webOS Q&A Metrix App Mill Forums About Contact Tip Us
Featured, News

Legacy devices receive Enyo support, Troy gifted Maps App update with surprise inside

By: , 10/13/2011 8:03 am | 38 comments

For a while now, we have been left to enjoy Enyo apps for the touchpad. If you wanted any of these fancy new apps on your webOS smartphone, however, you were left waiting. The Pre3 supports Enyo to varying degrees; however that phone was never officially released in the US. There may not be any smartphone dedicated Enyo apps available in the marketplace, but the reason for this has been due to developers being limited to only the Pre3.

That is about to change. Recently HP published a “Bing Maps” app to the App Catalog. Users of the TouchPad, and the Pre3 for that matter, will likely be familiar with this app. It is the same app that comes preloaded on the Pre3 and the same as the TouchPad. Users of the older devices should be rather excited about this as it loads quite a bit faster than the older Google Maps based app, which should be a huge relief to many.

Currently, Enyo app submission guidelines still look to be the same as before, only allowing support on the TouchPad and Pre3. Since this app installs Enyo to the framework folder of all affected devices, it may only be a matter of time before the webOS development team changes these guidelines to allow for legacy devices. It seems the app is available on all current devices. Pixi, Pixi Plus, Pre, Pre Plus, Veer and Pre2 now appear to support Enyo if the maps app update was installed.

A big shout out has to be given to the webOS team for this gem for sure. Here is to hoping for and watching the flood of new apps being available on the rest of the devices.

Source: Matthew McNulty (Twitter)

flattr this!


About Mike Avello

A front-end developer by trade with a passion for design and technology, Mike has grown up with the internet revolution and all things mobile. If he isn't presenting his, sometimes eccentric, views about web and mobile methods or devices, he can often be found on twitter @mikeadesign or poking around source code.
View all posts by Mike Avello →
  • http://twitter.com/ApMik Aploe Miktona

    This is great (installing Enyo on older devices).  But honestly, I find Bing to be a waste of time compared with the Google maps (I have a Pre3 and ended up loading Google back onto it in desperation).  No traffic info in the UK, the search function returns random results at best, it is slow to locate (although it loads faster), it has less local venue information (and that is when the search function does work), the list goes on.  Just a shame that Google on Pre3 has a couple if its own issues.

  • Dutch

    Awesome!

  • German

    to have best of both worlds search google: “google maps durch hp maps” – please no direct link

  • SabChgo

    I don’t understand the excitement- what am I missing?  Google maps in general seems like a much better map than Bing.  Why is this such a great thing for us common folks who may not understand the back-end enhancements?

    • Abe

      The excitement is that every webOS phone except for the Pre3 only supported the old Mojo framework. From what I understand, when you install this new Maps app it also installs the Enyo framework on your phone. Hence, when you install the app it forces you to do a complete reboot of the phone.

      The main point isn’t the app itself but that it uses the Enyo framework which only the TouchPad and the Pre3 officially support.

      • Bob

        As I understand it, Bing Maps overwrites the original Google Maps app. If I were to install Bing Maps, then go back and install Google Maps, would it overwrite Bing and the Enyo framework, or just the Bing app and keep the framework, or would it not overwrite the Bing app?

        • Abe

          I don’t think there’s a way to go back to Google Maps once you install the Bing Maps.

          • http://www.facebook.com/retroblu Zeek Weeks

            yes there is…with some hackability…check the precentral forums…too lazy to find the link for the actual thread

  • Gizmo21

    Cause now the chances grow that developers use the enyo framework to develop apps for ALL webOS devices from Pixi- to Touchpad and don’t have to decide to build an app for touchpad or phone

    • Guest

      Yeah, because I’m sure they were dying to develop for phones esp. the ones abandoned by HP.

      FYI: Apps that use sliding panes (ie, most of them) don’t look like they work properly. Call me crazy, but I don’t think developers will want to waste their time making their apps compatible with phones that either nobody bought or everyone dumped to move to other platforms.

