Pre user right now and I can't decide whether or not I will move to Windows Mobile in December, I also program apps for WebOs so like I said personal preference. One thing is for sure though, if you do choose WebOs download the MxWeb apps and apps by me Jason Teplitz.

The Mod Police On Precentral.com

Gogo Yubari — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:34:22 +0000

Posted by powerbyte:

Mods,
With all due respect, I do not see the point of deleting the threads that were deleted tonight...I thought this was supposed to be an open forum. I started two threads today, one of which was moved (with over 8,000 views and almost 150 replies, and EVERYONE was having a good time), and the other one which was just a funny post in general, which got all good replies as well.
Only threads that are derogatory or inflammatory or get that way through replies should be removed IMHO.
A lot of us come here during these times of updates looking for a little release and a good time, and most of the time we get it. But when the "Mod Police" start busting down doors, it is bad business. Once again IMO.
I was reading a thread on another forum about how rude people can get here at Pre Central when they have differing opinions from a fellow poster. That is definitely true sometimes, but once again, every thread can't just be torn away for something that someone doesn't agree with.
It would seem that maybe the mods need to be modded themselves sometimes, and not let the power go to their keyboards......

Cheers!
Robert

What is your thoughts on this?

Palm Pre Spotted in kgb Answers Super Bowl Commerical

Max Kanter — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:45:44 +0000

If you are in the United States chances are you were watching the Super Bowling tonight, whether or not it was for the game or commercials. If you watched the commercials, you might have seen the a Sprint Palm Pre (notice the center button) in a kgb Answers ad. While I was admittedly happy to see the Pre instead of another popular smart phone, it disgusts me to see that fugly messaging app. This is even more perplexing when kgb Answers has their own app for webOS.

Nevertheless, what exactly is kbg Answers? Well, you can check it out for yourself by downloading their app to your webOS phone by following this link to view their app. For those of you who are too lazy, read on. Kgb Answers will answer any question you text to them. The catch is there is a a live person on the other end. The app comes with 3 free credits, but after that you have to pay. Read the full app description after the break.

kgb Answers: The world’s smartest Mobile App. Don\'t search. Find. The kgb Answers download comes with 3 free answers provided by our Special Agents. After that, Answers cost $0.99 via SMS, or you can buy more Answer Packs through iTunes. The larger Answer packs have a discounted price. Make your smartphone even smarter with kgb Answers - a new app from the people who brought you kgb’s 542542 text answer service. With kgb answers, being a know-it-all is simple. Just type in ANY question and kgb special agents will send you the exact answer right away - which is what makes kgb Answers unique. Better than sifting through hundreds of irrelevant search results, huh? Ask us for: -Sports scores and breaking news -Dating and relationship advice -Directions/phone numbers -Celebrity gossip -Music and movies trivia -Health and fitness tips -Or even obscure facts like, how do snakes mate? With this cool new App, you get more than just answers. You can: -store answers in your phone and create a favorites list -get a local map and save numbers in your phonebook -see other questions you may find interesting -share them with your friends via Facebook and email -check out what other people are asking.

An Interview with “Mx”

Max Kanter — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:42:57 +0000

Curious about where the “Mx” from The Mx Web comes from? Want to learn how I learned to program? Over at Palm Dev Center, an interview with me, Max Kanter, has been published. It was conducted awhile back, but is live now. It is just a one of currently 7 interviews in an on going series titled, “Getting Their Mojo Working: webOS Developer Profiles” According to the site, it is “a semi-regular series of interviews with developers”. I have read the early interviews and it was an honor to be given the opportunity to be interviewed.

Anyways, if you missed the link above, check out the interview here. Be sure to check out the earlier developer interviews.