The recent update of WebOS 1.2.0 did not offer any new features to its users but did fix a list of bugs and several tweaks for optimized performance.

The tweaks and updates are related to Music, App Catalog, Bluetooth, Calendar, E-mail, Contacts, Media, etc… as you can see almost all aspects of the OS have been touched.

The webOS team is paying close attention to the the feedback received from the community and fixing the bugs quite promptly. Since its launch in June, Palm, has released 5 WebOS update which means a new update at a distance of about 20 days each.

Here is a list of important updates WebOS 1.2.0 offers..

• Music from Amazon’s MP3 can now be purchased over your phone network and you do not need a WiFi connection.
• The much awaited App Catalog is ready and now by entering your credit card information you can purchase apps. Also the Credit Card info would be stored on the Palm profile and not your phone. You can also download and re-install the application you used earlier for free from App Catalog without paying anything. You can share app information via email or text message with one button.
• Contact transfers via Bluetooth has now been increased and it does notify and ask if you would like to transfer  the call to the car kit instead of the call getting transferred automatically which used to happen earlier.
• Several improvements made to the calendar such as changing the view, color, option of tapping the number and dialing it if the calendar note contains the phone number. By tapping snooze on a calendar event notification it no longer appears after the event and time.
• Send and Receive vCards as an attachment to an email or MMS.
• Provides the option to search for messages in any email folder and also lets you act upon images and send them again as attachments. Also gives you the option to copy the image to the Photo apps if JPG, BMP or PNG format. Formatting is maintained when trying to forward a message. Meeting invitation responses are sent correctly and support for paragraph text selection also available and much more..
• If an audio file is paused or interrupted, playback resumes from the point you paused it.
• Downloading files is supported in the browser now. You can also accept self signed certificates through the browser. Backing up and restoring of web browser bookmarks and lot more.

Click here to read more about the update… or if you are new to Palm Pre, Click here to learn about the update process.

The Palm Pre was artfully designed to sync with the iTunes, probably because Palm was intelligent enough to grope for a loop hole in the iTunes and thus suggested Apple a strong reason to hoick it.

Apple has stirred antagonism as a response to Palm by disabling iTunes support for Palm Pre. The iTunes update (iTunes 8.2.1) “addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices” which means any devices “falsely pretending to be iPods” will no longer have access to the iTunes music store and syncing, confirmed Apple Spokeswoman Natalie Kerris.

Apple has  statements that cement this audacious move, at least when they say that the update “provides a number of important bug fixes”, and thus disables non-Apple devices to sync with iTunes where Apple pronounced this as a part of the bug fixes.

Not just Palm Pre owners will suffer the blow, but also those who have been using third party devices and have enjoyed the priviliges to flirt with iTunes will now have to dig their own way out if they want the enormous  music collections on their multimedia devices.

We would always suggest you to live with the most contemporary version of any software and keep updating it. But, if you are a Palm Pre owner and would love to still sync your Pre with the iTunes, just don’t go by the rule. Stick to the current version of the iTunes that allows you to sync your Palm Pre with iTunes or precisely said do not update your iTunes Software for now.

Palm suggests its now baffled and dumb struck  Pre owners to add music to the Pre using the traditional drag and drop technique via USB or go for any third party apps that should closely parallel iTunes in this regard.

An official statement from Palm in this regard reads -

“Palm’s media sync works with iTunes 8.2. If Apple chooses to disable media sync in iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we can consider.”

Palm may also come with an update to counter Apple’s move  but whatever Palm should ever do to re-allow syncing with iTunes, Apple will always lead the front.  Reason? What is obvious is Apple owns the rights  and iTunes is its baby and it would always be Apple iTunes not Palm’s.

Looking at the reactions on Twitter, Palm Pre has certainly hit the sweet spot with the smartphone users and people how are simply against iPhone for its popularity and market dominance.

Anyway, here are a few 140c Palm Pre reviews from Twitter!

Few others…

• @MFlaven: Messing around with my new palm pre
• @YesItsDot: I got my Palm Pre and LOVIN’ it!!!!
• @PhillyStandUP09: Got my new palm pre! I’m loving this phone…
• @JusBri: I just got my palm pre and I love it
• @ Jerfrederick: First twit from tweed. Palm pre app.
• @ amandarahn: Tweeting from my new Palm Pre!

