webOS 1.2 now available, brings support for app purchases
By Nilay Patel 
posted September 28th 2009 4:03PM
posted September 28th 2009 4:03PM
Here are some major changes listed by Palm:
- Search is now available in the email app, allowing you to find by subject, from, to, or CC fields (no message search yet).
- The web browser now supports cut, copy, and paste within a webpage (text only).
- Music purchases via Amazon can now be done over EV-DO. It's not clear if they mean that you can download the tracks, or just queue them (that would be lame, however). Anyone test this yet?
- A new gesture has been added which allows you to swipe down from the top of the screen to open the application or connection menu -- which should be a huge help to everyone missing those small targets!
- You can now download files from within the browser, and Palm has created an easy method to open a link in a new card.
Update:
Update 2: Tested. Don't expect to sync with iTunes, everyone -- it ain't happening.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Actually, Palm sold over 800k phones in Q3, most of them Pres. Even that number does not include the 25 days the Pre was available before Q3 began.
Stick to an older version of itunes & you're golden, so who cares? All Apple's doing now is releasing "upgrades" that break pre functionality so...
Techically your wrong, if the Pre update doesn't let you sync to iTunes any more because they failed with the USB-IF, it won't matter which version of iTunes you have. Derf.
@Karl, Actually Palm didn't release the number of the actual amount of Pre's sold, the 800k amount includes all other phones sold by Palm. Analyst are saying around 500,000 units for the Pre. Read up, it does wonders.
Oh, analysts who have no inside knowlege. Yeah, I'll trust them over Palm themselves, who said the "vast majority" of the 823k phones sold were Pres. 500k does not seem like a vast majority of 800k to me...
Why don't they just release the number of Pres sold?
@Karl, you hurt my face, Palm did not release the actual numbers of Pre's sold, in my opion out of embarrasment. All tech analyst are saying between 5-600,000 Pre's have been sold total.
It really doesn't matter because this device won't be in existance within another year any ways. Apple sold more iPhones in 1 day than the Pre has sold since its been released. lolz.
Uh wrong, Goldman Sachs estimates they sold 670,000 Pres.
Palm is still not announced for Scandinavia and i'm considering the HTC Hero. If Palm seriously drops iTunes support i'll wait for the Pre :-)
@CJ2 It's not a matter of 'if" they'' drop iTunes support, they already did since Palm got Owned by the USB-IF for using Apple's vendor ID, which is a no no. Essentially Palm owned themselves for complaining, it backfired big time.
@MrWitless, the "Reply" button is used to "reply" to messages. Find it. It is quite useful. Of course, as an Apple user, I'm sure the lack of a pulsating glow or etched graphite around the letters makes them all but invisible to you. Or maybe your inability to multitask makes replying to (trolling) multiple messages just too darn confusing. Or perhaps it is just that it doesn't say "iReply."
There are exactly 5 Pre users who give a rat's arse whether iTunes sync actually works. I saw ONE comment in this thread that indicated any desire to see this work. You can drag and drop from iTunes to your Pre (and even FROM your Pre...try that with an iAnything) if it is somehow really an issue for you. Syncing was just a gimmick from day one and really NEVER should have been offered in the first place. Apple fans (or sadly those with no decent Sprint coverage like me) will continue to use iTunes to sync with their iStuff because they have to. For the rest, why bother other than momentum. iTunes is pretty much sucks...and will be all but irrelevant as Spotify (or some similar service) hops across the pond.
I would hit the reply button but I was at work on a windows PC using IE and the piece of crap doesn't want to work all the time. Now that I am at home on my Mac it works just fine.
Just stop, you sound stupid and like a typical PC drone. The fact remains, the Pre sales numbers are by far very very low and it is NOT what they expected. I don't care if its 500,000, 600,000 or if you want to be anal about it 670,000 phones (SharonW) technically its a failure. I'll tell you why, sales are low because interest in isn't there, they lost iTunes sync and touted it as a major feature, tried to get Apple to make them have it by taking it to the USB-IF and failed terribly and made themselves look like a-holes. And lastly and most important they lost more money than ever have in the history of the company this quarter.
