Sunnyvale-based mobile phone maker Palm has just released into the wild a new flavor of its latest smartphone operating system, namely webOS 1.3.1. According to the company, the new software version does not come around with any new applications for the devices running under it (namely Palm Pre and Palm Pixi), yet there are a series of improvements, fixes and feature enhancements that users will certainly like to hear about.

One of the new feature changes involves the backup, which “now includes browser cookies, so that after a restart, for example, if you stored your username and password on a web-based email site, you can continue to access the site without needing to log in.” It seems that backup will not store online account passwords anymore, which means that users will have to enter the password after signing in to their Palm profile.

Other changes the new OS version comes around with include calendar synchronizations with Yahoo!, dismissed calendar notifications disappearing, and a better synchronization of events created on the phone with Google online, even if the event location contains an apostrophe. In addition, the handset now shows the correct amount of available memory space even after files have been deleted.

A great deal of other improvements have been also included with the new software version, and some of them are related to Email, Messaging, Music, Screen & Lock, Sounds & Ringtones, System, Tasks, Web, or security. Here is a short list:

- Forwarded and replied-to messages include improved formatting, such as the original sender's email address in forwarded messages and correct inline image display in replies.
- If you have multiple Exchange accounts, doing a Global Address List (GAL) contact lookup searches all the accounts.
- If an Exchange 2003 implementation requires a password, you can select an alphanumeric (strong) password even if the server does not require a strong password.
- Yahoo! IM is available as an instant messaging account.
- You can select a unique ringtone for new message alerts: Open Messaging > application menu > Preferences & Accounts > Sound > Ringtone.
- If you are on a call, calendar notifications no longer partially cover the End Call icon.
- If you select the Simple PIN Secure Unlock option, you can now enter a numeric PIN of more than four digits.
- If you change the apps in Quick Launch, after a backup and partial erase, the new apps still appear in Quick Launch. Previously, Quick Launch reverted to the default apps.
- Backup now includes browser cookies, so that after a restart, for example, if you stored your username and password on a web-based email site, you can continue to access the site without needing to log in.

The entire changelog can be seen on Palm's website here.