Pre is Palm’s last chance to make it big and turn the company around. So far the expectations are high and the phone is expected to sell in high numbers and I seriously doubt that. I spoke to few of my friends including my sister who are fairly tech savvy but they did not know much about Palm Pre. This goes to show that Palm’s marketing efforts did not do enough to publicize the product in the local market.

Another factor that can influence the sales of the phone is its network compatibility. The current version of the phone is compatible with CDMA network only, GSM compatible phone is yet to be announced.

Pre is priced at $199 after $100 mail-in rebate, which means you actually pay $299 initially and then claim your $100 later. It takes about 3-4 weeks to get the $100 in rebate back, however, if you buy Pre at Radio Shack or Best Buy then the rebate is applied at the cash counter itself. Now you know where to get your phone!

Interestingly Best Buy added Palm Pre (coming soon) to its product line on bestbuy.com and priced it at $849.99. This is the price for an unlocked version of the phone.

Palm plans to launch Pre in Canada in the second half of the year which I hope does not mean December and the price of the phone will remain the same.

Talking about India, I don’t think it’s on Palm’s list at the moment. I say that because the Canadian site of Palm has a “notify me” badge for the users to sign up to know when the phone is launched and Indian site has no such option.

While we (Indians) are only left to “learn more” about Palm Pre, I spoke to one of the largest suppliers of unlocked iPhone’s here in Hyderabad and Chennai and they very clearly mentioned that they will only deal with the GSM versions of the phone and not the CDMA.

It’s still a long way to go for people on the other side of the world to get a Palm Pre not just because its deal with Sprint but also because of lack of GSM version of the phone.

Overall, I think is a good phone priced decently with contract but the price of the unlocked phone as shown on Best Buy is just too high.

You do not necessarily have to be a Palm addict or a fanboy, you can very well be a skeptic and still get selected as a “Real Reviewers”, just be yourself!

The reviewers are expected to write about Palm products and spread the word in their own capacity on the internet or otherwise.

Following quote from the announcement tells you what exactly Palm is looking for in a “Real Reviewers”

We’re looking for a few "Real Reviewers" to share their opinions about Palm phones across the blogosphere, social networks and beyond. If you’re selected as a Real Reviewer, we’ll provide you with a current-model phone and data-plan service for six months. We’ll expect you to regularly share your thoughts about your experiences with your phone on whatever blogs and social networks you frequent (but you’re already doing that, right?). We might even invite you to guest blog about your experiences right here on Palm’s blog or host a discussion board on our Facebook page.

I certainly think it’s a good opportunity for tech enthusiasts to get their hands on products that are not out in the market yet and provide some meaningful feedback to the company.

This initiative is a win-win for the company and the users both, the company gets the much required publicity and the reviewers can get a hands-on experience before anyone else does.

The only condition for applying to be a “Real Reviewer” is to be 18-Year-Old and a U.S resident. The other unspoken “condition” could be that the “Real Reviewer” should have a strong understanding of how the social web works and should be a blogger or someone who can influence others by expressing their own opinion.

For people who want to take advantage of this opportunity click here to apply. Names of the selected “Real Reviewers” will be announced on 8th of May.

Click here to Apply! Good Luck!

We say late April or early May because Palm is currently in the process of raising money for Pre’s launch and it is doing so by offering 18.5 million shares by 31st March. Since Pre’s announcement, Palm’s stock rose from around $1.5 per share to around $7.7 currently.

At the current stock price Palm will be able to raise about $142 million which is enough money to launch its latest Pre Smartphone.

Sprint’s roadmap leak also confirms that Pre’s launch is still on target, first half of 2009. During a recent Webcast conference sprint announced Pre’s voice/data plans.

Individuals can choose from 450 minute ($69.99), 900 minute ($89.99) or unlimited plans ($99.99). Families can choose from 1500 minutes ($129.99), 3000 minutes ($169.99) or unlimited plans ($189.99). [link]

We hope to see Pre out in the market soon and also hope it lives upto its expectations.

Palm showed the new GSM version of Pre at Mobile World Congress with a Vodaphone SIM in it which fuels the rumor’s of Vodafone being the official carrier of Pre in Europe. Well there is not much to speculate now is it?

Anyway, that’s not it. Palm also released a new video showing of few new features like multiple calendar integration with weather information, GTalk on-screen popup, Browser functionality to share and add to launcher capabilities, Autofill/Contact search, etc..

Palm’s webOS is the most refreshing piece of mobile software which is amazingly intuitive, fast and FUN!

The best part is that Palm has joined the Open Screen Project at Adobe Systems to bring flash capabilities to Palm (Take that APPLE!) which enables Pre users to access loads of already available Flash content on the web.

