Just like an inexplicable bad cold, software bugs can require some hasty updates to combat and fix their issues. So that’s why it isn’t too surprising that the Palm Pre and Pixi are getting another makeover so soon. Now the main culprit behind the expected webOS 1.3.5.1 is a bug that’s causing calendar events to get cleared soon after syncing to an Exchange account. For the business type, that probably would pose not only a major problem, but can throw off some who readily relies on their calendars for guidance. Other than that one bug being fixed in this update, there are no other features to be found to really make this minor update stand out. So check your phone to see if the update is available to download.
source: Palm via Engadgetmobile

With the Palm Pre readily available in most parts of Europe now, it was just only a matter of time before we see paid apps being made available in Europe for the webOS powered handset. Attempting to move forward in the paid apps market, Palm is looking towards a target date of March 2010 before we start seeing them readily available. Through Palm’s own developer networking blog, they make some clear indications about the opportunities that developers can expect with “faster cycle times” so they can provide high quality applications. With the attraction of monetary compensation, Palm plans on offering greater freedom and how apps are marketed – so that developers can promote and grow their business. Let’s just hope that the end result for the user is there – meaning that the App Catalog won’t be bombarded with a bunch of worthless apps. With over 600 apps available in 2 months in the US, we should expect to see a boom out of the European Market in the very near future.
source: Palm Developer Network Blog via Engadgetmobile

Earlier reports have hinted to over 600,000 Palm units being amassed and ready to ship to Big Red – that figure was down from the original 800,000 due to units not meeting Verizon’s equipment verification process. In any case, now it looks like a tipster has informed BGR that both the Palm Pre and Pixi have begun surfacing in Verizon’s inventory systems. Additionally, the same source has been heard saying that Verizon ordered roughly 200,000 units a piece for both the Pre and Pixi units – a grand total of 400,000 awaiting to be shipped out. It’s really unclear as to how or why this figure is down heavily from the speculated original 800,000. We’d surmise that maybe Verizon is taking the conservative approach on their bid on selling enough Palm units. If it does well, we’re sure that Big Red will continue to order units as the demand for them increases.
source: BGR

An anonymous tipster passed along to Engadget a picture of Sprint’s internal computer system that reveals a pink version of the Palm Pixi. With Valentine’s Day just a little less than 6 weeks away, offering up a version of the webOS device for the ladies seems not only like chivalry, but also good business sense. With the square industrial design of the Motorola DROID considered to be attractive to males, why shouldn’t Palm and Sprint offer a handset with soft feminine curves, in pink. Besides, with a name like Pixi, the phone even sounds like it has been made for the ladies. No, we’re not saying that there is anything wrong with a man owning the device. We’re merely pointing out that giving a pink Palm Pixi to your Wife or SO would probably be well appreciated on Valentine’s Day. Well appreciated.
source: Engadget

It was just about a year ago when Palm unveiled the Pre at last year’s CES and proved to be a big win for the PDA pioneers. At the helm of course was none other than one time former Apple employee John Rubinstein who almost single handedly reinvigorated life back into Palm – the company was slowly starting to see a premature demise. Rubinstein helped brought in the Palm Pre and webOS to the masses – people were hesitant about Palm’s big move toward a whole new mobile platform that was created from the ground up. To commend his efforts, Fast Company has revealed that John Rubenstein has been chosen to be awarded the 2009 title of “Geek of the Year.” Rubenstein was sought out and managed to beat out other contemporaries such as Star Trek director/producer J.J. Abrams, Twitter cofounders Evan Williams and Biz Stone, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg. In the face of onslaught brought on by other mobile platforms like Android, Palm’s CEO will have to muster up something compelling this year around if he intends on keeping his crown.
source: Fast Company via Pre Central & Engadget

The Palm Pre had a successful launch over the summer, but its diminished sales placed Carphone Warehouse in an unusual situation. Facing an insurmountable stockpile of Palm Pre smartphones, the UK based company is doing all it can to try and surge their Palm Pre sales. This includes enticing prospective buyers with two free airline tickets for anyone willing to purchase Palm’s first WebOS powered handset. This deal won’t last forever, unless we’d imagine sales don’t meet their expected levels, and will carry on throughout the month of January.

One factor playing a key role in Carphone Warehouse’s mountain high levels of unsold Palm Pres is that it’s only available through O2. Sure the price tag of being free with a contract with O2 sounds good enough, but Carphone Warehouse is going the extra step by providing these free airline tickets. The deal sounds tempting enough – hopefully those Palm Pres sitting around will find a home soon.
via Unwired View

Doom has already exploded onto the scene of the Palm Pre in a fully up and running form, but ID’s other famous first person shooter has gotten some face time as well. Boasting updated graphics compared to Doom, Quake has been ported over to the Palm Pre thanks to the new SDL library that’s cooked into WebOS.  Unfortunately though, it’s still not in tip top form to be considered playable because it crashes as soon as you attempt to load a new game – the developer, dtzWill, plans on having a fix in place and have a playable version released soon. You can check out the video in the mean time and cross your fingers that a final working version will be available soon. So far we have Doom and Quake from ID, so we wonder what else is in store on the horizon for the Pre?
via PalmInfocenter

The Palm App Catalog continues to steadily grow with each passing day, and now it looks like it will pass the 1,000 app mark either by the end of the year, which is now upon us, or very early in 2010. As more apps fill up the catalog, the webOS platform will become further entrenched and we can expect to see more specialized apps for business owners, students and professionals.

Although the apps in the App Catalog are designed for webOS devices, not all of the apps work for both Palm Pre and Pixi. Some of the apps are for the Pre only, but if you’re a Pixi owner, never fear — there are plenty of apps designed to work with both the Pre and the Pixi. Keep an eye on the app number in the top right corner of your App Catalog for the moment it passes 1,000. Good work, Palm — now let’s raise our glasses this New Year to thousands more apps!

source: mypre

A brand new version of the Palm Pre has showed up in the database of Wi-Fi Alliance. Its designation appears to be P101EWW, while the handset that´s currently on sale through Sprint is codenamed P100EWW. The rumor has it this is the version of the smartphone that will be distributed by Verizon. It has already caused some tongues to wag and we already know quite a lot about it. According to the latest information the device will be called the Palm Pre Plus. We do not want to speculate on the matter, but we need to point out that it´s not unlikely that we see this particular version of the device at CES 2010 in less than two weeks. Moreover, we hope to see Palm give all attendants a truly nice surprise by introducing some new WebOS-based handset.
source: EngadgetMobile

WebOS is looking to take back some of the spotlight that the Android platform has been steadily receiving with their continuous release of handsets. Palm may not have struck gold with the Pre over at Sprint, but they’re looking to gain more exposure through Verizon Wireless. With that in mind, Palm has amassed roughly around 600,000 Palm Pixis slated for delivery in the first quarter of next year. That figure is down from the rumored 800,000 that was on order from ODM Compal – it seems that some units have failed Verizon’s rigorous equipment certification process. As for Big Red, they’re embarking on a journey that will place them in a perfect spot with having one of the best handset offerings – the addition of the Palm Pixi clearly shows their competitive nature. Even though a decent chunk of units failed testing, we’re hoping that it does not push back the release date of the Pixi.
source: DigiTimes via Engadgetmobile