      • http://www.facebook.com/retroblu Zeek Weeks

        hi crazy, or is it guest, im confused….anyway from my understanding of the way the enyo framework is suppose to work it, i would think it would scale accordingly to the smaller screen size considering the pr3 currently have apps built for it….call me zeek, but i could be wrong :)

  • http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

    Okay i don’t get this article, are Legacy devices getting Enyo or not, because just one App installs Enyo on a Legacy device does not mean there is from now on Enyo support for it, so far if i understand this correctly you would need to install the bing maps to get Enyo in the first place, so a App that would use enyo would depend on the Bing Maps app to be installed.

    • http://www.mikeavello.com Mike Avello

      There hasn’t been any official word on enyo app submission for legacy devices. However, the Maps app does install Enyo to the framework directory meaning it would be available for other applications to use. As it currently stands, if enyo apps are allowed for submission on these devices the Maps app would be required. Unless they plan on having these new apps check for Enyo and if not available install much like the Maps updated installed and required a reboot.

      As new information comes out we will keep you posted.

      • http://twitter.com/ApMik Aploe Miktona

        I have a feeling that installing Enyo on its own might just count as a system update, requiring the carrier nod.  Distributing an app (along with the required framework) via the app cat maybe the quick shortcut around getting the carrier nod.

        • Guest

          No, really any developer could have chosen to include Enyo with their app. I’ve tried it, and I’ve experienced the same problems that are present with this version of Enyo installed to phones. Enyo is just like jQuery and not at all like Mojo, in that it is not dependent on the system, so HP didn’t have to change anything in the system, hence no system update.

  • Guest

    You guys think it was lack of Enyo support holding back “the flood of new apps”? The apps only came to the Touchpad because it was the Touchpad, not because of Enyo.Don’t hold your breath waiting for “the flood of new apps”, you’ll suffocate.

    • http://twitter.com/rlopin Robert LoPinto

      Fair enough, but for devs whose first app was an Enyo app for the Touchpad, this lowers the barrier of entry for expanding their potential customer base to now include legacy phones. It should be a lot less effort to take an existing Enyo app to run on a phone that supports Enyo than to have to learn Mojo. Some UI tweaking may be all that is needed.

      • http://www.mikeavello.com Mike Avello

        This is what the hope is. I believe it was said the SecuStore2 (being Enyo) was ready for phone use, simply needed phones to support Enyo. Hopefully the other apps were made to scale down to phone-size elegantly as well and the restrictions on the Enyo apps in the catalog are lifted.

  • PalmOn

    The only problem here is that bing isn’t as good as Google maps. Besides, who wants more Microsoft on their Pre? And on legacy devices… Give me a break. Next thing we’ll start hearing about Adobe Flash on legacy devices. And when’s all this happening? In the coming months?

    • http://twitter.com/rlopin Robert LoPinto

      Who wants Microsoft on their Pre? If the app works well, or dare we say, even better than the existing google-based map app in the areas I care most about,  then I don’t care who wrote the app nor whose APIs it is using.

      Putting it down because it is a Microsoft based service? That is so 1990s.

      • PalmOn

        No–I put it down becaused I have used both and have found Bing to be inferior to Google maps.

        • http://twitter.com/rlopin Robert LoPinto

          If you had left out the second sentence of your original post I would have not have interpreted it the way I did. In any case, I have had the Pre with the Google Maps app since launch day on Sprint here in New York City. It has been very unstable, specifically, it has been taking forever to get a GPS lock, or failed on many occasions to load at all. Those sound more like attributes of network coverage in the urban canyon that is NYC, but they could also be due to Google messing with their APIs. I will reserve judgement until I have used Bing maps for a while. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since it was released so it is way to early for me to pass judgement.

          What did not work for you that caused you to already decide Bing is inferior? It could be that the things you look for in a map app are different than what I look for. For me, I need the subway directions, fast acquisition times, and accurate maps.

        • Dutch

          I can’t speak for each of the map systems from my pc, but so far the Bing Map on my Pre- is superior.  We’ll see if that holds true…

      • Anonymous

        You know what’s so 1990′s?  Trying a Microsoft product and then when you want to go back to what you had before, finding out that it’s not trivially easy.

    • Jmgreenhill

      I’m pretty sure that google is revoking the maps API’s so it doesn’t really matter bc google maps is just going to stop working anyhow.

  • Jmcho

    So how do we install Google Maps back on?

    • http://twitter.com/rlopin Robert LoPinto

      I don’t see a way to do it, but the ‘BFG Maps’ app in the app catalog uses google APIs, and is much more feature complete than the native map app was. It is free for the ad supported version, and 99 cents otherwise.

  • Dutch

    Have you critics even tried the Bing Map app on legacy device yet? I didn’t use the Google Map much– and it seemed fine when I did use it– and I am no expert on Map apps, but functionally the Bing Map did everything I needed it to and MUCH faster than the Google Map app did. Try it on your legacy device before simply criticizing it.

    • Maus_malone

      I’ve tried it and I’ve got some issues with it that I think even people who like the app will find reasonable. There’s no way to have the app focus on a search result – instead you have to scroll around until you find the yellow pin. Also there’s no way to get info about the places you find, so my main use for it (finding a good restaurant) is right out. Hopefully they’ll add these features in future versions.

    • Marijan

      Unfortunately, Bing maps in my country and my city shows just a few streets when searching for location (Zagreb,Croatia) unlike Google Maps which perfectly found everything I needed. So being in US and using all that services might be good but for the rest of the world probably not so. Good that at least BFG maps works so we have at least some way of using a Google Maps although I don’t like the non-WebOS standard and cramped interface of BFG maps too much.

  • Raun

    Works like a charm & fast. Relunctantly, I will ditch this pre tmrw in favor of an iphone. I suggest devoting some tips time to moving the palm profile to iphone & back. If I ever get my hands on a vz pre3, I’ll franken it and be back. Better yet, webos on iphone. If I can run windows on a mac, why not?

  • monkeyben

    Perhaps HP are getting people used to using Bing maps for when they start producing Windows 8 tablets…only joking :p Enyo on all Pres is very good news for #webOS. Shows Meg isn’t all TouchPad only like Leo was.

    Unfortunatley I’ve moved to PhoneGap + jQueryMobile since the Adobe takeover, but once I get results from that, maybe I’d look into platform specific apps.

    Both Google maps and bing maps have there strengths and weaknesses. I like the 3D view on the bing maps and it is quicker than the google maps app (or perhaps that’s cos bing is on my faster Pre3?).

  • Rob

    I installed it and I got the blue screen of death.

  • Michelhb

    I’ve been reading comments on this app and have found that it not only replaces Google maps, but it also blocks you from accessing the Google maps website. That is a blatant antitrust issue that should be taken to the DOJ, SEC or whoever will listen. Google should sue HP and Microsoft for this. I WILL NOT install this app!

  • Bro Moreland

    Could this be a hint that HP will be selling WebOS to Microsoft?? I think this would be huge!

    • Anonymous

      Yeah, it would be huge to get webOS locked up at best, or swept under the rug at worst. M$ already has WP7. Guess which OS would get priority at M$, especially with Windows 8 coming soon to PC, tablet, and smartphone…

  • LtMike

    The Bing maps works so much better than google maps. I no longer have to use the GPS fix app to wake up google maps. This new map finds my position in one minute and my battery life is actually better. Great job HP, keep it coming.

  • German

    i repeat this for 2.x users to have an easy way to get gmaps back:
    search google with “Google Maps durch HP Maps deinstalliert” (incl. quotationmarks)