Author: Dieter Bohn

Update: an anonymous tipster has confirmed that the update should start rolling out tomorrow, April 28th. As per usual with webOS updates, they’ll get pushed out to users over the course of 10 days or so, but we’re guessing that also as per usual, you’ll be able to hit the Updates app to get it right away. Screencap from Verizon’s system after the break – thanks anonymous tipster!

Broncot in our forums took a gander at Verizon’s Palm Pre support page and found a new link to this support PDF detailing the changes coming in webOS 1.4.1.1. First off – we’re happy to see that the delay means that Verizon is getting the full 1.4.1.1 update instead of the basic 1.4.1 update – the difference being that 1.4.1.1 handles background processes more elegantly. 

Otherwise we’re looking at a similar list of improvements that we saw on other devices: improved Bluetooth, fixes for the photo app, the return of the forward gesture, and best of all for long-suffering Verizon Palm Pre Plus owners,  "More accurate keyboard input."

Verizon’s support page still says "Coming Soon!" Let’s hope so – we’re eager to get this update behind us so we can start agitating for the speed and battery-life improvements in the next version of webOS.

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Our friends at CrackBerry.com are all over the big announcement at WES 2010, having just finished up a Liveblog of the keynote and posting details on the upcoming operating system out of Waterloo: BlackBerry 6. RIM is really upping their game with this release: they’re making their OS more touchscreen-friendly, revamping the entire UI to be a lot prettier and more user friendly, making notifications easy to get to, adding a webkit-based browser, and even changing their app launcher up by adding clearer categories.

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the latest buyout rumor du jour – RIM.  This time it’s from the Toronto Globe and Mail, who cite analyst speculation but rightly smack it all down. Now that we’ve seen that RIM is aggressively working on improving their own OS instead of looking for a from-scratch jumpstart, we think it’s safe to say that the chances of RIM being interested in Palm are rapidly approaching zero.

Combine that with the rumored BlackBerry vertical slider and Palm definitely is going to have some strong competition on their hands. What do you think – How does webOS fare against this upcoming BlackBerry OS?

The Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset has a new feature: A2DP Bluetooth Audio! The feature is available as a download from Jawbone’s MyTalk software updates.

The PreCentral.net Accessory Store is currently selling this best-of-breed Bluetooth headset for the reduced price of only $96.95.

We’re fresh off the Palm Developer Day Keynote and a crazy-good interview – both with Ben Galbraith and Dion Almaer of Palm. We’ll have a full write up of the interview on Monday, but we wanted to hit up the big developer news from this morning’s keynote for those who missed the liveblog.

Though Palm’s dynamic duo didn’t say what version number we’re looking at, they did suggest that ‘by fall’ we should see the features they described today. Primarily we’re talking about new APIs and tools for developers – the main new user-facing feature is an updated version of the App Catalog.

After the break, a preview of some of what’s coming in the next version of webOS.

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Palm has released several tools for developers to help promote their apps in conjunction with their Hot Apps $1 million promotion. The first bit is that in addition to the previously-mentioned Hot Apps Leaderboard at http://palmhotapps.com/, there the Hot Apps Pride Kit. The pride kit consists of a set of widgets and tools to help developers promote their apps on their own websites to show off your app’s position in the Hot Apps contest – heck, creating the widgets doesn’t look too difficult, so even users will be able to take part. We’ll be adding support for these widgets at PreCentral soon, stay tuned.

Palm has also put together a Hot Apps Marketing Kit to help developers promote their apps on social networks. The kit suggests how to optimize your app’s description, how to utilize Facebook and Twitter, and plenty more. All their suggestions are free and, well, we’ll humbly add our own PreCentral Featured Apps Program to the list.

We are live at Palm’s developer days and the mood here is pretty much perfectly encapsulated by Jon Rubinstein’s surprise appearance and comment yesterday: "I’m still here." Indeed, the 150 or so developers who have come to this at-capacity event are excited by the possibilites of webOS and the technologies behind it (free-but-unactivated Verizon Palm Pre Plus phones for developers didn’t hurt, either). We’ll have a full roundup in the coming days.

