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

Comments

[Urkel]

Where's Video?

I know it sounds incredibly impatient to hear users beg for features and updates so often but Palm had a window of opportunity that they didn't cash in on and now all the focus has switched back to Android and iPhone OS. Palm started off ahead of the game with WebOS but in only 5months they seem to be playing catch up again.

[Chris]

thanks so much for releasing updates to webos so quickly and with such frequency. it's a nice change from my previous device, which was an iphone 3g.

[Lars]

What's about O2?

[Simon Hunter]

where is webOS 1.3.1 for the GSM UK o2 Pre ? :( software parity plzzz??? :)

[Pan Crazyo]

When is it going to be available for O2 in the UK?

[Abasi]

No Video Recording still???? COME ON!!!!!!
And can we get a copy and paste system that is intuitive like the iPhone???

Still waiting for the iPhone to come to Sprint, Palm's "college try" updates are pissing me off.

[Jeffrey]

Alerts are broken in this release. Even though my system sounds is set OFF and volume to 0, I now get all sorts of sounds. Loud ones. Like when I put my Pre on the Touchstone.

Please issue a fix!

[Silvio Dante]

This is a must get update. I just downloaded it to my Pre a few minutes ago, and I have to say, being able to copy individual text messages and IM messages is a great feature, that was long over due. All in all, I say that this update is a must get.

[mike macon]

FIX THE FREAKIN' APP MEMORY LIMIT, PALM!!!

Otherwise, you'll see a mass exodus to Andriod & iPhone.

This is absolutely RIDICULOUS.

[d]

1.3.1 Yahoo contacts sync appears to be 1-way... is that as designed or should it be 2-way?

[Small Government I.S. Manager]

It is getting to be overwhelmingly frustrating that Palm has not updated the WebOS EAS functionality to include subfolders for messages, contacts, or calendars. This is a basic CRITICAL need for any business user using Exchange!!!!! I love the Pre but if this doesn't happen soon I will dump the Pre.

[tone]

what i really need is video and flash capabilities....get dat set up and then we talk..grrrrr

[Joshua]

What good is this new Yahoo sync when it's only one way?

[twitter.com/illustratorblog]

I would like to delete photos by select several ad delete once instead doing the individual by one on one.

[Lucy Ragone]

With this latest release, now my e-mail does not disappear after clearing my inbox from the web server. Now I have do delete dozens of e-mails manually. Please fix this. I also have the sound issue. Even with sounds turned off, I get the e-mail notification (even with it turned off in the e-mail app). Wasn't this release tested before released??

[doug]

We need a video recorder! Cmon! My old crap nokia from 5 years ago could do it so why can't a pre?
Also:
-Allow me to delete AIM profiles off my contact list. I dot wanna see my friends stupid user names in my phone list.
-Organize contacts better too! I don't mind organizing by last name but when the first name is still desplayed first its a pain especially combined with AIM people.
-Also, if you release one more calculator type app I'm switching to the new samsung android my dad just brought home. Seriously, your apps are the most pathetic excuse for an app in existence. I'm having to jailbreak the phone and use homebrew to get even decent apps.

ps to users: if you use the music app download the remix version off precentrals homebrew list! You can make playlists, select where in the song you want, bookmark where you are in the song if you close the app, it'll load the lyrics for you, it turns with the accelor, and the youtube search is better.

see palm, your apps suck and I'm feeling I wasted my money. I hope you can prove me wrong

[Mike]

Let me start out by saying I love the Pre. I am on O2 in the UK. I am still on webOS 1.1.3 because either you or O2 won't update us. If this does not change before the end of my 14 day return limit I won't be keeping the phone.
There are still glaring holes in the UI that I have and they are annoying. I hope that 1.3.1 fixes them. Features such as the gesture area not working uniformly in all apps is crazy. A good UI is at least consistent.

The quality of the Pre itself is ok at best as your QA process is obviously not up to snuff. For instance if you have a look at the number of people who have trouble with the touchstone charger its a joke - thankfully a little tinkering solved that without invalidating the warranty.

The minor issue of me not being able to install paid apps on webOS 1.1.3 is laughable and frustrating.

I get no email alerts no matter how I set up the Pre - which is REALLY annoying.

How come that you have no auto shut down and auto boot facility? Its basic bloody functionality.

If you want to employ someone who is a pro tester and having used your device for about a week can give you tons of ideas feel free to email me as currently the Pre NEEDS work.

I hate google and apple and that was the reason I got a Pre. Really guys sort it or I'll get another BlackBerry.

I love the device but webOS needs a load of work to be a competitor to the best of whats out there.

As was already mentioned you seem to be missing your publicity window to beat up on apple and android.

Mike.

[JayB]

I can't believe Palm has ceded the netbook space after the Foleo fiasco. Is it that difficult to do it right? I would dump my laptop in a heartbeat if a webOS netbook were available at a competitive price that could sync seamlessly with the phone and have the basic apps--PIM/Outlook, OpenOffice, browser.

[Kevin Brown]

What about a virtual keyboard,video recording, or copying pictures without the gestures or time showing up in the picture?

[tampagirl23]

Please can we get video!!!! That is the one thing I absolutely hate about this phone. I will say I am happy I can finally forward a text message though.

[Marcus]

Umm... I tried utilizing the Yahoo! Messenger, but I keep getting an error message stating that my password is wrong! What the heck? It's the same password that I use to utilize the Yahoo! Email, so what gives?

[Frank Day]

I seem to have lost the ability to connect to Itunes with either the 1.3.1 upgrade or the latest Itunes upgrade. How about a quick fix for this please

[Jason Honingford]

Nice changes -- Palm Synergy is what sets this phone apart from anything else.

[Bill Renfrew]

I went out with a buddy last night and he demonstrated his iPhone. It's so fast and smooth...but mainly FAST. Everything is so seamless, so quick and so stable. I was very jealous. My pre is sluggish. It's very slow to open apps. Once they're open it's sticky.

Also, how the heck to you get the alarm clock to shut off automatically so it won't run down the battery?

Speaking of the battery it seems like everytime I really need my phone I don't have enough power to use it...like taking notes in meetings, etc. I charge it up and don't use it at all and the battery still goes down! I have all the background stuff turned off too. The battery life is the worst.

No audio recorder? No video recorder? The Treo had all this and the battery lasted a week. Crazy to think I bought this as an 'improvement'. It's cool but it's utility is quite low.

[Raymond]

I had a choice of going with the iPhone since my contract with Sprint expired but decided to stick it out with Sprint just to give the Palm Pre a try. I must admit, I'm liking the phone so far and it's potential. I've only had it for a week and the frequency of update releases is encouraging. It's a huge incentive for me to keep the phone and service. Thank you for listening to your customers and I look forward to future releases including video capabilities and Flash compatibility among others! I’m sure Palm developers will get to them hopefully sooner than later to gain or maintain traction of this very capable product.