Palm Pre+ (WebOS) Thoughts+Apps

Another month, another phone, another carrier. (The pattern continues.. right?
However, this past month has seen me on a new platform, webOS. They’ve both got Linux in their hearts, but they’re done very differently. These are both non-standard when it comes to Linux distributions, but in very different ways. Neither uses Linux’s standard “X” windows server. Before I started to use this platform I found that there was a google Voice app (gDial Pro), great! (Turns out it was discontinued by the time i started using the platform.. d’oh!) I also noticed a blog post from Joey (of Debian fame) about Debian on the Palm Pre. (For some reason I had misinterpreted that and told BillK that the Pre ran Debian or some variant, oops.) How cool is that! I haven’t heard about people running a Debian chroot on Android. (Googles.. then realizes not having heard doesn’t mean it’s not happened

So before I get to apps, I have to explain the divide. The webOS ecosystem has this unique advantage of having the ability to “root” it.. or rather, lacking the need to “root,” or rather, use trickery to subvert built-in security mechanisms intended to lock a user in. In common parlance, an example of this would be the “jailbreaking” of iPhones. In that case, there are potentially drastic consequences (from Apple, though legally you are now ok!). Android.. is sort of in the middle. They don’t condone/endorse it, and do allow manufacturers to make it harder to “root” the devices, but i’d like to think they are generally supportive of the practice.
However, Palm has made it so easy to gain “root” access to your webOS device that you need only type the konami code (upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart) into the homescreen, and an option will appear allowing you to enable “Developer Mode.” This has allowed an entire “homebrew” catalog of apps to develop. These are apps that, generally speaking, are not able to be in the main Palm App Catalog due to a restriction of some sort or lack of feature/functionality. This community has been sort of led by hacker group “webOS Internals,” corralled by Rod Whitby. Given this nature of open-ness to developers, as well as the web-based roots of the front-end (Luna, which is almost all in CSS/Javascript/HTML, the language of the web), it is extremely easy for the interface to be tweaked to ones liking, without having to install an alternate launcher or other dramatic steps. _very_ cool. I might write more in another post, but for now, I close out, and here’s my list of apps:

Official apps:
AccuWeather
Countdown Timer
Facebook
fileCoaster (not working)
gDial Pro
LED Torch (have been using patch version)
LinkedIn (havent used)
P2GoogleVoice
Pandora
Ping.fm
Preware Alpha
ScummVM
Slacker Radio
Terminal
TimeTracker (havent)
Warranty Manager (havent, want to make sure is porable)
WootOn! (so far useless)
Yelp

Systems Apps:
Sprint Nav stopped working
removed: Amazon MP3
VZ Nav -use that shit all the time!

Preware-installed (These are the “Homebrew” apps):
(Reqs) Linux apps – GNU Patch, lsDiff;
Plugins – Terminal Service Plugin
Service-Package Manager Service, Pre Backup Service, SysToolsMgr
Patches: Ad Blocker
Advanced Reset Options
Call Duration in Call Log
Call Log Styling Mod
Copy URL to Clipboard
Disable Landscape gesture Scroll
Flashlight in Device Menu
gDial Pro Universal Integration
Improved Photo Naming PRE
New Task Auto Details
No Auto Refresh After Idle
No Auto-Off while charging
No Draft Text
No Missed Call Callback
Open to Call Log
Show Download Count
Slider answers to Speaker
SMS Icon for Mobile Tagged Numbers Only
SMS Prepend Fwd When Forwarding
Video ownloads – No truncating
Virtual Keyboard (blech)
Pre Backup Utility