New Palm webOS 1.3.1 Released

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Palm issues a new webOS 1.3.1 release for the Palm Pre and the new Palm Pixi which will be launching tomorrow.
The new webOS 1.3.1 mainly bring Yahoo! service integration into Palm Synergy.
According to the Palm Blog your Yahoo! information (such as contacts and calendar events, and messaging) is now integrated with Palm Synergy, along with info from your Outlook EAS, Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn accounts. If you use Yahoo! to manage your contacts and calendar events, it will be integrated into your Contacts and Calendar applications on your Palm Pre. On Sprint, you can also now use Yahoo! IM in the webOS Messaging app.
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Posted on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Litl Easel Webbook Announced

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Once in a while a company comes along and designs a product that's wildly different from everything else in the category. Sometimes these odd duck gadgets end up redefining the market and changing the game entirely. More often, they just give us something strange to oggle and laugh about ten years down the line. I can't say for certain which one of these the Litl Webbook will end up being, but if I'd have to guess I'd say...the latter.

Basically, the Webbook is a netbook with a 12” monitor that can slide around like an easel. Litl says this feature makes their Webbook perfect for enjoying movies, displaying photos, or browsing through social networking websites and web TV. Sounds like a neat, simple little device for your computer illiterate family to browse the Internet. The problem, of course, is the price.

Posted on Wed, 4 Nov 2009 07:09:09 CST | by Robert Evans

Roundshot Livecam D2 HD Webcam has 66M pixels

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A Swiss company called Seitz Phototechnik AG has announced a new webcam that has a massive resolution called the Roundshot Livecam D2. The camera creates a seamless panorama of up to 66 million pixels in a few seconds. The device has a resolution twice that of HD and can be used for a variety of functions.

The company says that the webcam can be used by hotels, cities, harbors, airports, and resorts to control how it is presented on the Internet. The camera can rotate 360 degrees and has good color and high light sensitivity. Read more

Posted on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

First Paid webOS App Hits

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It's been a long, somewhat baffling wait, but Palm Pre owners finally have an honest-to-goodness paid application. Sure, the Pre App Catalog is still pretty damn anemic, but at least this is a step in the right direction (albeit a step Palm should have taken months ago). This new paid app is an Air Hockey game (Thanks, Boy Genius!), and it costs $1.99.

Okay, so it's not the single most exciting piece of news in smartphone history. This app will shortly be followed by many more, assuming Palm doesn't fall down on the job again. Anyone think the App Catalog has a chance of stepping up and being real competition to the App Store?

Posted on Tue, 6 Oct 2009 05:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Adobe and NVIDIA Deliver Rich Web on Netbooks and Mobiles

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NVIDIA and Adobe have announced that they are bringing rich web experiences to netbooks and mobile devices built using NVIDIA GPUs. Both of the companies have been working with the Open Screen Project to optimize and improve the new Flash Player 10.1 software to use GPU and graphics acceleration on a range of mobile internet devices.

NVIDIA customers like HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Acer, and more will be able to use Adobe 10.1 player on their machines. Adobe says that the use of a NVIDIA GPU and its 10.1 software will let users enjoy rich web applications and interactive content like HD video. Read more

Posted on Mon, 5 Oct 2009 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

New Palm Pre webOS 1.2.1 Fixes Apple iTunes Sync Again

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Palm just released webOS 1.2.0 last week. Today Palm released webOS 1.2.1 that fixes both problems syncing your EAS email and media sync with the latest iTunes release (as already rumored over a week ago).
I did not expect Palm to continue this little war with Apple. Besides sync with iTunes 9.0.1 Palm also fixed photo album structure and added a new option to sync photos without full resolution originals. Read more

Posted on Sat, 3 Oct 2009 08:49:01 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

T-Mobile WebConnect Price Drop: Good Till Jan 12

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If you've been looking for a wireless 3G service to take on the road with you, T-Mobile might be the carrier to go with. They don't have the best wireless coverage, but they are successfully undercutting all of the competition. According to T-Mo News the carrier giant just announced a price drop on their WebConnect plans.

