Palm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 Update Out

The Palm Pre and it's cousin the Pixi seems to have fallen off the face of the tech blogosphere. Hardly anyone that's on the top of the tech lists seems to be focusing more on Android, with iPhone 3GS as a distant second. However, today seems to be the day that Palm's smartphone climbs back to some sort of relevance as a new update for the WebOS has appeared: the WebOS 1.3.1

According to Engadget, here's what they got after they downloaded the update:

Update: Downloaded, applied and rebooted. iTunes still isn't spotting our Pre as a device to sync with, and at least for the moment there's no great speed increases to speak of, but we have noticed a few more key tweaks that owners are sure to like -- setting a specific ringtone for text messages is exactly what we've been looking for.

• Yahoo! now appears as a Calendar/Contacts/instant messaging synchronization account.
• You can forward a text or multimedia message by tapping the message > Forward.
• A new option is available for restarting the phone: press and hold power > Power > Restart. The prior restart method (Device Info > Reset Options > Restart) is still available.
• Widescreen videos (including YouTube) now display in widescreen mode on the phone by default, instead of being cropped.
• If you tap to play a YouTube video embedded on a web page, the YouTube application launches and the video plays in the app.
• You can select a unique ringtone for new message alerts: Open Messaging > application menu > Preferences & Accounts > Sound > Ringtone.
• While listening to a song with album art displayed, you can tap the screen below the art to display a playback slider. Dragging the slider jumps forward or backward in the song.

Whether this will affect how most people see the Palm Pre or not, those who already have bought one would definitely be happier this time around.

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Verizon Won't Be Getting the Pre After All

Image via Wikipedia

It wasn't the first time I was wrong on something, but Verizon's move on not continuing with the Palm Pre surprised a heck of a lot of tech bloggers as well!

It was previously reported that according to Verizon's COO, they would be getting the Pre soon, however according to this article, it seems that they won't be carrying Palm's Pre nor Pixi in its roster at all. This beguiles the imagination as they're getting beat by Sprint with its exclusive iPhone 3GS contracts.

Questions arise:

• Did Verizon think that Palm's App Store would go against its own store? Probably yes. Unfortunately, Palm's already got some apps going and Verizon isn't that well known for really attracting developers.
• Was it because of the falling sales? Probably unlikely as Palm has just released a cheaper (yet WIFI-less) version of the Pre called the Pixi. They're hoping that it will attract more customers in eventually buying a Pre.
• Are they secretly hoping for the iPhone 3GS to come their way? Unlikely as Mobile Crunch just crushed that idea:

It’s a fun thought, but I’d say no way. AT&T has barely been able to cope with the strain of a network full of iPhones, and Verizon would probably break. It’s also an expensive move, and Verizon’s always been about selling medium-sized services to cheap phones. That may have to change, but they’ll ramp up before they go all out.

• Are they preparing to go Android? This is the most likely scenario as the mobile phone OS has been developing at a quick pace to beat Palm's WebOS and even Apple's iPhone OS.

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Palm Pixi: Affordable WiFi-less Pre

With smartphones becoming the norm, most phonemakers are in a race to sell as much as they can. Others are pumping up their mobile phones capabilities, while others like Motorola and HTC are reducing prices to make them more affordable. You can now add Palm to that list as they have just announced a more affordable version of the Palm Pre called the Palm Pixi.

Palm Pixi Features

• High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A)
• 2.63-inch multi-touch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color 320x400 resolution TFT display
• Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
• Exposed QWERTY keyboard for fast messaging
• Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities), including Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo! IM
• High-performance, desktop-class web browser
• Integrated GPS(8)
• Multimedia options, including pictures, video playback and music, and featuring a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera with LED flash, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
• Email, including Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers), as well as personal email support (Google push, Yahoo! push, POP3, IMAP)(9)
• Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
• 8GB of internal user storage (~7GB user available)(10)
• USB mass storage mode
• MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
• The first handset to launch with Qualcomm's high-performance MSM7627(TM) chipset
• Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
• Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
• Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
• Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
• Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAh battery
• Dimensions: 55mm (W) x 111mm (L) x 10.85mm (D) [2.17 in. (W) x 4.37 in. (L) x 0.43 in. (D)]
• Weight: 99.5 grams (3.51 ounces)
• Sprint services, including Sprint TV(R) and Sprint Radio, Sprint Navigation, Sprint's exclusive NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile Live

You noticed something missing? Yes NO WIFI! Will Palm be making a big mistake or will taking it out and thus making it cheaper make them look like geniuses?

