Welcome back to ye old Rumor Mill & Speculation. According to CoolSmartphone, Palm is cutting back and laying off some staff in the U.S. This is unconfirmed and should be taken with a grain of salt, but since Pre sales topped out in August at 375,000 units and the price has spiraled downward, there could be some truth to this rumor if Palm needs to trim down and remain viable.

It seems like Palm’s strategy as the “comeback kid” will require surviving long enough to move from the introduction of the webOS-based Pre, then the Pixi as they move from Sprint exclusivity to other carriers like Verizon and AT&T. Our sister site, PhoneArena, has some insightful comments on this rumor as well. According to CrunchGear, Palm is NOT laying people off but merely “better aligning” their staff. It’s not uncommon for a company to add and subtract personnel with the ebb and flow of their sales cycle and the economy in general, but we all know that Palm has had some tough times and if this rumor is true, it means they are still a long way from being out of the woods.

source: PhoneArena via CoolSmartphone and CrunchGear

The e-book has become a part of everyday life with the advantages of using no paper, being able to lug around a library of books in your pocket, and the benefit of paying a little less dough for a new release rather than dropping $20-30 bucks for the hardcover. You may be familiar with eReader.com, an extremely popular e-book site that offers e-book readers for several mobile platforms so you can read on the go. We’ve learned that eReader will soon be coming to the webOS platform and we are delighted. According to eReader:

We are currently in the process of porting our reading software to the Palm Pre platform, webOS.  However, we cannot announce a release date at this time.  Any announcements about new releases of our software will be in future issues of the eReader.com Newsletter.

Even though no promise date is given, it’s great to know that it’s in the works and that webOS users will soon have the popular eReader on their Pre, Pixi, etc.

source: precentral.net

First we learned that Verizon would get the Pre after Sprint exclusivity ended. Then, the rumor mill started cranking and we heard that Verizon was going to pass on it. Not true. Now that this silliness has been straightened out, we are learning that Verizon may get a revamped Pre – possibly with more memory, even a microSD slot and a slightly larger screen with quality improvements. It’s exciting enough to know that Verizon will be getting the Pre after all, but the pot is certainly sweetened if their Palm Pre is new and improved. We’ll keep our ear to the ground on this one and report if we learn anything further.

source: examiner.com

Along with the release of the webOS version 1.2 update, Palm has also unveiled the Mojo Software Development Kit 1.2 for developers. The importance of developers having this new SDK includes keeping the development environment in sync with the new OS version on the handheld device as well as the emulator ROM and Mojo Framework matching the updated webOS software. The updates include:

• Improved installation and development platform support.
  The Mojo SDK now supports Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Windows 7 Beta (32- and 64-bit), and Windows Vista 64-bit. We’ve also addressed a number of configuration and installation issues that you’ve reported – thanks for your help in tracking these down.
• New and improved SDK tools.
  Debugging your app should be much easier thanks to the new palm-log tool, which can display or tail your app’s log output — including JavaScript syntax errors and runtime exceptions. The v1.2 SDK also includes a new webOS Resource Monitor (WORM) tool to help you monitor your app’s memory usage and an updated Palm Inspector with improved reload functionality and reliability.
• New and enhanced APIs.
  There are a handful of new APIs in the latest SDK, including perhaps the single most popular request: the new Download Manager API lets apps download and upload files over HTTP.

Developers can download the updated SDK right here.

source: palm

It’s always a treat to see something alongside the little yellow-and-red-bowed gift-wrapped package: a new webOS update from Palm. Palm webOS update 1.2.0 is now ready to go, so swipe over to the update on your Palm Pre and get busy downloading the update.

There’s lots to list on this new update, so rather than list page after page right here, you can read up on all of the goodies right here at Palm Support. Before you make the jump, though, you will want to know that it’s unfortunate that this update does NOT fix syncing with iTunes. So, if you have an iTunes version previous to iTunes 9, it may be best to hang on to it for a while in the event that a fix for syncing should come.

source: everythingpre

PhoneNews and LetsTalk are combining to make it possible to get a new Palm Pre for the low, low price of FREE after rebates and cash-back. Time is very limited, so you must act fast. According to phonecashback.net, this offer is running until September 30 at 5:00PM. Also, you must be a new Sprint customer – current customers seeking an upgrade are not eligible. To sweeten the deal, LetsTalk is throwing in a couple freebies: a charger and a Bluetooth headset. The following instructions are available on phonecashback.net.

source: phonecashback.net

Life just isn’t any fun unless you can count on the rumor mill cranking out rumors, only then to be squished flat by the voice(s) of reason. We reported yesterday (along with most of the blogosphere) that Verizon might pass on the Pre. Well, the analysts have spoken and they tell a different story than what The Street was reporting yesterday. According to Deutsche Bank’s Jonathan Goldberg and Morgan Keegan & Co’s Tavis McCourt, all systems appear to be “GO” and Palm’s financial projections and supply chain orders point to a Verizon webOS offering early next year, possibly February. We say “webOS” offering because we don’t know for sure if Verizon will carry the Pre — it could very well be a Pixi or another heretofore-unseen webOS device as Palm is known to do. Bottom line: Verizon Palm-lovers rejoice!

source: engadget mobile

The rumor mill never stops, running 24/7, cranking out rumors that sometimes bear out as fact. According to some sources close to Verizon/Palm Pre discussions, Verizon is planning to pass on the Pre. Originally, Verizon was planning on adopting the Pre right after Sprint’s exclusivity expired – January, to be precise. Now, it appears that Verizon will pass on the Pre altogether, dealing a hefty blow against Palm and Verizon subscribers that have been anxiously awaiting the Pre’s arrival. After mediocre sales through Sprint, Palm was undoubtedly counting on Verizon to dramatically increase Pre distribution. Now, Palm may have to be content with adding AT&T Wireless.

source: BGR

There is a bit of a history between Palm and Apple and the Palm Pre’s use of iTunes for syncing media. Palm has been manipulating the hardware Vendor ID so that iTunes has recognized the Pre as an iPod, and iTunes responds by closing the loophole with each subsequent iTunes update. Then, Palm circumvents Apple’s update and the cat-and-mouse game continues. Recently, Palm approached the USB Implementers Forum to seek support in preventing Apple from restricting use of iTunes. Instead of garnering support, the USB-IF Forum is riled up. They don’t see that Apple is in violation of their rules and regulations by blocking Palm’s use of iTunes, and they are upset by Palm’s position that they will use Apple’s Vendor ID to access iTunes – they view this as a violation and expect Palm to respond with their intent within a week.

Where does Palm go from here? We should find out soon. Although use of iTunes is convenient, Palm may consider devising their own syncing method so they no longer stir up the Apple and USB-IF hornets nest.

source: engadget mobile

One thing you gotta love about the emerging webOS community are the enterprising people that spend their time and donate their know-how to improve things for all of us. The folks over at webOS Internals have continued to make improvements on an on-screen keyboard for the Pre. Over at PreCentral’s forums, we learn that version 0.2.2 of the hack now allows for changing themes on the fly and now Bell Mobility Pre owners can use it as well. If you want to give it a go, then just hope over here to PreCentral’s handy instructions and let us know how it works for you.

source: PreCentral