The Official Palm Blog

Version 1.3.1 of webOS en route to Europe

Palm Pre customers on Telefonica networks in the UK, Ireland, Germany, and Spain can expect an automatic update to webOS 1.3.1 soon. No action is required; your over-the-air update will take place when you have WiFi or 3G coverage within the next few days. Highlights of the update include:

• support for LinkedIn contacts and Yahoo! calendar and contact information in Palm
• improvements in e-mail and messaging, such as the ability to forward messages in the Messaging app
• a new Facebook for Palm app
• more options for using your Palm Pre in corporate EAS environments.

You can find more information about the over-the-air update process here and can find details about the update in your country here for the UK and Ireland, here for Germany, and here for Spain.

Jon Zilber

Curious about Artist Series? Join us for Q&A on Monday

Just a reminder: We'll be holding a Q&A session with some of designers showcased in the Palm Pixi Artist Series on Monday, November 23 at 10:30 am (Pacific) on Twitter. Follow @palm for a reminder, and get more details about the Artist Series here. 

Jon Zilber

Tapping into your inner photographer

Sometimes all it takes is a quick tap or two to get more out of the camera in your Palm Pre or Palm Pixi. Here are a few quick taps...er, tips...from Palm customer support:

• Hold down the option key on your webOS phone (the white or orange key on the lower left of the keyboard) while tapping an image in the web browser to get a list of options like share and copy to photos.
• Use the space bar on your phone’s keyboard to take a photo. Press it repeatedly to take multiple pictures.
• Personalize your phone by setting a photo as your phone’s wallpaper. Find a photo in your Photo roll and tap it once. Tap the icon in lower left part of your screen and select Set wallpaper.

Click here for more photo pointers.

Parissa M., Customer Support

What's new in webOS 1.3.1?

If you use a Palm Pre on the Sprint or Bell networks, you'll be getting an automatic over-the-air update to webOS 1.3.1. (Ditto for folks picking up a Palm Pixi on Sunday.)

With this update, your Yahoo! information (such as contacts and calendar events, and messaging) is now integrated with Palm Synergy, along with info from your Outlook EAS, Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn accounts. If you use Yahoo! to manage your contacts and calendar events, it will be integrated into your Contacts and Calendar applications on your Palm Pre. On Sprint, you can also now use Yahoo! IM in the webOS Messaging app. For specifics about webOS on your carrier, check the release notes for Sprint here and Bell here.

In your email, you'll also see improved formatting in forwarded messages and find several new shortcuts for common actions such as marking messages as unread. And with webOS 1.3.1, you can now forward and copy individual text messages and IM messages, a feature request we heard from many of you (we welcome your input at www.palm.com/feedback).

Jon Zilber

Palm Pixi officially arrives on Sunday

Is it the phone designed to communicate on your terms: instantly, intuitively, and personally, or the phone you can customize to make it personal? Is it “an incredibly sleek smartphone -- or “an incredibly sexy piece of hardware.”

It¹s all of the above, of course (but you knew that). Palm Pixi is the newest webOS phone, packing in features like Palm Synergy, an exposed keyboard and a vivid multitouch screen, along with compatibility with Touchstone connectionless charging. And it¹s available Sunday on Sprint for $99.99 (after rebate and service agreement).

Want to see it in action? Catch a sneak peek of an upcoming TV ad over on our Facebook page.

Jon Zilber

Palm Pre launching in Mexico on Telcel

On November 27, Palm Pre will become a citizen of yet another country. Joining Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, and the US, Mexico will welcome the webOS phone onto the Telcel network. Pricing is available from Telcel Client Attention Centers and distributors, and additional information about Palm Pre in Mexico can be found at www.palm.com/mx or www.promostelcel.com/palmpre.

Jon Zilber

We’ve got your back

With its sleek design, Palm Pixi definitely makes a statement. And you can personalize that statement with your choice from our stunning collection of limited-edition Palm Pixi Artist Series back covers. Starting November 15, you’ll be able to pre-order your choice of these Touchstone-compatible creations for $49.99 from Palm.com.

Pre-orders will ship in December, when they’ll also be available in selected Sprint stores and on Sprint.com. The first three designs available will be “Skull” by Jeremy Fish, “Two Fish” by Michelle White, and “Hummingbird” by Cole Gerst.

For an insight into the artistic vision behind these designs, join us on November 23 at 10:30 am (Pacific) on Twitter for a special Q&A session with some of the designers showcased in the Artist Series. (Follow @palm for a reminder.)

Jon Zilber

My Palm Pre: The Missing Manual for Everything (for Dummies)

Thankfully, that headline isn't actually the title of a book about Palm Pre; it's the titles of four books squished together.

Palm Pre: The Missing Manual, by USA TODAY's personal tech columnist Ed Baig, shows you how to do more with your Palm Pre -- everything from using Synergy to combine all your contacts, calendars and emails to amping up its media player capabilities.

Don't let the title fool you: Even braniacs might learn a thing or two from Engadget's Chris Ziegler in Palm Pre For Dummies. The book brings you 17 chapters of Palm Pre goodness on topics like managing apps or a deep dive on browsing the web. 

Coming soon are two more titles available for pre-order:

• How to Do Everything Palm Pre, from longtime co-authors and self-proclaimed humorists Rick Broida and Dave Johnson. Their collective enthusiasm and experience bring a fresh take to Pre, its apps and accessories. 
• My Palm Pre, in which gadget guru Joe Hutsko guides you one step at a time through everything you'll want to do with your Palm Pre. 

Jon Zilber

Reminder: Palm Pixi Twitter Q & A today

Later this morning, Phil McClendon, director of product marketing, will be our guest on @palm on Twitter to answer your questions about Palm Pixi. Tweet your questions to @Palm from 11:30 AM 12:30 PM (Pacific) today. 

Please Include the tag #pixi in your tweet. You can also follow all the questions and responses with a Twitter search on #pixi by keeping a browser window open to http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23pixi. 

 Jon Zilber