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Facebook finally comes to webOS, not with a bang but a whimper

by Ross Miller posted Nov 16th 2009 at 12:51AM

Just in time for the Pixi's grand debut, webOS devices (that's just Pixi and Pre) now have their first official Facebook app, joining the ranks of iPhone and Android... and we're sad to report that it's about as barebones as they can get. It pulls from the raw live stream, seemingly unfiltered -- even if you said "no" to Farmville updates on your main feed, they'll show up here. Clicking a YouTube link brings you to the YouTube app, clicking links go to browser. You can update your status or upload a photo, but that's about it. You can't seem to search Facebook for any info, view events, or anything else, and clicking on someone's name or photo brings up their contact info. And that's about it -- can someone give Joe Hewitt a ring? Still, it's better than nothing. WebOS 1.3.1 is required, not that you had any reason to hold off upgrading.

Gallery: Facebook for webOS

Palm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 update available now

by Richard Lawler posted Nov 14th 2009 at 12:49AM

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.

GSM Palm Pre bound for Mexico, coming to Telcel on November 27th

by Ross Miller posted Nov 12th 2009 at 3:47PM

Remember that FCC filing for a GSM-loving North American Palm Pre? Looks like the mystery's been solved, Encyclopedia Brown, and our culprit is just south of the border. As previously rumored, Mexico's Telcel will get the Pre, SIM card slot and all. Launch date is November 27th, just in time for the US to be thankful for an online community ready to unlock and import this stateside.

[Thanks, Andres]

Flash 10.1 coming to webOS in first half 2010, says kinder, gentler Adobe page

by Ross Miller posted Nov 11th 2009 at 10:49PM

Adobe may be a bit curt with its page to Apple and its iPhone faithful, but try getting Flash from a webOS device, and the company's got a message of hope: Flash 10.1 is coming, just wait until the first half of 2010. We don't know how long this message has been up there, but as far as both we and PreCentral can tell, it's fresh. It's certainly a date we haven't seen before -- last we heard a public beta was coming the end of this year, which may or may not still be the plan if the above message is referring to a final, non-beta release. Now you current Pre / future Pixi owners have something else to look forward to besides release 1.3.1.

Palm Pre price keeps sinking on Bell, down to $100

by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2009 at 7:41PM

Just weeks after Palm's Pre sunk to CAD $149.95 on Bell, the outfit's first-ever webOS phone has now stooped to just CAD $99.95. That still requires a 3-year contract, of course, but man -- a single bill for a smartphone like the Pre? Anyone tossing out guesses on how long it takes Sprint to follow suit (and embarrass the Pixi)?

[Thanks, David]

Palm: webOS speed fix in the 'immediate future'

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 4th 2009 at 3:31AM

Palm device owners have little to complain about when it comes to webOS; not after enduring Garnet and empty Access promises for so long. Still, that OS which relies so heavily upon web technologies like HTML 5, JavaScript, and CSS can be surprisingly sluggish when compared to other smartphone OSes. Now we have a hint as to why thanks to Palm's Ben Galbraith and Dion Almae who made an interesting admission Tuesday related to the Pre's UI latency compared to the iPhone 3GS -- a phone based on the same ARM architecture. According to the duo, "the path to the GPU didn't exist" in webOS, something that will be solved in the "immediate future" using CSS transforms to modify visual elements thus freeing-up CPU cycles for other tasks. Hmm, immediate future sure sounds like a webOS update to accompany the Palm Pixi release on November 15th.

[Via Everything Pre]

GSM Palm Pre unlocked with a little Rebel assistance

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 1:58PM

It's not exactly the native unlock we've been waiting for, but those of you in Europe dying for a Pre unshackled from O2 will be happy to know that the Rebel Simcard II is now compatible with Palm's first webOS device. The £10.99 / $17.95 accessory card slots in between your carrier's SIM and the Pre's SIM slot, bypassing the Pre's network locks and allowing full access to voice and data services including 3G. Sadly, the Pre doesn't have the radio support to make this work in the States on anything but EDGE, but at least it's a start, right? Video after the break.

[Thanks, Ji]

Continue reading GSM Palm Pre unlocked with a little Rebel assistance

Ask Engadget: Which Android phone should I get?

by Darren Murph posted Oct 29th 2009 at 9:02PM

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Chris, who is deathly afraid that making the wrong choice on an Android phone will ruin his life completely.

"Listen, I am an obsessed gadget hound who needs some real help. I just switched to Sprint from Verizon about three months ago for the Pre. Mostly because they said that they weren't getting an Android anytime soon (ha!). Anyways, I like the Pre but Sprint in my area is spotty at best. I have been intrigued with Android and have had HTC in the past with some good success, so I went for the Hero about a week ago. Now, I miss my hardware keyboard and am thinking about switching to the Moment. After Chris's pithy review of the Moment it seems that may not be the correct choice either. So, I am still able to switch back to Verizon if I want and get the Droid when it arrives. Should I just trade up to the Moment when it comes out, see if I like it, and if not switch to the Droid? Or something else entirely? Help!"

Wow Chris, that's a pretty compelling story. Really engrossing. So much so, in fact, that we're sure you'll have no issue getting all sorts of helpful replies in comments below. Right, Android lovers? Right?

