Hasta La Gadget!

According to Dieter over at PreCentral, real, honest-to-goodness usable apps are starting to “trickle out” for the Pre / webOS. Apparently utilizing a loophole in the operating system which allows unsigned apps to be sideloaded through email, homebrewers have taken to the interwebs with small utilities like the tip calculator (pictured above). This comes just a day after a group of DIY’ers figured out a workable solution for getting software onto the phone without rooting, so obviously Pre hacking is moving along at a healthy clip. These are — of course — very early applications, so don’t expect perfection, and there seems to be some concern that Palm might want to patch up this hole, as it leaves the phone vulnerable to less altruistic endeavors. While the latter point is reasonable to consider, we do have a piece of advice for the folks at the front of this movement: don’t wait and worry on how Palm will react to this stuff. It’s important to push platforms like webOS, and the Pre needs all the love it can get on the development side right now.

Read – Right now: Install a Homebrew App without Hacking
Read – Homebrew Apps Tricking Out, but be careful

Filed under: Cellphones

Homebrew apps come to the Palm Pre originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that we know the iPhone 3G S and the Palm Pre share extremely similar 65nm ARM Cortex A8-based internals, it’s time to break out the stopwatches and see how these blood brothers stack up. Anandtech has the first head-to-head tests we’ve seen, and it seems like the 3G S has the slight edge, loading a series of web pages 11 percent faster and a whopping 54 percent faster than the iPhone 3G. Not too shabby, but not exactly a thorough drubbing either — especially when you consider webOS is still 1.0 and there’s likely some optimizations to come. Full results at the read link.

Update: Anandtech had some uncharacteristically bad math going on — the 3G S is actually 21 percent faster than the Pre, which is quite notable considering the similar hardware and WebKit-based browsers.

Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone 3G S and Pre head-to-head benchmarks: iPhone wins originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like the first post-Pre-launch webOS update is now being pushed out — Pre owners, get ready for 13MB of 1.0.3 awesome. We’re getting a full list, but Palm just told us some of what’s new includes better Exchange email support, faster Google calendar syncing, and a bunch of app improvements.

Update: Palm’s posted the full release notes here.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm webOS 1.0.3 update now available originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In 2004, it was all about iPodding your BMW, but in 2009, it’s all about Palming it. No, not “palming” as in concealing your car in the palm of your hand — “Palming,” you know, as in the act of hardwiring a Touchstone into your center console so that you can charge a Pre on the road with the greatest of ease. Ironically, this modern marvel of technology is mounted right where the iDrive controller in most newer models would normally go, which means you’re stuck making the nearly impossible choice between this hack and BMW’s.

[Thanks, Mike]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Dude hardwires Palm Touchstone into BMW, charging ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s the big question, isn’t it? Sprint vs. AT&T, Palm vs. Apple, physical keys vs. solo touchscreen. Here are recent stories to help inform you about every aspect of both, so your eventual decision is intelligent, whichever one you choose.

Palm Pre Reviews
• Our review
• What other reviewers said
• 10 things you should know about the Pre

Known Pre Issues
• Tethering? Maybe not
• iTunes syncing could go away
• Hooray for homebrew!
• How’s that reception?
• Screen scratchy? Heat distortion?

Apple iPhone 3GS Reviews
• Our Review
• What other reviewers are saying
• iPhone 3GS Complete Feature Guide

Known 3GS Issues
• 3GS-exclusive apps from the App Store; definitely better graphics for 3GS
• Tethering? Probably gonna cost extra
• Already jailbroken and SIM-unlocked
• What, no Verizon?

Easy Advice
• A flowchart
Stay tuned for more issues and revelations with the 3GS when the phone finally ships to customers, and people start the inevitable complaining.

What about the original $99 iPhone 3G? And while we’re at it, what about the best BlackBerry and Android phones? Hey, that’s why we wrote up the Smartphone Buyer’s Guide: The Best of the Best. You can thank us later. Or now, below, in comments.

And of course, there’s always the choice of buying none.