Palm has just issued a webOS 1.2.1 update for the Palm Pre. This update is 38 MB. If you’re a Palm Pre user, you can go to the Updates app, and download and install it right now. This new update fixes iTunes 9.0.1 syncing!

When Apple first released iTunes 9 during the September 9 event, they blocked the Palm Pre from syncing with iTunes. This is not the first time Apple did this either. Apple keeps blocking the Palm Pre with each and every iTunes update, but Palm has always ended up fixing the syncing in the end. It makes sense for Apple to block the Palm Pre, after all it’s a competitor to the iPhone.

Do you think Apple is wasting their time blocking the Palm Pre with each iTunes update, or do you think Palm deserves it? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

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Apple recently released the iTunes 9.0.1 update which fixes a lot of bugs that were present in iTunes 9.0. When I found out I just had to download it and check if it worked with the Palm Pre.

After updating to iTunes 9.0.1, I plugged in my Palm Pre and was not surprised when I found out that my Pre got PWNED by Apple again!  When Apple released iTunes 9.0 on September 9, they had blocked the Palm Pre. Palm had originally planned on releasing their new webOS 1.1.2 update a day before the release of iTunes 9.0. For some strange reason Palm delayed their release of the new webOS update. I’m pretty sure iTunes 9 was one of the reasons why Palm had to delay the release of their new webOS 1.1.2 update.

I have nothing against Palm, but I’m happy that Apple blocked the Palm Pre in their new iTunes update and I hope Apple continues doing this. Palm will continue making different webOS devices, including the Palm Pixi which will use iTunes for syncing. Instead of using iTunes, Palm should create their own software. In the end Palm will have to do that, but I hope it’s not too late until they realize this.

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Apple released the iTunes 9 download along with the iPhone 3.1 update, but guess what? iTunes 9 blocks the Palm Pre from syncing. This means that Palm Pre users will need to stick to iTunes 8.2 and wait until Palm releases an update that will once again work with the new iTunes.

It is not known whether or not Apple intentionally blocked the Palm Pre this time, but Apple also broke the Palm Pre Syncing when they released iTunes 8.2.1. Palm acted quickly and released a webOS 1.1.0 update which fixed the syncing.

I’m sure Palm was aware that the iTunes 9  update was going to block the Palm Pre, that’s why they held off on releasing webOS 1.2 which was supposed to be released on September 8. Smart thinking Palm! I look forward to seeing the iTunes fix in the webOS 1.2 update.

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3. Palm Pixie announced before Apple event

Right before the Apple event, Palm announced their Palm Pixie smartphone yesterday. Just like the Palm Pre, the Palm Pixie uses the webOS operating system

The Palm Pixie does not have a slide out keyboard like the Palm Pre. It’s screen is also a bit smaller, and it has a 2 megapixel camera unlike the Palm Pre which has a 3 megapixel camera. The Palm Pixie has no wifi, and it’s lighter, and smaller than the Pre.

The price of the Palm Pixie has not been announced yet, but Palm will be announcing it before the holidays. The Palm Pixie will be available through Sprint. You can find out more about the Palm Pixie and subscribe to be notified once it comes out at Palm.com.

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Here is a list of new features Palm has added to the Palm Pre:

New Applications:

• NFL Mobile Live App from Sprint – You can watch or listen to live NFL games on your phone. Check scores & schedules, standings, news, audio and video, roster and stats, team alerts, photos, and a lot more.
  

Changes to existing Apps:

• Calendar: Default reminder intervals are 15 minutes for timed events and a day for all-day events.
• Camera: The photos application opens faster when you load it from the camera.
• Clock: There’s enhanced support for time zones
  • Alarm:  When you set an alarm in the Clock application an icon appears in the notification area on the bottom. Tapping the icon displays more details showing the time the alarm will appear. If the alarm is set for tomorrow then the alarm time and “Tomorrow” will appear, if it is set for the current day then the time of the alarm will appear, and if the alarm is set for any day other than tomorrow, the day of the alarm appears.
• Contacts:
  • Facebook:  Friends added and deleted on the Facebook.com website are correctly added and deleted in the Facebook account in Contacts on the Palm Pre.
  • Google:  As soon as you add or make changes to a Google contact on your phone, the phone syncs these changes to Google.
• E-mail:
  • Exchange ActiveSync (EAS):
  1. When you set up a new Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) e-mail account, you can now enter an IP address instead of the mail server name.
  2. EAS has new policies including: PIN/Password Required, Inactivity timeout – Administrators can set a certain time period for phones to go in to a locked state, and Remote Wipe – Administrators can remotely erase all data on the Palm Pre from their Exchange console and they can also set the device to auto wipe the device if an incorrect password is entered more than the specified number of times.
  • Google: As soon as you add or make changes to a Google contact on your phone, the phone syncs these changes to Google.
• Messaging:
  • Emoticons:  Emoticons can now be entered in text, multimedia, and instant messages. Emoticons are also displayed in incoming messages.
  • Time format:  If your phone is using a 24-hour time format, message times in conversations will appear in that format as well.
  • IM accounts:
  1. IM accounts preferences has all options available even if you’re signed in. You can tap Remove Account to delete an account, and enter a new password to update the password, or tap Sign In to sign in with your updated password. Previously you had to sign out of your account to do that.
  2. When you delete an IM account you’ll get a message asking you to confirm that you want to delete the account.
• Phone:
  • Missed Call Notifications:  When you have multiple missed calls, the time of the most recent missed call is shown in the missed call notifications area.
  • Ringer:  When you turn off the ringer switch, a bell icon with a slash is displayed. Previously the icon was a speaker with a slash.
  • Phone Preferences: The Show Contact Matches preference is turned on by default now. When you’re typing on the keyboard in the phone app, the phone automatically displays both the numbers you entered and  relevant matches to the numbers being entered as well.
• System:
  • Person reminders:  Person reminders functionality has been improved. When you get a call or exchange an e-mail, text, multimedia or IM message with a contact, a notification appears.
  • Wikipedia Mobile:  When you’re using Wikipedia through the universal search, results are shown in the mobile version of Wikipedia now instead of the desktop version.
  • Media Sync fixed:  iTunes 8.2.1 blocked Media Sync with the Palm Pre, this has now been fixed in the webOS 1.1.0 update.
• Web:
  • Symbols:  You can now use symbols with the Sym key when you enter text in to a web page form.
  • Zoom:  If you zoom in to a certain level and you go to another page, you can use the back gesture to return to the page and view the page at the same zoom level.
  • Forward Gesture:  You can now use the Forward button to go forward through webpages. Previously you could only use the Back button and go back.
  • Links: Tapping a link highlights it.
• YouTube:
  • Search:  You can tap the Search icon to perform a search after you enter search text. Previously you had to tap Enter.
• Undocumented changes:
  • Drop down menus:  The drop down menus are animated.
  • Sound notifications:  E-mail sound notifications are changed.
  • Memos: You can now e-mail Memos from the Memo app.
  • Javascript interpreter:  The javascript interpreter is faster.
  • New Web font: The web browser uses a new font.

  
  [Via Palm, PreCentral]

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