Press Release
Palm Pixi Hands On

Palm WebOS 1.2 Leaked!

The Palm Pre, as we mentioned a few weeks ago, is actively updating their WebOS in response to customer feedback. Isn't it a treat that they accidentally leaked out their upcoming WebOS 1.2 update to Palm Pre users?

The 1.2 version of Palm Pre's webOS was accidentally leaked via Palm itself, inadvertently showing off future features like an improved copy/paste, email searching and saving images from the browser.

Here's a compilation of the updates based on the leak:

Updated w/ summary of 1.2 so-far discovered features

• Find-as-you-type search support in Email
• App Catalog updated to support purchasing apps
• Web browser enhanced
  * auto zooms to forms
  * download in browser enabled (including opening pdfs)
  * better rendering of mobile pages
  * Orange+click context menu on links
  * save images
• "Real" copy and paste
  * shift tap to select areas of textPalm
  * Select All option in Edit menu
• Sort by Priority or Date Due in Tasks
• Other minor tweaks and changes

Whether Palm intended this to be leaked or not, it still bodes well for its users. Go Palm!

Source for Gizmodo Quote

Source for WebOS 1.2 details

Palm Pre Onscreen Keyboard Hack!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Palm Pre's been out of the media radar for the last few days and with good reason: Apple's been getting a lot of interest because of the negative publicity it's been getting because of the Google App issue. So for Pre fans out there, this is for you.

The Palm Pre's onboard keyboard's been getting a lot of flack because it's making the mobile phone thicker than it's supposed to be. However, Palm's got a great homebrew community that can almost do anything they want with the WebOS.

Eric Gaudet and the WebOS Internals crew have done awesome work on the Virtual Keyboard for the Palm Pre and also provided instructions on how to install it in our forums (which have already made the rounds). The folks from WebOS internals and preware.org wanted to make things a little easier. They have an app installer called Preware that is able, as of last night, to safely install (and remove) patches. The first patch they've made available is the keyboard.

Here's a taste of it below:



As you can see it's still in it's early stages of development, but if you can't wait for the final version or if you want to test and help the devs out, the instructions on how to do it is here.

Always remember that when you deal with this things, you'll always run the risk of bricking your phone permanently, so research into it first by checking out forums on this subject. If you feel you're ready,then take the plunge and follow the steps very carefully. Good luck!

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Palm Really Needs More Apps

Image by renaissancechambara via Flickr

We reported a few days ago that Palm's Pre was in dire need of games in its App Catalog to liven it up a bit. Unfortunately it was just the tip of the iceberg as Palm explained the reason for their low number of apps in their store:

Palm said the low number of apps initially were because it had been offering its Software Developers Kit (SDK) called Mojo only to a few select developers. On July 16, the company made its Mojo SDK available to all.

After a week the Pre was launched last June 6 only 30 apps existed. Most can probably attribute it to the SDK not being released early enough, but it's really losing big time to Apple's App Store up until now.

What's curious is that Apple's iPhone 3GS has more apps in its store than the Palm Pre's even though it's regarded to have such a "closed" platform compared to Palm. Why is there a lack of interest in creating applications for the Pre? Is it because the developers feel that they won't earn anything off it? Most likely...

Now with the App Catalog e-commerce beta program, Palm has taken the next step towards having a complete app store. Developers will receive 70 percent of the revenue from their apps, with Palm collecting the rest 30 percent. The split is similar to what Apple charges for iPhone apps. Pre users will be able to purchase apps using Visa and MasterCard credit cards, said Palm.

With this carrot dangling in front of application developers, hopefully it will change things around for the excellent yet app/games thirsting Palm Pre.

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