Palm webOS 1.0.3 is Now Out

Fire up your update app, Palm webOS 1.0.3 is now out. According to Palm, the following bugs have been fixed:

Calendar

• Events created in your Google calendar—either in Calendar on your phone or in Google online—that contain a symbol or accented character in the event name can now synchronize. Previously, including a symbol or accented character in an event name prevented the event from synchronizing.
• Changes made to Google events on the phone now sync with Google online within a few minutes.
• The sync interval for Google events has been decreased from every few hours to every 15 minutes.

Clock

• If you create a weekday alarm on a weekend, the alarm sounds only on weekdays. Previously the alarm would sound on the weekend also.

Contacts

• Changes made to Google contacts on the phone now sync with Google online within a few minutes.
• The sync interval for Google contacts has been decreased from every few hours to every 15 minutes.

Email

• Power performance in areas where wireless coverage is sporadic or unavailable has been enhanced.
• Non-SSL Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) mail servers are now supported.

Other

• Miscellaneous updates for Email, Phone, and other applications.

Bad News – Palm Pre Screen is not Scratch Resistant

Joel Evans of Geek.com finally had it. With the Palm Pre’s short battery life, and now finding out that the screen is not scratch resistant, he has given up and will be returning his Pre.

I don’t blame him. With a screen that is about 90% touchscreen, it is quite surprising that Palm didn’t put enough protection on the screen. Apple did it on the iPhone, why not on the Pre?

Anyone else with deep scratches on their screens already?

Head on to Geek for a hi-res pic of Joel’s scratched Pre. Prepare to be disappointed.

Google on Palm Pre: Google Search, Maps, and YouTube are Just The Beginning

This post over the Google Mobile Blog sums it up:

This is just the beginning for Google applications on Palm Pre. The good news is that since our applications are built using web standards along with Palm’s MoJo SDK, we can iterate quickly and provide new functionality, often without requiring you to install anything new. We look forward to rolling out new features for our mobile applications at a rapid clip.

What I want to see next are Google Reader and Documents.

Official Palm Pre Accessories

Official Palm Pre accessories are now listed in Palm’s online Store. Some of the accessories are actually in Sprint stores but they usually get sold out pretty fast. If you buy accessories costing $49 and up direct from Palm, they get shipped free. Offer is only for orders made on or before June 30, 2009.

Here are the notable accessories at the Palm Store (Palm, where is the car mount?). Let us know what you have and how you like them.

Touchstone Dual Location Charger Kit ($139)

Palm Pre Switch Tip #1 – Software Updates (updated)

Occasionally, Palm will release software updates to improve or add features to your Palm Pre. Palm provides an excellent guide on “How do Palm WebOS system updates work?”

What’s good about the Pre is, these updates get downloaded automatically to your phone, when it is idle, and will prompt you to install it when it has fully downloaded the updates.

When I got the Pre, it’s software version was 1.0.1. Palm released v.1.0.2 a few days ago. They seem to have added Twitter on its universal search and I also have noticed some improvements in speed and in some icons, particularly the calendar icon, which now shows the correct day. The 67MB update will take more than 30 minutes to download and install, and your battery need to be at least 30% charged.

I have created a short video to show how the update works. Anyway, forgive my ‘umms’ and parts of the video which are blurry.   Do comment on what other improvements you have noticed.

Update: Palm released an update with the following details:

Clock (new)

• Use your phone as an alarm clock.
• Create and save multiple alarms.
• Customize sounds for individual alarms.
• View a full-screen time display.
• Switch the time display between analog and digital.

Camera

• Increased speed of return to capture mode when taking successive photos.

Other

• Numerous bug fixes for Email, Calendar, and other applications.

Palm Pre Day 0: This is the Day

Today’s the day! I’m heading out to my nearest Sprint store in just a few minutes. Hopefully I don’t run into a long line when I get there.

Update: I just got here at the Sprint shop at exactly 7am. They have been handing out tickets and I got ticket #15 — not bad at all. The first guy on the line had been here since 4:15am.

Anyway, today’s also the launch of Pre Switcher, a Palm Pre enthusiast site, and a site for Palm Pre switchers. The site is still work in progress, but feel free to play around. This is the best time to register in the forums, so you can reserve your usernames, and provide feedback to the site.

I’m sure by now, you’ve all heard and seen the reviews online. Just in case you’ve only seen a few, here’s a list of reviews I have rounded up:

• Associated Press
• Boy Genius Report
• CNET
• CNN Money
• Engadget
• FOX News
• Gizmodo
• Laptop Magazine
• Michael Gartenberg
• MobileTechReview
• MyPre
• New York Times – David Pogue
• Palm Infocenter
• PC Magazine
• Phonescoop
• PreCentral
• SlashGear
• USA Today
• Wall Street Journal – Walt Mossberg
• Wired

Stay tuned for more coverage.