Palm webOS owners have something to look forward to, despite having some rather quiet happenings of late, as Facebook beta for webOS has been updated to version 1.3.1. Although there are no new notable features accompanying its release, Palm states that there are “some bug fixes and performance improvements” that are found with it. Overall, you can just expect to see a more responsive experience when using the app. On other webOS news, the official version of the Facebook app for webOS has also been moved up to version 1.3 – which essentially brings forth worthy features such as landscape viewing, filtered news feeds, and many more items. So if you’re more in line to sticking true with official app releases as opposed to checking out beta ones, then head on over to the App Catalog and catch yourself the latest download of the Facebook app.
via PreCentral

The addictive game Angry Birds is now available for the Palm Pre and Pre Plus. Available in the Palm App Catalog for $2, your Pre must have the latest version of webOS, 1.4.5, under the hood. According to a press release issued by Palm, Angry Birds will be made available for Pixi owners later. The game’s creator, Rovio, had asked the webOS community if they wanted the game for their platform and the response was extremely positive.

For those Rip Van Winkle types who are not familiar with the multi-level game, using a slingshot you launch birds-each with a different power-toward a number of green pigs protected by wood or stone housing. Spurred on by the massive success of the game on the iPhone and iPod, the developers want to put the game on other platforms. While the game is among the top selling apps in over 60 countries, so far Android users have been shut out.
source: Palm

The latest version of webOS, that was released by Sprint for its Palm phones, seems to have unlocked some gaming capabilities on the Palm Pixi munchkin. Since webOS 1.4.5 brings OpenGL support to the handset, it is now able to run 3D games for mobile. Need for Speed: Undercover was installed on it to test the 3D prowess of the Palm Pixi, and it behaved quite well, with playable framerate, but slow loading times. If you are a Pixi user and have gaming pedigree, that is certainly great news.

While some are just receiving their mobile gaming capabilities, others are running Rage at 60fps. That is precisely what John Carmack from id Software (hint: DooM 1, 2 and 3; Quake 1, 2, 3 and 4) demoed with an iPhone 4 in his hands at QuakeCon 2010. Carmack was using id’s Tech 5 graphics engine, and, scaled for the iPhone, the “megatexture” experience of Rage looked amazingly smooth. He even went as far as to say that the demo is able to “kill anything done on the Xbox or PlayStation 2… “. Certainly an impressive feat, if we forget that the whole action is shown on a 3.5” screen, a big part of which is to be occupied by your thumbs.
source: Engadget and Gizmodo

How would you like to watch streaming satellite television from your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android handset? According to the AP, you soon will have this option. BlackBerry and iPhone (iPod Touch and iPad owners too) users will be have this function starting next month while in October, Android phones will have this capability. Besides having to download a free new app from Dish, special hardware will be required like a Sling Box which costs in the range of $200 to $300. Or, Dish subscribers can pay $200 to $400 to upgrade their DVR to one with Sling Box features. You will have to pay $10 a month for multiple DVR service, but you will get to record with it. A little note here-Sling Box is owned by EchoStar whose Chairman is Charles Ergen, the CEO of Dish Network.

With the new Dish app needed for viewing the programs, you will get to change channels remotely-unless someone is watching a different channel back home. And while the SlingBox can access programs that you  have recorded on your DVR, you can’t record on it. The current app for Dish subscribers is available for the iPhone (iPad and iPod Touch) but is limited to programming your DVR, browse TV shows and for using your phone as a remote control. The app will be upgraded to allow for streaming of programs on to the phone. Both the BlackBerry and Android apps will include the functions on them when they are launched. Dish and Echo Star are a perfect combination to provide streaming satellite television. Back in 2007, EchoStar bought Sling and later spun off Dish Network.
source: AP

Regardless or not we’ll end up seeing some kind of new hardware from Palm this year, it’s not stopping developers from fine tuning and enhancing apps created for the platform. It’s evident in the most recent release of the Facebook app for webOS version 1.2.30 beta which continues to emulate the desktop experience on a mobile level. Although this isn’t a groundbreaking update, it does add some new features such as the support for selectable news feeds, toggling feed comments on/off, and the ability to clear multiple notifications at the same time. In addition, you’ll find the customary amount of enhancements and bug fixes to better the overall experience. Since it’s not yet available to download through the App Catalog, you can basically just click the source link to get yourself a copy of the update.
source: Palm via Palm’s Facebook

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

Palm is really trying to curry favor with app developers. As we reported, despite the recent 50% off sale at the Palm App Catalog, the developers are getting paid a full 100% of what they would normally earn on the sale of their apps. Now, Palm is getting rid of the $50 submission fee that every developer had to pay to submit an app for the catalog. Not only will the fee no longer be charged , but the company is returning the $50 that was already paid for each app. With the grand total of 2,684 apps in the catalog, that means that the manufacturer will be cutting checks totaling $134,200. Actually, the refunds will be processed through each developers PayPal account. Now the big question for the code writers-are you sufficiently motivated enough to start writing some more apps for Palm?
source: PalmDeveloperCenterBlog

Palm’s 50% off sale on almost every app in the App Catalog has paid some rewarding dividends for the company. There has been an increase in the installation of both free and paid apps (although 50% off free is still free) and so Palm has decided to extend the sale by two weeks until July 23rd. If there happens to be something you have been looking at in the App Catalog but thought it was a little too pricey, this might be the time to let the manufacturer carry you for half the cost. As we reported, even though the consumer is paying just 50% of the listed cost of the app, the developer will be getting a full 100% payout from Palm as the latter is trying to get developers to write more programs for the webOS devices. The App Catalog currently finds itself behind the Apple App Store, the Android Market, the Ovi Store and BlackBerry App World in the number of apps available, and leads only the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

source: EverythingPre

Ever wondered what smartphone users are searching for from their handsets? Chitika Research has got you covered with a study revealing the top five search queries from each mobile OS. The sample was based on more than a million impressions across its advertising network in the past week. If we leave out common searches like  “Father’s Day 2010”, “NBA Finals 2010”, “Oil spill” and “50 Cent Skinny”, some interesting differences emerge.

First off, Palm users seem to want back in vogue, as 2 of their top 5 searches are “HTC EVO” or “Sprint iPhone”. That’s not to say Palm users want them apples by all means, it rather looks like they just want out. On the other hand, Apple owners already have the mojo, but they still love to remind themselves they are part of the clan – iPhone and iPad users have often searched for “iPhone 4G” or “WWDC 2010”. And just as every self-respecting community, Apple users want to stay in touch with its main events.

The study finishes by listing the Android and BlackBerry top 5 searhes. By the looks of it, BlackBerry users stray from the everyday grind with the “funny sayings” search. Now, is that the most fun you can have with a BlackBerry, or what? It’s sad that the number 5 search from Android handsets is “Unemployment extension”, but that’s why they went with a free OS, after all, smart move.
source: Chitika Research

In an effort to continue providing webOS users the best experience, Facebook Beta version 1.2.5 for the platform is now available for the taking and fixes some issues that sometimes plague users. Naturally the arrival of notifications kept users well-informed as they casually run other apps on the platform, but for some odd reason, some users complained about problems regarding viewing photos from notifications. Thankfully the update addresses that issue and includes support to tag photos, like them, and the ability to comment them as well. Needless to say that the update may not be ground breaking, but it surely shows the commitment in fine tuning the app to provide users a simple and versatile mobile solution for their Facebook fix.
source: Facebook via PreCentral