Right now, keep it locked on this post. At 9am Pacific / 12 Eastern Ben Galbraith and Dion Almaer will present the keynote for this mini-conference. We’re very much anticipating that we’re going to see clues about what’s coming in future versions of webOS. Since this is a presentation by and for developers, it’s probably too much to hope for a lot of flashy next generation features, but we’d be pretty happy to see some guidance on what Palm expects with the PDK and SDK (an especially urgent topic this week) and perhaps a few new APIs for developers to look forward to.

Join us after the break as we liveblog!

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Following news that Michael Abbott was leaving Palm for Twitter, TechCrunch is churning out a couple more executive rumors today: First, that a 14-year Palm veteran and current VP of carrier marketing, Caitlin Spaan, is also leaving the company. Second, that Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein himself could be leaving.

Crazy, we know, especially given that who’s getting cited here are simply ‘industry sources.’ On top of that, our hunch is that going on a whirlwind tour of interviews certainly doesn’t seem like the behavior of a CEO on the outs. 

We get it: there’s a general feeling out there that there’s another shoe to drop with Palm in the near future – but do you really think it’s going to involve a gigantic combat boot-sized executive shakeup? In the unlikely event Palm sees fit to make statement on this rumor-du-jour, we’ll let you know.

Update: @rboatright is in the next room over from us at Palm’s developer day and he reports that Rubinstein himself just quipped "I’m still here" to lots of laffs. Move along, everybody.

As Annie notes over at sister-site TreoCentral, Palm has let loose that they’re going to be roving the country, handing out Pre and Pixi accessories, Palm stickers, and who knows what to people they see using webOS devices out in public spaces. In other words – be a little flamboyant when you use your phone, it just might get you noticed and get you swag.

Palm says that these roving bands of accessory-gifters could appear in any country. We suppose these ‘random acts of wow’ could be pretty sparse, given the wide net.  If only Palm had a way of tracking down webOS users in the wild to help improve those odds (We KID! We joke!).

Thanks to everybody who sent this in!

This is still developing, but if you’re a GSM webOS user running webOS 1.4.1 and your device is offering you a second 1.4.1 update, it might be a good idea to hold off installing it just a bit.

The big feature in 1.4.1 for GSM Palm Pre users was that they could finally purchase apps from the official app catalog. The big "feature" in the 1.4.1 "re-update" that more than a few users are getting? Those paid apps (and apparently plenty more) have disappeared from their catalog listings. See this thread for more information.

Before we hit the panic button, though, @o2myhandy has chimed in on Twitter. They are saying that this update is getting pushed out to help out users who had issues trying to go straight from 1.1 and 1.2 to 1.4.1. They promise the apps will return. We believe them (and heart how responsive O2 has been on Twitter and elsewhere), but in the meantime if you’re already on 1.4.1, there’s no reason to rush into installing the update until this little app issue gets fixed. Again, this forum thread is the place to watch for updates – joebel hears that it should all be resolved within 48 hours.

Thanks to everybody who sent this in!

Despite what many had hoped, the latest rumor right now is that HTC has stepped away from talks to buy Palm out. This according to a Reuters report, which further suggests that Lenovo might be back in the game. As for HTC bowing out, the ever-popular ‘source with direct knowledge of the matter’ said ‘There just weren’t enough synergies to take the deal forward.’

I’ve thrown it out there before that I think Lenovo would be a great candidate to buy Palm – but that’s me. What do you think? Does the fact that Lenovo successfully purchased and transitioned ThinkPad convince you that they could do the same with webOS?

Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein and our favorite geek-of-the-year has been firing up the interview circuit lately – telling it like it is, clarifying Palm’s stance on licensing webOS and plenty more. More recently he chatted with the Financial Times (via Engadget) and MarketWatch. Those who have been following Palm like we have may not see much in the quotes, but we understand most people aren’t as obsessed as we are, so here are the highlights:

• On future hardware: "Palm was working ‘fast and furious on new handsets’. ‘We do have a strong pipeline of products in the future,’"
• On the possibility of an acquisition: "as [Palm] is publicly traded, it would consider a good offer if it came along."
• On licensing webOS: "an interesting concept" [if the] "right strategic partner came along with the right kind of business model" and "obviously the more scale we get the more the benefit there is to us."
• On Palm’s future as an independent company: "bullish" with a "plan that gets us to profitability." There are also no plans to raise additional capital. "We plan on sticking around."
• On whether the buyout rumors could hurt Palm’s chances with developers: "clearly a concern," but Palm has a "great story" for investors, operators, and consumers.

