What's new in Palm webOS 1.4?

The latest update to Palm webOS is now arriving on your phone via an over-the-air update. The update is now available for customers on the Sprint network in the US and on the O2 UK, O2 DE, O2 Ireland, and Movistar networks in Europe. [February 27: The update was released today for customers using the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus on Verizon Wireless.] The update is expected to be available for Palm webOS phones on other networks soon. Highlights of the latest update include:

• The ability to capture, edit, and share video: Not only can you easily shoot video footage from your Palm webOS phone, but you can also make quick edits and upload your footage to YouTube or Facebook (or send them via email or MMS) with just a couple of taps. See the video capabilities in action in the video below.
  
  



• Get more done faster: The Calendar, Phone, Messaging, and Email apps have all been enhanced with new features to simplify common tasks (many based on feedback from our customers). For example, in the Calendar app, you can now dial a number that appears in the subject of an appointment. In the Email app, you can now sort by date, sender, and subject. In the Phone app, the Call log offers more options to easily connect to a contact (such as via SMS). And there are some new shortcuts for zipping from one app to another (for example, moving from a chat view to a phone call with that person). You¹ll also see improved performance in these apps.


• Enhanced notifications: The LED in the gesture area now lights up and pulses if you have a notification (even when the screen is off). You can also customize notification sounds in Messaging, Email (on an account-by-account basis), and Calendar. And there are new notification sounds in the ringtones library to give your more customization options for your alert.

See more details of the Palm webOS 1.4 update in action here. Your phone will automatically update within a few days once Palm webOS 1.4 is available on your carrier. You can also trigger the update using the Updates app. We always welcome your feedback on what you’d like to see in the next Palm webOS update -- share your thoughts here.

 

Jon Zilber

Comments

[Jeremy]

I think it's funny that all the people on verizon complaining about a FREE update... it is coming. and no it's not false advertisement, if you think so, you're an idiot... can't people be happy with anything? get over yourselves you whining like a bunch of babies and have a bit of patience.

[gmfer]

still waiting for Telcel's update!
Overall loving my phone but I want paid apps, 3D games and push Dataviz with Docs to Go premium.
better performance would be better also.
Palm don't let this great Os fall down! Been Palm user for so long and I don't this comoany to dissapear.

I still believe in you... Don't let me down!

[ea0423]

WOO HOO! Glad to see VZW update only 24 hours behind Sprint. Hope Bell gets theirs tonight. Like the new transition card. Also like seeing the browser improvements. Video capture is icing on the cake. Huzah Palm!

[rob stizzle]

every1 iz asking about flash but I went 2 myspace apps that are flash and it works so am I confused or is the rest of the world? I mean check it for yourselves and let me know cuz I figured it did work lol

[jose g]

It seems people here would be more happy if palm held back the update for every one else if it is not available to them, selfish? They can do that, but, I rather they release as soon as it becomes available, which may not be the same date for every one. We are all getting updates...jeshh

[jose g]

Small suggestions: the launcher app to have a 4X4 view by default (or a way to set a preference)and the launch task bar to automatically hide when launcher is launched to create more viewable space. (They're patches for these out there but it would be nice to see it on webOS)

Thanks! Also, Palm, no need to not let Sprint have the plus already. they should have gotten it days after.

[Magazin]

Hi, thank you very much. good job.

[Neff]

It's great to hear about the new WebOS update but in more than 44 countries in Europe we've no hardware yet to make it run! Palm I beg you! Please export your products to Switzerland. I've been waiting for the pre for over a year now, and still nothing is coming. I have to buy a new phone and I really would like to go for a Pre plus... but it's not here and there are apparently no announcement planned. Give us news to keep us informed, but more importantly give us the Pre! Yesterday I heard that your business is not going as good as you wished, maybe concentrating a little bit more on foreign countries could be a good way to give the Pre the success and the respect it deserves. Come on Palm, I'm beginning being tired to wait!

[ozguy]

Please, please add IPSec VPN. I know it's a "geeky" feature, but it's the one reason I still lug around an iPhone!

[Kelvin]

I bought a Palm Pre from UK by O2 mobile operator. I'm having problem to retrieve company's OWA webmail via EAS configuration when my Palm connected to local mobile operator, Maxis in Malaysia but no problem via home wireless broadband internet connection. The private certificate has been installed on the Palm Pre's Certificate Manager. Is the Palm restricted used for UK mobile operators eg. O2 only if I were to retrieve EAS webmail without tapping to wireless home broadband?

