For those of you thinking about switching to the Droid X, we have all the step-by-step instructions so you can easily transition into Android:

• How to Root Droid X - Once you root your Droid X, you will be able to install free wifi tethering app.
• How to Install Free Wifi tethering on your Droid X – This post shows how easy it is to install the free wifi tethering app.

Of course, for those of you who are computer/smartphone illiterate, no worries as Verizon also offers their Mobile Hotspot functionality for extra $20/month, which is really good and we highly recommended it actually over the free version.

I’m not allowed to talk about future roadmaps, especially because we’re in the process of being acquired by HP, so I can’t say. But yes we have a road map. We are working on future devices. And [a] new version of the OS. So I think, you’re going to find the next year very exciting.

Just my advice is to make a whopping, large 4.3-inch screen coupled with some 1080P HDMI outputs, that’d be something I would be looking for from Palm.

via precentral

Do you want the best smartphone you can get right now for under a dollar?  Yes you can, AT&T is offering the Palm Pre Plus for just a penny over at Amazon.

There’s a load of choices for many great smartphones out there but if you just need one for talking, checking e-mail, and turning it into a wifi router, the Palm Pre Plus is certainly a great option for those of you on a budget.

For those of you who have been holding out on getting an HTC Evo 4G because you need to pay $30/month extra for 3G/4G wifi tethering, you might want to re-think as I have just hacked my new HTC Evo 4G with FREE wifi tethering app, as I have done with my Palm Pre and Nexus One.

First you will need to root your HTC Evo, then simply install the Android Wifi Tethering app.

Oh boy, you are going to love hacking this new phone, get the HTC Evo 4G on Amazon today!

As many of you know, tomorrow is the launch day of HTC Evo 4G.   I know this is a blog about Palm Pre but if you are on Sprint, this maybe the best time to upgrade to a new phone.

The HTC Evo 4G is just $199 with 2 year contract and that’s actually about the same price for any other smartphone except that with HTC Evo 4G, you get 4G WiMax speeds where available.

This probably is the best smartphone you can get starting tomorrow, can you imagine faster download speeds than already-superfast Sprint 3G network?

Anyways, you can check out some of the HTC Evo 4G news we have been updating over at our HTC Evo 4G Blog:

• HTC Evo Hands-on Videos
• HTC Evo Reviews
• HTC Evo 4G gaining popularity over iPhone 4G
• HTC Evo  4G Qik 2-way video chat demo video
• HTC Evo 4G Commercial
• How to Root your HTC Evo 4G!
• HTC Evo 4G Manual

And oh yeah, HTC Evo Hacks is coming soon too!

Looks like someone decided to install and boot WebOS off their Dell computer. It should be possible since WebOS is a linux operating system.

Aside from everything else, this proves that WebOS could easily be ported to many other devices, perhaps HP/Palm can start getting some more phone manufacturers to use WebOS?

via precentral

(My Sprint Palm Pre (Web OS 1.4.1.1) running Verizon’s Mobile Hotspot for FREE!)

Demo video of the Mobile Hotspot running flawlessly on my Sprint Palm Pre:

I know I have been using MyTether for awhile but for some reason, recently it broke down.  I think Sprint blocked it or something.   MyTether USB still works well but wireless seems to have been broken with version 1.4.1.1.

Anyways, I heard some rumors that some people were installing Verizon’s mobile hotspot on their Palm Pre.  After some serious hours of research, I have found out that it does indeed work on the latest WebOS 1.4.1.1.

The steps are rather simple, just follow these step-by-step directions so you can install Verizon’s mobile hotspot on your Palm Pre:

1. Download WebOSQuickInstall.jar (java program, also check this thread on PreCentral for the latest version) and you will also need to download the latest WebOSDoctor.jar. (you can download this later)

Also make sure you have Java installed as these files won’t run without Java.  If you don’t have Java installed, simply point your browser to Java.com and you can install it.

2. Also download these two files, com.palm.app.mobilehotspot_1.0.14_all-already_patched.ipk (the actual Verizon Mobile Hotspot patched to work with other Palm Pre OSes), and us.ryanhope.freetetherd_0.0.3_armv7.ipk (which will re-route your IP address to the Mobile Hotspot).

3. Now put all of them in the same directory and run WebOSQuickInstall.jar.   Run the program and if you don’t have WebOSDoctor.jar downloaded, it will ask if you want to download it.  (Say yes of course)

4. Make sure you have Novacom installed, if you don’t run WebOSQuickInstall.jar then go to File->Options then select, “Attempt Novacom (re)installation.”  This will work on Windows, for linux, download these drivers.  For Mac OSX, you will need to install the whole Palm SDK, which comes with Novacom, download Mac OSX Palm SDK here

5. Now the fun part, put your Palm Pre into dev mode by going to home then typing “upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart”.  (You should see a dev mode menu pop up where you can enable dev mode.)