Is it a nice phone, don't know, don't care. Would I buy one? Nope. Because it does less than half my phone does now, so no point. It was a nice try, but it's destined to fail. But unlike MS, Palm doesn't have the resources to keep funneling money from other departments just to keep it alive. *cough* Zune.
@SharonW -
Really? :/
Now you're just getting into semantics.
No, I deal in specifics versus your grandiose incorrect generalization. Goldman Sachs ain't hacks beholding to some adolescent need to self-identify with a tech toy.
Grea, when I get a chance I'll check out the new features. Now that Palm is putting the Pre in Cracker Jack boxes, this should really take off in a big way.
Bah....still no visual voicemail or bluetooth voice dialing. Still can't get rid of NASCAR or turn off the loud-ass dialing tones without turning off all alerts.
PALM ARE U READING THIS FORUM?
Not after the infantile way Josh treated their CEO during his "show"...
Visual voice mail is not palms decision, this is a Sprint decision. And from what I can tell, visual voice mail requires a license for the carries to use.
Who cares about iTunes I have a Mac and I don't even use it.
The "Whoosh" sound when you close a card is gone... and the Touchtone sound volume is decreased as well
Mine is still there
good God, must every Apple fanboy stroke themselves in putting down every non-Apple device?
Seriously? Get a flippin' room. The Palm Pre kicks ass. If you didn't have your head so far up Steve Jobs' ass, you'd probably realize that AT&T is molesting you on monthly usage charges.
They won't release the numbers because they want to announce it when it hits 1,000,000 Pre's sold. (My guess is mid November. But I hope that helps you all understand!
Lol, don't mind 'em. They're still getting accustomed to using MMS. Something so new to them.
whatev, too bad about the whole itunes synking thing. I was hoping to upgrade to itunes nine, but now i cant because my pre won't wync with it anymore, that was a big reason that i got it was because i could have all my music on it.
Lol... we all know your kidding. You don't need iTunes to get all your music on your Pre. Come on man don't pretend here. No way in hell you post on Engadget.com and you don't know how to drag and drop music.
sooooo much faster... Great update!!!
Can it into ipod ?
I wonder if the GSM version of the Pre in Europe will include the 1.2 software from the start...and I still don't know if I should sell my E71 and get the Pre...
App store unavailable!
Also, getting snapped around to highlighted text fields will take some getting used to... a process I am in the midst of this very second as I post.
anyone having crazy problems with palm right now? Got kicked out of my palm profile and can't log in. The palm live support chat says the server is down, so I'm outta luck...AHHH soo pissed with them right now
Is it just me or is the option to turn off the GPS no longer available?
Brilliant. It's not like we didn't have battery woes to begin with.
Thanks for 1.2, however over here in Europe I am wondering why The Pre is going to be launched with version 1.1.2, with an over the air upgrade needed to reach version 1.1.3
I'm based in London and will be first in queue to pick up my Pre on 16th October, however why no webos update. Apparently this isn't going to be available until November which I find unacceptable.
OK, Palm... Listen. You have alienated most of europe by making us wait since January for the device. When you launched it then it was the best phone out, but it has taken you so long to get it to market that it is now just one of many phones vying for supremacy. Your stupidity in this matter is ridiculous, as is the way you have given sole rights to O2 in the UK, meaning that initially it will be priced like the iPhone, but it may well end up more expensive in December when the O2 iPhone exclusivity ends.
And now you tell us that we can't even get webos 1.2 with all its goodness. This is so lame of you. Congratulations for 9 months of true stupidity which may be enough to cost your company the success you arguable deserve. I dont want an iPhone but truly feel like I cant be bothered with the Pre, especially if we here in Europe will always be ten steps behind everyone else.
I so hope you get bought out by Dell.
Simon - London