I also have this issue - I have resorted to have a 'page' which contains the error message, then I load the page up as a dialog (see docs for v1.3).
The dialog shows but there is only a default background behind the dialog.
- Or use phonegaps notification feature
notification.alert
Shows a custom alert or dialog box.
navigator.notification.alert(message, alertCallback, [title], [buttonName])
message: Dialog message (String) alertCallback: Callback to invoke when alert dialog is dismissed. (Function) title: Dialog title (String) (Optional, Default: "Alert") buttonName: Button name (String) (Optional, Default: "OK")
http://docs.phonegap.com/en/2.7.0/cordova_notification_notification.md.html#notification.alert