Alright without further ado take a look at the latest video “Meet Pre”

A lot of things have changed since the Palm’s Pre was announced, both for the company and the users. Company gained its image back of being a strong contender in the Smartphone market which is quite evident in the rising share prices which were trading around $3 on Jan-7th and currently trading at around $8 (Jan-18th)

As expected there is a lot of information/rumor flying around about the launch, price, functionality, carrier’s, etc…

Here you go…

What are Palm Pre Official Sites?
Palm Pre on Palm (http://www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pre/index.html)
Palm Pre on Sprint (http://now.sprint.com/pre/?id9=vanity:pre)

What is Palm Pre’s Launch Date?
The Smartphone is expected to launch during the second half of 2009 in US first and then in UK and other countries.

Who are the Palm Pre official carriers?
Sprint is the official carrier in United States
Vodafone is most likely to be the official carrier in UK (Source)

Where can I buy Palm Pre from?
As the official carrier Sprint will be making the phones available also BestBuy is most likely to be the official sellers of this phone when it is launched.

What is Palm Pre O/S based on?
The new built from the scratch O/S Palm Pre is based on is called WebOS which follows HTML5, CSS and JavaScript standards.
Palm also released the Palm Mojo SDK in private prerelease for now. The SDK will be made available to the developers later this year. (Source)

How much will Palm Pre cost? (Source)
Palm Pre is most likely to cost around $399 with a 2 year contract and between $500-550 for an unlocked version of the phone

What networks will Palm Pre support?
In the US Palm Pre will run on Sprit CDMA network and a most likely GSM 3G HSPA version for other countries like UK (for now)

Palm Pre resources (Official/Un-Official):

• http://precommunity.com
• http://www.facebook.com/palm
• http://www.boxxet.com/Palm_Pre/
• http://developer.palm.com/
• http://blog.palm.com
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Pre

The phone has a brilliant interface, some say even better than iPhone’s and the phone looks pretty cool too. One of the things lot of people missed on iPhone was the keypad which Palm Pre offers very smartly. In fact Palm Pre does not offer any on screen keyboard it only has an online dial pad which is fair enough.

I have seen/read quite a few (video) reviews since it was announced at CES 2009 and I am honestly impressed of what I see. Phones price tag is not announced yet but it is expected to hit the market in the mid-2009.

Following videos will give you a better perspective of the phone and all its features. Also, click here to visit the official Palm Pre site to know more. Be prepared to be impressed

Palm Pre Keynote at CES 2009

Palm’s 2009 CES Keynote from DevilsRejection on Vimeo.

Palm Pre meetup/talk from BoingBoing Gadgets. Very interesting stuff, offers great insights about the phone and Palm’s plans with its latest offerings.

Feature walk-through at the Palm Pre lounge (AjaleJalea)

Finally the complete feature list and detailed run through from Palm Pre official site (mobilitytoday)

So if you are a real tech enthusiast you are either one of two things 1) Currently at CES in Las Vegas or 2) Watching everything that is happening in CES 2009 on the web (Not much happened at Mac world this year.. so it won’t get a mention here.. too bad!)

Anyway.. Techies who are currently present at CES do not need to search YouTube or other tech resources to see what’s happening as they are experiencing it firsthand..  For the rest of us how are keeping a track of CES 2009 through the web following are the best resources..

Visit CES official recordings on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/cesonthetube

Microsoft Related Videos from CES 2009 on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/MicrosoftCES2009

If you don’t want to be attached to any specific channel on YouTube, just keep a track of this query and you will get to see everything that is happening at CES 2009. (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ces+2009&search_sort=vide o_date_uploaded)

Another good resource is www.butterscotch.com which has good product reviews and demos

I’ve put up two TAGs “CES 2009 @ Las Vegas” and “Latest Gadgets from CES 2009” which will be updated with the latest happenings.

So instead of looking for the latest in many places just keep tabs on these two tags (“CES 2009 @ Las Vegas” and “Latest Gadgets from CES 2009”)

Following are few of my favs from around the web:

CES 2009 @ Las Vegas: Microsoft Kodu Demo

CES 2009 @ Las Vegas: SanDisk SSD

CES 2009 @ Las Vegas: PC in your pocket

CES 2009 @ Las Vegas: We luv iLuv

CES 2009 @ Las Vegas: Sony VAIO P Series

CES 2009 @ Las Vegas: Palm Pre