www.webOShelp.net

Pre news has begun to come in from the CTIA conference in Las Vegas, and we like what we're hearing. Precentral posted a video walkthrough of 3rd party apps, during which an icon labeled "Classic" was spotted in the launcher (see pic).

Palm just confirmed the rumor on their blog, with emulation on webOS being handled by MotionApps. Emulation was previously all but written off when Palm OS was dropped in favor of webOS.

The emulator, named "Classic", will be built by MotionApps, creator of solid Palm OS apps including mVoice and mRing. We can expect good emulation, since it's coming from a developer with a history of creating powerful Palm OS apps. MotionApps wants to "help make the transition from Palm OS to webOS smooth and comfortable".

Engadget notes that although hopes are high, we should not expect all apps to run perfectly, or with full functionality:

"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."

Earlier, many Palm OS developers stated disappointment that their apps would not be backwards compatible with webOS, so this is great news, especially with webOS gearing up to energize developers. Classic will be available for the Pre at launch. You can visit the official page here.

Palm Inc. has requested that TealPoint discontinue TealOS, reports Palm Infocenter. The fancy webOS skin for Palm OS devices first generated a lot of buzz when a Palm Centro was spotted apparently running webOS. A subsequent interview with TealPoint found out that the fancy theme was created to provide a slick new interface for those who may not be able to get a Pre at launch.

"I'm sorry to say that at Palm's request, as of this upcoming Monday, March 30, we will no longer be selling or distributing TealOS. We really appreciate the help and unprecedented enthusiasm so many of you have shown for this product. It's been a long time since we experienced this kind of customer cooperation, and the program's success came at a badly needed time. We wish we could continue contributing to this great community."

TealPoint president Vince Lee stated in regards to TealOS catching on; "a good interface is a good interface...the webOS interface really shines". Unfortunately, looks like this simple fact also put the software in jeopardy. So if you need something to fill the void before webOS arrives, you'll need to pick up TealOS soon. Existing users can download the latest beta release, and new users can purchase it or download a trial version (until March 30). A video of it in action can be found here.

UPDATE: TamsPalm has posted an update on the specifics of why they removed the software:

"Without listing any detailed concerns, Palm politely but firmly asked us to remove it from our site and to stop distributing it. Since we eventually at some point want to develop for the Pre and webOS, we agreed to remove it to preserve the relationship with Palm. "

As the Pre edges closer to launch, the promise that webOS brings of wide accessibility and near-limitless online connectivity has developers eagerly anticipating the Palm Mojo SDK; even laptop enthusiasts are beginning to see the potential in the new platform.

Laptop Mag has a recent editorial on how Palm's webOS "could shake up the netbook world". Recent reports that Dell should acquire Palm and statements by Palm CEO Ed Colligan about an entire product line built on webOS have added to reasons why a webOS netbook is in the cards. Five supporting reasons are presented in the article:

1. The most attractive and intuitive Linux OS. Ever. - webOS is polished and slick, and "doesn't even feel like you're using Linux". The consumer-friendly platform would be the answer to crippled netbooks utilizing Windows 7.
2. Touch-friendly - With the Asus Eee PC T91 launching this year, webOS would be a welcome alternative to Windows XP in a touchscreen unit. Also, the upcoming Palm App Catalog will have many touch-friendly apps.
3. Cloud integration - Synergy and layered calendars from multiple sources make webOS a no-brainer on a netbook, and would make syncing to your primary PC a breeze.
4. ARM processor optimized - The CPU would be ultra-efficient in a netbook form factor, with other netbooks like the ARM-powered Always Innovating Touch Book claiming up to 15-hour battery life.
5. Flash support - Palm recently announced support for Flash, and being able to enjoy Flash sites without the overhead of X86 architecture would add to a stable and rich app library.

So how soon should we expect a webOS netbook, if ever? Last month, we also discussed how webOS could fit in the netbook market, with thoughts on Apple's disinterest in producing an OSX netbook and the faliure of the Palm Foleo in 2007. Will Palm try again with a Foleo 2?

Do you want to get a jump start on developing webOS applications for the Pre?   We've got just the thing for you.  We've just updated our webOS Mojo API reference, a list of the Mojo objects, methods and properties revealed by Palm to-date in various webcasts, tutorials and books.  Although small details may change between now and the final release of the Mojo SDK, we believe that you can get a real head-start by building your application based on what is known now, with only a few small tweaks needed later should the spec change.  In fact, SeanBlader, one of our members in the forums has almost put together a complete webOS application based only on the details Palm has released so far!

It's a work-in-progress; if you see something missing, please post it here and we'll add it to the list.  Help us build a valuable resource for webOS developers who want to get an early start on their applications!

Also, check back again soon for an up-to-date list of Mojo UI Widgets and Palm CSS styles!

Gaming on webOS has been an ongoing topic, with some considering it the "achilles heel" of the Palm Pre. MyPre reported that many gaming developers were on hand for the recent iPhone OS 3.0 event, but what can webOS developers look forward to? Recently, Palm has taken steps to try and dispel some shortcomings. For example, in their latest joint Palm and Sprint webcast, they stated the first version of webOS would have casual and web-centric games. We can postulate that the connected nature of the device will accomodate some great online titles, sans the fancy 3D graphics for now.

We already know that Adobe Flash is coming to the Pre by the end of the year, and Precentral reported on how this could be Palm's "secret weapon" against the iPhone. Flash hasn't been on a Palm device since the old Sony Clie days, and the often-overlooked Tapwave Zodiac (running OS 5.2 and an ATI W4200 graphics chip) was one of the few Palm OS devices that brought gaming to the forefront.

Here's part 2 of our coverage of chapter 2 of Palm webOS by O'Reilly. This article will continue to explore new concepts and programming elements that were introduced. You may want to read through part 1 and our summary of the first official webOS tutorial if you haven't already, as this article builds on that knowledge.

Custom Application Structures

You don't have to follow the default folder structure generated when you start a new application. You can add folders within the app/views folder to suit your application's structure, as long as you specify the id and template of the scene when you push it onto the stack. Here's an example:

This chapter of Palm webOS Rough Cuts by O'Reilly covers installing the Mojo SDK, creating a new project and customizing critical application components. It begins a walkthrough of the development of an RSS reader application that utilizes many features of the webOS framework and will be developed in this and subsequent chapters of the book.

This chapter covers a lot of the same material that was presented during the first official tutorial presented during the developer webcast with Mitch Allen, so we won't repeat it here. Instead, we'll look at some of the new concepts and language elements that are introduced. If you haven't yet gone through that tutorial, we recommend you do so before continuing.

Chapter 2 starts off with Palm reinforcing that webOS is a "great environment for building applications".  They suggest that web development languages combined with access to native services and local data makes a "powerful and productive" platform that "even" Java and C/C++ developers will find fun and exciting. The development environment will also feel familiar to because there is a "robust" API for UI elements, db queries, and other system calls. The "only difference" is that the programming language is Javascript and the UI is generated with HTML and CSS. They really want to shake off the idea that webOS apps will be just "web gadgets and spinners". [From what we've seen so far, we have to agree. The majority of the best-selling apps on other platforms (aside from advanced games) could probably be built easily using the functionality we've seen so far in webOS.]

The chapter then goes in to the similarity between browser based web apps and webOS applications, but they point out one key difference: webOS applications are pretty much served from the device itself so there's no request/response life cycle between server and client for most screens (unless of course you are sending and retrieving data from a remote server).

We will go through the new information in the order it was presented in the book.