News | 24 Nov 2009 :
Palm has said that owners of the Palm Pre on the 02 network will receive an update to their handset's operating system in the next few days.
Palm said the update will happen automatically over the air when in range of a Wi-Fi or 3G network, and no user intervention is required, though if users decide to check manually, the update is best handled over Wi-Fi as it is around 134Mb in size.
The update takes webOS from version 1.1.3 up to 1.3.1.
In a blog post, the company said that the update adds a new Facebook for Palm application and adds support for LinkedIn and Yahoo contacts. It also brings improvements for e-mail and messaging and users will now be able to forward messages in the messaging app.
There are many other minor updates and bug fixes, and a full list of the changes can be read on the Palm web site.
Hands on: Our test unit was updated yesterday, the entire download, over Wi-Fi, and install taking about 25-30 minutes. There were no issues and all data and settings were preserved. Even the new Facebook app picked up the settings from the browser to allow direct log in.
The first impression is that the interface seems a little snappier, from tapping the screen to application load. There is a long list of refinements and fixes, that we won't go into right now, but there is now the facility for vibrate only alarms among other things.
For such a mjaor update, much was expected and 1.3.1 appears to deliver. If the update process is anything to judge by, it should make the device easier to use, fast and more responsive.
Watch this space.