Far From Home

WebOS Hackery Made Easy with WebOS Quick Install

So, I'll admit, I've been a bit squeamish about applying any of the NUMEROUS WebOS hacks available on my Palm Pre.  It's not that I'm apprehensive about running into problems.. I just don't want to find myself stuck in a situation where I have to put a lot of time into fixing my phone (or reconfiguring it) when I really don't have that time.

For those of you that feel similarly, look no further than WebOS Quick Install v2.7 from PreCentral's Jason Robitaille.  This GUI-based java application makes it stupid-easy to install/remove OS mods, and from my experience thus far works flawlessly.  It is compatible with the latest WebOS release (1.2.1), as well.

In a mere 10 minute session (I had all of the prerequisites installed already-- there is a bit of preparation involved for those of you that have done little-to-no noodling with your phone), I managed to set up the following OS hacks, simply by clicking on some checkboxes:

• 4 x 4 icon layout in the launcher  (ah, I can breathe again...)
• Add/Remove pages to the launcher (this really should be a standard feature.  Palm, are you listening?)
• Added Roam-Only option to Phone Preferences (sadly, my service sucks so much that this still doesn't resolve anything at home)
• Character counter when composing new messages
• Timestamp displayed on all messages
• Removed that stupid Nascar application icon
• Display battery charge percentage in title bar

And this really only scratches the surface of what this handy application can do, particularly because it supports several patch repositories that are continuously being updated with new, cutting-edge WebOS mods.

DISCLAIMER: You can still screw up your phone to varying degrees using this software.  Any usage of your phone that strays beyond out-of-the-box stock functionality poses some risk.  Read (and understand) all related information and documentation before attempting any modifications.  

With that disclaimer out of the way, here are some links (consider them mandatory reading) to get you started:

WebOS Quick Install v2.7 with webOS 1.2.1 Support Released (PreCentral)

WebOS Quick Install v2.7 and beyond! (PreCentral Forums)

Use Outlook? You need Xobni.

My boss sent me the link for Xobni when it had just surfaced, and I installed it.  I haven't used Outlook without it since, and in the rare cases that I've had issues with it (always brief), leaving me without it, I've felt totally lost without it.

Xobni makes it easy to instantly find any email in any of your folders, search your email in threaded format, find any attachment that you've ever exchanged with a person, and a crapload more.  It has a clever, intuitive interface that makes you want to use it, and use it you will...

Maybe it appeals best to people like myself whose jobs are extremely email intensive, with a need to constantly go back and find things quickly, but I'd think just about anyone that uses Outlook knows how easy it is to lose an email in the abyss, even if you are meticulous about maintaining your folders of archived mail.

Give it a shot, you won't be sorry.  If you don't like it, it's easy to uninstall.  

links:

Xobni Website