Palm Pre Will Get Free Software Updates with New Features

Palm, Inc. is going to take a page from its competitors and release free software updates that will enhance its webOS devices -- including the Palm Pre -- with new features.

A document that has leaked out of the company says:

As part of the webOS user experience, Palm plans to periodically provide new software features free of charge to customers of its webOS products, including the recently announced Palm Pre.

This should be music to the ears of potential customers, as Palm has never been known as a company that released new software enhancements for its products. Updates to fix bugs aren't uncommon, but one with significant new features coming from Palm is almost unheard of.

But times have changed, and Palm's competitors regularly offer free software upgrades for their devices now. Most BlackBerry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile users have grown accustomed to getting upgrades to new versions of their respective operating systems.

Wireless carriers have come to accept these upgrades too, as they keep older models selling. Even a phone that's been on the market a year or more can still sell if it's running the latest OS version.

An Overview of the Palm Pre
The Palm Pre will be the first device to use Palm's just-announced webOS. This will be a multi-tasking operating system able to wirelessly synchronize a wide variety of data with online services like Google and Facebook.

The Pre itself will feature a sliding keyboard as well as a multi-touch-capable 3.1-inch display. This device will also be equipped with 8 GB of on-board storage, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 3.0 megapixel camera with LED flash. 

In the U.S. the Pre will be available first from Sprint, who will add its mobile broadband service EV-DO Rev. A. The GSM version for Europe and Latin America will have the 3G standard HSDPA.

Source: palmwebOS.org via Engadget