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Enyo 2.1 app framework lands with improved theming and globalization support 10
While HP was able to deliver on their roadmap for Open webOS, spitting out the first version of the open source successor to webOS on schedule at the end of September, Enyo's been lagging behind a bit. The roadmap called for the application framework to hit version 2.1 in April, and it just so happened to land at the end of October instead (if you're doing the math, yes, October is as far from April as one can get before getting closer to the next April). Enyo's seen a number of updates since the first Enyo 2.0 beta was released back in January, but hitting that x.1 mark took a while. Of course, they did have to content with rebuilding the core of the development team; that's enough to delay any project for a few months, so we'll cut them some slack.
Enyo 2.1 is here now, and it includes a number of features we're sure cross-platform app developers will find interesting. There's LESS-based theming support, which enables developers to customize the already-released Onyx user interface widgets in a dynamic and variable manner. The global localization library from the TouchPad - g11n - has now been open-sourced with Enyo 2.1, making it easier to format dates, times, and numbers for the locale in which your Enyo 2.0-based app is being used.
Additionally, the Enyo team has moved Chrome for Android and iOS 6 to their "Tier 1" support level, which translates to these platforms getting the highest priority when it comes to fixing bugs, correcting for changes in the platform, and other testing bits. They'll be adding Internet Explorer 10 to Enyo 2.1 support (including Windows 8 touch events) as well as the Amazon Kindle Fire HD Android-based platform.
Lastly, Enyo 2.1 includes the release of a handful of new user interface widgets to make it easier to build your apps. Onyx now includes a new range slider and localizable date and time picker widgets. The layout library has also received a new ImageView widget that supports multitouch zooming and panning. The Enyo Sampler has been updated with these new widgets, so you can try them out and know how they look and behave before adding them to your app.
Source: The Enyo Blog
Checking out the Galaxy Nexus Open webOS port virtual keyboard [video] 16
Having successfully completed the build process for the Open webOS alpha on the Galaxy Nexus, I knew that the next time it came around I'd have a better idea of what to do. Mostly because I'd already failed a dozen times before. This time around, armed with a modicum of knowledge, I was able to complete the build process for the latest version of WebOS Ports' alpha without running into any bumps.
The reason for running the latest version of the build was to check out the latest modifications made. While behind-the-scenes bits have been improved, what we were most interested in checking out the user interface improvements and the the virtual keyboard discovered and implemented by Josh Palmer (known around the webOS sphere as ShiftyAxel).
Palmer's modifications have brought back some of the classic bits of the webOS smartphone user interface, including rounded corners and the bottom-aligned notifications bar. He's also tweaked it so app icons appear at a size more appropriate for the Galaxy Nexus's screen (it's worth restating that the Open webOS released to open source was designed for TouchPad-size screens). But the new virtual keyboard was what we really wanted to check out, especially after tooling around with the practically fun-sized keyboard shrunken down from the TouchPad.
The made-for-smartphones keyboard is notably taller than the shrunken TouchPad keyboard. It's also been rearranged, losing the top row of numbers to a more traditional spot hidden behind a '123' key with other special characters. The layout has a lot in common with other smartphone virtual keyboards on the market, including the iOS and Android keyboards. A lot of the old TouchPad functionality is there, including pressing and holding on keys to bring up alternate versions of that character.
Get ready for it... November is Movember at webOS Nation and MO-bile Nations! 4
If you're taking part in Movember this November, be sure to join our Mobile Nations Network at Movember.com! Full details below...
November is almost here which means one thing... soon you'll be seeing loads of self-confident men walking around in glorious moustaches. That's right, November is MOVEMBER and this year we're going to join together across our MO-bile Nations communities to grow out our facial hair and raise funds and awareness of men's health issues.
If you're not familiar with Movember, jump on over to Movember.com and learn about it. Once up to speed, make the decision to REGISTER as either a Mo Bro or Mo Sista (that's right, ladies can participate too, no moustache required). Don't overthink it it. Commit to it. Join in as your fellow members, writers and moderators of Android Central, CrackBerry, iMore, Windows Phone Central and webOS Nation put their smartphone differences aside to come together next month for Movember.
For those who make the brilliant decision to participate in Movember, be sure to join the Mobile Nations Network we've setup on the Movember website. You can join the network as an individual or as part of another Movember team. Through the Network page we'll be able to track everybody who's participating and see how much we can raise together as a community. Come the end of Movember, we'll be awarding lots of prizes to those who participate. Best Moustache. Most Money Raised. Best Moustache Photo. You name it. Expect lots of awesome prizes and recgonition for those who join in.
November 1st is just around the corner. The good news is it doesn't take much effort to prepare for Movember. All you need to do is shave your face clean when you go to bed tomorrow night after eating your Halloween treats. If you're still on the fence, hit up the links below for more information. And if you're ready to join us on our Movember challenge -- YOU ROCK -- and should keep reading for more important details.
