After their first swing and a miss last week, palm finally released WebOS 1.2 for the Palm Pre today.  Let me tell you what I love about Palm.  When they release a new update, there are no complicated procedures to follow, no danger of danger of “bricking” your device, and best of all no need to wipe all your data.  All you have to do is head over to the Update icon on the last app page and let your Palm Pre check for updates.  WebOS 1.2 will be automatically pushed to your device when you tap download.

Now for the bad news.  This is an almost 80MB program, so it will take some time to download.  Once downloaded and installed, I think you will find the wait was well worth it.  This update features an awful lot of upgrades, both large and small, many of which were requested by the users themselves.   You can see all of the new features over at Palm’s support page, but here are a few highlights:

• Significant updates to Synergy Sync, including syncing with LinkedIn and Yahoo messenger.  Alas, still no sync with Microsoft services.
• Amazon MP3 downloads can now be performed by Wi-fi or 3G networks.
• Significant upgrades to the app Catalog, including the much anticipated paid apps.
• Much more effective cut and paste options.

There are dozens of other updates, upgrades, and new features touching almost every aspect of WebOS.  Sadly, there was one feature I had been hoping to see which has still not been included with the WebOS package.  Specifically, tasks are not included in the Synergy Sync.  I hope this will be included in a future version of the operating system.  How about you?  Is everything you expected included in this latest version?  Are there still features or improvements you would like to see/  Leave your opinions here in the comments, or send them to Palm.

All I can say is…WOW.  If you are in the market for a palm Pre, then today is your day.  To put this into the proper context, when the Pre was initially released over the summer, I paid around $200 for the opportunity of using one.

Our story begins earlier this week, when Amazon announced a Palm Pre price cut to $99.99.  Not to be outdone, Wal-Mart stepped up to the plate with a price reduction of their own, selling the Palm Pre for a limited time for only $79.99.  A nice $20 under the Amazon price.  Of course, this deal is not without limitations.  First of all, it is not a true price cut, but a mail in rebate.  You must purchase the Palm Pre, with a newly activated two year Sprint service contract, and then mail in the rebate form for a $100 rebate.  In the end, this gives you a $200 phone, for only $79 (plus the cost of the data plan, which can run you $80-$100 per month).  Oh and this rebate expires Monday, September 28, 2009 (so better hurry to take advantage).  Check out the details on the Wal-Mart wireless website.

Hot on the heels of this news comes an additional discount.  Just use this coupon code at checkout:  25RAFPCVER1 to receive an additional $25 off the price of the phone when you purchase it from Wal-Mart thanks, Gear Diary for the tip).  For those of you keeping track at home, that is a $179.99 phone-$100 mail in rebate-$25 coupon code.  That leaves you with a $54.99 price tag.  Not too shabby for that phone which I paid $200 for only a few weeks ago.  Just to make this one even more attractive, using this coupon code will also get you a free carrying case, Bluetooth headset, and car charger. 

For some of you, though, $55 for one of the best new phones around, a bluetooth headset, carrying case, and car charger is just not enough.  So, by the end of the day, the folks at Precentral found a way to knock off even those last $55 and get the whole Palm Pre bundle absolutely free!  Apparently, the folks over at phonecashback.net will toss an additional $54.99 rebate at you.  This second rebate expires on Wednesday, but to get the free Pre, you need to make the purchase from Wal-Mart Monday. 

OK.  So, let’s recap.  Here is what you need to do in order to get your FREE Palm Pre (with included accessory bundle)/

1. Head over to Wal-Mart wireless today!
2. At checkout, get an instant $25 discount by entering the coupon code 25RAFPCVER1
3. Complete the rebate form at http://www.phonecashback.net/sprint-cashback/ to receive a $54.99 rebate
4. When you receive the phone, follow the instructions included in the package to claim your $100 mail-in rebate

That’s it.  Total cost of the phone, headset, case, and car charger is $179.99.  Total savings on the whole package: $179.99.  Final cost FREE!!  Now that is a deal to get excited about.  Like I said, though, better hurry because the whole thing will evaporate within hours when the Wal-Mart deal expires.  And don’t forget this deal does require a new two year contract, but if you were in the market for a new phone, then this one is certainly worth the price of admission.

Tokyo Game Show (TGS) has passed, and The New York Times has an interesting piece suggested by the hardcore gamers’ convention titled “Apple’s Shadow Hangs Over Game Console Makers“.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

The article is about the market of game consoles and alike, which is feeling the competition of the new de facto game reference platform: the iPhone and iPod Touch.

From The New York Times:

TOKYO — As video game giants like Sony and Microsoft touted their new gizmos at the Tokyo Game Show this week, industry executives had more than the coming holiday sales season on their minds.

Apple’s recent foray into video games — with the iPhone, the iPod Touch and its ever-expanding online App Store — is causing as much hand-wringing among old industry players as the global economic slump, which threatens to take the steam out of year-end shopping for the second consecutive year.

Among the questions voiced by video game executives: How can Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft keep consumers hooked on game-only consoles, like the Wii or even the PlayStation Portable, when Apple offers games on popular, everyday devices that double as cellphones and music players?

And how can game developers and the makers of big consoles persuade consumers to buy the latest shoot’em-ups for $30 or more, when Apple’s App store is full of games, created by developers around the world and approved by Apple, that cost as little as 99 cents — or even are free?

This year the video game industry has experienced the biggest decline since 2000, and the $0.99 iPhone games storm has played a role. The gaming market model must be changing, and it’s clear that the smartphones and cellphones are becoming the platforms of the future, just because everybody owns, at least, one. Thus at the TGS 168 of the 758 new game titles were for cellphone platforms, i.e. more than twice as many as in the previous year.

Once I bought a PlayStation 2, but I have never been a hardcore gamer, and now I limit myself to some freeware games (Solitaire and Arvale, which I really like) installed on my Palm OS smartphone. I hate taking more than one device and my Palm Centro is the only device is always with me, but sometimes I regret not having my wife’s iPod Touch to play “The Secret of Monkey Island” or one of those colorful $0.99 games.

If there was a really convergent device, able to get things done, to organize my life and to play games at the price of the Apple App Store, I would buy many video games, and Nintendo, Sony, Capcom, Konami and all others could conquer a really unexpected customer.

P.S. No! I am not buying an iPhone!

I’ve been seeing a lot of dot updates to my favourite apps lately. This one does the usual bug fixing and optimization gig, as well as full localization in six different languages. However, the really cool part is the addition of Bluetooth multiplayer. The game features wi-fi head to head racing (which is more reliable), but Bluetooth is much easier to set up on the go and makes it possible to race when outside the range of a wireless network. It’s just a pity that only the first gen iPhone and iPod Touch can’t join in on that BT fun.

– Posted from my iPhone

And arrive they did in the form of the Samsung Instinct HD.  This is the follow up to the Instinct, which Louis announced yesterday.  New features in the Instinct HD include a whopping 5 megapixel camera, video camcorder (take that iPod Touch 3), and the ability to playback HD quality video.  The Samsung Instinct showed up on my doorstep this afternoon.  So, keep watching this space for a full review.