Hasta La Gadget!

webOS 1.3.1 was always destined to come right around the launch of the Pixi, but it’s surprised us by showing its face early. No app catalog bombshells here, but there are a slew of more minor fixes and updates that should make users experience a great deal smoother. Is this the update that finally unlocks access to the GPU and provides the speed boost Pre owners are waiting for / advances the iTunes chess match another step? We’ll let you know once our unit reboots, for now here are a few highlights from Palm’s list of changes:

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.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 update available now originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brush back that mullet and adjust your ill-fitting halter tops folks ’cause Palm’s newest webOS device has been spotted at Walmart. This pair of Pixi lovelies was ogled overnight inside one of Sam Walton’s finest Tennessee locations reportedly sporting a $400 price tag and little else — it wasn’t in Walmart’s system so it wasn’t yet available for purchase. Something that should be rectified in time for Sunday’s official launch with Sprint ($100 on contract) if not sooner.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pixi arrives early for the people of Walmart originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already seen a quick Palm Pixi unboxing and hands-on video, but we’re guessing most folks are looking for a bit more than that in the lead-up to launch day. Thankfully, YouTube user stayfly2407 has come through with a video that, for the first time, clearly shows the Pixi running webOS 1.3.1, which may or may not be the version the phone actually ships with — it was only just recently seeded to developers. The video unfortunately doesn’t show any new features associated with this version, however, but it does seem to be speedy enough even in spite of the Pixi’s slower processor. Head on past the break to see for yourself.

Continue reading Palm Pixi seen running webOS 1.3.1 on video

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pixi seen running webOS 1.3.1 on video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Currently, mobile entrepreneurs wishing to hawk their wares on the Pre (or Pixi, or unnamed webOS device of the future) use a software development kit from Palm called Mojo, a stack of Java-based tools that must be installed, studied, understood, loved, and respected before serious development can get underway. Palm sees that as a barrier of entry for web-oriented developers who want to make the leap to mobile apps, though, which is why they’ve crafted a new SDK called Ares that’s based entirely on web technologies — in fact, there’s no install at all, apparently. Much of the interface is said to be drag-and-drop with enough JavaScript exposed to make your local .com designer feel right at home, potentially opening the app landscape to a whole new set of folks — and considering that the App Catalog is tens of thousands of goodies behind the App Store and Android Market, they can use every loyal dev they get.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm demos web-based Ares SDK for webOS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint has a time-honored tradition of screwing up its ads. Remember the Palm OS-powered (yes, Palm OS, not webOS) Motorola Q2? How about the Pre’s mythical tethering capability? Here’s a new one to add to the history books: the “WiFi capable” Pixi, yours for just $99.99 after mail-in rebate. Count us in.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint touts Palm Pixi’s nonexistent WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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