[M. Peterson]

Downloaded 1.4 for pre (on Sprint Network). It is running horrible. My camera app won't load (blinking gray/black), the apps all fire very slowly. I took a big leap on palm (rather than iPhone or Nexus) and I'm having some serious buyer's remorse. My expectations for flash, video camera, and more have all been dashed. I'm giving it until Wednesday. If my phone isn't working I'm bailing on Palm for a product that I can rely on.

[MarkinSa]

Ohhh, the Drama! They got theirs first, so I'm takin mine back! I got suckered because its comin out a few days later than I thought..! OMG! ITS A PHONE!!! RELAX!!! How do you people make it thru life? Mom, he got his cake first, so I'm leaving! He got his raise first, so I'm quitting. Geez

[magnum]

Hey, I'm impressed. I was honestly looking forward to the HTC Touch Pro coming down in price, but I think I may go with this phone if it comes with Sprint. I've always liked Palm stuff, even if they were behind the times. Quality is always better than cutting edge...unless they happen at the same time, which it looks like this phone will accomplish.

Review: http://bit.ly/palm-web-os-examined-again

[Kay]

I do wish the call log showed which calls were incoming and outgoing--not just missed. The video and pulses are nice, though.

[Kay]

Wait! I retract my statement, once you access the contact's pull-down menu it shows the call detail (missed, outgoing, incoming, etc). I love the update!

[Helen]

How come I can't see call duration on my call logs?? I thought this would be included in the new update. Does anyone have call duration? I only have the time the call was placed, but not the minutes/duration of the call. If anyone can help, please let me know.

[che]

for real...you people are incredibly ridiculous!
if you were my customees I wouldve folded the business my damn self, or just cut yall out one-by-one.

does a day or 2 really make a difference in the realm of your life and palm phone for you?? Really??

I've had the ability to get the update since the 26th but still haven't. It's there, it'll be there, my life can go on.

STOP CRYING...IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR WEBOS PHONE, THEN JUST LEAVE IT ALREADY. THATLLL MAKE OUR UPDATES THAT MUCH FASTER. SOOO, THANKS!

[Ralph P]

Thanks for the update but I could live without all the changes if you would just have added voice dialing like most free phones have had for the last 5 years!! When I bought the phone last year the Sprint genius told me it HAD VR dialing or I would not have bought it. This is the most dangerous phone to dial while driving the car and totally irresponsible for Palm to release it this way and still not correct it.

[christian campbell]

what happened to the adobe flash player and would love a zoom for the camera and video. Also still waiting on the touchscreen keyboard update!!!!!!!

[Billy Sam]

you are all a bunch of pee-pee heads

[Steve L]

I so much want the Pre to survive and grow in market share. However, with each new update I am baffled when some very basic functions are not included.

For example, there is no easy way to delete multiple email messages from the inbox quickly. The WebOS developers must not have a POP email account or they would know how much of a hassle it is for anyone that receives alot of email and wants to quickly delete messages that have already been read on their PC. (My ISP doesn't support IMAP so I don't have the ability for the syncing to automatically delete the messages).

Please, PLEASE, update the email client by enabling the 'Select All' menu option, or at least allow multi-select of messages using a checkbox to the left of each messages. Then put a 'Delete All' r 'Delete Selected' button at the bottom.

I'll probably give Palm one last chance to see if they get this right in 1.5. If not, I'll be moving on to another device after 10 years of allegiance to Palm.

[Steve L]

One additional suggestion to the folks at Palm:

I switched from a Treo 755 to the Palm Pre and my wife still has a Treo. There are many strengths to the new OS. However, the physical design is a step backwards.

I recently borrowed my wife's Treo and was reminded of how much better that keyboard is compared with the Pre. The new keyboard is too small, too squishy and lacks the feedback confidence that good finger keyboards have.

Hopefully the next generation of your hardware will focus more on usability and not worry so much about making the thing look like a wet stone. The Droid is a good example of how a device doesn't need to look super pretty to sell well.

[Steven]

getting tired of having to login to FB each and every time. Why doesn't the Palm unable users to store login info for webpages the way every other browser does?

Take a look at the iPhone to see a well designed FB app...

[Cindy D]

How is Palm promoting this update with a "Getting more done faster" when every app now has a 2 second splash screen when you open it!!! This is ABSURD!!!!! How do I perform a rollback to the last version. It's bad enough the gesture can sometime have a 2 second delay....I'm not interested in a 4 second wait for each app. I can open 4 MS Office applications on my desktop in that time!! WTF!?!?!?!?

[Ann]

Since this update I'm having trouble with my calendar. All appointments after the change to Daylight savings are showing an hour earlier - regular 9am appt at 8am, etc. My Google calendar online is fine - just the phone. What the ???