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palm-pre posts

Filed under: OS Updates, Palm, Mobile Minute

Mobile Minute: Palm WebOS 1.3.1 is out!

If you're one of the folks sporting a Palm Pre, it's time to check for updates as you'll want to grab the WebOS 1.3.1 update that dropped over the weekend (at least for Sprint customers in the US).

Whilst there's no new applications, the update (which weighs in at 126MB) packs a tonne of features and improvements that you'll probably want add, including support for Yahoo! as a synchronization account.

That's not all, either, as PreCentral has discovered a list of extra undocumented changes that are included in release - and Facebook have launched an embarrassingly barebones application for the Pre that requires the 1.3.1 update.

If you're elsewhere in the world, the launch of the 1.3.1 update will depend on your carrier - in the UK, where I'm based, O2 are reported to be launching the update towards the end of the month.

[Via Engadget]

Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Palm, Productivity, Browsers

Fliq Bookmarks is a sort-of sync between Safari and the Palm Pre

One of the first things you'll want to do with any smartphone is get your bookmarks set up in the phone's browser. It can be a real pain to add them one-by-one, though, so it's a lot easier if you can just import them from the browser on your computer. Fliq Bookmarks lets you do just that, assuming the following: 1) Your browser is Safari, 2) Your phone is a Palm Pre and 3) You have the Missing Sync, a Pre-specific media-syncing app for your Mac.

Fliq seems of limited use, although it does sync your toolbar bookmarks from Safari. Really, bookmark syncing should be a feature of the $30 Missing Sync app, not a standalone app. Also, how many Safari users have a Pre instead of an iPhone? Feel free to flame me in the comments if I'm wrong, but it seems like if you're one of those folks, you're probably in the minority.

[via Appscout]

Filed under: OS Updates, Palm, Apple

Palm restores iTunes sync for Pre, adds new webOS features

Not even two weeks after Apple's iTunes 8.2.1 update removed iTunes syncing capability from the Palm Pre, Palm has announced an update to webOS that adds several features and restores syncing. A few of the new features are business-oriented, including improved Exchange AccessSync support (remote wipe, PIN/password improvements, and better certificate handling). webOS 1.1 also includes "person reminders" that pop up a message when a person calls you, making sure you remember things you wanted to talk to them about.

Of course, the main thing that's going to be reported about the webOS update is the ongoing tussle between Apple and Palm over iTunes sync. Pre owners and Apple fanboys are now waiting to see when the other shoe will fall and Apple will disable syncing again. Just in case that happens, Pre owners might want to check out a third-party app that can handle syncing for the device.

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Palm

Salling Media Sync replaces missing Palm Pre iTunes sync and more

When Apple updated iTunes to block the much-anticipated iTunes syncing feature of the Palm Pre, some of us at assumed it was just a matter of time until a third-party developer added it back. Salling Media Sync, an app that already had quite a few useful features, now does Pre-to-iTunes syncing, too. Salling Software admits the update was specifically designed to appeal to Pre users who feel burned by Apple's update.

Salling Media Sync can transfer photos, podcasts, playlists and music to a variety of phones. Along with the Pre, it supports a ton of Nokia, Sony, and HTC devices, as well as the Blackberry Bold and Blackberry Storm. There are Mac and Windows versions, and they both requireiTunes 7.6 or newer. Salling Media Sync is free, with faster syncing if you buy a license for $22.

Filed under: Audio, Business, Hardware, Apple, Mobile

Is Palm Pre iTunes syncing too good to last?

One of the selling points of the Palm Pre is that it can sync with iTunes just like an iPhone can, minus the ability to play old DRM-protected purchases from the Apple store. The thing is, that amazing iTunes support comes from a hacky workaround where the Pre passes itself off as Apple hardware when it's connected. It won't show up in iTunes as a "Palm Pre," it'll show up as an iPod.

What can Apple do about it, though? An escalating battle to break the hack could require Apple to release firmware updates, which is always annoying for users, or could be fixed on the software side with an iTunes update. The newest release of iTunes, 8.2, reportedly doesn't break Pre's syncing support.

What will the outcome be? Do you think we'll see a lawsuit, a firmware or iTunes-side fix from Apple, or something completely different?

Filed under: Palm, Mobile

Palm WebOS features previewed thanks to a leaked emulator - Video

WebOS browserThe Palm Pre smartphone featuring Palm's new WebOS operating system may not be available to the public just yet. But the company released an emulator to select developers working on applications that will run on the operating system. And the internet being what it is, said emulator wound up in the hands of some folks who have been willing to record demos of various features in WebOS and post them on the internet.

Over the last few days, a member of the PalmPreForum going by the name of "invisible man" has posted more than 20 videos showing everything from the WebOS web browser to the built in PDF viewer. You can also get an overview of the contacts, calendar, search, and phone applications as well as a first look at applications like YouTube, Google Maps. There's even a video dedicated to the copy & paste feature.

You can check out a few videos after the break or check out more videos at the PalmPreForum YouTube channel.

[via Engadget]

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