VersaMail Update for Palm Centro Smartphone

Just a quick note to let you know that we have posted an update to VersaMail for Palm Centro users that includes improved Gmail compatibility. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Product update includes:

• Enhancements to Gmail IMAP compatibility and an updated setup wizard with the new Gmail settings
• Improvements to help eliminate the silent failure of email when using Microsoft's Direct Push Technology via Exchange ActiveSync in VersaMail. Some users have reported that their email stops arriving, but they are not notified to press "Sync" to re-enable Direct Push Technology. This update helps eliminate the occurrence of this scenario.

If you do not use Microsoft EAS or Gmail IMAP for email, you do not need to download this new version of VersaMail. Visit the support page for details.

Steve J. - Product Manager, Email

Comments

[Chris]

I hope we are able to see Gmail with bigger fonts in Palm like in iPhones. Why can't Palm bring similar customization as well.

[David Barr]

Why does this patch apply only to the Centro and not to all Treo's that use Versamail? I've got a 700p. Do I need a similar patch?

[Joshua Ochs]

And of course, no updates for users of any other Treo than the latest and greatest. This is one of the many reasons I'm switching to an iPhone when my contract is up.

Apple may be getting a lot of heat over charging $20 for adding the new software update on the iPod Touch, but at least they offer them!

[twitch3]

Any chance of an update for the 755P as well? I have the silent email failure as well sometimes and would like to sync additional items besides contacts and calendar. Also, did you know that the Treo is capable of vibrating and can play many other sounds besides system, alarm, alert, bird, concerto, phone, sci-fi, and wake up?

[Kurt]

Will the versamail upgrade be compatable with the version shipped on the Treo 700p?

[Cec]

Downloading now .. let's see how this goes. The words "improved Gmail compatibility" and "Enhancements to Gmail IMAP compatibility" don't sound confident. Will there be "full compatibility"? Let's see. If so, it may be time to ditch that little Sprint Mobile Email app.

[Daniel Lemire]

Hey... what about everybody else that has a Palm phone that's not a Centro?

[Joey]

The update does not seem to be taking for me. It runs through the installser process, resets, then when I check the About Versamail it still shows only 4.0.1 (no build).

[Andrew]

Where's the update for the 755p's? Where's the updates for the people who spent three times the money on a device that has an email program that doesn't even have a vibrate alert for new mail?

[Ernest]

So is there a patch comming that will allowTreo users the same convience or are we the forgotten of the bunch

[Mike Lambert]

THANK YOU, Palm! I've been using Sprint's Mobile Email app and while it works fine and I like it, I preferred VersaMail's more "compact" on-screen presentation. Can't wait to try it...

[samir]

FINALY! I have been waiting for this update since like forever. I never was able to get gmail to work. Let's see if it works now!

[Stefan]

I'd like to chime in and ask when an updated VersaMail version will become available for the Treo 755p?

[Mike]

Thanks for the update, but a few items could be better:

1. Gmail has push capability (via IMAP IDLE), but this Versamail update does not allow this functionality. VM would be so much better if Palm just took the final step and added IDLE support.

2. HTML support seems to be added for POP accounts but not EAS...what's up with that?

3. This update is in RAM, not ROM and (without the above features) I'm not sure it's worth the 3MB or so.

Palm, thanks for listening but this could have been much better!

I hope the promised 'My Location' support for Google Maps is coming soon and is executed better.

[Joe]

Older palm phones? Heck, how about the latest and greatest palm pilot. I have a TX, which is the latest, and palm treats it as obsolete. Would it really be that much work to give us with palm pilots an update?

[Jay]

Nice. So, when do we get this improvement for the 700p? It drives me nuts that I can't use my Gmail IMAP service on my phone without spending another $80 for a 3rd party app.

[VAStateOfMind]

I downloaded the VersaMail update yesterday and upgraded the version on my Palm Centro, HOWEVER -- I still notice the little things that were wrong with the previous version, like entire messages being truncated (even after telling the program to download the entire message in prefs) and anomolies with auto-syncing. Palm says the 'About' dialog box should say that you're using VersaMail 4.0.1, Build 77 after the update, but I see nothing about Build 77 -- is this thing REALLY updating? Don't have time to fool with it, so I'm BACK to Sprint Mobile Email.

[Bob-C]

It is really great that you folloeed up on my other post commenting on gmail being important to the demographic you are targetting.

Now that you've updated Versamail though, is this going to be released for the other Treo's? If not why?

BTW, on the Windows Vista Team Blog the product manager routinely follows up user comments with answers. There is never an onslaught of user Comments on this blog so it would not take much time to occassionally reply back to us. This issue is one of those where we, your high end Treo line users, deserve an answer. It would be rude of Palm not to. We look forward to reading your follow up.

[Tony]

Ditto: We spend a premium to get the "Premium" 755p over the cheaper Centro and the Centro gets the updates??

[Stephen]

Does the new version now allow EAS to sync the entire Calendar (This is key), E-mail and Contacts to the device instead of limiting to a 6 month window?

[Chris Barker]

Well, this didn't work. I followed instructions explicitly. As another has said, after update I do not get the Build 77 even though when I run VM it says I have a new version of VM. Also, when I try to connect to Gmail imap it starts to connect and then says "out of memory" and quits.

Does anybody at palm test this stuff befor e slinging it out into the wild?

Running a Centro of course.

Bleh!

-CB

[Bob-C]

Steve J.,

There is no seeming reason why you can't provide this Versamail update for all the Treos. So either let us know if you planto or not before we do something reckless like start loading it on non-Centro's. You know if this update bricks them and they are still under warranty that the carriers are going to take 99% of them back no questions asked. Then you are just going to have to eat more $$$ on warranties like you did when the 700p MR bricked your bottom line. So it is in everyone's best interests to just answer the question right here in the Comments feedback.

The product manager over on the Vista team development blog answers user questions like this right in the Comments section so there is no reason you can't too. It is not like you are getting overrun with comments here either. Everyone here who has bought your high end Treos deserves an answer so do the professional thing and let us know. I look forward to reading your answer.

[Misha]

You can actually install this update on Treo 755p :)

[Raj]

I was able to successfully update Versamail on my Centro. Regarding a prior comment about being able to tell whether the build was successful, I also did NOT see the "Build 77" notation on the Versamail info screen from the menu as mentioned by the Palm website. I assume it's working now since I was having problems before updating getting Versamail to download my email from Gmail.

[Steve J. (Palm, Inc.)]

VersaMail 4 was built specifically for and tested on the Palm Centro. It has not been tuned to or tested on other Palm smartphones, so it’s not currently supported on other Palm devices. We don’t have plans at this time to test on additional Palm devices.