Posted on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:33:30 CDT | by Robert Evans

Palm Pre webOS 1.2.0 Update Released

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Palm released the new webOS 1.2.0 update with several improvements and bug fixes.
The new features of webOS 1.2.0 include LinkedIn contact syncing with Palm Synergy, support for heterogeneous EAS policies, Email Keyword filter, file download in browser, Amazon MP3 Store access via Wifi and 3G, podcast pause and resume and app purchasing. There is no word on if the new webOS 1.2.0 will give you back your iTunes syncing. My guess is that it is never coming back again. Read more

Posted on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:15:05 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Palm webOS 1.2.1 Will Fix iTunes Sync?

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Pre owners, we have some bad news and some good news. PreCentral.net is reporting that an anonymous tipster has informed them that webOS 1.2.1 could end up delayed until next week. They claim this delay is due to Sprint wanting to test the changes involving the App Catalog in more detail. A second delay for 1.2.1 is a bit of an annoyance, but it comes with a silver lining.

PreCentral's tipster has told them that 1.2.1 will re-enable iTunes syncing for the Palm Pre. This is sure to agitate the already touchy situation between Palm and Apple, who has disabled Pre syncing twice so far. As soon as this patch hits, Pre owners, you'd best sync your phones up with iTunes before Apple can disable them again.

Posted on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:52:50 CDT | by Robert Evans

Malware On The NY Times Website

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Warning: If you are a regular web reader of the New York Times, you need to exercise a bit of extra caution for the time being. The paper just issued a warning to readers that some malicious ads have found their way onto the esteemed paper's web presence. According to Peter Kafka, the attacks are likely the result of a malware scammer who is trying to spread his diseased software across the Internet.

The bad ads take the form of pop-ups that automatically re-direct your computer to various websites. You don't even have to click a thing. Thankfully, the Times believes that they have managed to kill the ads, but you should still exercise caution. If you visited today, run an anti-virus check on your computer.

Posted on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:59:28 CDT | by Robert Evans

New Palm webOS 1.2 Features Found

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It appears that Palm's latest version of webOS has leaked, and now the bloggers have descended upon it to pick out every last scrap of useful information. Boy Genius states that several new features of webOS 1.2 have already been uncovered, chief among them being support for paid applications. The Pre's app selection is notoriously weak, so allowing developers to submit paid apps is a very necessary step.

Unfortunately, Palm's app process appears to be following in the footsteps of Apple a little too closely. Buried within the code for 1.2 is the sentence, “Palm had to delete this application from the App Catalog and your device. If you paid for this app, your money will be refunded.”

Posted on Sun, 6 Sep 2009 13:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Tiny Hercules Dualpix HD720p Webcam Unveiled

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Hercules unveiled a new mini webcam for notebooks with the Hercules Dualpix HD720p. The Hercules Dualpix HD720p webcam offers 720p of high definition video capture and 5 Megapixels photo capture (interpolated).
The new Hercules webcam measures only 28 x 55.4 x 62mm.

Other features of the Hercules Dualpix HD720p include 1MP CMOS (1,280x800px), 3x zoom, microphone and USB 2.0. Read more

Posted on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Office Web Apps Going Mobile

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Every now and then, Microsoft does something that reminds us why they've been the top dog for so very long. Microsoft and Nokia announced their global alliance earlier this month, and today we're finally learning just what that alliance will mean. Boy Genius states that Microsoft has confirmed that their free Online Office applications will be available on mobile devices as well.

This means that if, for example, you use MS Word, you'll be able to upload your documents online (like with Google docs) and access them with your mobile phone. From your smartphone you'll be able to edit or add to the document at your will. The same will be true with Excel, or any other Office Web applications. This will be a godsend for businesses looking for comprehensive computing solutions, which is exactly why Microsoft is doing it.

Posted on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:25:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Motorola Brings Custom webOS to Android

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Boy Genius reports that inside sources from Motorola have informed them of some changes the handset manufacturer is making to the Android OS. As you may know, Moto is coming out with several new Android smartphones this year. Apparently, they plan on releasing their own customized version of the OS, much like HTC did with the Hero.

