FlightView has released one of the first webOS applications for the Palm Pre smartphone. The software gives current information about any North American flight, tracking its in-air status, and alerting the user of any delays, changes or cancellations.
The software was created by Agile Commerce, a Lexington, Mass. custom software house that has been working Palm’s Mojo SDK for several months to create the mobile application for FlightView. Agile’s Eric Marthinsen was one of the early webOS developers who talked with us about their experience with Mojo and webOS. Mojo provides an array of APIs and services that developers can easily incorporate into an application written entirely in JavaScript.
FlightView on a Palm Pre flight and travel-related from several sources in real-time, creating visual displays, maps, and updates and alerts. Agile made use of the notifications feature in webOS so that FlightView can push any changes, such as a delayed landing time, to the phone and alert the user, whether the phone is turned on or not.
(source: Agile Commerce, FlightView)
The software is linked with the Pre’s calendar, so travelers can view flight details while the calendar shows the travel schedule from start to finish. A separate notes field can be used to stash data on car rental, hotel, restaurant reservations and other information.
Previously, FlightView had Web-based displays, streamlined and simplified but comparatively static, for access by browser-equipped mobile phones. The multi-tasking capabilities, among others, in webOS enabled a range of new features in the new Pre application. For instance, FlightView on the Pre continually monitors the status of flights in which you’re interested, even if you are browsing the Web or listening to music. The application will catch changes, such as a new gate or terminal, and notify you proactively.
FlightView was founded in 1981 to server the aviation and travel industry with real-time flight data, including that from the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), gradually extending access to this data via the Web and now to Pre smartphones. For webOS, Agile leveraged FlightView’s Web application and infrastructure.
FlightView is available now, currently for free, in Palm’s on-device beta release of App Catalog.
Cox is a senior editor at Network World.
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