6. Connect your Palm Pre to your computer.

7. Run WebOSQuickInstall. (or go back to it if it’s already running)

8. Click on + button and add the file us.ryanhope.freetetherd_0.0.3_armv7.ipk. Click Install.

9. Click on + button again add the file com.palm.app.mobilehotspot_1.0.14_all-already_patched.ipk. Click Install.

10. Check your phone to see if the Mobile Hotspot app has appeared, if it has, you are done!

Just in case you have trouble, I made a short YouTube video detailing every step on how to install the Mobile Hotspot app on your Palm Pre:

{Sorry, I had to take the video off as I accidentally left my numbers on it…}

Troubleshooting

If you are getting any connectivity errors, then you probably need to make sure novacom is installed. If it is installed, try re-booting your computer then try again.

If your Palm Pre’s storage is full, you won’t be able to install programs, so make sure there’s free space if you get errors while trying to install the ipk files.

Huge thanks to PreCentral, I wouldn’t have been able to install Verizon’s Mobile Hotspot app on my Sprint Palm Pre.

I personally use Jbuds J2 earbuds, which I recently got because Jlab, the company that makes the earbuds, slashed their prices from $79.99 to just around $14.  It’s a killer deal if you ask me and you won’t find this deal anywhere but from Amazon so get them while they last as I think Jlab is trying to just get rid of them.

You can read the best earbud reviews here on my new blog about Earbud Reviews where I’ve ranked the best earbuds by their performance. (and I found out you don’t have to pay more to get the best)  I’ve also ordered a bunch more high-end earbuds for hands-on review so watch out for that too.

My favorite Palm Pre application is “RadioTime” and of course, my Jbuds J2 earbuds while hitting golf balls on the range.

Well, there’s no one better to talk about whether that will be successful or not because I have been a true, loyal Palm Pre user since it came out.  Plus, I have even bought a Nexus One, and using it diligently, performing the similar hacks done on my Palm Pre.

So, here’s the first dibs on why WebOS Tablet I think will be wildy successful:

First of all, after using Palm Pre and the Nexus One together for couple months, I’ve realized one thing about the Palm Pre.  It’s multi-tasking is flawless in comparison to Android, especially when it comes to managing your apps using the card interface.

On the other hand, for my Nexus One, applications don’t close automatically at the swipe of your fingers, they must be closed like Windows.  You actually have to install a 3rd-party app called “Task Killer”, which allows you to kill off any apps that’s running in the background.

For that reason, Palm Pre’s WebOS is a really great mobile operating system, probably the most underrated mobile OS today.

On top of that, WebOS’s native linux possess a lot of room for running full linux applications as X-server and OpenOffice. That’s on a mobile phone, I can hardly imagine what it can do with a larger tablet device and better hardware.

Why did Palm fail to capture the masses with the Pre and Pre Plus?

First, Palm didn’t put the WebOS on the right hardware.  With a small screen (than like iPhone/Nexus One) and a physical keyboard that was all too-cramped, it drove a lot of people away.

I know, I am one of the people who bought the Palm Pre because it had a physical keyboard but that’s the killing point.  With a multi-touch screen, you don’t need a physical keyboard, especially at the sacrifice of a larger LCD screen.

Had Palm Pre been loaded onto a larger LCD with slimmer profile and no physical keyboard, it might have even proved to be more popular, perhaps not having to resort to selling their company to HP.

My real hope is that HP will do this with Palm, load the WebOS onto a larger smartphone with a larger LCD screen.

After using my bigger Nexus One for awhile, I found that even though my Sprint Palm Pre had faster/more reliable network, I used my Nexus One more because the large screen size it offered and more usable in terms of browsing sites I goto everyday.

Also, Palm Pre’s GMail app is a bit flawed as you cannot “search” any of e-mail, which is the highlight of using GMail.   For example, if I wanted to find that e-mail I received 3 months ago that held my access code to the tradeshow I am trying to enter, I can’t with the Palm Pre or I have to “star” my e-mails.  It doesn’t make sense why Palm didn’t make a quick fix for that, search is major functionality of GMail.

As for number of apps on the Palm Pre, I don’t think that’s the selling point but that Palm failed to sell enough devices to make it worthy for app developers to make apps.

And also, with WebOS’s ability to run full linux software, number of free linux apps that could be put on WebOS might make it wildly appealing to the masses who no longer have to “wait” for developers to make apps rather, just install it themselves using linux shell.

In all, I think HP is making a smart decision to go ahead with WebOS.  It’s simply a great mobile operating system that needs a larger device like HP Hurricane.  I will probably be one of the first to buy it and of course, show you how to hack it like the Palm Pre.

Yup, Palm Pre will be updating the next OS update with Flash Player, meaning you can watch flash content!

Flash player is going to be available on the Palm Pre and Pre Plus on your next software update (probably) according to an Adobe rep at Web 2.0 Expo show that was held today.   This is going to be good as I will have two smartphones that will be capable of playing flash content. (including my Nexus One)