This customized UI will combine information from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter with your contact list into one simple interface. This new Android 'skin' will be called 'Blur', and will be primarily web-based. You'll be able to update different sections of the OS and interface via the web, and a device key attached to your email will let users push content to the device straight from the web.

Posted on Fri, 7 Aug 2009 11:40:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Logitech Unveils New Webcams

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Logitech has announced seven new webcams that are all designed to work with the new Vid software for fast and free video calling. The seven new cams include the Webcam Pro 9000, Portable Webcam C905, Webcam C600, Webcam C500, Webcam C300, Webcam C250, and the Webcam C200.

The high-end camera is the Pro 9000 featuring a 2MP HD sensor and Zeiss optics. The camera can record 720p HD video and shoot still images at up to 8-megapixels and offers RightLight technology. Video effects are also part of the features. Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:14:13 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Pre webOS 1.1 Undocumented Features.

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Sometimes, I think programmers like burying little bitty changes in their patches just to get hordes of users to spend time ferreting them out. Since the release of the webOS 1.1 update, Pre owners have noticed some additional changes that weren't listed on the patch notes. This prompted a group of fans on PreCentral.net to get together on the forums and creat this.

It's a comprehensive list of the undocumented changes in webOS 1.1. If you'd like, you can see more of the changes (or help in the search) by joining up in the forum thread here.

Posted on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:12:15 CDT | by Robert Evans

webOS 1.1 Update fixes Apple iTunes 8.2.1 Sync with Palm Pre again

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A week ago Apple blocked the Palm Pre from syncing with iTunes via the new iTunes 8.2.1 update.
Yesterday Palm hit back and released webOS 1.1 that amongst other things enables syncing with iTunes 8.2.1 on the Palm Pre again. This basically means war as Apple demonstrated with the blocking that they officially do not like the Palm Pre syncing with iTunes. Read more

Posted on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Palm Opens App Development For webOS

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The Palm Pre is a pretty great phone, but if you own one you're probably already upset at the staggering lack of applications out there. The poor state of the App Catalog is entirely Palm's fault, as they've been keeping the Mojo Software Development Kit (SDK) out of the hands of most developers for a while now.

Apparently Palm is now satisfied with their SDK so they've opened it up to anyone who wants to develop applications for the Pre. This should mean a veritable fountain of new applications for the catalog, news which has got to be music for every Pre-owner's ears.

Posted on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:05:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

CBS Joins Comcast's Web TV Scheme

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About three weeks ago Comcast announced that they had a bold new plan to save TV. Instead of broadcasting shows on cable alone and losing millions of viewers to torrent sites, they decided to start offering free, steaming online TV to their cable subscribers. It was a brilliant plan, and now it looks like it's starting to pick up steam. CBS has just agreed to join Comcast's On Demand Online trial.

By signing on with Comcast, CBS joins Time Warner (all of the Turner channels, plus HBO), Liberty Media (Starz), Scripps, Rainbow, and A&E. CBS is currently the only broadcaster signed up for the On Demand Online trial, which will include some 5,000 customers around the nation. The trial is set to begin within the next few weeks, and will hopefully follow with a full scale launch in time for the holiday TV season.

Posted on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Lexmark Unveils Web-enabled AIO Business Printers

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Lexmark has announced a pair of web connected printers aimed at small and medium businesses. The printers both feature a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen and will be priced at $199 to $399. The printers are designed with shortcuts and workflows built-in and have an ID card copy function.

The printers can also display RSS feeds and RSS feed info can be emailed from the printers. Features include Vizix print technology with separate ink tanks and fast print speeds. The printers both integrate 802.11n technology for the fastest speeds. Read more

Posted on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Palm Pre webOS 1.1 Update Release to come soon?

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At the end of June Palm updated the Palm Pre with the webOS 1.0.4. PreCentral received a slide with features that webOS 1.1 is supposed to have. The slide is dated with May 19th and the release date of webOS 1.1 says within the next 30 days.
Clearly that did not happen. Maybe webOS 1.1 is coming in July though. Read more

Posted on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:33:48 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr