If you don't know about LastPass, you are in for a treat. LastPass is a Web-based password management system which allows you to securely synchronize your passwords, form-filling info, and notes across computers and Web browsers. 

LastPass can be used as an add-on to Firefox (install through Tools>Add-ons), IE or Safari. When used with these browsers, it can save and auto-fill your login credentials on secure web sites. It can also generate random, alphanumeric strong passwords so that you don't re-use the same passwords over and over. One of the best security practices is to use a unique strong password for every login. However, in practice that can become a real burden to manage. LastPass solves that problem.

Now there is a beta version of LastPass for the Palm Pre. It will synchronize all your LastPass data to your Pre. But in contrast to other apps I have tried, LastPass will actually take you to the login page when you select a login. It does not yet have the ability to auto-fill, however it will allow you to copy your user name and password to the clipboard so you can paste it into the appropriate field. This is a very handy feature.

Keep in mind, this is a beta build, which means there could be bugs. In my testing, it works well enough to be useful. I already use LastPass for Firefox, so having hundreds of unique logins available in my Pre is a definite time-saver. There are apps for the other major smartphone platforms too, so even if you don't have the Pre, you should have a look at LastPass.

Hit the link below to download the .ipk file for the Pre. You will need a homebrew installer such as WebOSQuickInstall to install it. Check out my earlier post for more info about that procedure.

 LastPass - User Manual

     

Click here to download:

LastPass_for_Palm_Pre_tags_Las.zip (280 KB)

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Palm Pre owners can now enjoy 1st-person shooter Quake. Version 1.2.0 brings enhanced on-screen controls to supplement the rather clumsy hardware keyboard controls. This game is pretty entertaining, and the graphics are not bad. You can install Quake using Preware or WebOSQuickInstall. WebOS has the potential to be a pretty solid gaming platform... Especially if Palm were to release a device with some gaming-oriented hardware buttons on it.

       

Click here to download:

Quake_1.2.0_for_Palm_Pre_tagsP.zip (743 KB)

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As great as the Palm Pre out-of-box functionality is, there is still considerable room for improvement. I have written previously about Preware, an advanced Over-the-Air installer which lets you choose from hundreds of homebrew apps for the Palm Pre. However, until recently there was no easy way to address the functional shortcomings of the Pre's built-in apps. That has now changed with the arrival of the Patches feed. The Patches feed provides dozens of useful modifications for the native Pre apps. To enable Patches, you must first install the latest update to the Package Manager Service. Then you will see the Patches feed next time you run Preware.

Some of the many useful Patches include: landscape Email rotation, landscape PDF viewer rotation, adding the date next to the time display, ability to forward text messages, ability to download files from links in the Web browser, change default Calendar view, and many more. Click on the thumbnails to view screen shots.

         

Click here to download:

Add_Must-Have_Features_to_Palm.zip (274 KB)

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Today I have discovered a very exciting homebrew app for the Palm Pre - in fact, I think this one is the most significant I have yet found. It's called Preware and it was developed by the WebOS Internals group. Preware is an OTA app installer and manager, but that's not all. The really exciting thing is that Preware can install advanced homebrew apps, like the on screen keyboard and the File Manager Service, which previously required complicated rooting procedures.

Additionally, Preware also lists apps from multiple repositories! And you can even add new repositories! How cool is that? But wait, there's more. Preware also checks all your installed apps and lets you know (with a little green arrow icon) which ones have available updates. Now you don't have to waste time going to each app's home page to see if there's a new version out. Sweet!

Preware must initially be installed using WebOS Quick Install. Follow the directions on the page linked below. It's really a very simple and easy install procedure. (Tip: why not copy WebOS Quick Install into your Pre using Drive Mode. Then you will have a copy with you to place on any computer wherever you go.)

Application:Preware

               

Click here to download:

Review_Preware_by_WebOS_Intern.zip (310 KB)

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Recently there has been a lot of buzz about several iPhone apps that include support for Posterous. Well, Palm Pre users can now join the party with the arrival of Spaz v0.5.10. Spaz is a Twitter (also identi.ca, Laconi.ca and custom microblog platforms) client with support for photo hosting on Posterous.

You can download Spaz for free using the Pre's built-in App Catalog. At some future version point Spaz may become a paid app but will probably only cost about $2.

Spaz is an Open Source app, which I appreciate. Also, the support of other microblog services is a nice touch for those who are leery of the infamous Twitter Fail Whale.

If Spaz ever adds background polling for @mentions and DMs, I will probably switch from Tweed which is my current favorite Twitter client for the Pre.

           

Click here to download:

Review_Spaz_a_Twitter_Client_A.zip (220 KB)

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Recently Google has been picking up the pace, sending out invites to its Google Voice service. Hit the link to see what the fuss is all about. In brief, Google Voice lets you manage all your contacts, calls, voice mail, forwarding numbers, etc through one Web-based interface. It's a pretty useful service, but one drawback has been that you have to dial into it in order to place calls. This is pretty clunky, as you then have to manually type in the phone number you are calling. However, if you own a Palm Pre, there are some new unofficial Google Voice homebrew client apps that you can sideload with minimal effort. One of these is called dkGoogleVoice.

DkGoogleVoice allows you to pick contacts from your Pre's native Contacts app and then dial or text the number into Google Voice. It's a slightly hacktastic solution, as it really just passes the task to the native dialer and then you have to push the green button to initiate the call. But it definitely works, and it is a major time saver.

The app also allows you to view your Google Voice History. You can pick an entry and choose to Call or SMS. Unfortunately, in my testing this feature often froze the app. However, this app has another feature which does work: it will show you the transcriptions of messages left in your Inbox. Nice!

I think dkGoogleVoice shows a lot of promise despite the bugs in its current iteration. It is useable, and if message transcription is important to you then this app is for you. It's a beta build, so your mileage may vary. Presumably the bugs will get squashed in future iterations.

         

Click here to download:

Review_dkGoogleVoice_0.4.0_an_.zip (208 KB)

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