14 DAY TRIAL // According to the latest news on the Internet, Sunnyvale-based mobile phone maker Palm is getting ready to make a few changes to its App Catalog software portal. The new version of the storefront is expected to become available for users starting with September 24, 2009, and one of the most important features it should come along with is the possibility to purchase applications directly from it.
Users who would like to enjoy the possibility of purchasing applications directly from the software portal will have to submit their credit card info to Palm, and the process is expected to eliminate the need of carrier billing when acquiring software from the App Catalog. However, nothing has been announced officially as of yet, which means that Palm might change the launch date of the new app store.
In related news, we learn that the already spotted webOS 1.2 flavor of Palm's newly launched mobile platform is also expected to come to Palm Pre users sometime next week. In case this pans out, it means that Palm might deliver the upgraded App Catalog along with the new firmware version, something that has been already rumored to happen.
According to PreCentral, which already published a series of images that supposedly show the new face of the App Catalog, there are a series of other new features that Palm Pre users will enjoy with the new version of the storefront, including nicer screenshot stack, buttons to share via text and email, better category listing, and a single app managing screen.
A series of details on what the upcoming webOS 1.2 is set to deliver to the Pres on the market have already emerged into the wild, via a changelog that was published on Sprint's website, although pulled out shortly after. Hopefully, the rumors regarding the new App Catalog and the availability of the 1.2 flavor of the operating system will prove true, and users will have a reason to rejoice.