Learn More About Movember at Movember.com
Check out the MO-bile Nations Network Page on Movember.com
Galaxy S3 gets the cleanest Touchstone mod yet 21
Previous efforts to modify Android devices to take advantage of the ever popular Touchstone charger have required at the very least a degree of patience and some non-standard supplies to make wireless charging happen. When Samsung introduced the Galaxy S III back in May, it was supposed to come with wireless charging, though they managed to not show off the wireless charger at the typically odd introduction event. Yet, here we are six months later without the wireless charger publicly available (that's the kind of launch schedule we expect from Palm).
Feeling left out of the three-year-old wireless charging party, Hong Kong-based eBay seller hkrc has taken matters into their own hands, and is now selling modified Galaxy S III back covers with the Touchstone inductive charging coil and appropriate contacts for the Android-based smartphone. The wireless charging backs are going for $28 a pop on eBay, a fair price for something that had to be manually assembled. As of this writing there's just one of the faux-metal dark blue covers available, as well as twenty four-white covers and twenty-six white covers paired with a Palm-brand charger, cable, and Touchstone charging puck for $55.
It's not quite as elegant as the Nexus 4 and its awkwardly-named Wireless Charging Orb, but if you're like us an have Touchstone chargers all over the place and happen to be rocking a Galaxy S III (not so much like us) this could be a useful purchase for you. That said, the Galaxy S III is still largely running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (Sprint was the first US carrier to roll out Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the S III, and they did that just last week), while the Nexus 4 will launch with Android 4.2 and its Exhibition-like Daydream mode for the charging dock. When Android 4.2 and its Daydream feature might make it to the Galaxy S III is a big unknown. Or you can just be all boss stick with your aging Pre3 like us. At least until the Galaxy Nexus is running Open webOS at full power.
Source: ebay; Via: webOS Nation Forums
No Tricks, Just Treats Halloween Sale - Save 15% on ALL Accessories at the webOS Nation store! 0
Boooo!!! Scared yet? No? Good. We're looking to help you make it a HAPPY HALLOWEEN this year by celebrating with savings across our Mobile Nations stores. Until Thursday, November 1st at Midnight PST, you can save 15% on ALL webOS accessories at the webOS Nation Store using coupon code treat2012 at checkout.
And if you have non-webOS devices in the house - don't worry, we won't judge you to your face - you can use the same coupon code at our ShopCrackBerry.com, ShopAndroid, iMore, and Windows Phone stores.
Don't forget, we have free shipping on US and Canada orders over $50, and great low cost international shipping options available as well. Don't be scared out of these savings... click the link below to get started!
Take me to the webOS Nation Store now!
Google introduces the new Nexus 4 with Touchstone, er, Wireless Charging Orb and Android 4.2 [the competition] 37
The worst kept secret out of Google's Mountain View campus was not about to be ruined by a hurricane. So with their New York City unveiling cancelled on account of Sandy threatening to inundate the metropolis with lots of water and a bunch of rain creating generally unsafe conditions for weary tech bloggers, they instead announced the new Nexus 4 smartphone built by LG through a press release. Our friends over at The Verge were able to go hands on with the Nexus 4 (along with the new Nexus 10 tablet), and there weren't many surprises after the phone had spent so much time getting leaked.
But there was one surprise, one that made us go all "Come on!" here at webOS Nation. That's the inclusion of inductive charging in the Nexus 4, by way of a magnetically securing angled desktop dock: the "Wireless Charging Orb". We agree, that name is nowhere near as cool as Palm's old Touchstone. Adding insult to injury, the charger was demoed by none other than former Palm design chief Matias Duarte.
Sure, inductive charging is nothing new. Electric toothbrushes have had inductive charging for years. The Palm Pre may have been the first smartphone to offer inductive charging, but it certainly wasn't the last. Today numerous manufacturers offer it, with a growing consensus settling around the Qi wireless standard. But to this point, none of these inductive charging solutions had offered the awesome simplicity and elegance of Touchstone. Hell, Nokia decided they needed an inductive charging pillow. Yeah, a pillow.
The Wireless Charging Orb (gosh that's a Googley name) does more than just charge - throwing a Nexus 4 onto the charger activates a new "Daydream" mode on the Android 4.2 smartphone as it charges, where it can display things like photos, news, and other at-a-glance info. Sound familiar, webOS fans? Yep, it's Exhibition. Though in all fairness, with Android 4.2 and Google Now backing it up, Daydream is likely to be leaps and bounds better than what Exhibition on even the TouchPad could accomplish.
Touchstone has proven to be a popular feature for webOS fans, with many even going so far as to modify their new non-webOS devices to charge off the old inductive pucks. Seeing as the Nexus 4 is a Nexus device, it's bound to be easily hackable and surely will be a target for Open webOS porting (though we suspect the WebOS Ports team will continue to focus on the older Galaxy Nexus). Could we finally have the inductively-charging modern webOS smartphone we've been waiting for in the Nexus 4?
Source: Android Central; The Verge
Monday Brief: Apple's iPad mini, the Microsoft Surface Launch, a webOS TV, and more! 4
Halloween Costume Contest: Email us a photo of you in costume with a webOS device and you could win! 8
Mobile Nations No Tricks, Just Treats Halloween Costume Contest!
