webOS Weekly - Transitions 11

This week has been a transitional one for the webOS community. As you'll see in the videos, tweets and blogs we've listed after the break, people are not only getting ready for devices in the near future, but they're also taking a look at what has happened in the past to learn and keep pushing forward. We have the first Veer commercial that is almost universally loved by viewers (as opposed to the borg-queen of old), some details, rumors and leaks from different markets about the TouchPad and Pre3 releases, and some stories from the rest of the community of people enjoying their devices.

If you have a story you would like to share with the next edition of the webOS Weekly, send an email to tim@precentral.net and we'll be sure to add it in. But for now, jump over the break in the page to get to the stories from last week and the comments from the community that follow.

Latest News

• To keep up with our coverage of HP Veer news, there have been a few stories this week that should be of interest. First, if you're prone to hacking your devices, you'll want to know that it is possible, though somewhat difficult, to brick a Veer. You won''t have any problem with bricking your device if you're simply going to Unlock the device to use on any GSM network, though. Which, as it happens, is exactly what some new Veer owners may be doing, including those who got a Veer for $50, off-contract, on Amazon, and those of us in the new Veer Peers program.
• If you're wanting to get an HP TouchPad as soon as it's released, you'll first want to know what your options are looking like as far as where to go stand in line (which could be as early as June 12th!). Not only does it look like BestBuy is getting prepared for the TouchPad release, but Walmart and OfficeMax seem to be planning to carry the device as well sometime over the next two months. But then again, there are a number of other rumors and leaks going around about the TouchPad, so you may want to wait for official word before you pack your tents.
• HP doesn't seem to be slacking on the marketing engine, either. We've already told you about the marketing blitz planned with Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Russel Brand and others, but the first HP Veer commercial with Manny Pacquiao showed up at the beginning of the week. SanDisk was also found showing off a TouchPad app at Computex, Apotheker and Rubenstein found themselves on two different stages presenting HP webOS's future to the public, and HP has started accepting applications from developers to be launched with the TouchPad later this month (and announced in-app purchases with webOS 3.0). Of course, we can't forget the other webOS events that have been set for June - there are quite a few to choose from.
• Lastly, if you are looking for some news about the Pre3: The FCC has passed a European-branded Pre3 as safe to use on both GSM and CDMA carriers. Sadly, we haven't yet learned anything else besides that.

Videos

• If you are ever in need of running Windows 95 on your webOS device, now you know that it is entirely possible and may soon be available for everyone to use as an app in the catalog. Travistra2 is working on bringing the Windows 95 experience to all webOS devices, and has shared a few videos on his channel of the emulator running on his Palm Pre. While we aren't sure this is for every webOS user out there, it's definitely a cool trick to see working.
• Remember the Cannes Film Festival last month and the celebrities that posed with the HP TouchPad for a few glamour shots? A video has been uploaded to show another look at these celebrities playing with the devices on the Palm YouTube Channel. Definitely makes us envious of those big names from Hollywood.
• A new app, Chess for Two, is in the works for both tablets and smartphones running webOS. In the video demonstration we found on YouTube, it looks like an app we'll definitely have a bit of fun with.
• Jonathan Ezor (you may know his name already as a regular PreCentral Contributor) has gotten an HP Veer for his 4th Grade daughter, Elisheva. In her video interview, she talks about why she loves the Veer and what her friends at school have said about it. The HP Veer - Works like nothing else... for the young, and the old.
• If you're into making cool time-lapse videos, you should check out the Time-Lapse Camera App in the catalog. But first, check out the demo video to see some cool effects and what kinds of videos are possible.

Social Networks and Blogs

• We've all been waiting with bated breath for several months to hear that the incredible! app by Geoff Gauchet, and now we have something to chew on. "Hold onto your butts!" Or so he says. Check out his blog post to see what's up next for incredible! on webOS.
• It looks as though Ryan St. Andrie is looking to setup an Orlando, Florida based TouchPad launch party. On twitter he sent out a message to let his followers know that details were coming soon. We'll be looking forward to those details ourselves.
• While Apotheker has publicly made it clear that webOS is not a direct threat to Microsoft's Windows offering, other bloggers across the web think otherwise. Nick Eaton from SeattlePi gives his take on the situation, in an article titled, "HP’s webOS: The stakes just got higher for Windows tablets". Check it out.
• If you're looking for more free apps to download using Promo Codes (webOS 2.1 only, for now), the developers of My 100 Pixels Pro are giving away 100 copies to users who download the Promo Codes app from the app catalog. Go grab it now while there's still a few to download!