The following is a brief review of the Zumodrive cloud file storage/sync app for the Palm Pre smart phone. Background: Zumodrive is a cross-platform cloud-based file storage, synchronization and sharing service which provides up to 2GB of free file hosting and a tiered subscription model for larger volumes of file storage. Zumodrive may be accessed through the Web browser but also  has client apps for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, iPhone, WebOS (Palm Pre and Pixi) and Android. Once you install the client software in Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X, Zumodrive will appear as a drive in your desktop file explorer. You can then drag and drop or save files into it. These files will appear in your online Zumodrive and any other computer with the client software installed. If you edit those files, for example a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, those changes will cascade through all the instances of your Zumodrive so that you always have the most up-to-date file version. Zumodrive also keeps version history so that you can revert to a previous file version. It also has a built-in Trash folder, so in case you accidentally delete a file you can recover it.

The desktop Zumodrive client software also allows folder linking. This useful feature lets you select a folder on your computer, for example Documents, and link it to your Zumodrive. From that point onward, all changes which occur in the linked folder will also cascade through your Zumodrive and into any other computers attached to your Zumodrive. It all happens in the background without requiring you to think about it. You can also share files and folders publicly or privately with edit or read-only privileges.

I recently installed the Zumodrive client app on my Palm Pre. Cloud-based file storage is a natural fit for this always-on, Web-connected device. There are several reasons why you would want to connect your smart phone to a cloud-based virtual disk. Hand-held devices are easy to damage or lose, so having your files hosted off-device is a good form of insurance. Hand-held devices also have limited storage capacity. My Pre has just under 8GB of available memory. Zumodrive can expand that memory dramatically, while also making the same files available to any number of other connected devices.

However, the Palm Pre client app currently has some significant limitations as compared to the desktop software. The Pre client is read-only; you can't upload or edit files with it. This limitation is unfortunate because it would really be nice to be able to take a photo or video with the Pre and then save it into the Zumodrive. It would be nice to be able to record a voice memo and save it to the Zumodrive. Perhaps a future iteration will include this functionality. If you use the app you should by all means request support for any features you would like to see.

As a read-only app, Zumodrive for Palm Pre works well. Music files play through the Pre's streaming media player. Photos are displayed in thumbnail grids or individually. A finger swipe will advance to the next photo in the folder. Major document formats such as PDF or .doc are handed over to the respective viewing apps on the Pre. These are all useful features, but one is left wishing for more. I certainly hope to see more features as time goes on.

Cloud file storage is both a competitive and rapidly developing market. Zumodrive is a decent offering which supports a lot of OS platforms and appears intent on delivering continuous service improvement. They will definitely need to deliver value if they want to survive the competition and consolidation in this market. I give the free service high marks, but the subscription pricing is higher than some competitors and the service lacks features such as in-browser document editing which are offered by competitors. Zumodrive is worth a try, but if you don't like it then you should look at other offerings for the sake of comparison. No one service is perfect, so it comes down to a matter of personal preference. In my case, I will need to see the subscription pricing go down substantially before I commit to Zumodrive. But I admit that I would say the same thing about most of the other cloud storage vendors as well!

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

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.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

       

Click here to download:

Quake_1.2.0_for_Palm_Pre_tagsP.zip (743 KB)

I was going to call this post 10 Reasons Why... But seriously, do I really need to explain why I love ice cream? Coldstone makes real, honest, butterfat-laden ice cream. Not that lowfat bullshit.

They also let you mix your choice of various toppings ranging from nuts to crazy shit like candy. I like toasted pecans, meself. They also offer shakes, malts and ice cream cakes.

Me, I go to an ice cream shop for ice cream, and lots of it. Then I put it on the hood of my car and photograph it, cuz what goes better together than Volvos and ice cream?

OK, maybe a BMW would. I am not a snob, I'm open to donations.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

   

Click here to download:

I_Love_Coldstone_Creamery_Ice_.zip (2169 KB)

Is lunch at Chipotle worth the drive from River Falls to Hudson? Answer is yes! I love Chipotle, and here's why:

1. Fast.
2. Simple food with quality ingredients, made fresh.
3. Well-seasoned.
4. Guacamole! Fresh, bright green guac in generous portions. Never any of that brown crap you get elsewhere.
5. Cilantro! I'm a Fan. Chipotle has fresh chopped cilantro, and the friendly staff will liberally sprinkle your food with it upon request.
6. The folks at Chipotle know how to cook rice and beans. Sounds simple, but other establishments often have depressingly poor equivalents.
7. Fresh nacho chips made on-site
8. Fresh limes. I love fresh-squeezed limes  in my Coke and on my food.
9. Generous portions. You can get a boat-sized Burrito Bowl big enough to feed a hungry guy who skipped dinner and breakfast.
10. An eclectic mix of great music ranging from blues, salsa, Latin pop, and world pop.

Bonus reason: Chipotle uses only hormone and antibiotic-free meat from family-owned farms.

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

 

 

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.

One of the great things about the Firefox web browser is its extensibility. There are literally thousands of add-ons to Firefox which give it a Swiss Army Knife-like, does-everything ability. Currently I have 39 add-ons installed, although I disable many of them to conserve resources when I'm not using them. Once you get used to the added functionality, you will find that using a browser without add-ons leaves a lot to be desired.

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.

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 gDial Pro.

GDial Pro acts as a front end for Google Voice. You can pick contacts from your Pre's Contacts app, then have gDial Pro dial them into Google Voice for you. It's a slightly hacky solution, as gDial Pro hands off the task to the Pre's native dialer and then you have to push the green call button to initiate the call. It works though, and trust me - it will save you a whole lot of time and effort.

GDial Pro also lets you send an SMS and check your Google Voice History. It gives you the option to dial or text entries in your History. These are handy features to have on your cell phone.

GDial Pro lacks two features I'd like to see: a direct call to Google Voice Messages (Inbox) and Message Transcriptions. This is a beta app under continuing development, so I expect that more features may appear in the next iteration. My limited testing did not expose any bugs, but your mileage may vary.