Hasta La Gadget!

So, you want to be a webOS developer, huh? That’s great kid, we’re excited for you, but there’s a catch: Palm won’t be handing out an actual SDK to most people until the end of Summer. In a post just published on the Palm Developer Network Blog, reps from the company say that although they’ve been cranking away on getting their full SDK in shipshape (the version given out to current devs is apparently pretty rough), they won’t have anything for a broader audience anytime soon. In their words:

With the Pre now in customers’ hands and reports of webOS hacks in the news, we know that you are more anxious than ever to get access to the SDK and start developing for webOS.

We’ve been working very hard on the SDK and are eager to open access on a wider scale, but the software and the developer services to support it just aren’t ready yet.

This should come as a bit of a blow to developers hoping to get cracking on Pre software, and will unquestionably turn those who can’t bear the wait towards the fully stocked iPhone or Android platforms. However, Palm does say that they’ll be opening the program up a bit wider, stating in the post that they plan to crank the number of devs with the early SDK in their hands up from “hundreds to thousands” over the next few weeks. Apparently, that’s part of process the company is beginning to ration out access, building to a full release.

Another bit of puzzling wordsmithing in this post comes in the form of the company’s stance on homebrew and DIY “experiments” (their words) which have come to light in the past couple of weeks. So says Palm:

As on any popular platform, we recognize that some developers will experiment in ways that cross official boundaries, but we believe that our formal offerings – and community efforts built around those offerings – will provide the best experience for the vast majority of webOS developers and users.

So while it’s not exactly a keep-off-the-grass statement, it certainly reads vaguely as to whether or not the company will lock out jailbreakers hoping to dive deeper into webOS. Further confusing the matter? Palm has just released the Linux source code used to compile the Pre’s firmware, making the possibility of cooked / custom ROMs a very serious reality, and obviously opening the floor to a lot of said experimentation. Mixed messages? Yes. Our word to Palm right now? Put every effort into getting that SDK out, or you’re at risk of quickly burning through all the good will you’ve just engendered.

Update: We’ve added some info above which reflects Palm’s statement that it will be considerably widening its pool of developers over the next few weeks with access to the early SDK.

Read – An update on the early access program and the SDK
Read – Open source packages

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm says no webOS SDK till end of Summer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone 3.0 operating system is tantalizingly close to completion — but don’t plan on lining up at the Apple Store for a new phone just yet. That’s because it’s unlikely the OS will be ready for consumers to download by next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which Apple is hosting. And without the promised software, Apple is unlikely to release new phone hardware to go with it.

Based on conversations with developers and Apple’s past product launches, Wired.com expects Apple to announce the final iPhone 3.0 roadmap to developers at WWDC, and the software and next-gen handset will likely follow within three to four weeks, or by early July.

Although developers contacted by Wired.com agreed that many features of the iPhone 3.0 OS are almost fully-baked, Apple still has not distributed a crucial piece of the software to developers for beta testing: in-app commerce. The feature, demonstrated at Apple’s iPhone 3.0 SDK event in March, will create a new revenue stream for developers wishing to sell additional items and features (such as song titles, or even weapons in shooter games) within their iPhone applications. But the feature isn’t actually working yet, a major iPhone developer told Wired.com.

“They’re building the catalog system for selling within your app,” said the developer, who chose to remain anonymous because of Apple’s non-disclosure agreement. “Based on that fact they haven’t announced the final roadmap … we’re guessing end of June to early July is the soonest [iPhone 3.0] will become available.”

That would also suggest Apple’s next-generation iPhone will not be landing in stores next week, either, since the new handset will probably ship with the 3.0 operating system — similar to the way Apple announced the current iPhone 3G in June 2008 and officially released the iPhone 3G concurrently with the iPhone 2.0 software a month later. Therefore, at WWDC, Apple will most likely announce the release dates of the new handset and 3.0 OS, requiring consumers to wait a few weeks to get their hands on them.

Although Apple has shared plenty of details about its iPhone 3.0 software, the company has not made any official announcements about a hardware upgrade for the popular iPhone. However, evidence including screenshots, leaked photos and even a sentence in tech columnist Walt Mossberg’s review of the Palm Pre suggests a hardware upgrade is imminent. Mossberg’s review hints that the hardware upgrade may be revealed at WWDC next week.

There is a small possibility that Apple will release iPhone 3.0 at WWDC without in-app commerce capability and add that feature later. Some developers polled by Wired.com said they expected Apple to release the OS next week. Kai Yu has been developing his instant-messaging app BeeJive to work with iPhone 3.0’s new push-notification feature, and he strongly believes the OS will be ready for download by WWDC.

“3.0 is pretty stable at this point, so I would be surprised if it didn’t come out next week, especially since WWDC is becoming Apple’s big event, like Macworld of the past,” Yu said.

