Good news for Palm Pre owners, the Interwebs have been percolating with rumors for weeks now that WebOS version 1.2 will be released any day now.  Well, it is now looking more and more certain that any day is going to translate into sometime next week, more likely than not September 24.  Around that same time, you can also expect the official launch of the WebOS App catalog.  From the leaked images, it looks like the App Catalog will feature a much more streamlined interface.  The bad news for users, of course, is that this update is also expected to spell the end of the free zone.  Palm will be unveiling its new direct purchase model.

In the meantime, Palm has plenty to keep you occupied, including nearly two dozen new apps which were either released to the App Catalog or updated significantly this week.  Chief among them is a second Google Voice App, P2GoogleVoice from P2labs.  And Survivor fans will be thrilled (I presume) to find a Survivor Samoa app right there on the Palm Pre.  While I am not a survivor fan (anymore), I like the idea of creating an app to give you deeper insight into your favorite television show.  In addition to watching Survivor videos (including full episodes) you can also read character bios and even play a variety of online games and contests.  Like I said, I really have not watched Survivor for some time, but this app does make me yearn for what might be coming.  Do I dare hope for a Lost app…or maybe even Heroes?

Most important for the current update are the games.  Over half of the updated and new apps are games, and there is really quite a variety of puzzles, board games, and word games.  My personal favorite is a game called DeadMan from Fusion Creative Studios.  With a name like that, it has to be good.  DeadManis a hangman spinoff, with a pretty big twist.  While the rules are pretty much the same — guess the correct letters to complete the word before time runs out – the consequences are drastically more severe.  In Hangman, if you miss enough guesses then a stick man doodle gets hung.  No big deal.  In DeadMan, time is ticking, and that timer is attached to a pretty powerful bomb.  Miss enough guesses and kaboom, that bomb is going to detonate (and take your phone with it). 

These and the rest of the new (and updated) apps and games are all still free and still available in the WebOS App Catalog.  Better hurry though, and get them while things are still free.  The paid apps are coming soon!

[Portions via PreCentral.net]