Google has announced a new mobile-optimized version of their news site. The new and improved Google News site is now available for iPhone, Android, and Palm Pre users. Additionally, Google News for mobile is now available in 29 languages and 70 editions. According to the official Google Mobile Blog:

This new version provides the same richness and personalization on your phone as Google News provides on desktop. Our new homepage displays more stories, sources, and images while keeping a familiar look and feel. Also, you can now reach your favorite sections, discover new ones, find articles and play videos in fewer clicks. If you are an existing Google News reader on desktop, you will find that all of your personalizations are honored in this mobile version too.

Check out the mobile-optimized Google News at http://news.google.com.

source: Google Mobile Blog

Forget RoboCop and McGruff. Not only can it read your mind, sync your address book and calendar, surf the ‘net, and download killer apps — the Palm Pre is also crime-fighter extraordinaire. Watching the local news, a crime story was reported where a man had bought a foreclosed home and observed the previous owner removing light fixtures, speakers, and other items before the new owner could move in.

Suddenly the Palm Pre appeared front and center as the new owner flicked through several photos he had taken of the crime in progress. The pictures were used to help police get to the bottom of what had happened. Crime solved, case closed, and a happy Pre owner got his property back. What’s next for the Pre? Politics?

It was only a couple days ago that we reported on Amazon selling the Palm Pre for $99.99, no rebate required. If that still wasn’t tempting enough to make you jump on the Pre, you will want to take a look at the offer over at CellularDeals for the Pre: $79.99 with no rebate.

It appears that free FedEx shipping is also offered for new lines of service. With the Pixi coming soon for only $99.99, it begs the question — will you get a Pre at this new low price, or does the slimness of the Pixi fit your tastes better?

source: everythingpre

If you’re up in Canada and still eyeballing a Palm Pre, now may be a good time to pick one up given that Bell Canada has just dropped their price to $149.95 CAD with a 3-year contract. That’s a long commitment, but then again, the Pre may be worth having for that period of time. Has Bell Canada hit the sweet spot for you to pick up a Pre?

source: everythingpre

Popular Mechanics magazine has shared what we already know – that the Palm Pre is one amazing device. The popular magazine has listed the Pre as one of their “10 Most Brilliant Products of 2009″, stating that the Pre:

…doesn’t break ground with any one engineering advance. Instead, it sets a new standard by putting all the best available technologies together. Most cellphones—even high-end ones—excel at some tasks, while utterly ignoring others. The Palm Pre’s features read like a gadget geek’s wish list: optional inductive charging, a full keyboard, the ability to sync with iTunes—and it can run multiple applications at once. Sometimes more is more.

Sounds like a shining endorsement to us. If you still haven’t checked out the Palm Pre, then maybe you’ll be encouraged to do so after reading what Popular Mechanics has to say about it.

source: PreCentral via Popular Mechanics

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

Sprint and the popular television show “Heroes” have a cozy relationship – Sprint phones have appeared on the show before and now it looks like the Palm Pre will possibly have a guest-starring role. The new season cranks up on September 21st with a two-hour debut special, with NBC’s site displaying the name ORIENTATION / JUMP, PUSH, FALL. We’re unsure about how much screen-time the Pre will get (if any), but it sure looks like it will have a role. Tune in on the 21st and let us know if you see the Pre!

source: mypre.com

Palm’s App Catalog is growing by a trickle rather than a flood, but any new apps for the masses are more than welcome. Case in point, two new apps have appeared for your downloading pleasure: Blackout from Uberu, a lights out style of game, and Spades from Bytesequencing, a version of the classic card game. Both apps are at a very attractive price – FREE! The Spades app is ad-supported.

Give them a download and let us know what you think. Also, what apps do you want to see in the App Catalog?

Source: Palm Infocenter

Is an on-screen keyboard for the Pre something we will see in the future? We sure hope so. As nice as the Pre is with it’s slide-out physical keyboard and compact design, it would truly be a shame if we could not take advantage of it’s multi-touch display to access an on-screen virtual keyboard as an alternative to sliding out the physical one.

Thanks to the enterprising folks at webOS Intervals, an on-screen software keyboard may one day move from browser-based SSH input to native functionality on the Pre. Also, to quicken your pulse a little more than it is already, a “pre-Alpha” patch is already available to install on your Pre, but be warned that this should only be undertaken by the brave and knowledgeable. Perhaps we will see an on-screen keyboard more sooner than later!

Source: pre central

We just reported on Canada getting the Pre on August 27, and now we have a pure, unadulterated, unsubstantiated rumor that several sources believe the Palm Pre will be released on October 30th on the O2 network in the U.K. O2 generally likes releasing high-profile phones on Fridays, and – lo and behold – this date is consistent with their philosophy. To add further support to this rumor, this little tidbit allegedly came from an O2 employee and the launch date is consistent with O2’s recent claims that they would be able to offer the Pre in time for Christmas. How will the Pre perform in Europe?

Source: Palm Infocenter