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Palm just released a new update for webOS, with a 12MB OTA download bringing the version up from 1.03 to 1.04. This comes just 10 days after the last update.

According to Palm's update information page, the latest version adds no new applications; rather, "addresses several security issues with Palm webOS software." A post on the Palm forum is more specific, citing:

Fixes:
Unauthorized applications could be installed without having physical access to the device.

So far, the most obvious patch has been found to close the workaround allowing users to install homebrew apps without rooting the Pre. While this keeps malicious software from the hands of inexperienced users, we can no longer rely on easy e-mail installs to get homebrew apps out into the world.

Non-rooted homebrew apps installed before the update will still be there, so better to postpone the mandatory update if you still want to e-mail yourself some apps. Otherwise, homebrew can still be loaded by rooting your Pre, starting with dev mode via the Konami code.

Precentral

Looks like you may not have to wait until the end of summer to get your hands on the Palm Mojo SDK, at least in beta form, reports Gizmodo. The devkit was apparently leaked by a rogue member of the Mojo SDK Early Access Program, one of many developers let in with the latest batch of invites. The story was picked up on twitter, and the file has since spread like wildfire to eager devs and curious Pre enthusiasts. Palm has not yet responded to the leak, but we can gather they can't be too happy with an unofficial release making its way into the wild so soon.

 

Accordingly, the download should be treated as an unofficial preview of, rather than the actual public SDK release. The 167 MB file is windows-only at this point, and of course the SDK and subsequent Pre apps (before the public release) will be unsupported by Palm; however, feel free to discuss your experiences in the forums. With the homebrew scene already bustling, it's about time to bring on the apps!

Download

Just days after Chapter 10 of Palm webOS Rough Cuts was released, Chapter 11, Localization and Internationalization, is out to work on your webOS chops before the Mojo SDK hits by summer's end. Below is the summary of what to expect from the latest chapter:

"Palm webOS is a world-ready operating system designed to support localized and internationalized applications. This chapter provided an overview of locales, character sets, fonts and keyboards, and covered the localization architecture, tools and techniques. The internationalization APIs were briefly summarized.

Just as with the rest of the framework, building global-ready applications is easy with Mojo and Palm webOS. If you haven't attempted to take an application beyond your own region or locale, then this is a great opportunity to expand your potential user base."

Ever since MotionApps' webOS Classic App was released, longtime Palm users have been enjoying Palm OS apps on their new Pre (most recently with v.1.1, which adds sound support and more). MotionApps have taken the next step in making emulation an enjoyable experience, releasing Classic Well, a community-driven website that has a growing list of compatible Palm OS apps. Tested a new Palm OS app that's not on the list? Then add it. More searchability is planned for Classic Well in the future.

MotionApps also started a list of Classic Certified apps, which are apps guaranteed to work with the emulator. So far, certified apps include popular apps such as Agendus, HanDBase, Metro, and 5MCC, a medical app. between the thousands of Palm OS apps and a growing library of homebrew apps, looks like users will have something to keep busy with until the Mojo SDK hits later this summer.

PCMag

Pre users familiar with the webOS browser may be finding a need for additional functionality when it comes to downloading images, music and other content from the web. After all, having such an option only makes sense in making the best use of your data plan over Sprint's 3G network. A new tweak in a growing list of webOS hacks from PreDevWiki (made possible by the webOS root) adds a download widget to the bottom of web pages, as well as a "downloads" feature that creates its own scene for completed downloads in the browser.

It will take a bit of work to get it up and running, but Palm apparently left much of the code in place for downloading anyway, so only one line of "code" really needs to be fixed, while others are considered resources. Of note is that while the swipe-to-delete will remove the widget from the screen, the downloads still persist until finished. Also, downloading unknown types (such as .zip or .exe) results in an endless loop of new browsers, so should be avoided for now. Hit up the link below for the details:

PreDevWiki

It's been a few weeks since Chapter 8 of Palm webOS Rough Cuts was released, and now Chapter 10, Background Applications, is out to read up on before the Mojo SDK hits by summer's end. And no, they didn't skip a chapter, rather added a new one (Chapter 7, "Advanced Styles") Below is the summary of what to expect from the latest chapter:

"Whether you're interested in building an advanced application or just want to add notifications to a basic application, this chapter covered some essential topics. There was a broad review of advanced multi-stage applications with an introduction to Notifications and Dashboards. You learned that advanced applications are based on an Application assistant, which can handle external launch requests and potentially run in the background. You were also shown how to customize your application's behavior when minimized, meaning switched out of the foreground view, and how to use the internal application notification chain to coordinate actions between assistants or share events and data.

With the techniques learned in this chapter you should be able to move your application to the background, build a dashboard-only application or use secondary card stages to support separate activities."

Developers have begun releasing their homebrew apps to the world; and with the workaround that was found to install them through e-mail without rooting your Pre, now just about anyone can beef up their device with new programs and more.

One of the first apps is a simple Tip Calculator created by Jamie Zawinski, with functionality to help you to tip appropriately, split the bill between multiple people, and of course accurately account for taxes. The likes of this may be familiar to iPhone app enthusiasts. Another recent app comes from Pimp My Pre, which provides an improved ringtone and notification sound manager. There are still a few bugs to work out in the latter program, but so far the apps are looking promising (and free to boot).

However, the install loophole could make it too easy for inexperienced users to install unfamiliar programs, and could be a security risk for malware to make its way onto devices of unsuspecting users. Could Palm patch it up with a future update? This would shut out many casual users from installing homebrew apps while they wait for the App Catalog to pick up after the SDK is released later this year. Even if the e-mail install method is disabled, progressive developers will likely find alternate ways of loading their apps onto the Pre.

via Precentral

In a recent investor relations earnings presentation, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen stated that he expects a beta version of the Flash 10 player to be released to developers in early October of this year. This release will coincide with the Adobe Max conference in LA running between 10/5 and 10/7. Narayen also stated that several partners have already recieved copies of the Flash 10 player for mobile devices and noted specifically that Palm and WebOS are included in that list.

There is a Pre-Conference tutorial on mobile development on Sunday 10/4 before the conference. Perhaps they will make the announcement and release the beta there. It is scheduled to be a conference on Flash Lite - will they change that? We shall see.