by Derek Kessler on 12/31/2012 | Filed Under: Apps, Editorials, News; Tags: google maps, patch, homebrew, LG, enyo, Autonomy, HP TouchPad Go, webOS Nation, Galaxy Nexus, App Tuckerbox, Open webOS, garrett92C, isagar2004, scrollbars, 72ka, AIOSettings, WebOS Ports, WindsorNot, Gram, Raspberry Pi, port, Best of 2012, Linux Standard Kernel 3.3 | 2 comments
2012 was a weird year for webOS, and we decided it was best if the webOS Nation Best of 2012 Awards reflected that. As did you, with nearly four thousand votes cast, it's time to reveal the winners…
2012 Homebrew Project of the Year
Winner: Open webOS for Galaxy Nexus by WebOS Ports
Unsurprisingly, the WebOS Ports-led project of porting Open webOS to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was the overwhelming winner of this category. The project, underway in visible earnest since late September, has made considerable progress bringing Open webOS to the then top-tier open source Android hardware.
Runner-up: Google Maps by 72ka
2012 Homebrew App of the Year
Winner: Google Maps by 72ka
Supporting both webOS tablets and smartphones, the homebrew Google Maps composed by developer 72ka is chock-full of features that we never fathomed would come to webOS mapping. It's become our go-to mapping application on webOS.
Runner-up: App Tuckerbox
2012 Homebrew Patch of the Year
Winner: webOS Scrollbars by isagar2004
It's almost unfathomable that scrollbars haven't ever been a part of webOS, but this patch by isagar2004 made it happen and made it happen with style.
Runner-up: AIOSettings by Garrett92c
2012 Open webOS Improvement of the Year
Winner: Enyo 2.0
The next-generation cross-platform application framework that is Enyo 2.0 was far-and-away the winning selection for Open webOS improvement of the year, even with a small but growing number of applications written off of it we couldn't help but be impressed by its versatility.
Runner-up: Linux Standard Kernel 3.3
2012 Open webOS Project Device of the Year
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Nexus
Beating-out devices like the hacker-favorite Raspberry Pi and the pricey Samsung Series 7 Slate, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus came out ahead as the readers' favorite Open webOS port device of 2012, which is no surprise given the tremendous progress made by WebOS Ports on the affordable and hackable smartphone.
Runner-up: Raspberry Pi
2012's Biggest webOS Story
Winner: Open webOS OE booted onto Galaxy Nexus by WebOS Ports
The big news wasn't the release of Open webOS 1.0, no, it was WebOS Ports getting Open webOS up and running - albeit in an early alpha form - on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the space of a few hours.
Runner-up: Gram working with LG on an Open webOS TV
2012's Biggest webOS Failure
Winner: Open webOS will not support existing webOS devices
As exciting as many of 2012's developments were in the open source space of Open webOS, we weren't without disappointments. Chief among them: the news that existing webOS devices not only weren't going to get an official release of Open webOS; they weren't even going to be compatible in any way, shape, or form. But that sting of rejection isn't anything new to the webOS community...
Runner-up: HP writes down $8.8 billion over 'improprieties' in the Autonomy acquisition (i.e. they lied)
2012 Unreleased webOS Device of the Year
Winner: HP TouchPad Go
In a battle royale of never saw the light of day, it came down to the wire between the seven-inch HP TouchPad Go tablet and the keyboardless HP WindsorNot smartphone. Neither saw store shelves or mass production, but both warmed their way into our hearts with the thoughts of an alternate universe where we all have goatees we can stroke while we ponder the awesome webOS devices in our hands.
Runner-up: HP WindsorNot
Our thanks to everybody who voted and helped with the selection of the webOS Nation Best of 2012 Awards. It's been an interesting and fascinating ride thus far, and we have no doubt that 2013 is going to be more of the same!