We’d say "Keep Calm and Carry On" but you know what? If Ruby (can we call him Ruby?) is out there talking about an exciting future roadmap then that phrase is too down-in-the-dumps. The new mantra for Palm (and for webOS developers): "Get Excited and Make Things" – because that’s what it’s going to take.

We wanted to end today’s develop-o-rama on a high note – so here it is: next weekend we’re going to launch the PreCentral Featured Apps program! As a webOS user, it’s increasingly hard to find the good apps. As a developer, it’s increasingly hard to get your app noticed. We’re hoping we can help with both of those problems.

It’s simple, really: we’ll be spotlighting apps on the sidebar and in our main blog feed on a much more regular basis. You’ll see screenshots of our favorite apps and apps from developers who care about our readers in our webOS App Gallery.

If you’re a webOS user – stay tuned, we’re launching in a week or so. If you’re a webOS developer – read on to learn how to enroll in the PreCentral Featured Apps program. Oh, one other thing – we don’t want your money, we just want to help promote your apps. The program, it’s free.

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As we anxiously await the release of the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus on AT&T, we’re heartened that AT&T has put up most of Palm’s explanatory videos about webOS on their coming soon page. We’re also confused (but in an optimistic way, mind you) that the first video ends with "Now available on at&t." Let us tell you, if that were true we’d be at least $150 poorer right now. We’ve been in the ‘coming months‘ stage for exactly one month now, we’d like to think this video means we don’t have much longer to wait. 

Anyhow, given that the launch of the Palm Pre Plus in France and Germany is less than a week away, we’re guessing that AT&T can’t be that much further off. If you haven’t yet given up your email goods to AT&T to get alerted on the launch, now might be a good time.

Thanks, JimmyK!

This hurts: DataViz has come right out and said that DocsToGo for webOS is no longer under active development, which is to say we have no idea when or if we might expect it happen on webOS. So writes Kathleen McAneany of DataViz:

We are continuing our efforts to work with Palm to clear the path for a full editing version of Documents To Go. However, given the current environment at Palm, as well as the necessary collaboration with the device manufacturer that is required to bring an app like ours to a platform like webOS, our Documents To Go editor product for webOS is essentially at a standstill.

As soon as we have any additional information, we will inform you immediately.

Thanks for your passion surrounding our solution.

We’ve gone from hope, to hoping for Early 2010, to ‘no ETA,‘ to a ‘standstill.’ This is a big blow for Palm, since true document editing was one of the missing pieces for making it a true business phone. We don’t want to parse words too closely here, but when we read ‘given the current environment at Palm,’ we’re not exactly filled with warm feelings. Pretty hard to see this as anything put DataViz putting the ball in Palm’s court.

DataViz makes it a little clearer on Twitter: "[…] we can only work so hard without help from the manufacturer. Tough to write an robust office suite all in javascript."

If nothing else, this news puts an exclamation point on the interest in X-Server/Open Office and other community-based attempts to build an office suite for webOS.

Thanks to miles4000 and Colonel Kernel for the tip!

Dieter and Keith talk up the latest Palm news and rumors.

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Thanks to everybody for writing and calling in!

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Will there be exciting news? Could be? We’ll be there live if there is. Will there be a chance for developers to learn how to do awesome stuff on webOS? Definitely, and we’ll be there to watch the magic.

More importantly, will there be a chance for developers to get on camera, show us their apps, and get featured on PreCentral? Yes, yes there will be just that chance. Keep an eye out for the guy with silver glasses hiding behind a videocamera, he wants to talk to you.

Not going to be at Palm Developer Day? Stay tuned – PreCentral loves you too.

