14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier Sprint posted on its support website not too long ago some release notes of the webOS 1.3.5 software update for the Palm Pre, stating that the firmware is set to arrive on handsets as soon as December 28 arrives and, as that day has come and gone, now users of the smartphone are receiving the new OS flavor over the air. There are quite a few novelties included in the new platform version, such as enhancements to the App Catalog, Calendar, Date & Time, Device Info, Email, Messaging, System, Updates and Web, as well as some Security enhancements that Pre users can now enjoy.
The full release notes of the new webOS 1.3.5 flavor of the platform, which are already available on Palm's website, show that the manner in which the device can be updated has seen a small change, mainly affecting the network over which one can download the new firmware solutions pushed for the Pre. “After taking the 1.3.5 update, users can download future updates over a 2G (1xRTT 1x title bar icon, GPRS 1x title bar icon, EDGE 1x title bar icon) data connection by opening Updates and tapping Download Now,” Palm notes.
The enhancements brought to the App Catalog are meant to offer a new experience to users, including the possibility to download more than a single app at a time. Moreover, downloads will now continue in the background if the user “moves away from the download screen,” downloads can be manually paused, canceled or resumed, updates for applications can be downloaded with a single tap, the downloads are automatically resumed in case they were paused due to interruption, the search algorithm in the storefront has been improved, and users in U.S. territories can now purchase paid apps.
Other enhancements in webOS 1.3.5 include: Device Info - A user can perform a full erase by pressing and holding Sym + the orange/Option key + power for 10 seconds. Calendar - In Day view, switching between days happens more quickly. Messaging - If a user deletes a conversation with a contact, new conversations with that contact are now correctly displayed in Conversations view. System - Users can now take advantage of the full storage capacity of the phone for downloading applications. This gives the user more control over how to allocate the phone’s storage space across applications, music, photos, and other media. Downloaded applications are now stored on the phone’s USB drive. - This update improves battery life in areas of poor wireless network coverage. Web - The web browser now supports the display of animated GIFs - Audio files with a .3g2 extension play correctly as audio files, not video files.
Other fixes and improvements are included in the new release as well, and one can check on all of them on Palm's website here.