However, it would be uncharacteristic for Apple to release iPhone 3.0 until it’s been fully tested, and in-app downloads is a key addition. Bart Decrem, CEO of Tapulous, who develops Tap Tap Revenge, said he is doubtful Apple will release the OS next week.

“This is a big launch, and in the iPhone context typically [Apple has] given developers a final-stretch timeline of three or four weeks to prepare,” Decrem said.

The good news is, not much later. Apple did, after all, recently release iTunes 8.2, which includes compatibility with iPhone 3.0, indicating that the OS is close to completion.

WWDC kicks off Monday, and Wired.com will be reporting live from the event. Keep up with our WWDC coverage right here on Gadget Lab.

See Also:

• What to Expect From Apple at WWDC 2009
• Rumor: Next-Gen iPhone Will Be a Snoozer Upgrade
• Easter Eggs Give Clues to Next-Gen iPhone
• Next-Gen iPhone Will Contain a Compass
• Screenshot Hints at Video Recorder in iPhone 3.0
• Apple’s Next iPhone Will Rule at Gaming
• Leaked Photos: Is This the Next iPhone?
• Next Gen iPhone Specs Revealed?

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Sure, you’ve seen the alpha SDK, and you’ve even seen it in pre-alpha, but if you’re really serious about your Maemo 5 development you gotta check out the beta release. This should be music to the ears of all you crazy kids who are hard at work developing software for Nokia’s next-gen Internet tablets. And “Maemo 5 Beta SDK” is not only fun to say, but it also brings several new features to the table, including: support for widget development, a new version of the Modest open-source email app, OMAP3 support, HSPA data connectivity, hi-def camera support, and hardware-based graphics acceleration. Lastly (though certainly not leastly) you’ll finally be able to get your hands on a Maemo 5 Development Manual. We hear that one’s a real page-turner. Hit that read link and get to work.

[Via Brighthand]

Filed under: Handhelds

Maemo 5 Beta SDK released into the hands of an eagerly waiting world originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, it’s not quite the release date and price you were hoping for, but it’s definitely something. Today Palm — via a short keynote at the Web 2.0 Expo — announced that the company would begin taking names and numbers on the webOS dev site for potential developers who will receive an “early look” Mojo SDK. And that’s starting right this moment… as in now. That news alone would be big, but reps we spoke with said that the SDK would be made available to developers that the company will be cherry-picking as early as tomorrow. So if you were looking to get into the Pre app game, here’s your first big chance.

In addition to the SDK news, Palm is introducing a new set of “integrated cloud services” for developers (called Mojo Messaging Service) which will use a standardized publish / subscribe system to allow data to be bounced from the “cloud” to devices. Basically, it looks like this is Palm’s play for some of that push buzz — though the indication is that this service can and will be used for bigger tasks as well.

Finally, the company announced that third-party developer MotionApps will be making a Palm OS emulator available for purchase to coincide with the launch of the Pre. The application will be utilize the mass storage mode of the device to allow for drag-and-drop of PRCs, though according to the press release, the emulator “won’t be able to leverage core webOS functionality,” meaning that you probably can’t expect pure bliss across all of your applications, particularly those with roots that go deeper into phone databases and the like. What’s interesting to note about this app is that it’s being built on more than just the standard webOS SDK — an event which Palm called “unique.” They went on to assure us that this was a one-off to allow for emulation, but we’re thinking they might want to reconsider that policy by factoring in the clamor for serious gaming on a device like the Pre. You can check an image of the emulator after the break.

So, no pricing, no release date, but lots of movement on the developer front — which is big news if you’re a company trying to launch a completely new operating system. Still, we’re getting a bit antsy with all this waiting… it might be time to throw everyone a bigger bone than that tired “first half of 2009” line, guys.

Read – Palm developer site
Read – MotionApps Palm OS emulator

Continue reading Palm announces webOS SDK availability, Palm OS emulation for Pre, new cloud services

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm announces webOS SDK availability, Palm OS emulation for Pre, new cloud services originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia has just introduced the Maemo 5 Alpha devkit, especially for all you adventurous software developers who just can’t wait to get your hands on the beta. The operating system of choice for Nokia’s next round of Internet tablets, the SDK includes the new UI framework and five (count ’em!) new APIs, including: Location (for building location-aware apps), City Information (obtains information including city name, country name, and country code), Time management, Vibra service (triggers and controls vibrations), and Device orientation. According to Maemo.org, all the APIs are unlocked, the thing includes no documentation except auto-generated API references, and it “features a simplified UI implementation of the Desktop and the Application Menu.” Additionally, the new OS supports hardware-accelerated 3D graphics and WVGA resolution. What are you waiting for? Hit the read link and start developin’.

Filed under: Handhelds

Maemo 5 gets Alpha SDK, Nokia fans rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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