Unofficial patch lets you hang up Palm Pre calls by closing the slider

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 19th 2009 at 5:46PM

You know how easy and natural it is to hang up a call on a cellphone by sliding it closed or flipping it shut? It's a small satisfaction that's been lost on touchscreen-only phones, but it would seem to still make sense on something like, say, the Palm Pre -- just not to Palm, it seems. Well, it looks like unofficial patch maker KeyToss has now finally stepped in and done what Palm hasn't, and produced a patch that does nothing more than let you end a call by closing the slider on your Pre. Who knows? You might even start hanging up on people just for the fun of it. Hit up the link below for all the necessary details on installing the patch.

Caption contest: Palm strikes a pose in Spain

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 17th 2009 at 4:38PM

There are three things in this crazy world that scare the living daylights out of us: poor battery life, scratched screens, and seven-foot tall she-bots wielding Pres like concealed weapons. This, it seems, was the nightmarish scenario facing Madrid as it launched Palm's first webOS-based phone this week.

Chris: "I'm being treated well, but please, it's imperative that you buy this phone as expediently as possible."
Richard Lai: "My other toy is the Pre."
Ross: "It says if we don't do exactly as it commands, the Spiders from Mars will return and destroy us all."
Darren: "Geordi La Forge and I are like this."
Josh T.: "So far they have treated me well, but I fear that could change at any moment. If you comply with their demand for 300 pairs of leather pants, they say I will be released unharmed."
Thomas: "Sir, I assure you, this is exactly how they do it in America."

Verizon confirms: Palm Pre hitting Big Red "early next year"

by Darren Murph posted Oct 17th 2009 at 11:41AM

Oftentimes a picture shouts a thousand words. Other times it belts out precisely a dozen. Straight from Verizon Wireless' official Twitter account comes this, a confirmation that the Palm Pre we knew was coming to Big Red, well, is coming to Big Red. If you can hold off through the tempting holiday rush, you'll find Palm's first-ever webOS device on VZW "early next year." Huzzah!

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Palm Pre now available on O2 UK

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 16th 2009 at 3:43AM

And the Telefonica rollout of the GSM Pre continues. Starting today, those gorgeous people populating the sinking, but still glorious, isle of the United Kingdom can get their hands on a Palm Pre by hitting up their nearest O2 store. And by hitting up we mean becoming customers, not robbing the place. Anyway, the cheapest (or least expensive) 18-month tariff on which the Pre can be had for free is £44.05 ($71) per month, which throws in 1,200 free minutes and "unlimited" data and WiFi. That monthly price drops to £34.26 ($55) if you go for a two-year contract, but the bundled minutes are also fewer at 600. There's also an option to pay £96.89 ($157) for the handset upfront, which cuts the cost of the subsequent price plans, full details of which can be found at the read link.

[Thanks, Cuan B.]

First GSM Palm Pre now on sale in Germany, with new Euro-specific apps in tow

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 13th 2009 at 5:15AM

We knew it was coming, and here it is -- the glorious first showing of the Palm Pre in its GSM garb. From today, our Deutsch comrades can grab a Pre and do whatever they want to do to it, courtesy of O2, its exclusive German supplier. The device will set you back €481 without contract, with the O2 My Handy option letting you finance it via 24 monthly payments of €20. Check out the online store link below for full details and available calling plans. Pre Thinking have also noted the arrival of two new free apps in the Pre catalog -- ran and VZ-Netzwerke, both in German -- and the likely prospect of even more coming along as the Pre starts its long-awaited rollout across Europe over the next few days.

[Via Engadget German]

Read - O2 Germany Palm Pre launch announcement
Read - O2 Germany online store
Read - Pre Thinking

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up

by Laura June posted Oct 9th 2009 at 12:16PM

Yes, this was only a matter of time, and we're a little surprised we didn't see one earlier. Regardless, this is the Palm Pre knockoff we've been waiting for. Seemingly called just iPhone +QWERTY -- this KIRF is being marketed as just that -- a real business phone with a hybrid identity blending the BlackBerry and the iPhone. And really, that's not too bad of a description for this little dude, we guess. Boasting analog TV, Bluetooth, and an FM radio, it runs the much-loved OPhone operating system, and can be had for 600 RMP (about $88). There are two more shots after the break. Hit the read link for a full peek.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up

GSM Palm Pre to launch on Telcel in Mexico, feature storage expansion?

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 8th 2009 at 3:01PM

Well, this is interesting: we'd been under the impression that Telefonica had pretty much wrapped up a global exclusive on the GSM Palm Pre under the O2 and Movistar brands, but here we are, looking at two videos which claim that the Pre will launch in Mexico under rival América Móvil's Telcel label. That's certainly interesting -- and even more intriguingly, we're told that the gentlemen in this video are discussing storage expansion slots on the Pre, which is basically like having a conversation about Santa winning the Super Bowl in terms of Things That Are Real. Did Telcel just manage to pull the rug out from under Movistar and land what could be the best Pre of them all? We're on pins and needles, here. Videos after the break -- and if anyone wants to leave a better translation for us in comments, we're all ears.

Continue reading GSM Palm Pre to launch on Telcel in Mexico, feature storage expansion?