Our development theme continues today at PreCentral. Next up: webOS kernel development and overclocking. There has been a huge amount of movement here in the past month or so with some exciting stuff out now and coming very, very soon.

First up, the overclocking method we covered about a month ago has a new release, the Super PreKernel app. The open-source solution utilizes the original the earlier 1.4.0 webOS overclocking kernel and ties it to a clever app that gives you a nice gui for changing your Pre’s clock speed with a touch of a button. Check out the videos detailing Super PreKernel and a speed comparison after the break!

There have actually been two parallel tracks for kernel development. In addition to the above, WebOS Internals has organized about an open-source philosophy and 7 principles to keep things clean, safe, and easy. What we have here is a trinity of kernel development:

• a kernel (called uber-kernel) based on webOS 1.4.1 and patched to allow for internal temperature sensing and overclocking – it’s actually in a testing feed now
• a C-service for managing the kernel
• an app called Govnah as a front-end for the whole shootin’ match.

Development is moving along quickly with goals like keeping an eye on internal cpu temperature, easily changing clock speed, and even dynamically managing cpu frequency based on policies you can set in-app. We’ll definitely let you know as this project starting hitting more milestones, but feel free to hit up the WebOS Internals forum here at PreCentral for the bleeding edge info.

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Since the next two days are dedicated to Palm’s own development news, we figured today would be a good day for some updates on what’s happening in the homebrew community. We just told you about Jason’s (happy birthday!) webOS file manager app and service, now it’s time for another project with wide appeal.

You know the drill: you replace your Pre or you find a need to run the webOS Doctor to wipe it clean and start from scratch, then you go through the motions of reinstalling all your apps. One problem: your saved data from many/most of those apps isn’t backed up to Palm’s servers. All that very important effort you’ve put into Let’s Golf? Gone.

Enter Save/Restore, which allows you to save data from applications to storage on your Pre, from whence you can move that data to another device, back it up to your computer, and then restore it again. Save/Restore doesn’t automatically save all the data from every app, rather support for each app needs to be built in manually. However the group has gone ahead and added support for many of the big, important apps. Webos Internals calls it the ‘Holy Grail of homebrew‘ and while we might not go quite that far, it does sound pretty sweet!

If you’re interested in helping with the testing, you’ll need to do a little legwork to install Preware Alpha and the Save/Restore App – more info here and here, be sure to read about the bounty system for adding additional app support. Otherwise, sit tight, the good folks at Webos Internals and the crew of homebrewers doing additional testing are moving things along at a heady clip.

We’re big big fans of the Plug-in Development Kit for webOS. It’s the magic that allows the Palm Pre to be the only phone on multiple US networks with real 3D gaming and one of the under-rated features of the platform.

Anyhow, as of right now the only PDK apps you see come from big, professional development houses like Gameloft. They’ve obviously done a great job with the apps and we’re also pleased to see that they occasionally put stuff on sale (Hero of Sparta is only 99 cents for a limited time, for example). You know us, though, we like to root for the little guys too.

To that end, Ben Combee of Palm’s Developer Relations team is following up on March’s release of a public beta of the PDK by asking if any developers have "ready-to-deploy" PDK apps. Which is to say that Palm has decided to open up the App Catalog to PDK apps a little earlier than originally planned. If you’ve been working on a PDK app, be sure to check out his post – there are a few caveats and provisos to be aware of.

If you’re not a developer, stay tuned. Palm’s deadline for these apps is tomorrow, so it’s entirely possible that we might see some indie PDK apps sooner than we previously thought.

Thanks to slp15 for the tip!

If you hadn’t heard, the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus are coming to O2 Germany and Vodafone on April 28th. As is (distressingly) becoming the norm, pricing wasn’t officially announced when the phones were officially announced.

We’ve got the prices for O2 now, anyway. They come courtesy of O2, and along with golem.de, you might say that Germans will be paying a bit of a premium over their French neighbors: 389 Euro for the Pixi Plus, 509 for the Pre Plus. Of course, you can also opt to purchase the phones at just 29 Euro to start and pay out the rest over time. It also helps that since this is O2 Germany, these phones are straight-up unlocked.

Thanks to everybody who sent this in!