Submit your costume + phone/tablet photos to halloween@mobilenations.com
With Halloween falling on a Wednesday this year, we know a lot of you will be out this weekend in costume getting your party on. Odds are you'll be carrying a phone in your pocket too. Heck, some of you will probably even be dressed up as a phone or tablet.
We had a great time with our Halloween Costume Contest last year, so we're making it an annual event! While you're out in costume, be sure to snap a photo with your phone (or tablet) in hand. Then email it to us. We'll put together all the photos receive into a sweet video for the blogs. And beyond that, you can win some awesome prizes for taking part. Full details below!
Create duplicate application icons with dg Quick Cut (homebrew) 3
Setting up your Application Launcher on a webOS devices takes a lot of thought, having to determine how many launcher pages you want, how to arrange your icons, which icons you want to put on your Quick Launcher, and more. Depending on if you are on webOS 1.x, 2.x or 3.x and what patches you have installed, there are differences in what your options are as it relates to your launcher, but you still have to decide how to set up them up. For example, one option would be to have separate tabs based on the category of the apps, so you would have separate tabs for Games, Settings, Homebrew, Browser Shortcuts, Utilities, etc. But you may also have a group of favorite apps that you want on their own launcher page but don't want to deviate from your broader category setup. Or maybe you just want quick access to a single app regardless of what launcher tab you are on. One option you have is to use the homebrew app dg Quick Cuts by developer Mike dg.
The app offers you a number of options in terms of adding icons to your application launcher. You can add icons to instantly dial a phone number or send an SMS, to launch the Phone Preferences or even an icon to access Developer Mode. But, you can also clone any existing launcher icon and even give it a different name. This gives you the freedom to add one or more launcher shortcuts for the same app anywhere on your launcher.
To create a duplicate application icon:
- Open up the dg Quick Cut app
- Tap on the "Copy Launcher Shortcut" button on the top of the screen.
- You will then be presented with a listing of every icon on your launcher (although in a seemingly random order and no ability to type-to-search). Find the icon you want to duplicate and tap on it
-
A "Shortcut Editor" screen will appear allowing you to name the icon, defaulted with the existing shortcut name.
- -- We would recommend you provide a different name for the icon or add a "(copy)" to the title, so you will be able to differentiate between the original icon and the copy, in case you want to delete the application in the future.
- Tap the "Create Shortcut" button when done and the new icon will appear in your launcher
You will see that the app hasn't been updated in over two and a half years, but it will still work across all webOS versions. The only quirk is that while you can create a launcher shortcut on webOS 3.x on your TouchPad, the actual icon image does not copy and you will have a generic app icon.
dg Quick Cuts is available in the webOS Nation homebrew feed in Preware and is compatible with all webOS devices
The webOS Wish List: Synchronized webOS Accounts 10
While we don't have all the details on what exactly Open webOS Professional Edition will include, we imagine the cloud services of Gram in way of webOS Account support are practically a given. What's webOS without the web, anyway? We had high hopes when HP revealed that webOS 3.0 on the TouchPad would support multiple devices on the same profile, overturning the rule of one devices per account from the days of webOS smartphones. And while that multiple device support was technically true, it was underwhelming. You could restore a new TouchPad from any device backed up to your account and download purchased apps from the App Catalog on devices using the same webOS Account, but the true multiple devices on a single account that we really wanted just wasn't there.
Take, for example, Memos. With a new TouchPad you could download all of your backed-up memos from your Pre smartphone onto the tablet, but any edits you made would only be stored on the TouchPad. Sure, the Pre might not be able to handle the pushing of edits back down from the cloud. But what about two TouchPads on the same account? Surely they could handle sharing a database of notes? Maybe, but for whatever reason the webOS Account system was never set up to handle that. Once you downloaded a backup onto a fresh device, you started a new branch, and there was no merging.
Memos are just one part of the puzzle. There are a number of webOS Account services that could have used this kind of synchronization across devices, including apps, Tasks, Calendar, Contacts, bookmarks, and more. This sort of multiple device support was only good for preventing somebody from having to purchase the same app twice for multiple devices, for everything else it was a disappointment.
To add to that sting, Apple unveiled almost exactly what we wanted for the iOS and Mac devices in the form of iCloud in early June of 2011. The TouchPad had been announced four months earlier, and despite having 'web' in the name of name of its operating system was severely bested in the web services category by iCloud.
Essentially, this Wish List entry is about iCloud, except for webOS. I don't necessarily want all of the bells and whistles that come with iCloud - I don't need my music and photos backed up in the cloud (though having the option to have them transferred to my computer by way of the cloud wouldn't be a bad thing, though that's another story). I want the continuous client. I want to be able to set down my TouchPad and pick up my Pre - or whatever devices are eventually running Open webOS - and have synchronized tasks lists, a cork board full of memos, and all of my bookmarks there waiting for me. And really, for a company like Gram that's going all focused on the cloud, this should be a no-brainer.
Have your own thoughts on this or any other webOS Wish List entry? We fully expect you to. That's why we have the comments, it's your place to say how right (or wrong) we are. And we have little doubt you have your own ideas as to what ought be on the webOS wish list, and so we've created a forum thread just for that - and an awesome discussion it has proven to be.
