14 DAY TRIAL // It didn't take too long before Palm came back with a software update for its webOS mobile operating system running on Palm Pre to enable the handset to connect back with Apple's iTunes. Although USB-IF said that Palm should be careful with the way in which it uses Apple's vendor ID to enable the iTunes syncing, it seems that the Sunnyvale-based mobile phone maker decided to re-enter the cat-and-mouse game it has been playing with Apple during the past four months or so.
The company has just released the webOS 1.2.1 update for all Palm Pres available on the market, and, beside other changes and fixes it brings along, the release note also clearly states, “Resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (9.0.1).” Since the game is back on, although one would have expected for Palm to lay low, especially since webOS 1.2.0 didn't “fix the iTunes issue,” it remains to be seen how Apple will respond, and what other forums will have to say about it.
In the meantime, we should mention that the new software update for the Palm Pre also comes with a fix for an issue with Exchange 2007 that prevented users from synchronizing “with their Exchange account for Email, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks.” The problem first appeared after webOS 1.2.0 was installed on the Palm Pre, it seems.
Other changes the new firmware version brings along include: - Media sync now synchronizes photo albums, maintaining the album structure in the Photos app. - Media sync now allows for synchronizing photos without requiring the full-resolution originals. This provides faster display of high-quality full-screen images and enables users to store more photos on the phone. - Resolved an issue where if a user tried to play streaming music or video, the media stream might drop out or have a long delay before starting.
In addition, there are also some security fixes that came along with the new webOS 1.2.1, including one that Palm stresses upon, “Addresses a security issue encountered by webkit developers. This issue did not impact end users.” No new applications have been included with the fresh software release, the company notes. As many of you might already know, Palm pushes the update to Pre users over-the-air, which means that they will be notified shortly about the new firmware version, if that hasn’t already happened.